Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm using my 10 gallon tank as a spare plant holder since my 20g is packed. I've got some leftover Seachem flourite and a lot of sand from when I set up the 20g. Honestly, I regret using the sand and I'm planning to replace it with dirt.

I know a lot of people say dirted tanks are a pain, what with the chemicals and all, but I'm still curious about trying it out. I picked up this dirt at my local home improvement store - it's Miracle Gro Nature Care. I've got no experience with dirted aquariums, so I'm not sure if this is safe to use.

http/imgur.com/a/u2u6d

My plan is to soak the dirt, then pack it into the tank and add the plants. No fish for now.

Most soil is made up of ground-up rock, with elements like silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and iron. What you've got there, though, is more like potting mix. The picture shows it's 60% moss, and that's not what you want in an aquarium. Potting soils like this one usually have a lot of bark and plant material, with some sand mixed in. If you put this in your tank, it'll probably just float to the surface because it's not really soil.

I'm with Steve on this. That potting soil you've got doesn't seem suitable for a dirted tank. I think you could maybe use it as a base layer, but then you'd need to cover it with a decent amount of sand to weigh it down. Problem is, when you're planting or maintaining, you risk disturbing the soil and getting debris into the water.

I'd advise against using that substance in a tank with live fish. Some ingredients in it just aren't suitable for aquariums. What might happen naturally without issue can turn into a disaster in a confined space like a tank.