New to dirt...Few questions for the pros

Hey guys, just trying to get my mind straight on the whole dirt thing.

I had a 10 gallon that I set up a few weeks ago with dirt(miracle gro organic choice) and it just didn't seem right, so I tore it down. I would like to ask a few questions before I try setting it up again. I made sure to get aquatic plants that are Hardy and Low-light(JavaFern, Sword, etc).

First of all, my tank was never clear. I did 2-3 water changes a day and it never cleared up. I didn't have any plants or fish in the tank, so I was pulling about 80% of the water every time. I read somewhere online that it takes 1-2 months for the dirt to change from terrestrial to aquatic, but I couldn't figure out if I should plant right away or wait for the 2 months before planting/flooding the tank. Any help here would be great.

Secondly, my tank and the room that the tank was sitting in smelled really really bad for a while(when I just let it sit for a few days without any water changes). When I cleaned the tank out, it smelled terrible too. Will the dirted tank smell bad for just the first few months or will it always smell bad? If it is only for a little while, then I'll probably sit it outside(Dustin style) until it settles.

Third, I've read several dos and don'ts about putting fish in right away or not. Could someone please set me straight? I know how to cycle a "normal", non-planted tank but the live plants thing is new to me. I figured I might as well go through the extra lengths to get the best results, so I came across the dirt method and thought I'd try it out.

When I had my 10 gallon dirted 1.5"-2" capped with 1.5"-2" of pea gravel (as per Dustins videos) I first flooded the tank. I let it sit for a few days to let the dirt settle, but it kept bubbling. I read that this was part of the conversion of terrestrial to aquatic and those bubbles were toxic to fish. I'm assuming that the bubbling will stop somewhere before the 2 month mark?

I've read plenty about plant lighting, fish that won't tear my plants up, and Co2 injection...all of which I'm ready for. I watched a ton of videos, but I couldn't exactly find an actual "how-to" that was like a complete "Dirted tank for Dummies". Maybe I can put all the knowledge I've been learning as of late to work and take pictures/video and write up something for the common newbie.

TLDR :

How long do I wait before adding fish, plants, and/or flooding the tank?

Will my tank always smell like a compost heap?

Would Flourite be better for a beginner?

Sponge filter or trickle filter?

How long will my dirt last before the nutrients are used up and need to replace it?

Thanks in advance guys!

Chris

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Permalink Reply by Lewie on February 18, 2012 at 5:33pm

I'm not the one to ask about the other things, but was the bag a big orange bag (miracle grow potting mix) or was it a little green and white bag? If you used the green and white bags, they are plant food, not planting soil. I am guessing (if I'm right), thats probably why it smells so terrible. If you have the big orange bag (miracle grow potting mix) put what you think you will need into a tub and add about twice as much water as dirt. Mix it real well, then with your hands, squeeze the potting soil tightly to get as much water out as you can. That will clean the soil a bit, which will help to keep your tank from being so dirty. You probably already know this too but, use a plate to pour your water onto to keep from creating craters in the gravel cap, which could expose the dirt.

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Permalink Reply by Chris R on February 19, 2012 at 12:37am

Gah! Thanks, I do have the green and white bag that says "plant food". I went to the local hardware store and saw that, which is pretty much what is in Dustin's videos(but not quite, obviously). I'm glad that that's at least cleared up now. I ended up breaking down and buying Flourite anyways, but I will probably get a dirted tank going eventually(this time with the right stuff).

Thanks again!