Why I Don't Use Dirt In My Fish Tanks...

Who's got a dirted tank??? Setting up a small one next week :) Get some seriously LEGIT. Fish Food ➡ geni.us/shopLEGIT

The last 7 years have seen an explosion of research in dirted tanks. All of the problems that frustrated you and other Walstad followers have been resolved. This is as close to bullet proof as it is possible to get. Hundreds of folks are experiencing the joy of fish keeping with this system. I challenge you to set up a tank acoording to the system we are teaching and compare it with your absolute best tank.

I am biased I prefer natural aquariums over high tech manicured aquascapes. I experimented with the Father Fish method and mixed cow manure, with organic potting soil and peat moss and capped it with 2 inches of sand. so far I haven't had any problems with my tank it has been running for 8 months now. My plants are growing well and if you want a long term aquarium for the health of the fish and plants then a natural aquarium is a good option.

One BIG suggestion, YouTube "Father Fish". If you follow his recommendation for setting up a dirted tank, NONE of those negatives yo mention will be a problem. Basic rules are one inch of soil, two inches of rinsed play sand, add certain items to the dirt to help it through the first year, which he spells out, plant it the first day. Add a few fish the Second day, increase a few at a time a week or so apart, NO water changes, only replenish for evaporation, NO external or power filters, only a sponge filter and maybe another bubbler in the opposite corner just to add water movement. I am in the 4th month of my new tank and the only problem I had was tannin's from a large root ball I added, which gave the water a light tan hue. It has been crystal clear from day 1, well, maybe day 2. It was just a bit cloudy right after I filled it the first day. Father Fish's oldest continuous dirted tank that is 23 years old. He had a very successful store in Florida for many years until the government severely shut down on imported pets. He had to close up and move to Maryland a couple years ago. He continued his plant and substrate store after the move and is only now getting back into stocking fish in his new small warehouse. So if you have not heard of him, check him out. Even if you don't try his method you will probably still learn something from him. We never stop learning. PS, another PRIME point. Only feed the fish once or twice a week and then only a very small amount of food. Over feeding is a prime cause of foul water.

Any planted tank eventually becomes a dirted tank given enough time. I have a planted tank that's been up for 4 yrs that has basically converted itself into a dirted tank even though it wasn't setup as one. There's a 2 inch layer of organic matter that has settled to the bottom over time that the root plants have tapped into. Their growth started taking off a couple years back and I couldn't figure out why until the dirt layer got large enough for me to see against the glass.

I just started reptiles. Then to springtails and isopods. Then started learning about aquariums by accident. Found father fish and have a 2 month old dirted tank now. It does make you feel alot more connected to nature.

here's what i do, best of both worlds. i plant in clay flowerpots with dirt capped with sand/gravel! they get partially buried in the tank's gravel, no soil layer there. the plants grow terrifically, and i can move them about like plants on a windowsill, with no mess from disturbing gravel since there is no dirt. the plants still send down runners and carpet the tank, but those are stunted by the shallow gravel layer, and stay short which is desirable. use 6'' deep pots and give sword plants deep soil to grow big.

He starts actually getting into the cons of a dirt tank at 11:00

I have a dirted tank capped with sand and have had it for a few years now and it’s my best tank. I used my garden soil from my raised bed and pool sand🤷🏻‍♀️ I actually call it my “mother tank” that’s where I get all my plant clones from. I actually have no filter on this tank just an air stone. That aquatic soil is ass and runs out of nutrients fast like less than a year FAST. The dirt releases gases essential for the plants by cleaning the water of nutrients and exchange that for oxygen and essential for the fish from the oxygen return from the plants I’ve tried other methods as well but Leme tell you the walstad method is the best and I will not change anything haha for dirted tanks to work well you need at least two inches of sand capping that soil and YOU NEED plants to the point you think you’re over stocking plants

Thank you. I really appreciate hearing pros and cons of everything and you really gave some help with that. I will continue to consider doing a dirt tank but it has helped me understand how to better prepare for some of the cons. Keep up the good work.

I have switch to dirt tanks after 20 years. Basically no more water changes. From 50% once a week to maybe 20% every 6months. Make sure you have enough sand to top it off so it won't leak in to the water. And alot of plants. Wish I could post some fotos. Good luck yall

Excited to see your fishroom evolve! Most of my tanks are dirted, but not all. They are all so different, I've got em ranging from deep substrate to bare bottom. I enjoy the variety. And thank you, I am happy with the Legit food. Fish, frogs, shrimp, and snails are all going for it.

I never understand why people are worried about anaerobic areas in the tank. The gasses indeed dont dissolve in the water that easily. And its the place where anaerobic bacteria live and break down nitrates to nitrogen. To get a full nitrogen cycle you need that right.

This video reminds me of soil vs LECA/semiHydro. It all depends what we're trying to accomplish with our setups and our own husbandry. Thanks for sharing the soilless options.

Incredibly helpful. I’ve had planted aquariums on and off for 30 years, and was considering starting a dirted, planted tank. The clean-out of extra plants has been in my mind. I imagined it would pull up the soil and your video confirmed that. The biggest proponents of the dirted tanks on YouTube aren’t sharing this huge drawback to a planted tank. I’ve never had a planted tank that didn’t need thinning and discarding of plants every few months. Vallisneria and others fill so quickly, they have to be thinned. Excellent pro/con video. 🙂👍

I switched from all aquasoil to a combination of aquatic compost at the back of the tank and aquasoil at the front. All capped off with fine gravel. The plant growth has been better and my bank balance is healthier. I don't plan on removing any of the plants at the back so never have the issue of cloudy water and doing a trim at the front doesn't cause problems as its aquasoil.

This has literally made me want to do a dirted tank again 😂😂 The tank in the first clips and with all the s.repens is what made me try it about 3 years ago as well

Have you considered doing side by side test tanks and making a series on it? It would be awesome. E.g. soil vs active vs sand only vs gravel. Being you are an actual scientist, it would be legit lol.

when you decide to do another dirted tank maybe you could only dirt half of it, plant the same plants on each side so then you can get an experiment going using the same light / water/ and such. just a thought. happy new year

I built my tank that I have had for 7 years based off of your dirt method. I even used the mess sacks full of lava rock. Soil is going great. The crypts love it.