Part 1
So last night in the chat some of you asked how to do a dirt planted tank I had a 2.5 gallon that needed face lift so I decided to show you guys how I do it and what I use.
Now before I start I just want to say that there are tons of ways to do this and I'm sure some will look at the way I do it and think it's stupid so really it's about what works for you
To do it the way I did you will need:
1 bag of miracle gro organic garden soil the bage looks like this
https/www.dropbox.com/s/41nr9dgt614l009/2014-02-09%2015.59.58.jpg
You will also need
A fine gravel like this size. I used Pure Water Pebbles brand
https/www.dropbox.com/s/ym84lzb54fpwmwp/2014-02-09%2020.25.11.jpg
And of corse your plants I just grabbed some stuff I had from other tanks and mixed it up.
This is the tank before I did anything
https/www.dropbox.com/s/aodxcdmua4orsza/2014-02-09%2015.16.53.jpg
I cleaned the tank out then added a layer of the wet dirt down about an inch thick in the front and 2 inches in the back
https/www.dropbox.com/s/ilb3kbxw2wx3vyv/2014-02-09%2016.41.34.jpg
Then you add the plants. Dig a small hole in the dirt with your finger or a spoon and make sure the roots of the plant are covered
https/www.dropbox.com/s/y1a6dvpn626qtkj/2014-02-09%2017.24.40.jpg
After the plants are in add your gravel I usually go with half the depth of the dirt so I used about an inch
https/www.dropbox.com/s/qh59vzlrin3oubd/2014-02-09%2017.38.49.jpg
Ok so now your ready to put water in the tank. I use a 5 gallon bucket and a peace of air line to slowly syphon the water onto a small plate I put on the substrate so there no disturbance to the dirt and gravel.
This is it after being filled for 5 minutes as you can see the water is not dirty because I filled it so slow that's key if you do it fast is will be a mess
https/www.dropbox.com/s/iqyyfkvv89ofusb/2014-02-09%2020.03.05.jpg
So that's it the same idea works for a large tank I did my 90 gallon this way and it's doing awesome.
I will be adding more plants and in a few weeks a betta so stay tuned for updates.
Thanks for reading part 1 of my dirt planted betta tank
Ps if you have any questions I'd love to answer them.
So last night in the chat some of you asked how to do a dirt planted tank I had a 2.5 gallon that needed face lift so I decided to show you guys how I do it and what I use.
Now before I start I just want to say that there are tons of ways to do this and I'm sure some will look at the way I do it and think it's stupid so really it's about what works for you
To do it the way I did you will need:
1 bag of miracle gro organic garden soil the bage looks like this
https/www.dropbox.com/s/41nr9dgt614l009/2014-02-09%2015.59.58.jpg
You will also need
A fine gravel like this size. I used Pure Water Pebbles brand
https/www.dropbox.com/s/ym84lzb54fpwmwp/2014-02-09%2020.25.11.jpg
And of corse your plants I just grabbed some stuff I had from other tanks and mixed it up.
This is the tank before I did anything
https/www.dropbox.com/s/aodxcdmua4orsza/2014-02-09%2015.16.53.jpg
I cleaned the tank out then added a layer of the wet dirt down about an inch thick in the front and 2 inches in the back
https/www.dropbox.com/s/ilb3kbxw2wx3vyv/2014-02-09%2016.41.34.jpg
Then you add the plants. Dig a small hole in the dirt with your finger or a spoon and make sure the roots of the plant are covered
https/www.dropbox.com/s/y1a6dvpn626qtkj/2014-02-09%2017.24.40.jpg
After the plants are in add your gravel I usually go with half the depth of the dirt so I used about an inch
https/www.dropbox.com/s/qh59vzlrin3oubd/2014-02-09%2017.38.49.jpg
Ok so now your ready to put water in the tank. I use a 5 gallon bucket and a peace of air line to slowly syphon the water onto a small plate I put on the substrate so there no disturbance to the dirt and gravel.
This is it after being filled for 5 minutes as you can see the water is not dirty because I filled it so slow that's key if you do it fast is will be a mess
https/www.dropbox.com/s/iqyyfkvv89ofusb/2014-02-09%2020.03.05.jpg
So that's it the same idea works for a large tank I did my 90 gallon this way and it's doing awesome.
I will be adding more plants and in a few weeks a betta so stay tuned for updates.
Thanks for reading part 1 of my dirt planted betta tank
Ps if you have any questions I'd love to answer them.