Potting Soil in Aquarium? Dirt Topsoil, Garden vs Black?

I think the tanks look cool with different substrates but that seems impractical with water changes…

I have no interest in making this harder than it has it be to keep healthy happy fish! I do plan to add the substrate, plants – wait forever – then add fish gradually. so any advice would be great.

I have easy low to moderate light plants in natural (sand colored) pea-sized gravel. They are doing very well. No CO2 or fancy lighting needed.

Great option for low maintenance!

I have anubias, El Nino fern, Amazon sword, and something I forget the name of.

My big tank has lots of plants and it’s sand, like mentioned above root tabs on plants that are heavy root feeders and liquid ferts. My small tank I used eco-complete mixed with black diamond sand.

it’s eco complete mixed with black diamond blasting sand. Eco complete is a gravel like substrate with neutiants in it for plants.

they love eco complete the plants on the floor of this tank are a bit harder plants to grow have to have a decent light and good substrate like eco complete, or amazonia, ect

so, it isn’t that the sand is too compacted – it is about the nutrients, which can be aided with root tabs / fertilizers ?

Personally I use eco complete for my planted tanks and love the product. Another good one is fluval stratum. Depending on what you want your ph at. As far as the two substrates you can do one side the planted and the other side sand simply sepereate it by a makeshift barrier of rocks or wood so they don’t mix. There’s nothing wrong if they do so if you don’t think you’ll mind it you can skip that step. As far as the side with the planted substrate go with some hardy plants like bacopa for height and swords and crypts for volume. For the sandy side you can attatch java fern Anubias buce or hugrophilia to rocks and place here and there. Wood is also a good choice. Just make sure to only use one drop of super glue gel. Gel. Cannot stress it enough. Do not get the regular super glue and glue your fingers to a rock. 😅something else you can do for some dimension is add some floating plants like sprite hornwort floating water lettuce (if legal in your state). That will give a nice jungle feel. Whatever you decide though. Take your time. Enjoy the process. Feel free to make changes in arrangement as cycling. It took me over two years but I finally have my dream tank you deserve yours.

I just know I need to put plants in to help my fish… My first attempt hasn’t gone quite to plan: I did my first water change, everyone got ich and then I tried to fix that and had an ammonia spike – all I have left are my snails.

When you do you water changes make sure you match the tank temperature adding the new water back.

I also didn’t think through that our tap water is treated – so god only knows what chemicals I blasted into my tank… I water conditioned, but clearly it wasn’t enough or the right thing to do either.

seachem prime is your friend when it comes to water changes. Directions right on the bottle. It goes a long way for the size of the bottle. If you worried about geting the exact dosing amount you can get a 5ml baby medicine syringe for cheap at a pharmacy.

I am new to this, I understand there will be casualties but I felt awful that my mistake killed the fish.

unfortunately think we all have gone through it, and all feel bad when it happens. I know people that have done it for years and have accidentally crashed a tank and fish died. Unfortunately it can happen to the best.

I have gravel, sand, and then eco complete. On the other side of the tank is only sand, easy for cleaning. But where the plants are at I made sure to have soil.

I have 20 gallons with eco complete & a bit fluval stratum left over.

I tried potting soil capped with home depot gravels for my 10 gallons. I waited only 3 days, then I added “tetra safe start plus” to help the cycle faster & no casualties so far. It’s been 3 weeks. Some people say to wait a month to few months if you use potting soils otherwise fin rot on fish. But I did not, see any symptoms of fin rot (50% weekly water change).

So plants are just like fish. think though the situation, not ever plant is he same just like fish. Most aquatic plants don’t feed through their roots so substrate doesn’t exactly matter for those plants. The fertilizer you dose into the water column does though. Amazon sword is a root eater so it will care about what’s in the substrate. You could get a good substrate and be set or you could go with sand and just add root tabs around the plant.. figure out the plants you want then adjust to your plants.

Sorry just read you comment where you said you were new to this.. I can expand on whatever you need that I said and you aren’t 100% sure on.

I understand what you’re saying and thank you fro taking the time… I was assuming that I would need to let the tank sit for two months or so – or put ammonia in there, but I do have snails (they survived the first attempt at fish keeping) I could add… I just want to do what’s best to make sure I don’t kill my fish again

you can also speed up the cycle by adding beneficial bacteria. I have had good experience with Tetra Safe Start Plus on both of my tanks. Some may suggest different brands.

I conditioner the water (lots of brand, prime is the most favorite one), add the whole bottle of “tetra safe start”, and then fish. Do not forget to shake the bottles well. The recommendation says to wait two week to do the first water change, but I usually do it in a week. Of course you don’t want to add so many fish at the beginning.

Good luck!

It depends on the plants anubias and java ferns will do fine with a sand substrate due to most people put them on decor they don’t go in the substrate anyway.  I personally have a tank with sand in the front for my corys and a section in the back with eco complete for when I want plants that need to feed from the roots.

I have 1 dirted 29g and a planted 90g that I didn’t dirt.  I used terra cotta pots with potting soil capped with gravel.  That way I can move, easily root tabs, relocate etc.  plus I have two “diggers” in the tank.