alienara2 Posted November 14, 2015 Report Share Posted November 14, 2015 As the title says, it's been a while so I'm going to need some help.Tank is a 200L tank, I'm planning to make it a tropical community tank starting with guppies so the kids can get excited about it too. I know that I'll need substrate and lots of plants for it so looking for any and all advice that anyone can give. Saw this video about the broke-as aquarium (which basically reflects my wallet once this is done) and it recommended garden soil, baked to kill off organisms in the soil and then used as substrate with gravel on top. Yes/No anyone?Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 I have no idea about using garden soil but am happy to send plants as long as you pay the postage. alienara2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 I think it will be a disaster as too much organics present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Yes.But there is more to it then just throwing in soil and covering with gravel. What you would have seen is Walstrad type of aquarium, a low tech method of getting reasonably good plant growth without fertilising, high wattage lights and pumping in CO2. I tried it once and found it works well if everything is done right but can be a real mess if done wrong. What ever you do, do not disturb the soil once the tanks established. The nutrients in the soil need to stay under that gravel, if disturbed then algae will have a field day.Here's the first link that popped up with google for it: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Yes.But there is more to it then just throwing in soil and covering with gravel. What you would have seen is Walstrad type of aquarium, a low tech method of getting reasonably good plant growth without fertilising, high wattage lights and pumping in CO2. I tried it once and found it works well if everything is done right but can be a real mess if done wrong. What ever you do, do not disturb the soil once the tanks established. The nutrients in the soil need to stay under that gravel, if disturbed then algae will have a field day.Here's the first link that popped up with google for it: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Walstad_method much thanks Shiloh! I'm going to try it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 I have no idea about using garden soil but am happy to send plants as long as you pay the postage.love you long time caryl!! What's postage like up to Auckland? May need some oxygen plants sooner rather than later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted November 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Another question, if I went with pure pool filter sand without any gravel, will that work for a tropical tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 Filter sand is probably sharp. If you use sand you are best with greywacke river sand as it is inert and round. I have used soil in the past and it was a disaster so good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted November 15, 2015 Report Share Posted November 15, 2015 When someone mentions oxygen plants, I automatically think coldwater oxygen weed.It is somewhere between $12 - $15 usually to post to Auckland. I can offer rotala, Java moss and crypts. alienara2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienara2 Posted November 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 Okay, I'll avoid the moss for now. How many plants can I get for that postage? Thinking of chucking the oxygen plants into our outdoor pond. Flippin filled with algae now and the pump / filter doesn't seem to be working. Gonna go all natural and see what happens haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 16, 2015 Report Share Posted November 16, 2015 You can always used Daltons aquatic mix, capped off with Daltons propagating sand or another gravel. Daltons is not expensive as substrate ferts go but like all of them you do need to be careful not to disturb the mix otherwise it puts clouds into the water column for a while. It works very well and is way cheaper than flourite or aquabasis. Of course it depends on your plants but any root feeders will thrive on it.Oxygen plants - I think coldwater too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.