A natural aquarium setup using homemade aqua soil.

[desertstream]

I've had my share of dirted tanks using the Walstad method, and while it's fantastic for plant growth, it can be a real challenge managing organics and waiting for the tank to stabilize. I learned the hard way that once it's stable, you shouldn't even think about moving plants - it's a recipe for disaster.

That being said, I've found that after a year or two, the soil will eventually exhaust its nutrients and become depleted. At that point, you're faced with either replacing it or supplementing with root tabs. Given the hassle, I've opted for a simpler approach - using inert sand and root tabs. It's been a game-changer for me; less fuss, less mess, and my plants and fish are thriving. I wish you all the best with your setup, though - enjoy the journey!

[desertstream]

I've been keeping fish for five years now, and I've never had more than three tanks running at the same time. They were all small tanks, though. After I moved a year ago, I set up my biggest aquarium yet - a 55-gallon one. It's my only tank right now. I've had mixed results in the past, losing some fish and having others live for years. So this time, I decided to do things differently.

I used to use artificial and painted ornaments, like pirate ships, in my old tanks. But for my 55-gallon tank, I went all natural. I've got natural plants, wood, rocks, and my homemade aqua soil in there. This is my first time using all natural stuff, and it's only been up and running for four months now. So far, so good, but we'll see how it goes in the long run.

I've also changed the way I feed my fish. Instead of just giving them freeze-dried flakes, I'm now feeding them more natural food like frozen brine shrimp.

Here's my homemade aqua soil recipe, which I learned from a YouTube video by an old guy called Father Fish.

For my 55-gallon tank, I used a 2" thick layer of aqua soil. Here are the supplements I added:

- 1/2 cup (4 oz) each of Earthworm Castings, Blood Meal, Baking Soda, Ironite Plus 15-10-10, Yellow Iron Oxide, and Pro Aglime
- 1/3 cup (2 oz) each of Epsom flour and Osomekote

My main ingredients were:

- 16 cups of Black Kow 0.5 0.5 0.5
- 16 cups of Organic Miracle Grow
- 16 cups of Peat Moss
- 16 cups of Pool Filter Sand

I mixed all these ingredients with just enough aquarium water to create a paste-like aqua soil. I didn't want it to be too soupy. This way, it would spread out in the tank without mixing with the sand and rock cap.

After adding the aqua soil to my tank, I mixed up another batch of 16 cups of Black Kow and 16 cups of Organic Miracle Grow. I mixed this with aquarium water to create a paste, then added it on top of the previous aqua soil.

Finally, I capped the aqua soil with a 1" layer of Pool Filter Sand and a 2" layer of Pea Pebbles.

I could just simplify things and use an inert substrate with root tabs, no fuss. The main goal of a substrate in a planted tank is to support plant growth, and I've found that my plants thrive just as well, if not better, in inert substrate with root tabs as they did in my dirted tank. I did my research and tried the dirted tank route, but I didn't find it to be worth the extra prep and hassle. Even Walstad and other experts agree that most dirted tanks exhaust their nutrients within 2 years in a heavily planted tank, and I've seen this firsthand - my own dirted tank lasted about 2 years before it needed supplementation with root tabs. I've since switched to an inert substrate and root tabs, and I'm happy with the results. Each to their own, but for me, the simplicity and ease of maintenance are a major plus.