Soilmaster; Turface Alternatives - Substrates

Seattle_Aquarist · 12-27-2011, 05:12 PM

Hi All,

I have been happy with Soilmaster Select Charcoal and Turface Pro League Grey for several years, but both have been discontinued and I am looking for a suitable replacement. I have looked at Black Diamond (blasting grit) and the black color is great but I would like a product that can store and release nutrients....something with a good CEC.

I was doing Google searches and came across this link on GardenWeb where they were also looking for a suitable replacement for Turface.

Quote:

i made some quick and dirty anecdotal observations of Diatomite (aka Floor Dry), Oil-Dri, and Special Kitty (warning: zero science alert!). of course, your results may vary depending on batch, bag, sample from bag, planetary alignment, etc. ad nauseum. all were run through aluminum window screen. some thoughts:
- all pass some product through screen, but in the small amounts i did, i don't see major differences in %, all are ~10%, which is way less than than what i hear about turface. what passes through is not primarily dust, more like small granules that remind me of fine clumping kitty litter.
- dustiness: kitty litter is least dusty, diatomite was most dusty, but the oil-dri sample was old so i cannot fairly judge its dustiness; it did not spew as much dust into the air as the diatomite, but it had the finest particles in the sift (you can see that in the photo) so i suspect it can probably be pretty dusty when new. i guess it makes sense that the kitty litter would be least dusty since people get excited about that sort of thing in their houses and some of the brands mention it in advertising (this one says 'low dust' on the bag).
- size consistency: diatomite wins by far, kitty litter is the biggest loser, oil-dri in between. you can see in the pic that diatomite has the smallest average size (1/

, then oil-dri (3/16), and kitty litter is all over the place. that's a BB (3/16) in the center of the pic.

that's kitty litter at 2 o'clock, oil-dri at 6, and diatomite at 10. the big pile for each sample is some of what stayed on the window screen, the small pile is some of what went through.
cheers

The Oil-Dri looks intriguing, I like the darker color it seems to have less 'dust'. Has anyone tried this product? If so please post a picture and let us know how it worked for you.

30 Gallon with Turface

Michael · 12-28-2011, 04:39 AM

I feel your pain! I have been searching for just such a product. Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil is rumored to be the same thing as Turface. You can find it on line at outrageous prices. I am told that Ace Hardware and Lowe's carry it in some parts of the country, but not here in Texas.

The best discussion I've read of these various materials is at the Skeptical Aquarist under substrate. He cautions about oil-dri possibly containing contaminants unsafe for aquaria. He likes kitty litter, but says that you need plain clay litter with no perfume, clumping agents, odor absorbers, antimicrobials, etc. Ha! I can't find it anywhere.

I also can't find a retailer that will agree to sell me any variety of Turface in quantities less than a pallet. It is very frustrating.

Thanks for listening to me vent--please let us know what you find out.

Seattle_Aquarist · 12-28-2011, 06:27 AM

Hi Michael,

Thanks for your feedback; I will post the results of my search when I'm finished.

ibfan1 · 12-28-2011, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seattle_Aquarist

Hi All,

I have been happy with Soilmaster Select Charcoal and Turface Pro League Grey for several years, but both have been discontinued and I am looking for a suitable replacement. I have looked at Black Diamond (blasting grit) and the black color is great but I would like a product that can store and release nutrients....something with a good CEC.

I was doing Google searches and came across this link on GardenWeb where they were also looking for a suitable replacement for Turface.

The Oil-Dri looks intriguing, I like the darker color it seems to have less 'dust'. Has anyone tried this product? If so please post a picture and let us know how it worked for you.

30 Gallon with Turface

I'm using Oil-Dri. I've only had it for about a week or two, so I can't say how it works long-term but so far it seems good! I don't think it's toxic, as none of my fish have died including my guppy fry.
It is VERY messy though. When I was putting it into my tank, even though I had rinsed it a million times, it completely clouded the water. I couldn't see anything. However, the filter cleared it up overnight.
The color is very natural looking. It's a dark-ish brown with flecks of red and tan mixed in.
Oil-Dri will also temporarily bring down the pH. My tap water is very alkaline (8.0) and I was hoping Oil-Dri would lower my pH long-term. The first day, my water had been brought down to about 7.0 or 6.8. It was exactly what I wanted, so I was pretty happy about that. But unfortunately for me, I tested the water again today and the pH is climbing back up. It's now about 7.4 or 7.6. I have heard, though, that for some people Oil-Dri lowers the pH dramatically and for many weeks.
I have also heard about it decomposing into mud. My Oil-Dri so far does not show any signs of breaking down into mud. Also, on the Walmart (I got my Oil-Dri at Walmart for $3) website description it says, "Strong granules hold liquid in and won't break down into mud." http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oil-Dri-Pr...25lbs/16930215
And, on the top of the 4th page of the MSDS it says that Oil-Dri is insoluble in water. http://colonialchemicals.com/uploads...L-DRI_MSDS.pdf
Therefore, I don't THINK it should dissolve into mud, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see

Seattle_Aquarist · 12-28-2011, 07:32 PM

Hi ibfan1,

I appreciate your input, from what I am learning some folks like it and some not so much....sort of like some folks liking ADA Aquasoil and some not. I am going to pick up a bag locally and see what it looks like and provide some feedback.

Here is a picture that a member of another forum provided that I really appreciated because it gave me some idea of grain size and color (although it looks lighter in color than I had hoped). This is also proof that one picture is worth 1000 words!

Oil-Dri

Michael · 12-29-2011, 07:17 AM

That photo certainly makes the oil-dri look good! I'm eager to read your report.

ibfan1 · 12-29-2011, 09:35 AM

Huh. Actually, my Oil-Dri's a lot darker. Maybe it varies from region to region?
But this is how mine looks (Sorry it's kinda blurry >.<)

It's from a bookshelf aquarium that I'm currently setting up

Seattle_Aquarist · 12-29-2011, 10:21 AM

Hi ibfan1,

Thank you for the picture, that is more of the color I was hoping for! I guess it's time to head to Wallyworld and look for a bag with a rip or tear!

scream-aim-fire · 01-16-2012, 12:36 PM

i use oil-dri i like it

edwardn · 01-16-2012, 02:15 PM

I use in my 180 Turface MVP topped with red flint (1/8 x 1/16"). Both work for me and I would not change this combination for any other...

http://www.redflint.com/filter_gravel.htm

http://www.turface.com/turface-produ...rs/turface-mvp

Contact their offices for info where their product can be purchased. I buy Turface in a growers supply, and the red flint in a water filter company.