How to air-ate soil?

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

I just set up a NPT on the weekend. It's doing really well except for 1 death. I heard you need to airate the soil? How should I do so? It is a 5.5 gallon with inaescent lights, a 50w hagen heater, a topfin 10 filter (used in a KK for a month or so), and I used top soil capped with a bag and a half of gravel. The plants in there are moneywort, water wisteria, and hornwort. All from petsmart. And one more question, my horn wort won't float properly, it kind of half sinks. LOL I have put it into like a mini bush beween the moneywort and wisteria. Is there any way to make it float?

[ChoclateBetta]

I use cories they mess with sand.

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

I can't really fit them since it is only a 5.5 gallon tank

[ChoclateBetta]

Pulling something through sand or MTS.

[Laki]

Malaysian Trumpet snails (MTS) are good for that. If you get a problem with them breeding get an assassin snail :)

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Is there any non-snail way. I found my first baby pond snail in my tank today. -.- I also have a mystery snail and a nerite snail. LOL TOO MANY SNAILS! haha So would draging something through it would work?

[titolatino1970]

i belielve i read in the planted tank section that you can poke it with a chopstick

[babystarz]

You can poke the gravel with a toothpick or anything else that's pointy, but I don't think you're likely to have gas pocket buildup issues because the gravel has spaces that let air seep through. If you had a sand cap you would need to do it more diligently.