Organic Substrates

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Organic Substrates
From: George Booth <booth at hpmtlgb1_lvld.hp.com>
Date: Fri, 19 May 1995 15:40:18 -0600
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 19 May 1995 15:39:02 EDT." <199505191939.PAA04507 at looney_actwin.com>

1) constituents and ratios: potting soil, peat, laterite, clay, sand, gravel,
composted manure, natural soils, soil from lakes.

Duplarit-G laterite mixed into the lower 1/3 of 2-3mm quartz gravel.
I believe 1 kg for a 100 gallon tank. 

2) was it in pots or as a layer of your substrate.

Substrate layer.

3) did you keep fish in the tank?

Discus, anglefish, rainbowfish (3 tanks).

4) was pH, sulfides or algae a problem?

Nope

5) what plants were suitable for this kind of substrate?

Almost anything

6) special filtration or circulation such as heating cables, UGF,
reverse UGF.

One tank had heating cables, one tank had nothing. 

7) were there problems or success?

Extreme success with the heating cables.  Good success for 18 months
without cables, then algae problems and less robust plants.  I think
the nutrients in the laterite were exhausted and were not replenshed
as in the heating coil tank.

George