# Cons of not Mineralizing Soil



## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm setting up a new aquarium and am using the mineralized soil technique. The problem is that letting it dry is not working because up here in Washington, the sun won't come back till late spring for more than a few hours. What are the negative effects of just pouring in the soil, not mineralized?


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

Not a whole lot. Some people just have algae problems in the first few months. This could be because newly submerged soils can release a lot of nitrogen or because of iron ions leaching into the water column. If you mineralize, most of the metal content in the soil becomes oxidized (rusts) making it not leach into the water column and therefore unavailable to algae. Bacterial processes in the soil layer do however make the oxidized substances available to rooted plants, thus the benefit of a soil tank. I figured out that if I dose any fert containing iron, I get a hair algae outbreak but if I only use potassium nitrate or phosphorus, I don't.


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## Jim Miller (Feb 3, 2003)

I a 40lb bag in the basement in a 2x4 plastic tub with a 250w heat lamp over it. Takes about 2 days to dry. About 2 weeks for four wet/dry cycles. I turned it several times a day with a hand claw to keep it oxygenated and bring the damper soil to the surface.

Good luck

jim


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

Jim's method is one of the easiest. I've just laid out the soil (1-2" deep), moisten it with a spray bottle, mix it up, let dry, spray some more, mix it up, let dry, and so on. The intense method of soaking, draining, and drying just seems silly to me when you get the same or better results using any other method with a lot less labor involved.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

I would at least screen the soil before dumping it in, so you dont have chunks of wood floating out. It's not a bad thing that its taking a while to dry out, I know this is actually preferred for mineralizing your soil. I've had a 40lb bag drying out in my basement for about 2 weeks. I did a 40lb bag towards the end of the summer and had to wet it to keep it from drying out to quickly. The current batch I'm on actually seems to be breaking down finer and quicker than when it's hot out.


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## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

The problem is that i have no where indoors to dry it. My family won't even here me out.


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## Lizzz (Nov 28, 2010)

jayheuk said:


> The problem is that i have no where indoors to dry it. My family won't even here me out.


Ahh, I ran into that problem as well. I wanted to do it at my parents house, as my apartment basement is well... a typical icky basement. Any friends have a spot that they can lend you? If you want to just skip the whole process, try picking up "Miracle Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix." I've read about many members on the forum having success with this straight out of the bag.


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

If you use a bag of topsoil, the organic matter content is usually low enough not to make a big difference so you could also just use that right out of the bag. You might want to sift it first to make sure there are no surprises though (glass, nails, mcdonalds toys--I've found 2 in potting mix).


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## dachewitt (Feb 28, 2010)

If you use miracle grow organic potting soil, you will need to sift or soak to get most of the mulch chips out. I didn't do that for my first tank, and I had wood chips floating up that I had to strain from the surface as well as lots of tannins in my water (I still have some after almost a year). With my second tank I soaked the soil in a bucket to where I could use a strainer at the surface and remove most of the mulch (with frequent stirring to release all). Then I drained off the excess water and planted the tank. This tank has only been up for 4 mos., but it is much clearer. With both tanks I had large ammonia spikes due to submersing the soil so I would wait to add fish until your ammonia and nitrite tests are zero, and also do a large water change if nitrates are high. If you start out with lots of fast growing plants, it works well.

Debbie in MD


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## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

What about those little styrofoam balls that float around? Are they harmful at all?


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## Jim Miller (Feb 3, 2003)

In MD where I live the big box stores don't have useful topsoil. I found mine for $2/bag at TrueValue HW.

good luck

jim


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

The perlite balls aren't harmful but they float and will never sink. If you soak the potting mix in a bucket, you can scoop/pour off most of them. Just mix up the the soil a half dozen times and let it settle to make sure you get all of the floaters. If you want to skip that whole process though, go with topsoil (bagged or "wild"). If your ground isn't frozen right now, grab a shovel. Its free.


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## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

I'm kinda sketched out of just digging it out of the ground. I always collect rocks, driftwood, and leaves though. So all wild soil is good?


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

jayheuk said:


> So all wild soil is good?


No. Franco is lucky to live in a region with famously good soil. If I had his soil, I'd use it in a minute. In contrast, native topsoil from my area (North Texas) is loaded with very fine, high pH clay. If I used it in a tank, it would be a turbid alkaline mud pit.

This is why people used bagged topsoil, or better IMO, Miracle Grow Organic Choice potting mix. MGOC is a consistent, national product. It is not perfect, but it is predictable.

--Michael


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

Yes I do have literally the best topsoil in the world. The soil I used in my NPTs is topsoil created by the original prairie grasses that covered the state 150 years ago. I discovered the hidden soil where recent construction had created a gully and eroded out 5 feet of newer topsoil and the subsoil layer put down by weeds and grass since the land was developed. The prairie topsoil was below the newer subsoil and was absolutely beautiful. 
If you live in an area that has halfway decent topsoil you can use that. If it is black dirt, just take out the rocks and twigs and you are good to go. It will likely be the same stuff as you can get in a store but better because you know where it came from. Bagged topsoil is usually just skimmed off of land before they develop it because 1) they can sell it and 2) hardpacked clay subsoil is easier to do construction on. It reeks havoc on local water quality though.
Going out in the woods might be your best bet because you know that the soil hasn't been messed with and has had time to develop at least as long as the trees have been alive.


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## jayheuk (Dec 23, 2010)

Dug up some soil. It's blackish with a tint of brown. There are some little chunks of clay, a few rocks that I picked out. Looks mostly non organic stuff. Is that what i'm looking for?


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## Franco (Jun 25, 2010)

Sounds pretty good. Try putting some in jar, cover it with 1" of gravel, fill it with water. and let it sit for 24 hours. You want to then check your water parameters and see what the soil has done and also to see if the soil will stay held down by the cap and not leak.


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