ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

[Tom Barr]

I suggested that SWOAPE look into finding some grey soilmaster
select, since people seem to only find things interesting via
pictures, here's a thread.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?p=70121#post70121

It's very much like Eco Complete except you need to wash it.
Weighs the same too. Most of these folks have EC, so this is
something they will have a good long term comparison against.
There's also a comparison against Black tahaitian moon sand.

I have a supplier in my area(Central valley) and one in
Stockton. I also am trying the ADA like semi soft clay Aquasoil
against an Aquasoil tank. The difference? 17$ a bag for 1/2
cubic yard vs around 210X more for the ADA soil.

Funny, people responded to finding solutions to high priced
Dupla pooploa stuff on the APD years ago(which is why PMDD was
born), but everyone thinks ADA stuff is some sort of mystery and
no one is trying to figure out why and what is does and are
there alternatives that are cheap.

SM is cheap and appears very asethetically pleasing.
The "Barr's super secret soil sauce" will be dirt cheap as well.

I wonder why folks lost this train of thought and started to believe in myth and baloney responses again. Dupla did it in their own German way. I asked Amano directly, what was in powersand, he replied "Power" and then smiled.

If someone does not give me a straight answer, I will find it on my own and I'm pretty good at that. Wetland soil test methods is something I've become increasingly better at and have a lot of resources and methods to find out.

If this product works well, as well as the ADA product, the cat's out of the bag.

Regards,
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Here is another thread with pics that may prove interesting also: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=10128

Thanks to Bharada for sharing those pics. Once our Soilmaster Select comes in, I will put up a few pics to compare the grain sizes between it, 3M's Black "T" grade Color Quartz Sand, and Tahitian Moon Sand.

Soilmaster products are distributed by Lesco. Lesco has a distributor in nearly every major US City.

http://www.lesco.com/

If you add your zip code to the box in the link, it will show you some of the the nearest distributors. You can then start calling to find one that carries the "gray" version. While it may prove a bit difficult to find this product right now, it may be more available in the future, especially if there is enough interest in it...

 

[Clone]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

You can order Soilmaster Select off Lesco's website and have it delivered to the nearest store for pick-up. No shipping and handling charges!

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

The most difficult thing about getting the Soilmaster Select is the color. If you want the basic red color, that is not a problem as most Lesco's carry it in stock. However, most of the stores do not carry the "gray" and are not willing to work with you on small orders. Individual stores did not want to "special order" it for us unless it was by the pallet (2,000lbs) and not too many people can use a ton of substrate! We did find one store who was willing to get us whatever quantity we needed.

 

[VaughnH]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I just used the Lesco website to order one bag of the charcoal grey stuff. I picked the nearest local distributer for where I wanted to go pick it up. The order seems to have gone thru with no problems, and I don't have to pay any shipping charges, just California sales tax. So, I am getting 50 pounds for about $17. And, that sure beats the typical $27 per 15 lb bag cost for most aquatic plant substrates. I couldn't find any Turface distributer or find a way to order a single 50 lb bag on the internet, so I jumped at this opportunity. I figure if I don't like it I can always spread it on my flower bed.

 

[Clone]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I ordered a single bag yesterday. They will honor the sale or refund my money, well at least I hope they do. Either way it was worth a shot.

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

VaughnH and Clone,

Did you order the Soilmaster "Select" Gray or the regular Soilmaster Gray?

Would you mind adding your location to your post or the location of the Lesco you ordered from? It may help some others who are interested in puchasing some of this stuff. We sure did have a hard time locating a source for it!

Also, please keep us informed on the status of your orders. We have just been informed by the Lesco we ordered from (Cincinnati, OH) that there is a shortage of the Soilmaster Select Gray in the US . THe majority of this product seems to be in Florida right now! Our order is on "backorder" status right now. I would be curious to see the results of your orders.

The lack of shipping is one of the nice things about the Soilmaster and purchasing it through Lesco. I spoke to one of Soilmaster's marketing people about it and he stated it could be delivered to any Lesco store with no shipping fees.

 

[Clone]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I ordered a 50 pound bag right off the Lesco website PRO'S CHOICE SOILMASTER SELECT (CHARCOAL) Before I ordered I made sure that charcoal was the color not the contents.

BTW I have not received an email stating my order has been filled. Still waiting

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Thanks Clone, did you check on the local availability of it? The Lesco website will allow you to put in your zip code and check the local distributor's inventories. Pretty nice feature. If it is not in their inventory locally, it will probably need to be "ordered".

 

[Clone]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Yes I did look and no they didn't have it in stock.

 

[Clone]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I got a call from Lesco today, my order is in

 

[jimjim]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I dont believe it! There is a store within 14 miles from me and they actually have it in stock. Cristmas came early this year for my new 180 ..Thanks for The tip Clone...Jim Sorry that was Matpat I was supposed to thank. So thanks Matpat.

 

[VaughnH]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

The latest on my order, which was also for the Soilmaster select charcoal grey, is that it was not in stock locally, but had been shipped to the local distributer two days ago, so should be there tomorrow. My local distributer is in Rancho Cordova, CA, near Sacramento.

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I got a call from Lesco today, my order is in

Sweet! We (SWOAPE) received our order yesterday and set up our first tank with it. 50lbs of Soilmaster Select and 50lbs of 3M Color Quartz Black Sand was a good amount for a 75g tank. Let us know how the Soilmaster does for you.

I am tempted to try setting up my 75g without the sand even though I know Turface and Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil is pretty "light". The Soilmaster Select seems to be a bit "heavier" maybe due to the much smaller grain size.

So thanks Matpat.

You are more than welcome! We have been trying to order this stuff for about a month now and ran into many problems along the way. It's nice to know some of the Lesco's will order this stuff. The local store here in Dayton wouldn't order less than a pallet but the store in Cincinnati will order whatever quantity we need adn even set us up an account for future orders.

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Since there is such limited info out there on Soilmaster, I took pics of my 75g during different phases of setup tonight. It only took one bag of the Soilmaster Select Gray (50lbs) for a total of $13! I will more than likely add 50lbs of 3M's Black Color Quartz sand on top of the Soilmaster but I may decide to just add a few more pounds of the Soilmaster and call it done. I'll have to see how well it hold the plants down before I decide ot add the sand

Thought you might like to see it!

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/showthread.php?t=10563

 

[chubasco]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Wow, Matt, that's some nice looking stuff! My killies would look like a million
bucks with that substrate! It looks like a mixture of very dark brown and
charcoal grey, but it could be the lighting, or my monitor

Bill

I'll be checking locally for this!

 

[IndianaSam]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I just called my local LESCO and they refused to order a bag of substrate for me. Then I jumped on the website and ordered it for local pickup. No problem. Funny how they treat you like an idiot when they don't have local stock, but it's no problem to order it off the website for pickup. Oh well.

I can't wait to see for myself how well this stuff works. I'll be setting up a 40g tank in the next week or so and this thread came just in time!

 

[matpat]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

I just called my local LESCO and they refused to order a bag of substrate for me. Then I jumped on the website and ordered it for local pickup. No problem. Funny how they treat you like an idiot when they don't have local stock, but it's no problem to order it off the website for pickup. Oh well.

I can't wait to see for myself how well this stuff works. I'll be setting up a 40g tank in the next week or so and this thread came just in time!

We had similar issues with ordering less than a pallet of the Soilmaster. I am still awaiting a return call from my local Lesco (Dayton, OH) about ordering les than a full pallet. It has been two weeks. The Lesco in Cincinnati was more than welcome to work with us though and has earned our business. We are nearly out of the 100lbs of Soilmaster that we received in on Tuesday or Wednesday!

Glad to hear you can order it from the website. Clone received his bag and hopefully the Soilmaster folks are making this more available. That was their goal when I spoke with their marketing manager on the phone last month. The Soilmaster alone works pretty well but the addition of some sand really gies it some "weiht".

Make sure to post some pics and follow up on how it works out for you.

 

[VaughnH]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

My Soilmaster Charcoal arrived at the dealer today and I picked it up a couple of hours ago. To show off a bit, I took some pictures of a sample of the stuff. They are at: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1107769/PICT0001.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1107769/PICT0002.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1107769/PICT0003.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1107769/PICT0004.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1107769/PICT0005.jpg

The first photo, obviously, is the bag.
The second is a big handfull of the stuff as it comes out of the bag, dry.
The third is with a couple of cups of water added and sloshed around to clean it. Notice it is dirty, without question.
The fourth is after three washings, and with more water added to show the color. Three washings was enough to get it clean, about what I am used to with blasting grit.
The last shows the particle size and uniformity. Notice that there is some red colored material mixed in, less than 1% I would guess.

The actual color, wet, is pretty black, with sparkles of red. I think I am in love!!

 

[chubasco]

Re: ADA like substrate and Soilmaster

Vaughn, thanks for the pics, I'm ordering online tonight! And it's about the
same weight as EC? The size granules look ideal. How lucky, you found money
in yours!

Bill