Soil

The value of soil in aquarium is to be difficultly over-estimated.
Soil is necessary to the aquarium plants, as a place of fastening, taking root and development of the root system. All necessary nutritives get from soil of plant.Soil is needed and to many aquarium fishes in the spawning period (geofagusam, akaram, tsihlazomam, pelvikahromisam, ikromechushim karpozubim and other) and as refuge (makrognatusam).The most best soil in the freshwater aquarium — coarse-grained river sand (size of particles a 1,5—2 millimetre) or hoggin by size from 3 about 4 millimetres. From the decorative point of view the soil is desirable dark (fishes and plants look showier on the dark background).
However from point of illumination of aquarium with plants this question remains debatable. With respect to minerals which soil consists of, their influencing on gidrohimiyu in aquarium so substantially, both about this write. On occasion (for example, at maintenance of fishes and plants requiring to very soft and slabokisloy environments) release soil from salts of calcium and magnesium, processing by its chamois or to the muriatic acid. Do this in the enameled crockery, mixing content to stopping of selection of gases. Then wash soil in the running water during 2 hours.In the most cases got only to boil thoroughly soil with water during 15 minutes, continuously mixing, and to wash. From the shallow particles easier than all to be delivered, carefully washing sand on sieves with the cells of necessary diameter in the stream of running water. Similarly separate too large particles. Desirably this to be engaged in in court, and if at home, main not to forget to put under sieves a pelvis bucket, not to litter the sewers in apartment. Handful of the well washed sand abandoned in water, it must not it vzmuchivat.
Otherwise washing follows to be continued. Especially it is difficultly to wash karerniy sand which take from the small depth from surface. Quite impermissible the use for the aquarium of sand and hoggin of reddish or yellow color of the iron containing oxides, are harmful for fishes and plants, and also taken from quarries and reservoirs muddy by the industrial wastes. The stone and macadam with the veins of metallic brilliance are useless.As a fertilizer in aquarium are applicable clay (contains the phosphates) peat (contains biologically the active matters).The clay is taken from the overhead layer of old quarries. The fat, «garden» clay fits also.
The small marbles from clay vidergivayut a few months on air, protecting from the atmospheric precipitates, dry in oven during hour at the 200°S temperature. The marbles from clay lay out in soil to the roots of plants, the peat (from the overhead bogs) before bringing in soil is well boiled down, wash and wring out. Use a peat crumb on occasion boiled down independently as soil-substrata (for example, in aquariums with ikromechushimi karpozubimi).Lay soil with slope to the front glass. Also in from soil and stone it is possible to create terracing, separating them by plates from orgstekla. Under the feeding trough bottom of aquarium better to leave free of soil. The complete replacement of soil in aquarium is made very rarely, time in a few years. Supporting soil in the «working state» is possible by the simple method, making light sand through siphon.
For this purpose it is enough to have a segment of glass (it is possible to the plastic) pipe about 30 centimetres, on one end of which fasten a high and narrow crater (it is possible to use a bubble from under shampoo with the cut bottom), and on other — rubber hose. At sucking by this siphon of water at the bottom of aquarium the grains of soil of sand are torn away and are mixed in crater, ridding of contaminations (takes easy vzvesi away by thread, heavy grains of sand come on bottom back). Such care of soil is very useful to all inhabitants of aquarium, and it is desirable to be made every week. In fact simultaneously there is deleting of particles of decomposing organiki. Loosening of soil and its moving improve an interchange of gases at the roots of plants. And the united part of water (1/4 or 1/5) is substituted by the fresh plumbing.In the special (so-called hygienical) aquariums for spawning of some types of ikromechushih fishes, and also in aquariums for growing of molodi (in the virastnih aquariums) do not lay soil on bottom. The regeneration of water environment takes place in the biological filters. Comfortably, however, to place in such aquariums of plant, landed in pots, or shallow cuvettes from the stainless steel or orgstekla with soil. At any time they are possible to be removed or extract in a time of cleaning, transplantations of fish, not damaging plants.