Using Red Wiggler Castings For Substrate?

[lmcinroy]

I am throwing around the idea of venturing into the planted tank world. I was wondering if anyone has use compost castings from Red Wigglers for the substrate in their tank. I know its amazing for gardening. Would it be too nutrient rich for a planted tank? Should I stick to ADA?

[ckmullin]

I'll give ya a pm.

[syno321]

I'd be interested in seeing the response to this as as well

[ckmullin]

I'd be interested in seeing the response to this as as well

I'll give that to you as well.

[jvision]

I haven't been a fan of soil in the tank for a long time because, IME, it has to be replaced after a couple years. That being said, if it's a small (less than 50gal) tank and you're going to be changing things every year or two anyway, soil under gravel can really get those root-feeding plants going!

Ckmullen seems to be the resident expert on dirted tanks, and his tanks look great, so it's obviously working, whatever he does. When I was researching substrate additives, keeping organics to a bare minimum was important. If they get into the water column, you'll get a spike in nitrogenous products - just nitrate if you're lucky, but there's a very good chance of seeing ammonia spikes. This means that if you're using a soil with high organic content, like earthworm castings, you DO NOT want to uproot your plants much, if at all.

My planted tank days are on hold for a bit, but here's what I've learned over a couple decades in trying to make things as simple as possible. Find something that gives your substrate a high Cation Exchange Capacity - that's a fancy phrase which means it can hold fertilizer. Soils and Clays are the most popular options - ADA and Flourite are examples of brand name aquarium soil and clay. They both have very high CEC. A lot of people don't want to spend that kind of money, so we look for other alternatives. Garden soil and kitty litter are both often used by the DIYer to get the same results.

If you're not planning on fertilizing regularly, you'll want to add something to the substrate with a decent CEC. Your plants will get a lot of their macronutrients from fish food/waste (you may need to add N-P-K at regular intervals if you notice deficiencies), and the substrate additive will hold the micronutrients that you'll only have to add infrequently.

However, if you're planning on a fertilizing regime like Estimative Index (EI) or Method of Controlled Imbalances (MCI), you'll be adding small amounts of fertilizer every day or so. The plants will be getting everything they need from the water column, so you won't need anything extra in the substrate, save for the odd root tab by the heavy root feeders like a large sword or a thick grove of Crypts.

EI became my preferred method because I liked to grow plants, and I have trouble keeping anything the same for more than a year or so - I think the longest I kept a tank scaped the same was around 20 months. And I like big tanks - one day a few years ago, I looked at a 90gal in my kitchen saying it looked kinda small where it was... my wife's response was that my 6' 135 looked small in the basement! I gave up on substrate additives a long time ago! Go through my journal to see some of the planted tanks I've had - all without substrate additives.

There are tonnes of ways to go about this hobby, and one of the funnest parts, IMO, is trying different methods. Find one that works for you.

Have plants, have fun!!

[Redplants]

The one time I experimented with soil in the tank I greatly regretted it. Even small fish often dig, the material gets into the water column and huge algae blooms result. Other problems accompany also. By fertilizing daily with ( a proper liquid mix ) I had far less trouble maintaining the tank in pristine condition and had few problems growing the plants I wanted. I have grown many different large sword plants which projected well above the 24" depth of my tanks. When I did want to experiment with substrates I utilized clay flower pots and buried them in the gravel. That way I could easily removed them if problems developed, transplant them to another site or another aquarium or use several of them to set up a particular breeding arrangement when required. Shortly after ending my experiment I read an article by a famed plant aquarist who stated that organic material should be used in very small amounts in aquarums. I believe her and left it at that.

[lmcinroy]

Thanks for all the responses! I am in the research stage and not planning on setting my planted tank up until September so I have some time to figure out the route I want to go.

[zoopkamol]

Ckmullin is the plant guru here. However every tank has its own challenges being planted or non planted. Only way you learn is by doing and asking for advice.