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Re:Profile Aquatic Plant Soil

On Fri, 4 Feb 2000 Ilkka Kallio wrote;
> 
Snip

> I have experimented with Profile with a 40G tank.
> It's a bit too early to say anything definite about it since
> the tank's been going only for 2.5 months. From reading 
> the archives, it sounds like other people might have had
> longer runs with it. It would be nice to hear what your 
> experiences are with it (or with Turface - since 
> it sounds like they are both the same stuff).
> 
> SO - how are you guys using it? Do you use it as is or do 
> you amend it using laterite or something else? Are you 
> happy with the growth of plants in it? Better / worse than
> Flourite or Gravel/soil?
> 
> I set up a 40G tank with it. For a bottom layer I mixed a
> 1 inch layer of about 3 parts Profile + 1 part loamy soil 
> from my garden + 2 parts Vermiculite (by volume). I put 
> in a small amount of pond tabs. On top of that I put a 
> 1/2 inch layer of profile mixed with a handful of finely 
> chopped filter peat. The top layer is plain Profile. 


I think you're making this way more complicated than it needs to be.  I've
had a Profile ONLY substrate with 1/2 of small gravel on top, going for over
a year now, with absolutely no problems.  Four times, I've had to remove
Sword plants and replace them with smaller ones, because they simply outgrew
the tank.  It was in a 72 gal. bowfront for 14 months, then 2 months ago,
the 72 became a reef after I moved everything (substrate, plants, fish) into
a 75 gal tank.  Regular additions of Jobes sticks seems to be all that is
needed, as far as the substrate is concerned.

 
> 
> Whatever the mechanism is, it would seem that soil (used 
> alone, without buffering) is not a good amendment to a Profile 
> substrate. Perhaps a bit of laterite or redart clay would be a 
> better amendment in this case.


What would the laterite or clay add that isn't already there?  I know that
Profile will provide all the iron needed, my tank has tested .1 ppm FE since
day one.  I need to add iron to my non-Profile tanks.


Snip
> 
> ILKKA KALLIO
> In San Jose, Ca still searching for the right Profile 
> substrate recipe...


I think the right recipe is "keep it simple".

Bob Ashcraft
Pittsburgh, PA