Potting soil bad or good for a planted tank?

andreannestvincent

I added the soil because I got some plants in there. There is so additive and it was bagged soil not back yard soil so I don't think there will be any bugs or anything. I vacum the top of the sand only, and I'm careful to only take up bag stuff like fish poop and that.

veganchick

idk for sure, but i think aquakid is prly right.....even if it is ok, bet not to take chances

rerkin88

i just set up a tank less than a month ago and a friend tought me cause hes been into fish tanks 4 a while. my tank has a layer of garden top soil that i bought at the hardware store. the soil has no fertilizers or anything in it and we washed it before we put it in the tank and then put gravel ontop.

This is a pic of my tank as it is now

Twistersmom

looks nice. How long did it take for the water to clear? Did you soak the dirt in water first?

SinCrisis

how do you wash soil? Wont it just turn to mud and melt away?

Twistersmom

I mean like you do with sand, So it has some weight to it, and wont just float all over the place.

iamntbatman

Organic potting soil is aquarium safe, but I wouldn't think other types of potting soil would be. I know one of our members, tophat665, uses a mixture of play sand and organic potting soil in a few of his planted tanks.

aunt kymmie

And his plants look great! I'm going to have to PM on the secret recipe

Oldman47

I have a tank that I set up over a year ago with the cheapest potting soil that I could find as the first layer in the substrate. I intentionally bought the cheapest knowing there would be no additives at that price. The top over that was well washed sand. The end result is that the root feeder type plants in that tank are doing great and the same plants in my other tanks are dieing. A proper cap of sand over the potting soil keeps everything in place so you don't get organic bits floating around the tank. When I plant, I open a hole with a finger and put the plant's roots into the potting soil. It is a no mess approach. In theory, this typ of tank does not need a filter and only needs a water change every 6 months. I can agree with the water change because my water stays chemically pristine without the water changes. I am not extreme enough to try it without a filter but all I run in that tank is a sponge filter. I am keeping some sensitive wild type goodeids in the tank and they are fluorishing.