Soil Substrate Aquarium Guide - Get EXPLOSIVE Growth!

One of the best substrate to use for a planted tank is soil. This guide should help you set up your first soil aquarium AKA how to dirt a tank.

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[johnterpack]

A few tips from somebody with several years of dirt tank experience.
1) The process of wetting and drying the soil outside before using it is called "mineralization". The purpose of it is basically to refine the dirt, getting rid of all the floaty bits that he had to net out in the video. He did the same thing, just in his tank instead of in a bucket or kiddie pool in the driveway. Soak the dirt, use a net or cheesecloth to get the floating scum out of the water, let it dry, repeat if you feel the need.
2) You can mix the clay much more effectively into the soil than by using the ball method in the video. You're going to wet the soil anyhow, simply dissolve the clay into the water you're going to use to wet the soil. That gives you a fine film of iron-rich clay throughout the entire substrate rather than a few big clumps here and there. You can make it even easier by getting the clay in powder form from any number of art supply sites. Make sure it is iron-rich clay, kitty litter is not the same stuff. Although you can use more than one type of clay, they do have different properties.
3) Quit worrying about substrate depth! This myth needs to die. Ponds and lakes have massively deep substrates, they aren't toxic. Quite the opposite, it's known that a deep substrate is beneficial. The "anaerobic" bacteria boogeyman that everybody warns you about is the same aerobic bacteria everybody cultures in biofilters. It's just that in low-oxygen environments the bacteria switches its metabolism to suit the lack of oxygen. The end result is that it turns ammonia and nitrates into nitrogen gas. In other words, it ends the nitrogen cycle. Our 75g has almost 6" of substrate in it. No, it doesn't smell like a swamp or cause health issues inside or outside of the tank.
4) Don't use just the soil for the base layer. Potting soil is entirely biological stuff, very fine grains. It will compact when wet and form a dense mass that makes it hard for roots to grow through. Treat it like you would any other garden soil, add amendments to loosen the soil. A bit of sand, maybe even a little bit of small gravel. This opens channels for the water and roots to pass more easily.
5) You can make your own "dirt" and have complete control of the mix if you want. Worm castings provide the biological mass, rock dust (like Azomite) provides minerals for the plants, maybe a bit of bone meal for calcium and other trace elements. Sand, clay, voila! I'd probably only recommend this for larger tanks since some of the stuff seems to only be available in bulk form and would be a bit expensive if you only needed a little of it.

Overall, good video. There is no better substrate for a planted tank than dirt and I'm glad to see people giving it a try. I just wanted to pass along some things I've learned over the past several years.

[everythingkosher]

I used miracle Gro Potting mix and it worked fine. Better than expected. Of course was skeptical but plants were stocked and snails were present

[kimheartsuds]

I'm planning on setting up a planted tank soon and I'm doing so much research. Your videos are to the point, informative, and entertaining! You've answered every single one of my questions with this series, thank you!!!

[flyfish]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’ve been try to set up my first live plant aquarium with little success. You video was short, to the point and showed me exactly what I needed to know. So, thank you.

[thegreybeardking]

I started a dirt tank (organic choice) or 7 years ago in a 20g. I forgot what I capped it with. Never changed the soil. It's still kicking and I grow swords, which I understand really suck up the nutrients. I'd say my water is a bit cloudier than other tanks after all this time but it doesn't bother me too much. Been thinking about setting up a 40g breeder. At first I wasn't going to do dirt this time around but I think you convinced me to do it again. I guess my current tank is doing so well, that I have my own proof as it is. So thanks for re-confirming what I found works. I like the clay ball idea. I never did that. My existing tank is high light and pressurized CO2.

[JesseDahirKanehl]

The wetting and drying out part he was talking about is called mineralization. It's a process that converts organic compounds to inorganic ones using microbes. Less organics is better for algae control and I believe inorganic compounds are easier for plant uptake. I think mineralization might happen in this type of tank as well, just more slowly

[knitteryears]

Thank you for this simple clear explanation and demo.

[joshuacaramoan]

Organic Soil really worked for me, and my soil didn't go murky as I've damp the soil first and then the substrate then after filling it up, the water was still clear, and I added my fish since the water was already cycled. It worked great for me, Thank you😊

[seensnakes]

I saw this video about a month ago and it inspired me to use organic soil. Then when I actually got the soil i forgot parts of this video. For example I was alarmed to see wood chips on the soil. Then I thought of having a thick layer. I watched it again and realize that i should have sifted the soil and that the layer should be an inch or less. Another words this video is excellent but dont watch it just once. So far this is the best video I have seen here for using soil

[mikejunker]

great video. I wish I would have known about this before I set up my tank with just gravel. I almost want to set up tank number two this way and transfer my live stock over after it cycles and redo tank number one the same way.

[nikopencil]

Thank you! Very clear and straight to the point, got my tank today and all the substrate info out there was a bit overwhelming. I am planning to fill my tank with plants alone, no fish or anything like that. Would everything be okay if I didnt use a filter?

[josemontalvo]

Thank you for sharing this great informative tutorial on substrates.
I always had gravel in my tanks, but then again I was limited to growing certain plants that would grow in gravel. Now I will be using dirt, gravel, and dosing CO2. A full Spectrum Light is in order too. I enjoyed watching!

[SomePotato]

Very helpful, thank you. One other thing I've often read helps with keeping the soil healthy are digging snails, like melanoides tuberculata.

[--Paws--]

I'm doing an experiment where I put soil in a mesh pouch, it is made from window-screens. The finer the holes, the better. The idea is to contain the soil, in case I want to undo the soil substrate. I understand it will leak out but it is better to have the soil in a "clump" instead of having to dig it out in case I change my mind. It is a quicker change for re-scaping the aquarium.
I am using soil-pouches as the base to be topped off with sand. The sand can be sucked out and rinsed if I choose to recycle it; the soil in theory will be left separate contained in the pouches with some eventually spilling out but not completely.

[alexsobers]

Awesome job explaining, never had a planted tank and you made that look like a breeze. Thanks !

[willparsons]

Of course it's pretty straight forward...I too used Walmarts Schultz 100% organic soil and aquarium (designated) sand to top off the soil.
Recently however, noticed that there's been a bit of the organic soil coming topside of the Sandy substrate.
Like yourself (& many other people) who put a layer of soil down first then the sand to keep the soil from leaching upwards, I myself only spot filled the bottom of the aquarium with soil where I was going to plant my plants.
I didn't see what the point is of fully layering the bottom of the aquarium with soil for the simple reason being is that once the roots of the plant(s) have started to grow, the substrate type is irrelevant JUST as long as their is nutrients within the substrate for the roots to "eat"

[sudiptochakraborty]

Literally finished setting up my walstad type 5 gallon tank minutes ago...I was fumbling with the substrate selection mainly...surprised to see you coincidentally posted this one few hours earlier! I used a mix of normal compost and a small amount of garden soil.

[NA-jxbf]

I wish I had seen this videos sooner. I *just* set up a 5 gal nano tank with half and inch of sifted organic dirt (all I had but it's good quality) and about 1.5 inches of substrate. Is that going to make any difference?

[tallydane]

Thank you I needed a cheap solutions for planting my new tank up

[martincregg]

Really wish you were still create content. This is excellent.