# Searched Home Depot, Lowes, can't find MGOPOM...



## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

You need Macronutrients followed by micronutrients. Know what they are, do your homework, that part of the hobby, at least it was for me, always learning and figuring out these fundamentals and then getting what you need and asking questions after you’ve exhausted some effort.

This applies to ALL growing things, not just inert soil... 
https://www.hydroponicist.com/pages/p52-macronutrients-n-p-k.htm

You should truly enjoy reading this if you’re in this hobby! This is a good springboard.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

DigityDog70 said:


> You need Macronutrients followed by micronutrients. Know what they are, do your homework, that part of the hobby, at least it was for me, always learning and figuring out these fundamentals and then getting what you need and asking questions after you’ve exhausted some effort.
> 
> This applies to ALL growing things, not just inert soil...
> https://www.hydroponicist.com/pages/p52-macronutrients-n-p-k.htm
> ...


Which is why I posted here, even in the back of the bag, doesn't really tell you what's composed of - well, I kind of take that back, it's basically assorted food waste matter.


----------



## mndblwn (Jan 15, 2017)

This is the one I have used in the past with good results.
 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Miracle-Gro-Organic-Choice-Potting-Mix/16880022

Though it seems harder to find locally lately. Home Depot now is carrying miracle grow organic Natures Choice. It is in a green bag. Can’t remember if that one has perlite it in though, which you wouldn’t want. 

I have seen some have switched to using just earthworm castings. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

mndblwn said:


> This is the one I have used in the past with good results.
> https://www.walmart.com/ip/Miracle-Gro-Organic-Choice-Potting-Mix/16880022


That's the one I want to get, but everywhere I went they don't have it anymore. I suppose they are discontinued? No idea. I don't think perlites mean much to me, since people cap it anyway, is it THAT bad?


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

If you are going to use dirt might I recommend just going outside and digging some up? I have done dirt tanks in the past and thats what I did. Works just as good and you dont have to worry about whats in it.


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

dirt works if you just dig it up but might not be ideal. i think a lot of people treat it or something by soaking it, letting it dry (or baking it) a bunch of times. of course this depends on the type of land you're digging the dirt up from. as long as you know the dirt on your backyard doesn't have pesticides or anything harmful in it you should be good to do. I think many people literally dig up some dirt, maybe sift out larger particles, and dump it in the tank

MGOCPM is a classic that is confirmed to be 'aquarium safe'. might be tough to find though. you don't want to use just any soil from the store because a lot of them contain organic matter like chicken poop or other harmful ingredients which can break down and get nasty in your tank

personally I have used MGOCPM int he past but in the future might just dig up some nice dirt from a nice piece of ground locally and roll with that. for a cap go with BDBS for sure because it's on the cheap and nice and heavy. This combo would be really really good for rooted carpet plants like DHG. something like HC would benefit less from the dirt but it would still benefit and the BDBS would hold down the roots better than some other substrate options


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I agree with klibs. If you go with yard dirt I think the risk is low unless you take it from a river or lake. I baked mine the first time then after that said heck with it. Any organics that breakdown will be beneficial as they will help cycle the tank. You will have no issues with an ammonia spike using yard dirt. As long as you know the soil hasnt been treated then its really the way to go in my humble opinion. If I was to go with dirt again thats what I would use. 

I would actually use a blend of yard soil mixed with all clay cat litter dumped over a sprinkling of osmocote+ capped with bdbs. With decent lighting and some metricide it will grow plants like mad and your carpet will be killer. Very cheap. Very effective.


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

thedood said:


> I agree with klibs. If you go with yard dirt I think the risk is low unless you take it from a river or lake. I baked mine the first time then after that said heck with it. Any organics that breakdown will be beneficial as they will help cycle the tank. You will have no issues with an ammonia spike using yard dirt. As long as you know the soil hasnt been treated then its really the way to go in my humble opinion. If I was to go with dirt again thats what I would use.
> 
> I would actually use a blend of yard soil mixed with all clay cat litter dumped over a sprinkling of osmocote+ capped with bdbs. With decent lighting and some metricide it will grow plants like mad and your carpet will be killer. Very cheap. Very effective.


exactly. the more I do stuff in this hobby the more I adopt 'the heck with it' mentality. people really try too hard sometimes. adding red clay is a good idea too +1 to that.


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

klibs said:


> exactly. the more I do stuff in this hobby the more I adopt 'the heck with it' mentality. people really try too hard sometimes. adding red clay is a good idea too +1 to that.


 @klibs yep I am with you. I mean there are certain things I will never be that way but so much we just way overthink. I hate to think of the money I have spent over thinking things. I may be the exception but I had much better luck with yard dirt than store bought dirt for example. The water looked cleaner and less tannins. If willing to deal with the nuances of dirt the a free bucket of dirt mixed with a dollar bag of el cheapo cat litter should do pretty well.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

klibs said:


> MGOCPM is a classic that is confirmed to be 'aquarium safe'. might be tough to find though. you don't want to use just any soil from the store because a lot of them contain organic matter like chicken poop or other harmful ingredients which can break down and get nasty in your tank


This Ecoscraps doesn't have poop of any kind, but yes, "harmful ingredients" is what I am trying to look for, but not having luck.




thedood said:


> I agree with klibs. If you go with yard dirt I think the risk is low unless you take it from a river or lake. I baked mine the first time then after that said heck with it. Any organics that breakdown will be beneficial as they will help cycle the tank. You will have no issues with an ammonia spike using yard dirt. As long as you know the soil hasnt been treated then its really the way to go in my humble opinion. If I was to go with dirt again thats what I would use.
> 
> I would actually use a blend of yard soil mixed with all clay cat litter dumped over a sprinkling of osmocote+ capped with bdbs. With decent lighting and some metricide it will grow plants like mad and your carpet will be killer. Very cheap. Very effective.


There's two reasons I don't want to use dirt from my backyard, so correct my understanding if it's incorrect, one I use fertilizers in my yard, and there's not enough dirt in the frontyard, I would rather not destroy my lawn just for the hell of it. Secondly, I had heard that you would have to bake the soil, I would rather ignore this step - there's actually another option, which is to soak it, but if I were to do DSM, it would yield similar results anyway and I'd have it in my tank rather than soak and bask in the sun. 

If I don't find what I'm looking for locally, I'll probably stick to some sort of aquasoil, though I do want to try dirt but depending on how much I put it, might not matter as much as it might need to be rejuvenated later on, same goes for any substrate I suppose.


----------



## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

I'm kind of amazed all the people recommending digging dirt from your backyard. Your backyard may be perfect. What's mine like? Typical subdivisions in California have dirt brought in and leveled. The soil under a foundation has to be a certain consistancy and often times there is a lot of fill added. I've seen entire lots capped with hauled in 'dirt' not to mention the construction debris that often ends up in the mix.

My backyard has a slight depression in the back between me and the neighbor behind me. This can be a drainage area that carries ferts, pesticides etc from one yard to another. I have no doubt stuff from my neighbors yard ends up in mine and vice versa. I would never use dirt from my yard in an aquarium and I certainly wouldn't advise someone else to without knowing anything about their yard. Soil purchased in a bag has a list of ingredients. Soil from a yard is anyone's guess.


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Raith, @Kubla I'm not necessarily saying dig it up from your yard. Obviously if you are using chemicals on your yard then that soil would be unusable. I actually get mine from the woods. It doesnt take much for a tank. As far as using plain old dirt, aquatic plants have been growing successfully using plain old soil for eons. I just dont see a need to improve on what nature provides.


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

I used Miracle Grow Organic Choice "raised bed potting soil". (Seems to be what HD is carrying now..green bag) Its been safe under sand, but needs to be filtered for wood chips.

Bump:


thedood said:


> I agree with klibs. If you go with yard dirt I think the risk is low unless you take it from a river or lake. I baked mine the first time then after that said heck with it. Any organics that breakdown will be beneficial as they will help cycle the tank. You will have no issues with an ammonia spike using yard dirt. As long as you know the soil hasnt been treated then its really the way to go in my humble opinion. If I was to go with dirt again thats what I would use.
> 
> I would actually use a blend of yard soil mixed with all clay cat litter dumped over a sprinkling of osmocote+ capped with bdbs. With decent lighting and some metricide it will grow plants like mad and your carpet will be killer. Very cheap. Very effective.


I've used yard dirt, but it has all kind of roots and actually is time consuming to prepare.

Easier to buy a $5 bag of Miracle Grow which has better nutrients. People grow plants in inert substrates..so does it really matter? plants get most fertilizers from water column anyway.

Whatever floats your boat.


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Raith I gave up on dirt myself. I switched my tanks over to Flourite. Thus far I have been happy with it. I have read over the information on that potting soil you provided and I dont see any reason not to use it. If you are keen on using dirt give it a shot. I simply offered the yard dirt as an alternative based on my experience. As long as there are no moisture control components added, which I did not see listed, it appears this should be good to go.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

ChrisX said:


> I used Miracle Grow Organic Choice "raised bed potting soil". (Seems to be what HD is carrying now..green bag) Its been safe under sand, but needs to be filtered for wood chips.
> 
> Bump:
> 
> ...


Thanks so much, I did not know that THAT was safe, I saw the bag but did not know whether it be safe or not, but this helps. Do you have it in your tank currently?


----------



## klibs (May 1, 2014)

yeah MGOCPM (miracle gro organic choice potting mix) is confirmed aquarium safe and is usually the go-to dirt to buy. most people will reference it when dirt sources are brought up.

it HAS to be the exact type though. there are some different MG products that aren't quite the same that might cause issues.

still think digging a hole in the woods is easier / safer though lol


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

Raith said:


> Thanks so much, I did not know that THAT was safe, I saw the bag but did not know whether it be safe or not, but this helps. Do you have it in your tank currently?


Yes, its been in for six months.

Ive replanted, accidentally stirred up the dirt, and have seen no significant changes in chemistry.

When it was new it added tannins which were removed in a couple days by Purigen.

I added fish the day after setting up the tank, PFS over this soil. Never a problem.

You must screen it for large wood particles that aren't bouyant (which I didn't). There are also some small floating bits which aren't as much of a problem. They can be skimmed or wiped out over a couple days.

Look through my tank journal to see it.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...7-50-gallon-keyhole-cichlids-friends-diy.html


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

thedood said:


> @*Raith* I gave up on dirt myself. I switched my tanks over to Flourite. Thus far I have been happy with it. I have read over the information on that potting soil you provided and I dont see any reason not to use it. If you are keen on using dirt give it a shot. I simply offered the yard dirt as an alternative based on my experience. As long as there are no moisture control components added, which I did not see listed, it appears this should be good to go.


Y'know, before creating this thread, I have gone through different threads on Floramax, Flourite, ADA Aquasoil, as well as dirt (not EC since I have used this in the past), and I was very torn, I received mixed feedback about Flourite, similarly Floramax too, but ADA Aquasoil, oh man, people didn't just praise it, but it's like the next best thing besides sliced bread, but alas, I have a 55g, I did some calculations and I'd need 3 bags. I'm going to spend some money on a canister filter, so I don't want to spend thaaaaaat much on the substrate, I want to be relatively cheap and Aquasoil is not cheap. Thanks for the suggestions though, I'm sure dirt (my first time) will give me troubles here and there but I'm up for it.



ChrisX said:


> Yes, its been in for six months.
> 
> Ive replanted, accidentally stirred up the dirt, and have seen no significant changes in chemistry.
> 
> ...


You've brought joy to me, thanks (for being my guinea pig too!). I'm going to do a DSM which is slightly different than yours. Where'd you find PFS? I'm about to start another thread (kidding, kidding..) since I couldn't find this in HD, and Lowes either! (...but got $20 worth of terrestrial plants, good deals last weekend! $1 and $0.10 pots!).


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Raith I wouldn't think you will have troubles necessarily. Dirt is wonderful. The only reason I stopped using it because I like to move stuff around and a lot of the plants I have develop large root systems. You can see where this would be an issue with dirt. Cant wait to see the tank!


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

Raith said:


> Y'know, before creating this thread, I have gone through different threads on Floramax, Flourite, ADA Aquasoil, as well as dirt (not EC since I have used this in the past), and I was very torn, I received mixed feedback about Flourite, similarly Floramax too, but ADA Aquasoil, oh man, people didn't just praise it, but it's like the next best thing besides sliced bread, but alas, I have a 55g, I did some calculations and I'd need 3 bags. I'm going to spend some money on a canister filter, so I don't want to spend thaaaaaat much on the substrate, I want to be relatively cheap and Aquasoil is not cheap. Thanks for the suggestions though, I'm sure dirt (my first time) will give me troubles here and there but I'm up for it.
> 
> 
> You've brought joy to me, thanks (for being my guinea pig too!). I'm going to do a DSM which is slightly different than yours. Where'd you find PFS? I'm about to start another thread (kidding, kidding..) since I couldn't find this in HD, and Lowes either! (...but got $20 worth of terrestrial plants, good deals last weekend! $1 and $0.10 pots!).


I didn't just gamble, I checked the ingredients on the bag and it didn't contain anything that is not in the potting soil.

I am new to planted tanks, but using CO2 (at first 8 hours on, now 24/7) and EI, everything has grown like a rocket and there is very little algae. Stuff grows too fast, and I have to trim it weekly 6".

I got a nice random selection from a local forumite and had around 30 species growing. The only thing that didn't do great was the Monte Carlo, but it was spreading before the Val started growing up through it. The MC was also planted in the top sand and I dont think the roots go down enough to reach the soil. (Next time I plant it, I will thin the sand in that area.)

Because stuff was growing so fast, plants would canopy across the top and block light to plants below. Because I was raising cichlid fry I kept it this way for two months having recently rescaped, with a focus on distinct plant groupings and trimming techniques. Sadly, I just don't have enough tank space for all the plants I was given plus their growth rates.

IOW, MGOC + EI + CO2 + Equilibrium + decent light = guaranteed success. Meaning you will be able to grow everything. The only drawback to soil is rescaping and it has its own learning curve.

The high-end substrates are largely inert, but they afford the ability to rescape (and reuse) and I can see why that would be necessary for those developing competition level tanks. Plants get most nutrients from water column anyway, so if someone is religious about ferts and has high CO2 and great lights, the plants will grow in anything.

PFS at Ace hardware.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

thedood said:


> @*Raith* I wouldn't think you will have troubles necessarily. Dirt is wonderful. The only reason I stopped using it because I like to move stuff around and a lot of the plants I have develop large root systems. You can see where this would be an issue with dirt. Cant wait to see the tank!


I'm only going with dirt in this setup because I'm doing Iwagumi style tank, I would only have hairgrass and whatnot, won't have crazy root feeders, but who knows? I probably won't touch it often, I will have MTS to take care of the sand for me. 



ChrisX said:


> I didn't just gamble, I checked the ingredients on the bag and it didn't contain anything that is not in the potting soil.





ChrisX said:


> I am new to planted tanks, but using CO2 (at first 8 hours on, now 24/7) and EI, everything has grown like a rocket and there is very little algae. Stuff grows too fast, and I have to trim it weekly 6".


I need to find a new ACE. >_<

Also, RAOK time?


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

Raith said:


> I'm only going with dirt in this setup because I'm doing Iwagumi style tank, I would only have hairgrass and whatnot, won't have crazy root feeders, but who knows? I probably won't touch it often, I will have MTS to take care of the sand for me.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Not from me. My tank was recently gutted and is in a recovery phase.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

ChrisX said:


> Not from me. My tank was recently gutted and is in a recovery phase.


Gutted?! What happened?!


----------



## Betta Midler (Jan 20, 2017)

If you are still looking for the Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Mix, check your K-Mart. That's been my best source for finding it. Kmart.com

On a suggestion in an old thread in some forum, I saw the suggestion to use "Special Kitty" litter - just baked clay, no perfumes or anti-clumping stuff (it's the Walmart store brand). I mixed it in with my MGOCPM in my 5 gallon and capped with BDBS. I keep Malaysian Trumpet snails to keep the soil turned, but guess what? Clay shards (kitty litter) are rising to the surface. LOL, not the effect I was going for, though it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

Back to the MGOCPM. There is a lot of bark in it. My very first tank, I just dumped it in, planted, capped with sand, and carefully poured water in. OMG! so much bark floated up through the sand! I used a strainer to pull as much as I could off the surface. The stuff I couldn't strain out eventually soaked through and sank to rest on top of the sand (and in my plants). Over time, I was able to pick the out the worst of it. My next tank or two, I used some screen to sift the bark out (there's a lot!), then soaked the remaining soil before using it. That works pretty well. I also tried just dumping it in a bucket to soak overnight or so, then removing all the floating material - that removed more than just the bark; the finer particles also floated, so I went back to my sifting method.

Just my experiences.


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

Raith said:


> Gutted?! What happened?!


Scissors. Has about 1 3rd plant mass.


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Betta Midler said:


> If you are still looking for the Miracle Grow Organic Choice Potting Mix, check your K-Mart. That's been my best source for finding it. Kmart.com
> 
> On a suggestion in an old thread in some forum, I saw the suggestion to use "Special Kitty" litter - just baked clay, no perfumes or anti-clumping stuff (it's the Walmart store brand). I mixed it in with my MGOCPM in my 5 gallon and capped with BDBS. I keep Malaysian Trumpet snails to keep the soil turned, but guess what? Clay shards (kitty litter) are rising to the surface. LOL, not the effect I was going for, though it doesn't seem to hurt anything.
> 
> ...


LOL. I'll definitely keep that in mind, I am sure I will get floaters here and there, my idea is to get dirt, cap it with PFS, and then plant some hairgrass, doing a DSM. I'm thinking of 1.5inch of sand, wondering if that is too feed, I am THINKING that the dirt might seep up to the sand enough so that the DHG will take root, not sure, only one way to find out I suppose.



ChrisX said:


> Scissors. Has about 1 3rd plant mass.


Going back to HD, etc this weekend, just to make sure, so I'm double checking -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-Nature-s-Care-1-5-cu-ft-Raised-Bed-Soil-72259120/206667302 

This one, right?


----------



## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

I’m a MiracleGrowFan but for some reason (off topic) I prefer either inert or the various high end stuff, ADA, Stratum, EcoComplete etc. But I’d done a lot of research and saw some really nice dirt tanks and had to try it, just because I wanted to get the experience. Seems like a path I just took although MiracleGrow was so effective it was like cheating it seemed, there was almost “nothing” I tried growing (I was also using Co2) that didn’t shoot up. My plants grew like they were on steroids and my lighting was good but certainly not the best”. I think dirt is too well, “dirty” and I seemed to have more algae problems, e.g. BBA & BGA than any other substrate approach I’ve previously tried and I think it’s important to be able to keep the dirt from becoming toxic. Ever so often (once a month)I would randomly lose a fish to some unknown toxin and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the MG breaking down and possibly leeching toxins into my water column? I’d really be curious to know what the thoughts are on that theory. Now I really like mixing Fluval Stratum and in some areas for aesthetics, I cap it with Caribsea Sunset gold as well as the very fine white, but in a year, maybe I’ll like something different but I don’t think I will go back to dirt again. When I finally cleaned this tank up and scooped out the MG, good Lordy did it reek like something fierce (back to those toxins), think Sulfur. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

DigityDog70 said:


> I think dirt is too well, “dirty” and I seemed to have more algae problems, e.g. BBA & BGA than any other substrate approach I’ve previously tried and I think it’s important to be able to keep the dirt from becoming toxic. Ever so often (once a month)I would randomly lose a fish to some unknown toxin and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the MG breaking down and possibly leeching toxins into my water column? I’d really be curious to know what the thoughts are on that theory.


I raised a brood of keyhole fry in my MG dirted tank. Water parameters have been great, root growth is so extensive in the MG, that I doubt any dangerous gas pockets build up.

I had BGA before the soil. It can be killed with chemiclean. I haven't seen it since. I get minor BBA in high flow areas like the spray bar, and occasionally on a leaf that is blocked from light. I just cut it/clean it. Doesn't seem to spread. I get no green algae.

Bump:


Raith said:


> Going back to HD, etc this weekend, just to make sure, so I'm double checking -- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-Nature-s-Care-1-5-cu-ft-Raised-Bed-Soil-72259120/206667302
> 
> This one, right?


Yes. Go to the MG website or use pics from Amazon to verify that the ingredients are the same as their potting mix.

I think it may be the same thing in new packaging.


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

DigityDog70 said:


> I’m a MiracleGrowFan but for some reason (off topic) I prefer either inert or the various high end stuff, ADA, Stratum, EcoComplete etc. But I’d done a lot of research and saw some really nice dirt tanks and had to try it, just because I wanted to get the experience. Seems like a path I just took although MiracleGrow was so effective it was like cheating it seemed, there was almost “nothing” I tried growing (I was also using Co2) that didn’t shoot up. My plants grew like they were on steroids and my lighting was good but certainly not the best”. I think dirt is too well, “dirty” and I seemed to have more algae problems, e.g. BBA & BGA than any other substrate approach I’ve previously tried and I think it’s important to be able to keep the dirt from becoming toxic. Ever so often (once a month)I would randomly lose a fish to some unknown toxin and I am pretty sure it has something to do with the MG breaking down and possibly leeching toxins into my water column? I’d really be curious to know what the thoughts are on that theory. Now I really like mixing Fluval Stratum and in some areas for aesthetics, I cap it with Caribsea Sunset gold as well as the very fine white, but in a year, maybe I’ll like something different but I don’t think I will go back to dirt again. When I finally cleaned this tank up and scooped out the MG, good Lordy did it reek like something fierce (back to those toxins), think Sulfur.


There is no doubt that dirt grows great aquatic plants. Look at the journal for the 10g I did. Look at my 75g journal entry and you will see. With dirt high light and co2 is almost a waste of resources. Seriously, my journals speak truth. That said my experience is miracle grow soils seem to leach a lot of tannins in the water and no need to worry about cycling because there will be plenty of ammonia generated from the soil. This is the main reason I went to 'yard' dirt. Want 'organic' or natural? I ended up going with natural.


----------



## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

ChrisX said:


> I raised a brood of keyhole fry in my MG dirted tank. Water parameters have been great, root growth is so extensive in the MG, that I doubt any dangerous gas pockets build up.
> 
> I had BGA before the soil. It can be killed with chemiclean. I haven't seen it since. I get minor BBA in high flow areas like the spray bar, and occasionally on a leaf that is blocked from light. I just cut it/clean it. Doesn't seem to spread. I get no green algae.
> 
> ...


Thanks ChrisX, I am going to check that chemiclean, had heard about it and forgotten. Any other chems, disinfectants that you know of or that anyone can suggest that people are using to prevent or get rid of Algae and cyanobacteria irregardless of the substrate (but of course including dirt).:grin2:


----------



## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

This is a great post, with a ton of helpful info. 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/29-substrate/153412-substrate-choices-pros-cons.html


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Thanks guys.  Aw, my local ACE only has this kind of PFS, I guess I can use this, was thinking about the QUIKRETE brand. HTH 50lbs Pool Filter Sand (61308) - Pool Maintenance Equipment - Ace Hardware


----------



## Eclecticjanie (Sep 21, 2017)

Raith said:


> Thanks guys.  Aw, my local ACE only has this kind of PFS, I guess I can use this, was thinking about the QUIKRETE brand. HTH 50lbs Pool Filter Sand (61308) - Pool Maintenance Equipment - Ace Hardware


It's what I have used.

Sent from my SM-T337V using Tapatalk


----------



## Raith (Jun 27, 2014)

Eclecticjanie said:


> It's what I have used.
> 
> Sent from my SM-T337V using Tapatalk


You're not complaining about it, so I'm going to think, "this is the good stuff!"


----------



## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

ChrisX said:


> I didn't just gamble, I checked the ingredients on the bag and it didn't contain anything that is not in the potting soil.
> 
> I am new to planted tanks, but using CO2 (at first 8 hours on, now 24/7) and EI, everything has grown like a rocket and there is very little algae. Stuff grows too fast, and I have to trim it weekly 6".
> 
> ...




Did I read that correctly, you’re running CO2 24/7 even with the lights off? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ChrisX (May 28, 2017)

DigityDog70 said:


> Did I read that correctly, you’re running CO2 24/7 even with the lights off?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Its a very low, constant trickle of CO2. < 1bps. Lots of aeration all through the day, 30ppm. I raised a batch of keyhole cichlid fry in this environment; didn't lose a single fish. pH is constant around 6.6.

If I use the solenoid for eight hours on, I have to run 3 bps. I would start it several hours before lights on because even at 3bps, it takes 3 hours to reach good concentration, and it will climb throughout the day. At night when I turn off the CO2, most of it gasses off, so its the same thing every day pH8 -> 6.5 -> 8 -> 6.5


----------



## country boy (Feb 20, 2014)

FWIW-i ordered 2 bags from Walmart online. got here today, earlier than expected. no shipping.
I am not affiliated with wal-mart or miracle-grow.


----------



## bud40oz (Dec 9, 2017)

whats wrong with just using floramax? i thought it was spose to be the good stuff for planted tanks? i see everyone here talking about dirt and silica sand blasting sand.. i don't get it. you're just trying to save a few bucks or what?


----------



## WilliamB (Dec 17, 2017)

Any cheap top soil will work. The organic miracle grow stuff has tons of wood in it also. The top soil I used had hardly none. It was $2.99 at ace hardware. I also added some dolomite and potash to it. But I didn't bother with mineralizing beyond that. I've never had huge algae blooms using dirt and have never bothered with the wetting/drying process. Though I understand the appeal.


----------



## RLee (Sep 21, 2008)

In the end though ............. it's dirt under a cap. You try and re-plant anything and poof dirt everywhere. Clean the cap to aggressively.......... poof dirt everywhere. Almost everyone, including myself, that has done the dirt cap has eventually given it up. Why........... poof dirt!
I have found I can grow everything I want with no "dirt poof". But then again what do I know.


----------



## WilliamB (Dec 17, 2017)

RLee said:


> In the end though ............. it's dirt under a cap. You try and re-plant anything and poof dirt everywhere. Clean the cap to aggressively.......... poof dirt everywhere. Almost everyone, including myself, that has done the dirt cap has eventually given it up. Why........... poof dirt!
> I have found I can grow everything I want with no "dirt poof". But then again what do I know.


I guess i just like the idea of having dirt in my tanks. Lol. Feels so natural and healthy and i feel it gives my tanks balance. My dirt tanks have always grown better than my root tab tanks but we all have different experiences. Ive had large amazon swords and crypts with huge root systems and just pulled them out slowly and carefully and hardly had any "poof" the only thing i had a problem with was a dwarf lily that had a root system that spider webbed itself through half my tank. But i think moving that monster would have caused any substrate issues.


----------

