HeyPK

I would avoid the U.S. penny, because it is made of copper and could cause copper poisoning., Nails are not a very good way to introduce iron either. In general it is not a good idea to have metals in contact with the water. If you don't want to shell out for commercial chelated iron solutions designed for planted tanks, you can always have soil under the gravel which will supply iron to the roots.

Lizzz

Would it be possible to substitute crushed terra cotta pots (not used/glazed) instead of potters clay? I assume they would be high in iron due to the red color, and know they are safe in an aquarium, but really have no idea past that... Any thoughts?

AaronT

You could always use Laterite, which is available in most aquarium shops.

Lizzz

i just have a bunch of busted ones, that i figured i could use. Currently in my basic tank i use them as decoration...

AaronT

I don't think it would do much for you. You need the clay for its flocculating abilities as well. There are places online to order just a pound or two of the powdered clay. If you're going to skip anything skip the dolomite and / or potash. The clay, and the right amount of it, is very key to success.

Lizzz

last question before i start my adventure ... Vitamin Shoppe is quite closer than southern states, or a hardware type store...would these vitamins be sufficent, as long as theres no other weird ingredients listed?

AaronT

I'm not sure that dolomite powder is the same thing. The potassium should be fine though. It's also sold in grocery stores as a salt substitute called "No Salt" or something like that.

ponchik

Hello Aaron,

thanks a lot for your description, we even have a translation of it in german: http://www.flowgrow.de/substrate/min...bot-t4187.html

I used the search function and read some 30 pages of this thread to check if somebody has brought up my topic before but had to give up after I realized that there are 250 (!). So I'm sorry if you already answered the following question:

In your step 9 your write Doesn't the gravel sink into the mud and a result you have a mixture of mud and gravel which is not wanted? How do you avoid this effect - do you wait until the mud has dried so far that the gravel doesn't sink?

Denis

AaronT

Hi Denis,

No, the gravel will not sink into the mud. Most of it will remain on top as the mud is very thick. Once the tank is established the soil will naturally settle to the bottom whenever disturbed.

ponchik

Hello Aaron,

thanks for your quick reply - OK, then the "thickness" of the mud must be high enough so the gravel stays on top, sounds convincing.

Denis