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Re: [RML] Not fish but plant substrates

Such substrates have been beaten to death on the Aquatic Plants Digest
<Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com> , and the archives there would be a useful place
to start. I took the liberty of forwarding this to the APD, in hope the
experts there can contribute something more.

My personal experience, using that much organic matter (for a whole tank),
is that H2S or other smelly bubbles are going to be produced for a year or
two. I subsequently hold the organic content to not more than about 5% (by
volume, not weight) of the total substrate. YMMV.

We tend, lacking good laterite sources, to use sintered Fuller's Earth or
clay materials like "Profile," "Turface" or "Flourite" (yes, that's the way
they spell it) these days in the US. Otherwise our best substrates tend to
be very much like yours, but with less organics.

Wright

gfinsen at schneider_com.au wrote:
> 
> Just to change the topic, has anybody had clear success with differing
>       forms of substrates in their tanks.
> 
> I am experimenting with small closed containers (old plastic 2 litre milk
>       containers to be exact).
> 
> These are cut to size and hold about 250 ml of liquid.  To this is added
>       1cm of lateric soil, 1cm of potting mix, and 1cm of peat.  This is
>       covered with about 2cm of fine gravel (river sand actually) and then
>       about 2cm of 3mm shifted gravel.  The whole container is flooded and
>       left to sit.  The theory is that I change this water every couple of
>       days to bleed off the immediate leachate that would theorically pass
>       into the water column if I added this to a tank.  After 2-3 (maybe 4)
>       weeks, I make a cone in the middle, plant a plant and back fill with
>       clean gravel.
> 
> So far I have planted mainly Swords and Crypts this way, and they're are
>       doing very well.  However I cannot guarentee that they are doing well
>       because of the potting mix, or something else.
> 
> Anybody got any idea that they could enlighten me with??
> 
> Regards
> 
> Graeme Finsen
> 
> Senior System Engineer
> 
> Schneider Electric
> 
> 07 - 3890 2112

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntleyone at home dot com

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