Now for the setup:
The tank I used is a standard 20 gallon long. I started by adding just a little bit of the color quartz sand and wetting it down just enough so that it holds its shape when you move it around. I used this to form a border around the front and sides of the tank.
Note: This step is purely for aesthetics and can be ommitted if you wish.
Then sprinkle just a handful of the dolomite and muriate of potash on the bottom of the tank. As you can see from the picture the bags of them that you bought are lifetime supplies.
Next I used about 1/5 lb. of clay and emulsified it in a small tupperware container.
Do not use your mother/wife's tupperware!This is done simply by rubbing the clay between your fingers until it is in suspension in the water. This takes some time, but is somehow quite relaxing. Then again I like to play in the mud...
I don't have a picture here because I'm also the photographer and my hands were a mess already.
Next mix in the emulsified clay solution with the mineralized soil. Woohoo! More playing in the mud.
Now add this soil soup mixture to the bottom of the tank between your sand borders. This layer should only be 1/2" to 1" thick at the most.
For the next step I added ADA Tourmaline BC, Clear Super and Bacter 100. This is certainly not a necessary step, but I had them laying around at the time.
Now it's finally time to cap everything off with some more quartz sand. I added about 1.5" of sand on top of everything.
Now for the hardscape:
