The Pros and Cons of Using Soil in the Aquarium

If you want to grow live plants in your aquarium it seems like a no-brainer to use soil. Although it seems like an obvious choice as a substrate for your fish tank plants, soil can be a messy affair. If you do it right though you can have a lush garden of plants in your tank.

Aqua soil is it is called is very popular among hobby aquarium circles. This expensive, pre-bagged and sterilized soil is ideal because it maintains many positive nutrients that assist in the optimal growth of aquatic plants.

Why Aquarium Soil is Good for Your Tank

The greatest benefit of having aqua soil in your tank is that it releases carbon dioxide during respiration which your plants can absorb as a food source. Carbon dioxide is not necessarily required for fish tank plants but it is required for photosynthesis. If you want your plants to grow tall, strong, and healthy carbon dioxide is a must.

The alternative is carbon dioxide fertilization which can be very difficult to set up. Attaching CO2 gas tanks to your aquarium is expensive, troublesome and arguably messy. Even dosing with CO2 tablets can get expensive really fast.

Another added benefit of aquarium soil is the high iron content. This eliminates the need to supplement your fish tank with iron fertilizers which can be more expensive long term.

The Problems with Using Aquarium Soil in Your Tank

For the beginner, aqua soil is very expensive. In the United States it can be found on Amazon for an affordable price, but definitely far more than the cost of gravel and sand at a pet store. Internationally it can be very expensive, often $20-40 for a 4-8 pound bag.

Another issue to consider with aqua soil is that it can be just a downright mess. If you shift the water too much or intend to clean it often (which you should) it creates dust clouds and mud in the tank that can last for days and take weeks to settle.

How to Trim your Aquarium Plants when you Bring them Home from the Store

When you get your aquarium plants from the store they should look like this: healthy, bright leaves, in a substrate with a black plastic container, rooting shooting out every which way. Should you trim the roots of your aquatic plants to promote growth? Absolutely! It is recommended from tank plants and required for pond plants.

Sometimes when you bring a plant home from the store, the change in water is shocking to their growth. You will want to reinvigorate them. You can do this by carefully removing them from the plastic pots they are in and trimming the roots.

Trimming the roots sounds counter productive but it is a great way to promote growth in the plant. Look at the longer roots, not the main one but, those that appear to be older with little to no growth on them. These are the ones you want to cut. Never cut more than 1/2 of the overall roots. You want to snip the ones that appear to be dull in color, mushy and old.

To cut them, simply use a small pair of medical scissors from your home. Make sure they blades are sharp and clean of any debris. A quick dip in alcohol or the light of a match over them will kill any bacteria. You should do the same thing once done.

Remove any of the roots and do the same thing with any leaves that appear to be dead so that the energy is diverted to growth. Make your cuts smooth and quick, no ripping or pulling and the plant will be just fine.

If you have rooting hormone that can be helpful but not necessary. Cut off the plastic container it was in if you would like and bury the plant in your substrate. The crown of the plant, just between the stem and start of the roots should be just underneith the substrate with no roots exposed.

Finally it may take a few days but, you should be all set to having a healthy plant in your tank.

Fish Abuse and Neglect at Walmart

This video may seem too critical because, let's be honest, Wal-Mart does not have the best of employees or really care about the money made from fish and the animal department in general. However, these conditions should tell hobbysts that we need to support our local stores instead.

Make the trip to a local aquarium store or animal supply store. At least they will support their fish stocks and support humanity for any and all animals. They may even have some knowledge about what they are doing.

Finally, when you buy any fish or aquarium product from a Wal-Mart, know what you're getting into. Disease and death are likely to follow. Whatever you bring home, will bring with it nasty stuff that will invade the rest of your tank.

What's the Difference between Fluval Shrimp Stratum and Fluval Plant Stratum

Fluval is one of the leading brands in aquariums and accessories. They are a step above what you can find in a typical big box store and their substrate is no exception. When putting together a fish tank though, we have to wonder what is the difference between Fluval Shrimp Stratum and Fluval Plant Stratum.

Where the Confusion Comes From

It might seem quite obvious that these are two different substrates intended for two very different fish tanks; one for cherry shrimp and the other for growing live plants. However, it is not that easy.

After purchasing both bags of substrate many have discussed disappointment because they are unable to tell the difference. This is not only a problem of ingrediants but utlimately what they are designed to do. Many have said both work for live plant tanks and both work just fine for cherry shrimp tanks.

What's the Difference between the Two Aqua Soils?

I have called Fluval several times in an attempt to get the story straight. Sales associates are much more difficult at relaying information than customer service is. After badgering for several minutes about what the difference is, several employees openly admitted that there is no difference. Or at least that's what they believe.

The handful of customer service representatives at Fluval told me that the only difference is in the size of the substrate and that Fluval is not trying to be deceptive at all.

The Plant Stratum is designed for plants because it is a of a larger composition. It is supposed to do a better job of holding them in place and preventing them from coming undone. The Shrimp Stratum is designed to be a lot smaller in diameter. This is to benefit cherry shrimp as they like to play around with the substrate. The assumption is if you have a cherry shrimp tank you are growing more mosses than rooted plants.

Which One Should I Buy?

Many will tell you it really doesn't matter. The bottom line is both are currently the same price and both do the job of providing nutrients to your aquarium better than almost anything available. The color of the black substrate will also improve the color and complexion of your fish and other aquatic creatures like shrimp.

Want to See a Hot Girl Cleaning a Fish Tank or Aquarium? Me too!

All of that stuff us men typically love: young women that are generously endowed in their cup size along with our favorite hobby - aquariums. Nothing could be sweeter.

Besides the big boobs there are some awesome things to learn here from this hot chick.

1. Gravel Vacuum Cleaners are Essential 
   
   These things are cheap, last years and are really easy to use. Instead of sucking through the siphoning tube like you've been taught, place it upside down in the tank. When it begins to fill with water bring it out of the water. When it reaches the bottom of its cylinder put it right back in the tank. As long as you are siphoning to a bucket at a lower level it will work just fine.
   
   
2. Do NOT use a Pot and Pan Scrubber
   
   Anything used in the kitchen like steel wool or other dish scrubbers are going to be far to tough on the glass and are likely to actually scratch it or damage it. The best bet is your tooth brush. Choose a brand new one that has never been used.
   
3. Do NOT Change More than 10% of the Water
   
   This is a common mistake. People think it is best to change a lot of the water at a time or a majority of it. If your tank has been sitting for a few weeks it is an ecosystem. It has developed beneficial bacteria and nutrients for both your plants and fish. Changing too much water could shock the fish and damage their ecosystem. If you have more than 40 gallons, aim to only change 5% at a time.

Building a Psychedelic Tank Plastic Plants

Psychedelic fish tank? If you are going to go with plastic plants this is a really cool way to do it! I would have added a few more or traded out the plain green plants in the foreground but those on the outside each have an incredible look to them!

Match Your LED Lights with the Gravel

If you are looking to pull off this look it is important to match the gravel color with the color of the LED light. Blue is a great option but you could do purple, pink, yellow or green. The LED will probably have a color that is not necessarily one color. To take advantage of that, choose a gravel mix that is one color lighter and one darker but both the same shade, like in this photo.

Pick Obnoxious Plants and Decor

You cannot try to pull off a realistic look with natural accent rocks and wood, with the addition of crazy color plants! Hot pink gravel will look awful with driftwood and live plants! If you are going with the psychedelic look, stick to it.

Instead of going with driftwood or natural rocks consider an art deco piece that is transparent and cube-like. Also consider keeping the region plain and simple with only the funky colors. If you are putting in rocks, look for those that are painted and with a glitter dust.

Use it as a Fish and Plant Incubator 

The perfect place to have your incubator is in this really cool looking tank! By having nothing organic or natural, you give yourself the opportunity to have a really fun looking acquarium that can be used while you are healing damaged plants or fish.

You could also use this as a breeding tank for snails, shrimp and even live plants. You could substitute the fake crazy plants and just load it up with live plants that grow like crazy. It could be an easy way to hang onto a bunch that you could later sell for a profit.

Avoid Buying Aquarium Plants at Walmart

I know a lot of people are politically minded when it comes to buying from Wal-mart, whether it has to do with the lack of unions or the incredible cheap prices for products manufactured outside of North America.

Nevertheless, quality has increased in recent years. One area where they have failed to increase in quality is fish and aquarium supplies in the pet supply section.

Poorly Understand by Employees

 

The first major problem with buying your aquarium plants and supply from Wal-Mart is the lack of understanding by employees.

To be honest though, it makes sense. Why on Earth should Wal-Mart employees know a thing about fish tanks and running an aquarium? Financially, it is not a section of the store that is cleaning up. Besides dog and cat food, pet supply is a pretty dead industry, just ask Petsmart and Pet Supply Co.

Employees do not know how to spot diseases, infections and dangerous bacteria. Often you will see incredibly damaged or dying plants, left to rot in the tank with perfectly normal fish and plants.

Nothing Really Special Anyways

 

The selection at Wal-Mart for live plants is really not that impressive anyways. You can occasionally find a wisteria or a water onion but that's about it. The other items are unidentified and likely not intended to be an aquatic plant but instead a terrarium plant.

If you are taking the time to put live plants in your aquarium you would be better fit to include items you actually want, care to take care of, and have an interest in for your fish and tank ecosystem.

Support Your Local Shops Instead

I love my local shop, Tribly Tropicals. These guys are passionate about what they grow and what they know. They are dedicated long term to providing beautiful and high quality fish and accessories. Their live plants are expensive. But you know what? They stand behind them! They guarantee they will live if taken care of. They are free of disease, snails and rot.

Besides, I would rather support the guys that are passionate about aquariums than a big corp. How much would I save if I shopped at Wal-Mart, probably $5-10 total. That is a one time cost! How often do I buy new plants? I replace plants rarely because they grow well and keep making new plants for me. I have an outdoor pond and occasionally start a new tank ever 2-3  years. That's not a big deal!