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Permalink Reply by Hmoobthor on December 10, 2011 at 1:35pm

dirt is just like a fert and supplement that helps the plants grows faster and healthier.

You would be surprise to what you can grow in a sand substrate without dirt.

You can use Eco complete, sand, and plain gravel with some plants and they will be fine. With this combo, you just need to use liquid ferts.

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Permalink Reply by Greg on December 10, 2011 at 10:07pm

Whats the point? Dirt is well, dirt cheap. Best 7 bucks ever spent for my fish tank.

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Permalink Reply by Hmoobthor on December 11, 2011 at 6:46pm

that would be me soon...give me some time

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Permalink Reply by sheathed011790 on December 14, 2011 at 12:15pm

yeah pls update us. i haven't started my tank and i'm a bit hesitant to add the dirt cause i think it'd be quite messy.

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Permalink Reply by Luis on December 11, 2011 at 1:51am

you can use liquid fetilizers and root tabs for plants to get the needed nutrients. its what im doing since i started doing live plants after setting up the tank. make sure the plants you want are hardy

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Permalink Reply by sheathed011790 on December 14, 2011 at 12:14pm

thanks for all the replies. here's another question. cause a lot of you said that i could just use liquid ferts, and the plants would still thrive without dirt, would the macro fert with magnesium and fe+k be enough for the plants i mentioned? i don't intend to make my tank a jungle anyway just a enough plants for my neon tetras to hide and all. 

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on December 14, 2011 at 3:36pm

Mg, Fe and K would probably be enough for most all plants.  I use a Micro/Macro mix and just do my 50% WCs every week.  I would dose individual ferts like that, but without knowing what's in my H2O I just throw in everything and the water change sort it out.

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Permalink Reply by sheathed011790 on December 15, 2011 at 4:20am

that's a good idea. you won't have to worry about having too much of anything. i'd do that too. :)

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Permalink Reply by Jarrod Mahon on December 15, 2011 at 12:04pm

i grow plants fine in gravel just use ferts and root tabs - i dont think i'll dirt for along time, i have heard alot of bad stuff about it

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Permalink Reply by Fishtankkid on December 15, 2011 at 8:48pm

I use dirt in my tanks because it supplies all my plants with the nutraints and i didnt have to by every thing nuetrilize the water only a couple things. It is up to you i have seen planted tanks without dirt look just as good as a tank with dirt so it is up to you.

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Permalink Reply by Robbie(98robbie98) on January 9, 2012 at 3:40am

my tank is very well planted and i did not add dirt because i already had the substrate in so i did not want to disturb the fish but if its a tank your setting up now i would recommend it and i am going to put it in my cold water tank.

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