Compost Is Great!

[aqua786]

Hi folks,my name is rebaka and i have been keeping fish for more than 15 years.I came across someone on the forum asking about the use of garden compost in a planted tank and then came across a person who answered by saying that she had used john innes no.3 garden compost in her set up,i would just like to second the comment.I set up a 48" planted set up about 6 years ago and decided to try out this compost as a cheaper option to some of the substrates on the market at that time,money being tight i decided to try the compost only to my complete shock and surprise as to how well it actually worked.I saved a few quid,i think i spent 3.99 on a bag off compost,other substrates like laterite would have cost me £80 and upwards for the amount needed to fill my tank.This compost contains loam and peat so is perfect if you want a softer acidic environment,which is perfect for a wide range of aquatic plants.The first plants a set up were "rotala rotondifolia" and within a month the plants were taking over,i also planted 2 types of crypts,wendetti and nevelli as far as i can remember and they also started to thrive and multiply within a couple of weeks.Most importantly i learnt that the compost had no effect on any of the fish i had at the time and because the plants were thriving so too were the fish in the tank,after all my experience in keeping fish i learn new things all the time,i had some kribz in the tank at the time and they paired up and spawned,i had two pairs and they both had set up territory on each end of the set up,it was amazing to watch them swimming one in front and one behind and a big ball of fry in the middle,this to me was confirmation that the water quality and the habitat i created was perfect or near perfect for them to raise fry.For my lighting i had 3 t5 tubes that were especially for the use of planted tanks and i should add that i did not use any co2 injection at all,i always thought it was a bit complicated therefore did not even look into this option,i just kept my lights on for 5 to 6 hours every day and also added liquid fertalizers once or twice a month.So if you are thinking of setting up a planted tank i would really reccomend that you try the compost route and reep the rewards as i did.Happy fish keeping guys and girls.Kind regards-Rebaka

 

[CrazyCichlaMomma]

i wonder if there is similar compost kinda stuff available in the US? that is brilliant i would change my substrate in a heartbeat in the 180 gallon tank so that i could grow plants if i can find something like that here that will work.

very good post, thank you.

 

[pompeydaz]

Do you put anything over the compost? Like sand or do you just have the compost on show?

 

[colleen0309]

I used potting mix in a 10 gallon. The first time I didn't top it off with anything and made a muddy mess. The second time I topped it off with sand. It worked wonderfully, but the plants out grew the tank in about 3 weeks. Do you need to top off the compost with sand or gravel to keep it from floating?

 

[aqua786]

hi,thanks for comment,you should be able to get something very similar in the u.s. all you need to do is find a nateral compost that has a content of loam,peat and sand,these are the three main ingredients in the compost that i used.Happy fish and plant keeping hun...x

 

[aqua786]

hi,i must say i have seen tanks which have been left without any top layer and to be honest it doesnt look that appealing,it looks quite messy and i would imagine it could get quite messy every time you tried to move things about or cleaned up because the compost would really cloud the water,i personally did it in three layers,a 3 inch layer of compost,a 1 inch layer of fine gravel and coral sand(the coral sand was added because i had it in the cupboard for over a year and i wanted to free up space)and then lastly after half filling the tank with water i then scattered the sand to a one inch layer using a saucer,if you add the sand after filling with water,the sand falls and settles in a very natural way,i found doing it this way never disturbed the compost underneath and i never had a problem with cloudy water,good luck with your fish and plant keeping,kind regards-rebaka

I used potting mix in a 10 gallon. The first time I didn't top it off with anything and made a muddy mess. The second time I topped it off with sand. It worked wonderfully, but the plants out grew the tank in about 3 weeks. Do you need to top off the compost with sand or gravel to keep it from floating?

hi,yes you definatly need to cover using sand,i actually used a thin layer of fine gravel and sand,it works a treat,a very cost effective way of getting good results with plants.regards-rebaka