# Soil for aquarium?



## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

> ...Miracle gro organic choice all purpose *plant food*...


Omit the words "Plant Food" and that SOIL is OK. 

Do not use plant food designed for above ground plants in an aquarium without further checking. Some slow release products are OK, such as certain Osmocote products.


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## kizzabennett (Nov 30, 2010)

Thanks


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

I just bought a 10g at the Petco sale yesterday and am thinking of substrates. I actually have some of this miracle grow. What needs to be done to it to use? Any additions? I'd think it would funk up the water badly.


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## Franco (Jun 13, 2010)

If it is the Organic Choice Potting Mix, you can just dump it in the tank and cap it with 1 inch of gravel or you can mineralize it first. You don't want the regular Miracle Gro potting mix or any of the others because they are just perlite, vermiculite, peat, and bark + fertilizers. Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix is well composted and doesn't have inorganic fertilizers added.


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

Franco said:


> If it is the Organic Choice Potting Mix, you can just dump it in the tank and cap it with 1 inch of gravel or you can mineralize it first. You don't want the regular Miracle Gro potting mix or any of the others because they are just perlite, vermiculite, peat, and bark + fertilizers. Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix is well composted and doesn't have inorganic fertilizers added.



Really? I actually do have the organic potting mix on hand. How deep should the potting mix be? Then an inch of gravel on top? I even have gravel.  Is there an issue with cloudiness doing it like this? How long does it last before nutrients are depleted? Would it need to be sifted first? If this would work, the only thing I need to get my 10g going is a heater and plants!


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## meowfish (Jan 5, 2011)

That probably depends on your plant selection. I use that same soil in a couple of my tanks at a depth between 1 and 2 inches, depending on how deeply rooted the plants will be (i.e. a foreground plant like M. hirsuta won't root as deep as a larger plant like C. thalictroides). I have one tank I topped with about 3/4 inch of sand and discovered that was too much... I have since "shaved" off the sand to a depth of about 1/4-1/3 inch. I picked out only the largest pieces of wood, and have had no issues with cloudiness nor any sort of "funk". 

As the soil decomposition accelerates in its submerged state you will likely notice some moderate gas bubbling over the first month or so (from reading other posts this appears to be a consistent experience) but that should subside as the tank stabilizes and your plants begin to root more deeply.

My tank has not been established long enough to speak to nutrient depletion, so I'll defer to anyone more experienced there.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Cottagewitch said:


> Really? I actually do have the organic potting mix on hand. How deep should the potting mix be? Then an inch of gravel on top? I even have gravel.  Is there an issue with cloudiness doing it like this? How long does it last before nutrients are depleted? Would it need to be sifted first? If this would work, the only thing I need to get my 10g going is a heater and plants!


WOW! Hold on to your behind if you don't do more research than this before loading your tank!
1st, The gravel needs to be finer than river 'pea' gravel. Something like Flourite works very well. Otherwise the soil will work it's way out of the bottom making a mess.

I'm no guru by any means but recorded and posted water parameters, issues and events. I feel like I did a good job of including all the details. It's been set up for over a year and I'm very happy with the tank. 

here's my dirt tank thread
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/low-tech-forum/86457-55-gallon-low-tech-soil-sub.html

HTH


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## Cottagewitch (Oct 22, 2009)

wkndracer, thanks for sharing the link to your thread. I'm looking forward to reading it and learning from your experiences!


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