MatPat

Since there are going to be a few more of us setting up some tanks with the Soilmaster Select in the next month or so, I took a few pics while setting mine up tonight.

I added a dusting of peat to the bottom of the tank


added some Soilmaster to hold the peat down, and added mulm to the soilmaster


added more soilmaster (pic 3)


and partially filled the tank


I did not rinse the Soilmaster and filled the tank very slowly. The first ten gallons or so probably took me at least 15 minutes. I also added about 6ppm of KNO3 and 1.2ppm of KH2PO4 to the initial fill water (based on total tank volume). I'm thinking this may get absorbed by the soilmaster since it seems to initially be hydroscopic. Maybe it will absorb a bit of the fertilizers.

I was originally going to fill the tank and let the debris settle out overnight. It is clear enough that I figured I would stop and go ahead and put the plants in tomorrow. If it needs a water change after the plants go in, I will do one then. The Soilmaster Select seems to hold the plants down much better than the Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil I hae in my 55g and it is mixed with Flourite also! Might be due to the smaller grain size, but I think I will still add the sand tomorrow...

I thought I would add that I did not rinse the Soilmaster at all. That is why it looks so light in color when initally added.

ctmpwrdcamry

Matt, whats the second piture in the first row of? This stuff looks browner than what we saw at the metting. Any thoughts?

MatPat

The second pic is where I added mulm from my filters. Probably about a quart or so of nasty, dirty, stinky, fish poop water. It is darker in those areas because it is wet.

What everyone saw at the meeting was the black sand. We did not have the Soilmaster until yesterday. The soilmaster is actually charcoal colored but we have been calling it gray. It is lighter than the sand. The soilmaster is also dry in the first couple of pics so it really looks grey. The fourth pic shows what it looks like wet and the last pic has plants to give you an idea of the color balance. I painted the backof the tank black with a can of $.97 spray paint from WalMart. That should also give you a better idea as to the color of the Soilmaster. I think I need a better camera!

ctmpwrdcamry

Alright, just trying to understand!

NeonRob

Matt, that microncartridge really helped to clear the water as you suggested. However, the water flow from the filter really slows down with it in, causing much gas to build up in my CO2 reactor. I'll go back to the carbon cartridge stuffed with polyester floss like you recommended.

Since I won't be working today, I'll have plenty of time to plant a new glosso patch in the new substrate. Who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to post a pic today.

NeonRob

Full Frontal



Top View



Up Too Close



Good View of Layers



Surface Shot

AlexTal

Quick question, in this setup, you only used peat? Why did you not use Laterite?

MatPat

Not so quick answer:

1 - It is expensive, i.e. one pound of Laterite is about the same price as 50lbs of Soilmaster or Turface, or one package Flourite, all of which contain iron.

2 - Take a look at this link: http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm
You'll notice that both Flourite and Turface (Soilmaster is a similar product as Turface) have a decent iron content when compared to Substrate Gold (laterite). First Layer Pure Laterite does have considerably more iron than Flourite or Turface but how much is enough?

3 - The Soilmaster may not be "heavy" enough to "cap" the laterite. I didn't want to take the chance of the Soilmaster not being an adequate "cap" for the Laterite.

4 - I already dose the water column with a micro fert that contains iron so why add more?

By dosing the water column I don't feel there is a need for the addition of any macros or micros to the substrate. I don't use any substrate fertilizers in my tanks and don't see the need. I feel that plants will grow just a well by fertilizing the water column. For those who are neither willing nor able to dose the water column consistently, I would recommend the addition of laterite or better yet, Eco Complete.

I don't feel any of the "commercial" substrates curently available are adequate in a high light ( more than 2 or 2.5wpg) tank. The plants seem to grow too fast to rely on their roots to provide nourishment. You can easily test this yourself by watching the growth of a tank with high light and Eco Complete substrate by skipping a few fertilizer additions to the water column. After skipping 2-3 doses, (maybe more in a lower light tank) the plants will begin to look worse (smaller leaves and or stunting) and algae will begin to grow.

By all means feel free to give laterite a try. Just make sure the "cap" you use is heavy enough to not allow the laterite to seep up through the substrate. It can be a real mess if the laterite leaches into the water column. That heavy orange tint (like green water only orange) will take all of the enjoyment out of watching your tank and it can't be filtered out with a diatom filter like gren water can, at least until all the laterite has leached into the water column

AlexTal

Thanks for the reply. I plan on setting up my first tank using soilmaster select charcoal mainly due to your set up and another website I found that compared the growth of ADA amazonia and soilmaster. Here's the link ...

The link's obviously not the most scientific thing, but it's interesting and the look of the soilmaster is great.

Thanks for the reply though, it's always interesting to read why other people use or don't use certain things.

Simpte 27

Jacks Aquarium here by the Dayton Mall carries the GE 9325 bulbs. May be a little late on the input for you though (Hey, when am I not late?)