Questions about sand in a dirted tank

Hope I posted this in the right place and everything. Some people are religious about that. Anyway, I want to dirt my 10 gallon and cap it with light colored sand.

How likely is it that the dirt will come up through the sand, assuming that it is a thick cap?

Will MTS make a mess mixing the dirt and the sand?

Will the nutrients in the dirt eventually run out? And how long would that take?

Thanks in advance for any input that you have!

Justin

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Permalink Reply by zach seibel on January 24, 2013 at 10:19pm

Well from my experience with dirting a fishtank, this was the best method that works for me. First you will have to take the fish out and put them into another tank or holding tank. This is because dirting a tank gets very messy. Drain the water into buckets and save the water. take all of the substrate you have out of the tank. I would go with more dirt than the sand you would like to put on top because yes after awhile the dirt loses its nutrients. The benefit of having a lighter layer of sand would be that the nutrients from you food that is not eaten will eventually be absorbed into the dirt and into the plants. after you have all your dirt and sand layered of coarse put your plants, decorations, ect.. Make sure to slowly fill the tank because it may get darn cloudy and can take awhile to settle. The best way to fix that is to let your filter clear it up. of coarse after it settles put your fish back in and you will be right on your way. good luck and if you can post some pictures when completed!

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Permalink Reply by Justin Collins on January 24, 2013 at 10:50pm

So you haven't had any issues with dirt sitting on top of the sand? Oh and any experience with Malaysian trumpeter snails in this setup? One more question. When the nutrients are gone from the dirt, would you recommend root tabs, or will the extra food be enough fertilization? I'll definitely post pics when its done! It might not be for a little while though. Thanks for the help!

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Permalink Reply by zach seibel on January 24, 2013 at 11:00pm

No not really since the dirt gets packed in. And not too much experience with snails. I have a few ivory snails and they don't eat any of the plants but sure do help with the algae, i have lots of algae eater shrimp too which are even better than snails. Well heres the thing the nutrients in the soil will stay there for at least 2-3 years. All the food, fish crap, and dead plant materials will absorb back into the dirt. the one think i would recommend for you would be to put a dirt layer, pretty good amount, a think gravel layer, and then sand. the gravel will help hold all the dirt down so it will not show on the sand. You are planning on live plants right? If so use lots of liquid fertilizer and iron. this will help a lot with plant growth. to be honest my plants are so healthy and large that i do not have to do water changes. i know its (against the rules) but the plants take care of nitrites and nitrates, the cory's, shrimp, and snails all are cleanup crew, the only time i add water is when it evaporates, then i treat the water of coarse. I have had the same fish for years doing this method lol. just thought i would tell you to give it a try if you like.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Collins on January 24, 2013 at 11:41pm

Yep, live plants. And to add to the amount of iron, I'm planning on using red clay in the dirt.(not instead of liquid iron). I like the gravel idea. And yea, I'll definitely give that method a try. I've actually heard of people who don't even have filters in their tanks! Just powerheads and tons of plants!(not that I'm going to try this.) I don't mind water changes too much, but if I can avoid them while maintaining a healthy tank, I'm all for it. Thanks for the suggestion! It worked for you, so it's worth at least a try!