# Real soil under sand?



## Sloory (May 27, 2006)

G'day

i was just wondering if anyone has tried using real soil for their substrate and put a layer of sand over the top?

I was just wondering because it could be a hell of alot cheaper than buying powersand and the like.

i would be really interested to hear about anyones experiments 

Thanks in advance.

Darren


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## dukydaf (Aug 31, 2004)

The first one who tried this on a scientific scale was Diana Walstad.

There are others more experienced in this in the "El natural" forum


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## dukydaf (Aug 31, 2004)

I tried it, too .

You have to let the soil ( top soil) in water for some time to get all that NH3 and other "bad things" out of it. 
After this you can put it into your aquarium. A thin layer 1 inch thick+ some mineral fertlizers (like seraflorenette A) and 2 inches of fine sand( just my VHO i obsereved that if you have larger sand/gravel it would let the debris fall down and contribuate to the accumulation of H2S)

Although i did go all the way with this soil in my old setup, now in my 12G ,outside aquarium ,i will go for at least 6 months.

IF you wash you RIVER sand until there are no dust particles in the water. It should be OK


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## pritch33 (Apr 11, 2005)

if your from victoria you can use laterite soil from werribie as a base then a sprinkle of peat and then a covering of sand or gravell over the top it is high in iron and plants respond great in it i have about 1 1/2 to 2 inches then peat and gravel 

Ray


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## Sloory (May 27, 2006)

I am from Vic pitch, how do i go about getting it?


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## pritch33 (Apr 11, 2005)

hi Sloory where in vic you from i have some left over im in craigieburn 
it can be collected from a few spots from keilor baccusmarsh melton and werribie wich seems to be the favourite spot of all those i know it is a dark reddish soil/clay i collected mine from a new estate in werribbie its not as high a content as some in the area but no digging as it was already piled from road works in the area i can get you a few more details and also will pm you a link to a local forum with a bit of local info you will need to join to view the posts but may find them helpful 

Ray


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Isn't it a problem when you have to remove a plant with a soil underlayer? I tried this method with my last tank, and when I pulled out plants I also pulled up clouds of silt and got algae blooms from, presumably, the NH4 in the soil. Or, do you just always cut off the plants and leave the roots there?


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## pritch33 (Apr 11, 2005)

hi hoppycalif i have not found the soil to be a problem with a little care there is not to much sediment caused in removing a plant allthough i have only moved a couple as this setup has only been running for a short period of time i did have some algae problems at first when i setup but have kept them under control to date so far the first week all my timber was covered in a whitish algae growth and the addition of some bristlenose and siamese algae eaters and no food for them soon cleared this after that i suffered from some type of thread algae and a little black beard i then cut back lighting to 8 hours a day on timers and weekends are 12 hours and fiddlled around with my kh and c02 i do have a small problem of tanning now but algae is almost none a little spot algae and a couple of persistant bits of thread algae 

Ray


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