Dirt tank?

My axolotl passed away on Christmas due to internal parasites, and I attempted to fill in his tank with a Betta, but he passed this weekend. Feeling really frustrated since I usually have an excellent record with keeping things alive...

I'm going job hunting so I can fund further projects and am emptying the cursed tank and starting from scratch. I'm thinking of making and maintaining a planted tank before I jump back into axolotl keeping. I understand fertilizers are toxic to salamanders, and some research said plants grow best in substrates that give grip(so, not the powdery sand preferred by axolotls). I was wondering, has anyone had success with a 1 inch layer of dirt/garden soil, and then half an inch of sand? I read about this method for fish tanks, but no sources said if this was amphibian friendly.

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Hello onyx my advice to you is look at the fresh water tropical fish keeper websites re growing plants. It can be a science in itself. Do not put garden soil in your tank as it will lead to algal blooms and heaven knows what salts would be released. Go to the aquatic centre and get an aquatic soil based substrate. You can then cover this with a second material but be aware, compact substrates can harm plant growth by damaging their roots and preventing nutrient uptake and movement of dissolved oxygen around them. I used a heat cable under the soil to help create movement of water around the roots. As for plant growth fertilisers these are specifically made for aquarium set ups and are unlikely to be harmful if you stick to dose recomendations. I'm assuming you're not looking at fertilisers in garden centres. Remember copper is the bad guy and can be toxic to fresh water ecosystems. Then of course you need to consider light and temperature all of which are variables and have a spectrum of plants adapters to them. You need to read the info on the aquarium sites as I could write a book here. All very interesting and achieveable.

I used to grow very happy plants in my freshwater aquarium in fine sand. There have to be enough nutrients in there for the plants to do well, but living creatures provide a lot of waste, which if you don't disturb the bottom much sifts down to feed the plant roots. I think it depends a bit on the plant as well. Little spreading grassy plants loved my tank. Those things that looked like banana bunches died every time I got one.