# Topsoil?



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

Is it okay to just use soil from my backyard? looks like it has some clay in it.


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## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

I guess you would have to see the actual soil but.. I guess the question is In general, have people used soil from their yards?


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## Bill Weber (Jul 17, 2005)

I have an outdoor 125 Gallon Oranda Goldfish Tank that on initial setup I mixed some potting soil along with pea gravel. I was trying to use what I had on hand and save a couple of bucks. 

What a mess. 

The water never cleared properly and bits of soil was always floating because the fish picked at the bottom. I ended up empting the tank and did a major gravel cleaning. I finally went to Home Depot and purchase a couple bags of pea gravel. I do not recommend this gravel for a planted tank because it is very course and I do not know if any or how much lime is in it. I do a 50% water change at lease every 3rd day. The tank has been running for a couple of years now and is pretty stable.

The bottom line is I will not use soil in a tank again.


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## Tony65 (Jun 3, 2006)

The above tale of woe is a lesson to all to run a bottle test on their chosen soil/capping layer combination first to see how it behaves.

My first NPT was set up with 80:20 sterilised loam and garden soil, capped with 2-3mm gravel. I've subsequently set up two more planted shrimp tanks using just my garden soil as the base - which is heavy clay.

I've have no issues other than high nitrite release at startup - but I'm prepared for this now since this is the character of the soil I use.

If you search this El Natural forum you will find many useful posts about using garden soil or bagged topsoil from a supplier.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

My local "topsoil" is mostly clay and rocks, and at this point my plants are growing fine in it, and the fish are happy too. I sifted out the worst of the rocks, and then just dumped the soil in my tank with some sand on top. I do get clouds of mud when I uproot plants, but I don't do either very often and it always settles in less than a day.


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## aquabillpers (Apr 13, 2006)

The best source for topsoil is your local garden center. Get the cheapest. 

Don't gamble on what is in your backyard. It probably isn't as good as an aquarium substrate as the cheap stuff that you can buy.

Bill, if you mixed the pea gravel with the topsoil I can picture the mess. Next time (if there is one) try capping the cheap topsoil with an inch of 2mm - 3mm sand/gravel and you will be a lot happier with the result. 

Bill


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## Bill Weber (Jul 17, 2005)

Ahhh, thanks for the advise. I believe I used some potting mix instead of top soil. Maybe that was the problem. I am open to trying it again, maybe in the Spring. I would like to get some plants going in the tank if possible. I have (1) Amazon Sword that has survived the munching of the Orandas. With cooler weather on the way I'm going to leave things alone for now. Thanks again.


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## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

I get the cheap topsoil from Lowes. It comes in a bag with red bag. A little woody but seems fine for the 2.5G tank.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Using soil from you backyard shouldn't be a problem if you are sure that it's never been fertilized or otherwise contaminated. There are a handful of people here who have used soil from their backyards without problems. If you have any doubt, go with cheap topsoil or potting soil.

-ricardo


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## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

thanks thats the answers I was lookin for.


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## Revernance (Aug 20, 2007)

I used topsoil from my backyard for my 2.5 gal tank. It was a bit shaky to start at first because a lot of my plants suffered from yellow leaves. However, the soil was probably not the culprit. I think it had to do with the lighting I had, which was ALOT ( at 8 Watts per gallon!). I had trouble finding the right light for my 2.5 gal at first. 
Anyway, don't be afraid to use your topsoil from your backyard as long as it hasn't been fertilized. give it a bottle test first, and see how things look up! Chances are, your soil will be fine! Good luck!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Bill Weber said:


> I have an outdoor 125 Gallon Oranda Goldfish Tank that on initial setup I mixed some potting soil along with pea gravel. I was trying to use what I had on hand and save a couple of bucks.
> 
> What a mess.
> 
> The bottom line is I will not use soil in a tank again.


That's probably a wise decision. I don't recommend a potting soil substrate with goldfish. Goldfish are going to root around in any substrate and make a mess. Potting soil would be the very worst choice for a goldfish tank; the low-density organic matter in potting soil does tend to float when disturbed.

A few goldfish hobbyists have had luck keeping plants in pots with ordinary garden soil.


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