Q. Do people actually use dirt in their planted aquarium tanks?

A. Dirt or regular old potting soil makes a fantastic lower level of substrate in the planted tank. People have been using soil in their tanks for years with great success adn very little maintence. When you buy a Ficus ree or house plant you don't just take it home and plant it in gravel do you? No way. You use potting soil. Your aquarium plants deserve the same treatment. Obviously we aren't just going to try using soil alone in the tank. You are going to want to thorougly cover it with on inch of small sized gravel.