[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Profile/arcillite Pond Planting Soil, More CEC?



Erik &  kind APDers,

Sorry just getting to some previous APD volumes.

Actually I like your idea of mixing the Profile and Dupla laterite.  I have
been using Profile in my 30g and 10g tanks for over a year now and have had
great results.  No pH problems/swings overall very stable substrate.  I also
use DIY clay balls laced with Osmacote (sp?) (very small amounts) for
slow-release NPK every 3-4 months in the root-zone and Dupla24 drops almost
daily.  Every couple of water changes I add some Seachem's Florish when I
think some nutrients are diminished.  My water is ver soft (pH 6.7, 2KH,
3GH) so I also add Dolomite (CA and Mg) when my hygro show signs of CA
deficiencies.  Just by observing my plants I can tell fairly accurately what
nutrients may be needed.   My 125g tank is a Dupla laterite, heating cables,
tmp controller, MH (Hey Trevor, if your out there it's finally set up!)
with injected C02 tank and has only been set up for a couple of months so I
have not added anything to the substrate yet except for the NPK tabs that
came with the Dupla Laterite.  I guess the theory is that convection
currents created by the heating cables will supply all the macro/micro
nutrients the plants need?  So far it's too soon to tell.  I hope to go PMDD
when the Dupla stuff runs out because I am a tinkerer at heart.

As for the Profile tank, plants like swords, hygro, Cryps, ludwigia, bacopa,
combomba, Java Fern/Moss, Rotalia (sp??) ... all do very well.  My
Profile/acrillite tanks are the my best looking/fastest growing/no algae
tanks so far.  I exchange about $10.00 in plants every week with an owner of
a LFS from my Profile-substrate tanks.

IMHO and YMMV, I would advocate using it, I think the additional CEC binds
more cations in the substrate than would otherwise be available to roots
(you should see the extensive root system in my 30!) with laterite alone.
All other parameters have to be in balance of course.  I may tear down a
tank soon and test the Profile/Dupla combination.  Any thoughts anyone? Is
this really necessary?  You would think the Dupla laterite should provide an
adequate CEC level ?  hummm......I remember reading in the archives that
Dupla was pretty low down on the CEC list behind vermiculite, kitty litter,
peat etc...Can more of a good thing help here? Could additional CEC extend
the life of a Dupla-style tank between tear-downs?  Are these pretty inept
questions? What is the ground-speed of a sparrow?

Erik if you get a chance send me any data you have found on arcillite.  It
would be greatly appreciated.  I looked last year and couldn't find much.

Enjoying the vivid fall colors and cool evenings here in Virginia
Tom Brennan
brennans at ix_netcom.com
-----------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 02:13:18 PDT
From: "E. Leung" <leung22 at hotmail_com>
Subject: Profile Aquatic Plant "soil"

Hello all--

Was wondering if anyone out there is still using this stuff. I dug
through the APD archives and found only a handful of people that
reported using it, and at the time, they had just begun experimenting
with the product, so long-term results hadn't been available. I did some
research on arcillite, the calcined clay that the product is composed
of, and found, among other things, that it has a proported decent to
high CEC due to the heating process, and that it is inert and contains
very little to no iron. I was thinking of using it along with a portion
of Dupla laterite in the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the substrate, to enhance
the CEC thereof.

I've since talked to a few people who are using it, and while one of
them states that it has not affected water pH or general hardness, a few
others have reported otherwise.

Any comments before I break down and go out to buy a bag so that I may
test the stuff?

Thanks in advance,

Erik Leung
San Francisco

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com