Best way to bagging organic soil for containing it in pools sand substrate?

[KittenFishMom]

I was going to do straight Walstad in my 55 tank, but I am thinking it might be a good idea to add an HOB.

I have read that people sometimes bag their soil in netting before covering it with the capping substrate. I think this is to keep the soil in place if they move a plant, but it might have been for another reason.

I want to know what sort of mesh people use. I was thinking of knee high nylon stockings, but I don't think it would let my pull plant roots out easily. I have some wide laundry bag mesh, but I think the roots might grow into the multi strand that make up the netting.

All advice is welcome.

Thanks KittenFishMom

 

 

[Streetwise]

I don’t use any bags for my organic substrate. I want my plant roots to be able to easily grow through the gravel and into the soil.

[Patrick_G]

I don’t bag my soil for the reasons @Streetwisepointed out. I also like it loose for ease of planting. In spots where my substrate will be extra deep or under hardscape I’ve used bagged gravel to save money on expensive soil. 

[Streetwise]

With my organic soil tanks, I am embracing nature. Putting bags in substrate seems like a different strategy.

[KittenFishMom]

@Streetwise How much soil and how much capping sand or gravel do you use?

I was going to put a slope , low front, high back. but I am leaning towards level with the tank only be 13 inches across. I am afraid my slope might slide into my pond.

I'm using sand because of the corys and loaches.

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by KittenFishMom
added stocking

[Streetwise]

Aquarium gravel is tumbled to remove sharpness. I have also used aquarium sand, and it seemed to be tumbled too. I have not used commercial gravel or sand. They may be sharper.

Cory used the metaphor of baking to illustrate tank recipes. Local conditions really play a part.

My general strategy is to use as much soil as I can get away with, and just enough cap to hold the soil down. For a 20G, I might use 1.5” of organic topsoil, capped with about 1.0” of small-to-medium gravel.

I will then add as many plants as I can, and always wood.

[Jawjagrrl]

I have successfully used the same bags @Pepere references, which I based on successful heavily planted setups on MD FIsh Tanks YT channel. I know he's not for everybody, but I wanted sand in several tanks and found this was a great way to get the best of both worlds. The bags have no metal parts to worry about and the mesh is large enough for roots to grow into. There are some reference photos in the last entry of my neglected side-by-side journal.

The plants so easily root through the bags that they actually keeps them more secure than they would be otherwise. My geophagus youngsters are constanly digging around the plants in their tank, but have been unable to uproot any of the swords or val so far (they did get the moneywort loose, but it was planted weeks after they arrived).

I do have a walstad setup and did not use them there. I only used a tiny bit of soil with about a 2" sand cap and that has worked out ok too - shrimp are breeding and plants growing well. I didn't purposefully not use these bags in the walstad jar, and I respect that decision. But I don't see it really being a factor if you wanted to try it either.

 

[KittenFishMom]

@Streetwise The last week I have been "rescuing" the heavy foxtail seaweed I find still green and healthy in the lake. We always called it foxtail, but it is probably really something else. I have been packing it in with the loaches and corys, and added a lot of daphnia and a bunch of scuds. Wow have they cleaned up the plants. I may move them out to a bucket and gather some more. I want to start the 55 with a lot of plants. Last February I order a large amount of plants, but used most of it to save my fish while I was away. I'm feeling superstitious about order a lot of plants ahead of time this time round. 

As for wood, I have a huge pile that has been sunning itself all summer. We are at the south end of a lake that has a prevailing north with blow all the drift wood to our end of the lake. It will be hard to pick out just a few pieces. I also have the rooted stumps of 2 large boxwood bushes. I am going to soak them off the dock all summer to get toxins out and test a sample, then use them in a build next fall. Boxwood is super dense.

Reading through all this, it looks like I will do bagged on one side and unbagged on the other and keep everyone posted. 

I plan to start a journal once I get everything ready to begin.

I'm going to put a trapdoor/ porthole under the side of the tank with the pond so I can adjust and replace the light.

[Patrick_G]

On 10/19/2022 at 6:37 PM, KittenFishMom said:

The last week I have been "rescuing" the heavy foxtail seaweed I find still green and healthy in the lake.

There’s a good chance it’s Eurasian milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum.