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The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

The Plantkeeping Classroom is for those who dream of creating Amano-like aquascapes but realize that there is much to learn first. If you are just getting started and have questions, post them here and we will do our best to help you become successful.
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The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby aquatic hoyt (348) » Tue Dec 10, 2013 7:53 pm

Hey all I got a new mix for you.....@meh<-- ATUB --> this should be easy for you to do if you want to redo your tank.

30 gallon tank.....low light redo.

1/3 dirt.

1/3 peat moss.

1/3 dirt and peat moss hehe.

you can add clay clumps also for iron.

3 inches PACKED of this mix then cap it with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of small gravel....sand sucks, I will fight for that fact....I know it to be true.

meh your ferns will love this..........this is my 2nd dirted tank..........I need to convert all 14 yr olds keeping plants to this.
a friend will help you move. a true friend will help you move a body

220 gallon cichlid tank.

90 gallon planted.

29 gallon.

20 long dirted.

10 gallon platy maker.

6 gallon pillar.

3 gallon cherry shrimp breeder.

1 gallon betta tank.
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby meh (1454) » Tue Dec 10, 2013 8:42 pm

1st off you don't know me....I LOVE SIMPLE....3 kinds of soil in one tank....I want somthing simple like Flourite! Will that work!??!?!
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby 1077 (372) » Wed Dec 11, 2013 2:21 pm

Have several tank's with soil and sand as cap , plant's thrive,fishes happy,shrimp's happy.
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby aquatic hoyt (348) » Wed Dec 11, 2013 6:04 pm

meh wrote:1st off you don't know me....I LOVE SIMPLE....3 kinds of soil in one tank....I want somthing simple like Flourite! Will that work!??!?!


flourite is okay......dirt is wayyy better!
a friend will help you move. a true friend will help you move a body

220 gallon cichlid tank.

90 gallon planted.

29 gallon.

20 long dirted.

10 gallon platy maker.

6 gallon pillar.

3 gallon cherry shrimp breeder.

1 gallon betta tank.
aquatic hoyt

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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby meh (1454) » Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:12 pm

ok good....I am gearing up for the rebuild
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby freshfish (9512) » Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:14 pm

I use dirt capped with Flourite- best of both worlds ;)

I don't like sand- gets "dirty" looking way too fast, or pea gravel, as I love black substrates best personally.

PS If you haven't come across this advice yet, make sure you wash the Flourite really REALLY well before putting it in your tank. I take it outside in a bucket and blast a hose into it until the water runs off clear, personally. If you then take the extra step and spread it out and let it air dry before putting in the tank it reduces dust dramatically more (I have no clue why but someone told me to do that once and the few times I did make the effort to do that, it really did make a difference, though I don't always bother).
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby aquatic hoyt (348) » Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:43 am

freshfish wrote:I use dirt capped with Flourite- best of both worlds ;)

I don't like sand- gets "dirty" looking way too fast, or pea gravel, as I love black substrates best personally.

PS If you haven't come across this advice yet, make sure you wash the Flourite really REALLY well before putting it in your tank. I take it outside in a bucket and blast a hose into it until the water runs off clear, personally. If you then take the extra step and spread it out and let it air dry before putting in the tank it reduces dust dramatically more (I have no clue why but someone told me to do that once and the few times I did make the effort to do that, it really did make a difference, though I don't always bother).


I agree with you about sand and gravel size and color.

flourite is really hard to wash....one guy took 2 hours doing it.....crazy......
a friend will help you move. a true friend will help you move a body

220 gallon cichlid tank.

90 gallon planted.

29 gallon.

20 long dirted.

10 gallon platy maker.

6 gallon pillar.

3 gallon cherry shrimp breeder.

1 gallon betta tank.
aquatic hoyt

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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby meh (1454) » Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:27 pm

great...........Laura how long does it ussaully take for you to wash it?
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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby aquatic hoyt (348) » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:21 am

a hour to 2 hours.
a friend will help you move. a true friend will help you move a body

220 gallon cichlid tank.

90 gallon planted.

29 gallon.

20 long dirted.

10 gallon platy maker.

6 gallon pillar.

3 gallon cherry shrimp breeder.

1 gallon betta tank.
aquatic hoyt

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Re: The dirt on doing a dirted tank...

Postby Hurriken (4418) » Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:22 pm

Don't over wash flourite. It's like boiling the vitamins out of your vegetables! I buy paint strainers they are very cheap at hardware stores. Like a mesh sack. Fill it with flourite and dip it in a 5g bucket. Then spread it out on some plastic and let it dry completely. Letting it dry is the trick to avoiding the chocolate cloud.
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