Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 18, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 So I stopped using a dirt substrate months back when my goldfish got sick. I couldn't get a grip on my parameters and I felt as if the dirt wasn't proving to be helpful at all. Then shakaho introduced me to this awesome filter called a regular upflow biolfilter and like magic my nitrates started to decrease! Now that I have that under control if like to venture back into dirt! I just have to find the perfect dirt capping sand! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member motherredcap Posted March 18, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 I've been experimenting with dirt for a tropical tank. No creatures yet, but gosh, I can finally grow plants. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lis. Posted March 18, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 I intend to use dirt for my goldfish tank when I FINALLY upgrade, I'll be keeping an eye on your thread to see how you get on 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member dnalex Posted March 18, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 Do it, Jasmine! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 18, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 Lis, here is the journal of my tank when I originally did dirt. I just need to find a good cap, now that I have gone black I don't know if I can go back....the only pool filter sand I used was white...lol. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lis. Posted March 18, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 18, 2014 Lis, here is the journal of my tank when I originally did dirt. I just need to find a good cap, now that I have gone black I don't know if I can go back....the only pool filter sand I used was white...lol. There's no link attached, but I really would like to read through that thread if you could send me the link I've never really been a fan of white sand...will any sand do? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Do it! You know how much I love dirt in a fish tank! With the black sand, I'd say to spend the extra money on TMS, as there's a significant difference between Petco Black, and TMS. You were looking into black diamond blasting sand a while back, and I've been looking into it. The word on the street is that it's not a "true" black, like TMS, so if a nice "hi-def" color is what you're looking for, then you won't find it there. Folks on TPT say that the different grit sizes also come in different "colors", and that some are more "black-brown" than others. Next time Petco has the TMS on sale, just go nuts! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Lol, sorry Lis, here it is I never pasted it! http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=5549169#post5549169 Tammy, it doesn't have to be black, just darker than the white color I used to have. I'm going to scour Home Depot and Walmart this week. But TMS is always an option if I don't find anything, just a more expensive one. Especially after spending the money on TMS and Eco six months ago and not liking the Eco... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Lol, sorry Lis, here it is I never pasted it! http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=5549169#post5549169 Tammy, it doesn't have to be black, just darker than the white color I used to have. I'm going to scour Home Depot and Walmart this week. But TMS is always an option if I don't find anything, just a more expensive one. Especially after spending the money on TMS and Eco six months ago and not liking the Eco... You can use a strainer to get the sand out of the mixture of eco/tms. Less sand to buy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Very true! The TMS can't even be seen, it just shifts to the bottom and the Eco covers it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) Lol, sorry Lis, here it is I never pasted it! http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=5549169#post5549169 I've stalked this thread many times over the years. In fact, I think I have it bookmarked, along with Barr's dutch tank. (I'm under the same name on TPT, but I post very rarely.) Edited March 19, 2014 by dan in aus Proof read, Daniel. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 I'll have to look for you in there! I'm glad my thread proved for some good reading, I didn't think many people read it, lol. You say you don't post very rarely....so does that mean you post a lot...lol. =] Ha, you changed your post! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 I'll have to look for you in there! I'm glad my thread proved for some good reading, I didn't think many people read it, lol. You say you don't post very rarely....so does that mean you post a lot...lol. =] Ha, you changed your post! I mainly just lurk on that site. I used to post a little bit and was somewhat friendly with Medcineman, but I mostly lurked. It was one of his tanks that first piqued my interest. It was just the most amazing thing 15 year old me had seen done in a glass box. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=35477&highlight=medicineman (He kept goldfish and koi too.) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lis. Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) I'll have to look for you in there! I'm glad my thread proved for some good reading, I didn't think many people read it, lol. You say you don't post very rarely....so does that mean you post a lot...lol. =] Ha, you changed your post! I mainly just lurk on that site. I used to post a little bit and was somewhat friendly with Medcineman, but I mostly lurked. It was one of his tanks that first piqued my interest. It was just the most amazing thing 15 year old me had seen done in a glass box. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=35477&highlight=medicineman(He kept goldfish and koi too.) That is the best thing I've ever seen haha Lol, sorry Lis, here it is I never pasted it! http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=5549169#post5549169 Tammy, it doesn't have to be black, just darker than the white color I used to have. I'm going to scour Home Depot and Walmart this week. But TMS is always an option if I don't find anything, just a more expensive one. Especially after spending the money on TMS and Eco six months ago and not liking the Eco... Thank you for the link! your plants grew so well, and it's interesting to see how small your fish looked at the beginning of the thread in comparison to how huge they were at the end haha. Would a substrate like manado work as a cap? I really like the colour of it, I can't seem to find sand that is a similar colour other than sand I have in one of my tanks, which although has a larger grain, seems to easily be swished around, if you understand Edited March 19, 2014 by Lis. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 That is the best thing I've ever seen haha It is pretty spectacular. I went through and read it again. It still makes me smile. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Dan I have pics saved from that thread from years ago! When people always ask "what fish should I get for my gigantic lake of an aquarium" I always think goldfish, that's what I thought he should have stocked...this how awesome they would have looked under that lighting! Thanks Lis, when I look back at the pics from when I first had dirt I want to do dirt again sooo badly! I'm not sure what substrate manado is, but I will look it up! Pool filter sand works great. I know what you mean when you say it gets swished around, the sand is too light and doesn't sink right away when disturbed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lis. Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 Dan I have pics saved from that thread from years ago! When people always ask "what fish should I get for my gigantic lake of an aquarium" I always think goldfish, that's what I thought he should have stocked...this how awesome they would have looked under that lighting! Thanks Lis, when I look back at the pics from when I first had dirt I want to do dirt again sooo badly! I'm not sure what substrate manado is, but I will look it up! Pool filter sand works great. I know what you mean when you say it gets swished around, the sand is too light and doesn't sink right away when disturbed. How long did you leave the tank before you put the fish in? Did you rinse the dirt when you put it in the tank? It's JBL manado, if you look it up let me know what you think I really like the colour. If I did a thick enough cap, would it matter if it was a bit 'swishy'?haha 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) I probably only gave the tank a week after I initially planted it, before I put my fish in. If you want to rinse the dirt you can, lots of people sift through it to remove the bigger particles of wood. Some people like to mineralize it or soak it for a peorid of time. I'm more prone to soaking rather than mineralizing it. Mineralizing sounds like a pain in the butt, lol. The jbl manado sounds like its similar to Eco complete. You could probably successfully cap with it, but as far as cost goes your paying big money for something that you won't actually be using for the intended purpose. That's because like Eco, manado is meant to be a stand alone plant sub. The manado alone would do what dirt does but not as well, since it's not dirt. The purpose of a sand cap is to cap the dirt and keep it from mixing/floating in the water column. If you want to buy it and try it you can, but as far as money goes I'd go with a cheaper sand. Unless you only want it because of the color and your ok with spending the money because of that. I personally would not suggest a swishy sand as a dirt cap in a goldfish tank. Just because the goldfish are such foragers and move/ kick up a lot of sand, if it's lighter swishy sand I would think it would move around too much and expose dirt when he fish are digging for gold. Although if you put a think enough cap of it on it might not matter.... Edited March 19, 2014 by xjasminex 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 So I made a find at walmart today! I found a brown pool filter sand! I wonder if it would look good mixed with the TMS? I bought a bag to examine and what not this weekend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted March 19, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 It will look kind of like salt and pepper. I think that I'm even more excited than you are! I love dirt tanks! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 19, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 19, 2014 I know Tammy! Seeing how green, lush and awesome my tank was before makes want to do it NOW! Lol, I'm already buying supplies! I'm going to reread the ecology of the planted tank before I start though...my mind will once again be blown by stuff that looks like nonsense but makes complete sense....bum bum buuummmm. Plus goldfish make everything 10x harder.....I have awesome little planted tanks, but when it comes to my Goldie tank I feel like I fail...at least in the planted aspect. As far as the sand goes I'll have to see it out of the bag, I also have some plant gravel that I can add to add definition and different texture. This is what it is ...I have a med sized bag of it that I use periodically. http://ripariumsupply.com/products-page/substrates-ferts/riparium-planter-gravel/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Daniel Posted March 21, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 21, 2014 Dan I have pics saved from that thread from years ago! When people always ask "what fish should I get for my gigantic lake of an aquarium" I always think goldfish, that's what I thought he should have stocked...this how awesome they would have looked under that lighting! I was so disappointed when he gutted it, the second scape looked nowhere near as good in my opinion. It would be interesting to see what it looks like now. It will look kind of like salt and pepper. Oh, Tammy, how this description made me laugh. Plus goldfish make everything 10x harder.....I have awesome little planted tanks, but when it comes to my Goldie tank I feel like I fail...at least in the planted aspect. I've been thinking about this question a fair bit lately. I think there are two possibilities when it comes to successful planted goldfish tanks: one that is so ornately lavish and large that the fish have no idea what is going on, or one that is so mundanely simple it resembles a Malevich black square. There's a lot to be said for minimalism. I do have to wonder whether a single lone plant can give a tank the outward appearance of being aquascaped though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member xjasminex Posted March 21, 2014 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) I've been thinking about this question a fair bit lately. I think there are two possibilities when it comes to successful planted goldfish tanks: one that is so ornately lavish and large that the fish have no idea what is going on, or one that is so mundanely simple it resembles a Malevich black square. There's a lot to be said for minimalism. I do have to wonder whether a single lone plant can give a tank the outward appearance of being aquascaped though. I also think the same, that overwhelming the fish with plants is a good route. I can attribute my successes to over feeding, If I am lax with feeding and don't keep up they will start eating the swords and certain crypts. Also having a wide variety of food is good plus feeding them fresh veggies might curb the plant eating. Edited March 21, 2014 by xjasminex 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lis. Posted March 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 30, 2014 I'm sorry if I'm hijacking your thread a little, but what about TMS as a cap? Do you think it could work? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted March 30, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted March 30, 2014 I'm sorry if I'm hijacking your thread a little, but what about TMS as a cap? Do you think it could work? If you make your cap depth about the same as the dirt (I prefer my cap to be a little more), then you could really use whatever you want. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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