How many water changes with dirt?

Hey guys,

I've just been experiencing and playing around with dirt. AHAH I have a 10 gallon tank and i've just added some new plants, how many times a week or month should i do a water change from the first month and then on and so forth?

Thanks as always,

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Permalink Reply by Peter on August 11, 2012 at 11:35pm

For the first week water change everyday to get rid of the excess nutrients dirt gives of at first. After that u can do 25-30% water changes weekly or bi weekly I u want. I like doin 40 - 50% water changes weekly but that's because I only have a HOB filter with nothing but floss in it nothing special no bio wheel no carbon no prefilter media no sponge nothing but floss so water changes are important for me.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on August 12, 2012 at 1:44am

Pedro's about right. You could get away with one 50% water change a month if you wanted but I say the more water changes the better. Everyday if you can.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Mc-Fish on August 12, 2012 at 10:56am

okay sounds good, but you don't have to have a filter on your planted tank right?

because I just have a small 10 gallon tank that has loads of plants, i know i'll be doing some major water changes without the filter!

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Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on August 12, 2012 at 12:08pm

Alot of people will say you need a filter but with tons of plants you won't. Just make sure you include true floating plants as opposed to plants that float just beneath the surface. Floating plants soak up way more nitrates than other types of plants.

Filters keep and hold waste inside the tank; then run water through it, spreading the odor throughout the tank. Personally I think they're disgusting. Its like having a compost pile in your bathroom for feces instead of a toilet to flush it away.

Filters do create surface area which is, without a doubt, very valuable. But they're are plenty of ways to create surface area without adding an unnatural looking and expensive compost container to your tank.

Without the filter I would stick to Pedro's recommendation.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Mc-Fish on August 13, 2012 at 4:17pm

alright and what kinds of plants would be floating? and how much light would they need because I don't have to much lighting, I just have a good sub-straight .

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Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on August 13, 2012 at 8:41pm

If you watch his videos closely Dustin always keeps some duckweed in his tanks. It acts as a hedge against algae. Personally I prefer Water Lettuce and, for bigger tanks, Water Hyacinths, because they can be controlled more easily. But Duckweed should be fine for your 10 gallon and it won't need much light at all. By the way, Duckweed actually helps soak up chlorine.

Floating plants are so efficient at sucking up ammonia, nitrates and nitrites because they get CO2 from the air. (Air holds way more CO2 than water) This gives them, what Dustin calls "the aerial advantage". Think of them as having their own natural CO2 booster. They grow faster and starve algae which is unable to store food like the higher plants.

There are other floating plants out there besides the three I just mentioned. A true floating plant has a DRY surface designed to absorb air. You may have other types in your area and, as far as I know, they're all pretty good. But it helps if their roots are in the water column (unlike Water Lilies) because this is how they keep the water clean.

Just an aside: I love Algae. I use "green water" to feed my baby fish fry, Blackworms and Daphnia. How do I get green water? I put a container of dirt and vegetable matter in the sun with NO floating plants.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Mc-Fish on August 15, 2012 at 10:03pm

But duckweed wount get in the way of the other plants light? I would think the duck weed is getting in the way of the light, now i know that duckweed is good and helps the water and all that great stuff put honstly i just want my plants to have enough light.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on August 16, 2012 at 2:09am

"But honestly i just want my plants to have enough light"

I hear you Keith but you also want a clean tank without fooling around with a filter. That's what started us on this topic to begin with.

Anyway, floating plants do block some light and if you think its too much then remove them. But they actually coexist pretty well with rooted plants and I doubt it will be a problem. I have Dwarf Sag growing like crazy in a tank literally covered with Water lettuce. Somehow they receive enough light.

In another one of my tanks I have a string running across the surface of the water from front to back to keep the Water Lettuce to one side. (the string is connected to suction cups at both ends) This might be the perfect compromise.

If your growth is vigorous and the vegetation dense enough you may not even need floaters. Just observe the conditions in your tank closely as they unfold. Your plants and fish will tell you what to do. Honestly it sounds to me like everything will be fine. Just follow Pedro's advice on water changes.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Mc-Fish on August 16, 2012 at 7:53pm

okay thanks a lot.

How can I speed my growth up? i've had my plants for about 3 weeks and they have gotten greener but not really grown much ive added co2 and plant fertilization to help them grow.

Permalink Reply by Robert Jango on August 17, 2012 at 2:44am

How can you speed up growth?

Flood your tank with Co2 like you're doing now. Or better yet add radioactive Uranium. You'll have Amazon Sword plants the size of Redwoods.

All kidding aside, "speeding up growth" is unnatural and dangerous. Dustin calls it speeding down a neighborhood street in a Ferrari. I'm old school. No hormones, speed, or steroids for me OR my fish. Exercise, good food, good air, and good water is all I need.

Permalink Reply by Peter on August 16, 2012 at 9:03pm

What are the plants that are taking for ever to grow? The only plants that i seen really grow fast are stem plants and floating plants. Plants like swords trow out a new leaf like once a week once they start going but nothing too crazy as for plants like Anubis nana and that sort grow super slow. Give it time once ur plants settle in they will start going. Unless ur running a high tech tank with pressurized co2. 2-3 watts per gallon, and dosing all the ferts your not going to see super fast growth but u WILL see growth. Just check the tanks growth every month and ull the. Notice how fast ur plants grow and stuff.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Mc-Fish on August 18, 2012 at 8:48am

but thats the thing im have anubis in a dirted tank with co2 (my DIY system) and every week i put in fertilizer. and i change the water every day, and i still havent seen growth just got greener.