yossarian
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- Oct 13, 2010
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Hi ive recently been experimenting with dirt tanks in my aquariums. Ive created this thirty gallon terrarium using clayballs for the land mass; to create the steep hills, and I put a layer of already soaked soil (out of a broken down aquarium) on the top to weigh down the clayballs, and to give any plants i add a substrate.
I was never worried about dirt and water because in my experience it sinks so fast you could have dirt with no cap and still have clear water. I read that firebellies biotopes are mud holes, so i was tempted to go just soil, but to create the slope effect you would need a lot of soil. I have before used too much soil below the cap. Unless you have a lot of plant roots, airiating the soil, you get a funny smell after a while. This is where i decided on clayballs to create the landscape and just to cap and partially fill with soil. But clay balls float and i was a little paraniod that i would have a disaster, so i decided to cap the soil with grey river pebbles, about 1/2 inch circumfrence and a little gravel and some sand.
It is early yet but the tank is fine. I know i will have to continually recap the soil as the newts erode it with their movement, but its not that hard and im not worried about the soil releasing into the water, just a mass release of airfilled clayballs destroying everything. I will keep this post and put up better photos in due time. I like how this tank is precarious and requires touch ups. I do go by one thing with natural aquariums, if it smells like a forrest after the rain, its a healthy tank; this one smells amazing.
I was never worried about dirt and water because in my experience it sinks so fast you could have dirt with no cap and still have clear water. I read that firebellies biotopes are mud holes, so i was tempted to go just soil, but to create the slope effect you would need a lot of soil. I have before used too much soil below the cap. Unless you have a lot of plant roots, airiating the soil, you get a funny smell after a while. This is where i decided on clayballs to create the landscape and just to cap and partially fill with soil. But clay balls float and i was a little paraniod that i would have a disaster, so i decided to cap the soil with grey river pebbles, about 1/2 inch circumfrence and a little gravel and some sand.
It is early yet but the tank is fine. I know i will have to continually recap the soil as the newts erode it with their movement, but its not that hard and im not worried about the soil releasing into the water, just a mass release of airfilled clayballs destroying everything. I will keep this post and put up better photos in due time. I like how this tank is precarious and requires touch ups. I do go by one thing with natural aquariums, if it smells like a forrest after the rain, its a healthy tank; this one smells amazing.
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