Frankenstrate

[Ballyhoo]

I do a lot of organic apartment gardening and I make my own soil instead of purchasing a mass produced organic blend.
The base is Sphagnum peat and then added earthworm castings, kelp meal, neem meal, crab shell meal, alfalfa meal, soft rock phosphate, organic rice hulls, dolomite lime, oyster shell meal, glacial rock dust, and thermal compost. I was wondering if it'd be possible to use this mixture as a dirt base in a planted tank.

 

[dundadundun]

i would probably mineralize it or age it in tank prior to adding any flora/fauna, but i don't see why not. heck, if rottweiler poo can be used as a substrate, there are a lot more possibilities that should work out great that we never hear about....

 

[67chevelle]

Just cap it with gravel or sand and it should be fine.

 

[XanAvaloni]

might want to omit, or at least severely cut back on the usual quantity, of the worm castings. That is, of course, poo, which would possibly cause not just instant but persistant ammonia/nitrite problems.

other than that I have no idea what "thermal compost" is, the other ingredients sound perfectly fine. Oh, you might get some float with the sphagnum if you have any digging/burrowing fish; hopefully the sand topping would keep that in check.

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

Just cap it with gravel or sand and it should be fine.

I always see post like this in threads like this. What do you do when you clean the substrate? Doesnt it all get mixed up and then look bad?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

I always see post like this in threads like this. What do you do when you clean the substrate? Doesnt it all get mixed up and then look bad?

heavily planted tanks with a dirt substrate capped with sand or gravel don't get gravel vacuuming like 'regular' tanks do. therefore, there is no worry on mixing up/messing up the substrate.

 

[Ballyhoo]

i would probably mineralize it or age it in tank prior to adding any flora/fauna, but i don't see why not. heck, if rottweiler poo can be used as a substrate, there are a lot more possibilities that should work out great that we never hear about....

Mineralize as in add minerals? Or letting it soak in water and dry out?

Just cap it with gravel or sand and it should be fine.

Will do

might want to omit, or at least severely cut back on the usual quantity, of the worm castings. That is, of course, poo, which would possibly cause not just instant but persistant ammonia/nitrite problems.

other than that I have no idea what "thermal compost" is, the other ingredients sound perfectly fine. Oh, you might get some float with the sphagnum if you have any digging/burrowing fish; hopefully the sand topping would keep that in check.

Good thought on the worm castings, I'd imagine that it would spike levels. Thermal compost is basically composting at a high temp to increase the speed of bacteria breakdown. I wont have any burrowing fish, mainly my male betta, a couple RCS, and a few guppies that my friends daughter put in there >.<

I always see post like this in threads like this. What do you do when you clean the substrate? Doesnt it all get mixed up and then look bad?

I wont gravel vac the substrate, skim off the top of the sand at most with a small diameter tube but thats it.

heavily planted tanks with a dirt substrate capped with sand or gravel don't get gravel vacuuming like 'regular' tanks do. therefore, there is no worry on mixing up/messing up the substrate.

+1

 

[dundadundun]

mineralize as in finish the degradation of naturalized materials before they degrade in your tank.

or something similar to the process outlined by aaron talbot here... http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...-mineralized-soil-substrate-aaron-talbot.html

also... keep in mind the approaches suggested for highly ammoniacal substrates such as aquasoil.

maybe substitute your sphag moss for something more controllable such as a good, low salt coco fiber.