# Question about mircle grow organic potting mix



## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

some pictures of what i bought and what it looks like inside
(sorry if the pictures arent that clear... it was taken with a camera phone


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## BS87 (Apr 9, 2012)

I used that, and sifted it. I sifted it by buying a a 2$ throw away vegetable steaming pan. I ran the dirt side to side and only the fine dirt particles fell through.


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## In.a.Box (Dec 8, 2011)

I just use it right out of the bag as long there isn't any rocks I don't care.
Stick is fine.


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

hummm got a picture of your tanks where its used... because im heasitant in putting it in a tank because with those sticks and i think there would be a tannin problem....

and with sifting... how much was left after sifting?


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## Jim_PA (Aug 26, 2011)

I sifted mine 4 times. Maybe a bit much, but happy with end result. Will post picture when I get home

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## Ryi (Mar 29, 2009)

Perfect timing!
I'm nursing some locally harvested plants in a small tank right now. Since they were emersed when I picked them I'm getting them acclimated to aquarium life with a Miracle-Grow substrate covered w/Eco-Complete, then gradually adding water to let them adapt.
I pick the Eco-Complete layer over the Miracle_Grow when I saw the bark/peat/twigs, just to hold it in place. Never occurred to me to sift it.

Jim, love to see your pictures. I agree with the OP, won't it seep tannins?


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

Yeah can't wait for pics and yeah when you opened your bag it probably looked like mine where I think out of the whole. Bag maybe 5% would be useable the rest looks like twigs or big particals


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## jingleberry (Mar 1, 2012)

Like others, I sifted mine as well. Then placed it in a bucket with water for about a week swishing it around each day, poured out whatever remained floating at the end of the week (which wasn't much) and tossed it into the tank.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

I've done 9 tanks using MGOCPM sifting material for only 4 smaller tanks.
Honestly see no difference + or - on the results so its only adding to the efforts.

Journals on most of them here on TPT.


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## R_Barber001 (Oct 5, 2011)

wkndracer said:


> I've done 9 tanks using MGOCPM sifting material for only 4 smaller tanks.
> Honestly see no difference + or - on the results so its only adding to the efforts.
> 
> Journals on most of them here on TPT.


+1 good stuff


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

IMO, there is no point in sifting it. You have to cap it, so the "stick" particles aren't a visual problem. The mix has peat in it, so even sifted you will encounter some leached tannins. Personally, I like the look of the tannins. It doesn't last long, and using a polishing filter floss like poly quilt batting helps get rid of it. There are other remedies for removing tannins that are highly touted, but I haven't tried them and so can't comment...


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

Sifting takes out the big chunks of barkwhich which do nothing for a tank...i did 1 sifting for the big pieces (about 40-50% of the total volume)

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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

DerekFF said:


> Sifting takes out the big chunks of barkwhich which do nothing for a tank...i did 1 sifting for the big pieces (about 40-50% of the total volume)
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


The material content varies with the season and the chips can shred differently batch to batch but long term all of it has benefit. The bigger the chunk the longer it takes to break down, consider it time release mineral storage. I wouldn't say they (the chunks) do nothing for a tank.

Sent from my brain using my index fingers


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## Miles (Sep 9, 2011)

I was pretty surprised when I opened it too, it made my water pretty nasty, not sure if I capped it right though...


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## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

It's pretty messy in my bowl...even capped bits always float up for a while. It eventually settles...but it bothers the hell out of me because I'm OCD about that kinda stuff.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I had that problem with my first dirt tank, and I thought my cap was plenty deep. When I did my two 29g tanks, I made a slightly deeper cap, and didn't have any problems. 
What I didn't account for in the first tank was the cap settling and compressing - that made it much thinner in the final stage.


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## jingleberry (Mar 1, 2012)

Try soaking it in a bucket for a week or two, and then pouring out whatever floats when you're done soaking it.


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## Ryi (Mar 29, 2009)

There may be an obvious answer, if so I apologize in advance...

Doesn't rinsing sort of defeat the purpose of having a fertilized soil? Won't repeated rinsing/soaking remove, at least partly, the fertilizer?


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## beetea (Jan 27, 2012)

I think what jingleberry is describing isn't quite like rinsing the soil. Just let the soil sit there in a bucket with water... the wood chips will float up and tannis will leach out. Then just dump all the brown water including the wood chips. It's not much different than doing the first X number of water changes, I would think. I ended up doing something similar to this after my first... and very messy... experience with dirt... heh


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## jingleberry (Mar 1, 2012)

Yes like beetea said, I'm not rinsing it, I soak it and then pour/skim whatever is left floating at the end of the week or two and dump whatever is remaining in the bucket into the tank. This is just what works for me.


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## Ryi (Mar 29, 2009)

Cool...I figured it was something simple. I haven't flooded my emmersed plants yet so I'm just gathering info on what I have to look forward to


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## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

jingleberry said:


> Yes like beetea said, I'm not rinsing it, I soak it and then pour/skim whatever is left floating at the end of the week or two and dump whatever is remaining in the bucket into the tank. This is just what works for me.


Good thinking. :icon_idea I'll be sure to remember this for next time...it could keep me sane! :eek5:


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

I'm wondering when filling then pouring out to get rid of the twigs and branches how much is left like if u don't mind post the bag size and a approximation of what's left after the rinse


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

There is allot left. I use it in a 55 gal community tank. with 2" pool filter sand cap. For a week it was pretty tanis. After that it settled in fine. Plants grow like mad, looks nice holds roots systems well (I did mix it with ecco-complete forgot to mention.). When you scape use the long scaping tweezers and you should be good, I never have problems with it when I rescape! I love it. You can see a pic of my tank in the swap and shop section under Kev's tank give away.


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

Will definatly do that and I think the only thig the eco complete will do is basically pick up nutrients from the miracle grow and store it


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

True, but it thickens it up and adds weight to the product.


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

I lost about 40-50% of total volume with 1 sifting for large particles.....guess it depends on time of year apparently

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## beetea (Jan 27, 2012)

DerekFF said:


> I lost about 40-50% of total volume with 1 sifting for large particles.....guess it depends on time of year apparently
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


I just thought of something... did you notice if removing all the wood chips changes the pH of the soil? I might be mistaken but I assumed the wood chips lowered the pH just like indian almond leaves would.


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

I do not think it is as much the wood chips, but the peatmoss that is in the bag, because there is allot!


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

some of my tanks with mgo capped with pool filter sand


















and a shrimp tank









link to where i redid the tank and used pool filter sand only instead of black (later mixed a tad black back into the white sand)
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/wicca25_2007/fish/blue tiger shirmp/5 gal hex/


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

wicca27, I love seeing your Columbian Tetras in the first pic! I have ten in QT, waiting for me to get my new tank filled & cycled...what size tank is that?


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## Drift Monkey (Mar 26, 2012)

Capping/mixing this stuff with eco complete/flourite or actually sounds pretty ideal, as long as that sort of look is desired.


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## jhays79 (Mar 28, 2012)

the wood chips are annoying, if I was going to do it again, which I am with another tank, I'm going to sift out as much wood chips and particles as I can.


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## DerekFF (May 24, 2011)

beetea said:


> I just thought of something... did you notice if removing all the wood chips changes the pH of the soil? I might be mistaken but I assumed the wood chips lowered the pH just like indian almond leaves would.


No becauase ive always sifted it out...so dont have tanks to compare with and without bark

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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

With or without the larger chips doesn't change the effect on pH either way in my experiences. Only how long the soil lasts before it's depleted.


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

jhays79 said:


> the wood chips are annoying, if I was going to do it again, which I am with another tank, I'm going to sift out as much wood chips and particles as I can.



just wondering what did you use for a cap?


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## yellowsno (May 15, 2011)

wicca27 said:


> some of my tanks with mgo capped with pool filter sand
> 
> 
> 
> ...



very nice... also what was that plastic mesh thingy? and what was that used for?


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