Puuting Soil Under The Gravel.

[Nick16]

hi, i am thinking of putting the soil stuff under the gravel to help my plants to grow, but how would i do this as i still have water in my tank? is there any way at all?

 

[BigC]

Preferably it would be nice to set the whole thing up again using a good substrate mix but alternatively you could try
http/www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalo...__13_balls.html
Regards
BigC

 

[Nick16]

i have them, but they arent great

 

[Syphoniera]

i have them, but they arent great

Hi, Nick16,
I've read of people placing wetted earth frozen in ice cube trays under sections of gravel, but as I understand it, that sort of thing doesn't always work very well and can make a heck of a mess.
Is it a big tank?
Because if it isn't, you're probably best off starting from scratch.
But, depending on the size of tank, if you have big enough safe-from-detergent-and-other-chemical plastic storage bins or pails to keep most or at least half of your water along with your fish, get all set up first, and work fast, it isn't so bad to change over...
Diane Walstad puts fish in as soon as she's done: as long as you have good soil, keep an eye on things, and are prepared to do a waterchange at the first sign of any ammonia/nitrite buildup, you should be OK.

 

[Honeythorn]

I have soil under sand in my 30 gallon, but I use proper aquatic pond soil, as with garden soil you can never be certain as to what it contains ( fungicides ect ) . But if you want to use soil under your gravel, you will need to empty the tank of water and fish and start from scratch. You'll never do it with water in there. Also, be aware that if you use a gravel vac, you must be careful not to lift too much gravel or the soil will come up from underneath and bugger up your water. It happens to me occasionally even now, and I always do an extra water change to be on the safe side.

If you do go ahead with redoing the tank with soil under sand/gravel, then just move the filter ,heater, tankwater and any fish and plants ect to a big plastic storage bin as a temporary tank if you don't already have one..

 

[Syphoniera]

Gee, I'm so obsessed with the method, I hear 'soil' in reference to an aquarium, and I automatically think 'Walstad'.
So I was going on that assumption - and sorry if I was mistaken.

Not only did Honeythorne phrase everything far more lucidly than I did, she also brought up an essential point - the soil has to be free of additives - and it should be topsoil, rather than potting soil.

I'm much happier with the 5 Walstads I've done so far (despite various screw-ups) than with those not yet changed over, but I did have a big advantage many won't.
I was lucky enough to have my father give me a nearly full bag of lovely soil he'd got for the lawn (then got a composter and uses its produce instead) which had been sitting outside for a couple of years, having ammonia and whatnot aired out - and to be able to call up the local company which had packaged and sold it, to be assured that nothing had been added by them at all.
But not everyone's so lucky, and artificial fertilizers are wonderful for algae farms and not so much for fish...
And a large number of people have had very good results with aquatic pond soil.
I have to think cheap, when I think at all, and wouldn't have thought to suggest that as an alternative, as some people may be in an area where good, suitable soil can't be easily had - so it's extra-lucky she showed up.
And being in Britain, as you are, she'd know what's more easily available there.

I'm not sure exactly what type of method you've decided to follow, but if you are going with a Walstad, you won't want to use a gravel vac, as the mulm beneath the gravel is important in nourishing the plants, in setting up a natural, low-maintenance cycle.

I've posted the article below elsewhere, and more people have heard of and are switching over to the method all the time, and I'm afraid I simply assumed that this was where you were heading.

http/thegab.org/Articles/WalstadTank.html


'In her book, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist, Diana Walstad says the goal is to set up an ecosystem where "plants and fish balance each other's needs". In this type of tank, the plants are the water purifiers rather than the usual filters. Rather than converting ammonia to nitrAte, plants convert ammonia to plant mass, so there's no buildup of nitrate and pH doesn't drop over time. Plants also remove heavy metals from the water. Fish food, mulm and micronutrients from the soil feed the plants. Fish and bacteria produce carbon dioxide for the plants and the plants help produce oxygen for the fish. Only moderate lighting combined with sunlight is needed. A Walstad-type natural planted tank is low maintenance requiring only pruning of plants and infrequent partial water changes. ...'


So, IF that is what you're aiming for, at least you needn't worry about disrupting soil by sucking it up with a gravel vac, as excessive mulm can be removed with a regular hose.

(I'm still screwing up my converted tanks with weekly waterchanges...
I didn't add a guppy to my first attempt for 6 weeks...
I'm a big chicken...
I can't wait to get the next few done...
Although gawd knows when I'll start giving them a chance to function as Walstads...)

And step-by-step instructions are given for set-up as well.

But then again, I love the concept and have spent a lot of time focused on it, and because it's uppermost in my mind therefore tend to think 'soil in tank = Walstad' when of course it often doesn't.


And if it isn't what you had in mind, then never mind, lol.