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CaCO3 source & laterites
Hi everyone,
I haven't contributed in a while because I've been incredibly busy at work,
but it's time for me to add my 2 cents worth again! :-)
Cheap Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) source is to buy chicken grit at a farm
supply store (especially if you want large quantities of it).
Laterites: I have one 10 gal tank which has duplarit G in the gravel &
i have seen incredible growth rates in this tank (a swordplant that I had
had in another tank for about 2 years without seeing much growth doubled in
size in a matter of months & had to be moved; anubias nana & cryptocorne
wendtii growing well - noticeable growth in the crypts but not so much in
the anubias; hygrophila polysperma & ludwigia replens must be trimmed
weekly, only rotala rotundifolia, ceratophyllum demersum & anacharis have
not done really well in this tank).
I decided to try the A.R.T. laterite many months ago & hoped to see
similar results as the dupla stuff (same water conditions & used in
three other tanks: a 55 gal, 25 gal & 10 gal - the lighting may be slightly
different, but liquid fertilizer the same). I have to say that I am not
really impressed with the A.R.T. stuff. I made it into balls & pushed these
into the gravel but it still tended to go all over the tank, especially
when gravel vacuuming (the dupla stuff stays in the gravel more & I have
also used the dupla balls in the past with good results). I have not seen
great growth in any of the tanks, actually diminishing growth of some
plants in the 55 gal which was initially very densely planted. Oh, all tanks
also have CO2 addition (via the yeast + sugar method). The only plant
that seems to have done better is java fern which has sprouted dozens of
baby plants lately.
Anyway .. my own 2 cents worth is that I personally would buy the dupla
laterite in the future.
Catch ya all later!
Joanne.