Angel keeper
08-18-2011, 08:19 PM
Recently I have been exposed to setting up dirted tanks and the benifits it can have on growing plants and I would love to share it with everyone. I am new to this set up for aquariums so I hope my knowledge would be of use anyway.
Dirted tanks involves using aquatic soil or even any organic potting soil such as Miricle Gro potting soil. Dirt with help plants to establish good root structures and provide nutrients for plants with little to no fertilizers needed. Dirt also releases little tannis into the water which can lower the ph and can act as a slight bacterial protection. Also, plants are known to take in more nutrients through their roots than their leaves which means the dirt can easily provide the needs that suits the plants adaptations and for those hobbiests who likes the use natural methods in fish keeping dirt can be a great replacement for root tabs.
Research has shown that adding red unfired clay to dirted tanks can make plants that would otherwise find hard to gain their potential red colouration easier such as Ludwiga Repens.
Of course Dirt will make the tank messy if you only use dirt for the substrate. However, you can use gravel or sand to cap the dirt to make setting a dirted tank a lot easier. Here are some steps in which you can take to set up a dirted tank:
1.Place the potting soil into a bucket and rinse the dirt as much as you can to clean the dirt.
2. You will now want to add the dirt to the tank and make sure to make things even unless you want to make slopes and adjustments that meets the desired look. About 1 inch dirt will do fine but feel free to add more if you want to.
3. Next add the unfire red clay into the dirt and make sure that its not exposed.
4. Add water to the dirt but make sure theres no puddle, you want a thick consistanst dirt.
5. You will want to add your chosen substrate to cap the dirt after rinsing. Gravel or sand will work fine. Make sure the layer over the dirt is a 1:1 ratio so 1 inch of dirt is covered with 1 inch of gravel or sand and so on.
6. Place any decorations you want in the tank now and plants. The plants does not have to be placed right down into the dirt since once the tank starts to age the roots will reach the dirt in no time.
7. Carefully add the water into the tank and keep doing partial water changes to clean the debris of the tank.
8. After doing so proceed to cycle the tank and then add the fish you wish to keep and enjoy the plants grow healthily.
I hope my knowledge of dirted tanks would be of help, I want to enforce the fact that this a breif introduction to dirted tanks there are infomation that I have missed or infomation that i do not know so I hope when/if you want to set up dirted tanks please read and do investigations of your own too.
Thanks for reading and I hope this is useful, Angel Keeper.
Dirted tanks involves using aquatic soil or even any organic potting soil such as Miricle Gro potting soil. Dirt with help plants to establish good root structures and provide nutrients for plants with little to no fertilizers needed. Dirt also releases little tannis into the water which can lower the ph and can act as a slight bacterial protection. Also, plants are known to take in more nutrients through their roots than their leaves which means the dirt can easily provide the needs that suits the plants adaptations and for those hobbiests who likes the use natural methods in fish keeping dirt can be a great replacement for root tabs.
Research has shown that adding red unfired clay to dirted tanks can make plants that would otherwise find hard to gain their potential red colouration easier such as Ludwiga Repens.
Of course Dirt will make the tank messy if you only use dirt for the substrate. However, you can use gravel or sand to cap the dirt to make setting a dirted tank a lot easier. Here are some steps in which you can take to set up a dirted tank:
1.Place the potting soil into a bucket and rinse the dirt as much as you can to clean the dirt.
2. You will now want to add the dirt to the tank and make sure to make things even unless you want to make slopes and adjustments that meets the desired look. About 1 inch dirt will do fine but feel free to add more if you want to.
3. Next add the unfire red clay into the dirt and make sure that its not exposed.
4. Add water to the dirt but make sure theres no puddle, you want a thick consistanst dirt.
5. You will want to add your chosen substrate to cap the dirt after rinsing. Gravel or sand will work fine. Make sure the layer over the dirt is a 1:1 ratio so 1 inch of dirt is covered with 1 inch of gravel or sand and so on.
6. Place any decorations you want in the tank now and plants. The plants does not have to be placed right down into the dirt since once the tank starts to age the roots will reach the dirt in no time.
7. Carefully add the water into the tank and keep doing partial water changes to clean the debris of the tank.
8. After doing so proceed to cycle the tank and then add the fish you wish to keep and enjoy the plants grow healthily.
I hope my knowledge of dirted tanks would be of help, I want to enforce the fact that this a breif introduction to dirted tanks there are infomation that I have missed or infomation that i do not know so I hope when/if you want to set up dirted tanks please read and do investigations of your own too.
Thanks for reading and I hope this is useful, Angel Keeper.