Aquariumplants substrate

scoupland

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Has anyone used aquariumplants substrate? Any opinions about plant growth, cloudiness after replanting, scratching glass, etc.
 

ShadowMac

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I have not used it, but when I first started in the hobby I considered it. I believe the substrate is inert and many of the nutrients mentioned are unavailable to the plants. It has a low cation exchange capacity. Being that most of it is silica sand it won't break down any, so won't be cloudy, but won't provide any nutrients either.

So, I suppose it depends upon what you want to accomplish and what you are looking for.
 

Tom Barr

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Well, a sediment with ferts vs one that is inert is not a fair comparison.
Amano/ADA did this in one of their examples.

So if you use an inert example vs a fertile sediment, in DI water...........then the fertile sediment will out perform any inert sediment obviously, that is what you'd expect.
If not, then you have control issues with the set up.
The set up needs to test the claim and be fair about it.

Not likely in either case, neither was thought out well for testing fertile vs infertile. Obviously fertility of soil would make a difference.
Fertility for soils can be measured and compared just like they do in agriculture.

But this is not done in both cases above.
 
H

Htomassini

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I have used it and it is like fluorite or laterite. It is clay based. It was good with swords but after a year it ran out steam.

I now personally use the mr aqua soil with unrinsed fluorite at the bottom


Henry Tomassini
www.theplantedaquariumstore.com
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

scoupland

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The fact that it "ran out of steam" might explain why they push their liquid + pelleted "substrate vitalization system."

Any thoughts on dosing the substrate vs the water? It seems that if you dose the water that whatever is in the water will make it into the soil and therefore the roots of the plants where I would assume (this could be a erroneous assumption) most of the nutrient absorption is occurring. Could pelleting the soil be a more efficient means of getting nutrients to the roots? Or, maybe that wouldn't be necessary if you use a fertilized soil.
 

Tom Barr

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You hedge your bets by dosing BOTH locations, not one or the other.
You will not run out of steam ever this way.

The ADA AS I have is 8 years old and here's the effect of dosing both locations:

9c4b05a2.jpg

b66087bc.jpg



This will grow back in about 1 month very nicely.
 

scoupland

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Okay, don't dose both--that is helpful to know! Apparently that is "overdosing" the plants. So why would you chose one method over the other? Is it simply a matter of ease or preference, or is one generally going to produce better plant growth and/or less algae?
 

Tom Barr

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scoupland;86922 said:
Okay, don't dose both--that is helpful to know! Apparently that is "overdosing" the plants. So why would you chose one method over the other? Is it simply a matter of ease or preference, or is one generally going to produce better plant growth and/or less algae?


No, I dose both locations, I dose rich.
 

Tom Barr

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Over Dosing ferts is not the issue for algae or poor plant growth.
Under dosing can be.

Poor plant health/growth etc........light/CO2/general care and trimming plants correctly etc.


Some experienced people might......be able..............to get away with limited care/input etc...........but most will not and it's often difficult for others to replicate.
While possible, it's statistically much harder.

I'd rather have folks approach it from the better statistical end result.
Lower light, good CO2, current, good frequent water changes, dose both locations etc.
Success builds the hobby, not failure.
 

ak24

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Tom Barr said:
You hedge your bets by dosing BOTH locations, not one or the other.
You will not run out of steam ever this way....

Tom, You mean You also fertilize the soil(inject) ? In other post You wrote fetilizers will comes out of the soil.
 

Adam Edmond

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Excellent plant growth lies in the substrate. If you don’t have a suitable and balanced substrate your plants will not thrive the way you would like them to.


The substrate not only has a providing, but also a retaining capacity to hold nutrients for the use of plants over a period of time.


Nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus are in ample supply in the aquarium, and also sufficiently available in tap water.


Other nutrients and trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, etc. are present in the substrate and need to be added from time to time to ensure proper plant growth.


It is well established, that plants are able to take up nutrients through their leaves and root system. The only nutrients necessary in the water are calcium, magnesium, potassium (limited), and carbon. The other essential nutrients should be in the substrate, as the substrate and the plants have the ability to store those nutrients for a period of time, making them available when needed. It is recommended to have phosphates available in the substrate rather then the water column.


If you’re asking why nitrogen is not mentioned to be in the water for plants to take up, it’s quite simple: Plants can more easily take on nitrogen under anoxic (oxygen free area) conditions, which the substrate provides for. This also affects iron and potassium.


For the overall quality and health of your aquatic environment as well as healthy, thriving plants, nitrogen among others should not exceed certain levels in order to maintain an overall helthy aquatic environment. This will simplify maintaining your tank and avoid the need for painstaking steps and corrective measures required to counter these effects.


It is possible to have healthy growing plants with undetectable nitrate readings. Nevertheless a heavily planted tank with a low fish population (low fish population = insufficient nutrients provided by fish waste) and undetectable nitrates can lead to a nitrogen deficiency. Under these circumstances it is recommended to maintain nitrate levels around 5 ppm. Since Algone gradually adjusts the nitrate levels, maintaining specific levels can easily be achieved.