10 gallon "native" build
- Thread starter jpappy789
- Start date
Excuse the crappy pic...my camera never works well with tanks. It's not nearly as blurry as the pic shows.
Vallisneria will be filling in some of the holes in back. I'm not exactly worried about aquascaping...
Just a couple observations using this method:
1) Finely leafed plants (aka Cabomba) that are wet and any dirt just do not mix. I ended up just capping with the sand and then planting which isn't exactly what I wanted to do because stem plants and sand sometimes makes for hard planting.
2) Any soil that does get stirred up just floats to the top so it's easy to skim off the surface. So far any loose soil doesn't seem to be creating much of a mess.
Vallisneria will be filling in some of the holes in back. I'm not exactly worried about aquascaping...
Just a couple observations using this method:
1) Finely leafed plants (aka Cabomba) that are wet and any dirt just do not mix. I ended up just capping with the sand and then planting which isn't exactly what I wanted to do because stem plants and sand sometimes makes for hard planting.
2) Any soil that does get stirred up just floats to the top so it's easy to skim off the surface. So far any loose soil doesn't seem to be creating much of a mess.
I have several mineralized top soil tanks, but never followed D. Walsteads method. With MTS soil tanks, the soil put down first in the tank is wet soil, then cap, then plant. When planting, you do have some soil that "leaks" thru to the water column, but it is dissolved, so it does make the water a little cloudy. I've found it clears up w/in 24 hours. Once the soil in your tank is completely wet, replanting shouldn't be bad. I replant all the time...it's not a big deal.
I looked into doing a MTS tank but I didn't want to search all over for the ingredients. I don't think I'll have any issues with the soil just noticed in the past using the same PFS that if the stems are thing that they tend to float.
Thanks! I'm looking forward to think tank progressing.
If you ever want to try Mineralized Topsoil, let me know, I have all of the ingredients for cheap 
IMO, all your doing to mineralizing the soil while it's in the tank. Once all the organics die off in your soil, it won't be any different than the soil in my tanks. Soil is my favorite substrate for planted aquariums. Someday I might set up a D Walstead tank. Right now I'm into Tangy Cichlids, they dig, so I'm using PFS.
Keep this updated! I am considering a Native tank so I would love to so what route you take with it! What kind of plants are those?
Cabomba caroliniana is the bushy plant the far left
Next over is Bacopa caroliniana
The kinda reddish plant on the far right in front of the sponge filter is Ludwigia repens
Dwarf sags in front
I contacted a seller on aquabid since he has some L. ommata for sale. He said he would be able to hold shipping until I move so I might go ahead and buy them then!
erv:
Next over is Bacopa caroliniana
The kinda reddish plant on the far right in front of the sponge filter is Ludwigia repens
Dwarf sags in front
I contacted a seller on aquabid since he has some L. ommata for sale. He said he would be able to hold shipping until I move so I might go ahead and buy them then!
erv: