# top soil and eco complete?



## buddman (Jan 18, 2010)

I would like to use miracle grow organic potting soil with eco complete on top. Would this work? Should I skip the topsoil? I know not to go more then 1 inch deep with the soil..but should I maybe only go half inch deep due to the finer substrate of ecocomplete possibly smothering the topsoil( I don't want the gas to build up). Also is the a certain method in which to cure or mineralize the soil? I know it is a good idea to air it out to get the ammonia out...should I soak it at all to release tannins that are possibly in the peat and or to make it a little heavier?....thanks for all the help...ill take any and all input


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## NeonFlux (May 15, 2008)

No offense, but you should use regular garden topsoil to create Mineralized soil, not potting soil; potting soil usually contains chemicals, wetting agents, manure, ferts, peat moss, and etc; that's the bad stuff you should avoid.


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

The right Miracle Grow soil is a good substrate for aquariums. Read the label very carefully to be sure it is the one without added fertilizers, surfactants and so on. 

IME substrates get mixed. If you want to start with EC as a cap, OK, but it probably won't stay that way. An inch of each is about the minimum, not much room for roots in just 1" of soil. But they will also grow in the EC, and 2" total is good.


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## Minsc (May 7, 2006)

It can be hard to find proper soil in a bag. A lot of what is being sold as soil these days is peat moss with a bit of compost and sand. It DOES NOT work well for a substrate. 

You don't want any of those so called soils, you want DIRT. Good, honest dirt.

Capping with Eco works great. Go for an 1/2-1 inch of dirt and then cap it to whatever depth you want.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Minsc said:


> ...you want DIRT. Good, honest dirt.


If you live in an area with sandy or loamy soils, the best place to find this is in your yard...and it's FREE!!  If you have very clayey soil, try to find some topsoil (from another location or from a garden center) to mix in...or just be sure to dig shallow and get as much topsoil from teh yard as possible.

And, as always, be mindful of any pesticides or herbicides you may have applied to your yard that could make their way into your aquarium.


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