WALSTAD DIRT METHOD SUBSTRATE DEPTH ALTERATION...HELP!!!!!

[The_Rookie]

I am doin my first planted tank..i know many ppl say to not do soil for a first planted due to risk of amonnia an sitch...but im quite confident in my skills thus far taking care of fish and rep side at pet store and having many cichlid and shrimp tanks previous
walstad states that 1 inch of soil capped with 1 inch of gravel is ideal.. i have a 125 gal tank that measures 48inches long and 31 inches tall ..due to the height of this tank would it still be dangerous to give a deeper layer of soil than 1 inch? 1 inch seems like hardly enough to plant in.. and would a undergravel filter be benefitial for oxidizing the substrate for the plant roots ..

 

[joe jaskot]

You can't use an undergravel filter with soil.

 

[The_Rookie]

by no means would i be usin a power head on the under gravel ...was thinkin just a air stone to trickle the water through the substrate

 

[HybridHerp]

I can't comment on the under-gravel filter, but I would generally say no since I've never used on or heard of planted tank people using them.

And yah, I don't use 1 inch and 1 inch even on smaller tanks. 2 inches worth of substrate is hardly going to do anything for you. I'd aim for something like, 2+ inches sand and 3+ inches dirt, depending upon what plants you are wanting to keep and if you are doing a hi-tech or a low-tech tank, and what kinda fish you are going to be keeping (if I had large bottom dwelling fish or things that like to screw with the substrate, I'd have that sand cap be substantial)

Also, I'd get some MTS going in this tank, let them help you cycle and also let them establish themselves so that they can shift through the substrate to get ride of little air pockets and such nonsense. That's how I'd do it anyways.

 

[The_Rookie]

thanks for your replies...i know that with a substrate such as flourite that a 2+ or even 3+ inch deep sub is fine due to the lack of breaking down organics not making any ammonia ..but with a organic soil walstad says that any deeper than the 1 inc or even 1.5 inch ur soil will start to not get oxigen and will CAUSE unwanted levels of negative things , has this bin proven to be wrong ...i was thinking of mixing in my soil a bag or 2 of the flourite due to its hgh CEC level...which would then absorb anything bad put out by my deep soil and hold onto it till the roots of a plants can use them ..instead of it just passing the throug the gravel cap into my water

 

[The_Rookie]

and i think i wanna steer away from sand as a cap IF im goin a bit deeper on my soil cuz the sand i think would restrict a bit of water and oxygen flow to my soil than say a small gravel would .. please let me know if im over thinkin this stuff...or if i have thought of something good here

 

[Frog111]

How much oxygen and water flow does soil in ponds and rivers get? Very little. I am not aware of any studies that indicate things like undertank heaters, slo reverse flow ugf do anything to I prove plant growth. The depth of the cap is to prevent soil from bubbling up.