Penac - out of the box thinking?

Hey, thanks for the comment TFML! Didn't have to use the extinguisher!

With all due respect to Mr. Barr or whoever did the testing, perhaps we can think through this a little bit and see about finding some valuable nuggets of truth/fact that we can use. Mind you, I don't have a vested interest in anyone buying the Penac products. I do have a vested interest in helping to expand the boundaries of this hobby.

Allow me to share my perspective from many years in this hobby. I have come to realize that there is still MUCH we don't know about aquatic plants and their long-term cultivation in the aquarium. I would suggest to you that we can always try to better understand by studying how these plants grow in nature.

In nature, most aquarium plants grow in what is now being termed "Living Soil." That is, the soil they grow in is full of organisms (fungi, bacteria, worms, etc.) some of which are very important for cycling key nutrients. We have no clue what others do. However, we do know that plants grown in living soil do much better than plants grown in inorganic or non-living soil.

In addition to the substrate ecosystem, living soil is rich in minerals that provide both major and minor nutrients. These nutrients play an important role in long-term plant development in conjunction with the substrate ecosystem. The soil becomes a nutrient storehouse for plants.

One of the Penac products, as our friend quite rightly pointed out, is very similar to bentonite. Bentonite is used as kitty litter because of its capacity to absorb but it is also used as a very beneficial amendment to soil to enrich it. It's mineral composition is very interesting for plants. It's cation exchange capacity is also very beneficial as it functions as a nutrient storehouse for plants.

So, if I took the sterile substrate that we typically use for our aquariums and sprinkled bentonite (or a substance that will increase it's CAC and provide a series of minor nutrients), is this a bad thing? I think not. What I would be doing is helping to transform my sterile substrate into a nutrient storehouse for my plants and providing for the long-term success of the aquarium.

What do you think? Good alternative to sacrifices to the plant gods?

Hey, thanks for the replies all. That's what I like to see, some real passion about the subject.

Lets see. First, don't get stuck on the english translations. They are garbage and geared to a different part of the world where 80% of the people practice tai chi. I don't want to get into a discussion as to whether tai chi is good for you because it centralizes you chi and improves your body's flow of energy. In the US, this type of thinking doesn't go over well (yet...). However, can we not agree that tai chi has some real benefits (tangible, perhaps?) that we can agree with (e.g., relaxation, focus, etc.)?

Similarly, Penac products (German engineered, btw) are tagged with a lot of mysticism that we are not accustomed to. However, most of the products do have some tangible benefits we can measure and appreciate. For example, Penac W is essentially a type of bentonite clay that, when added to your substrate, will increase it's CEC and add needed micro nutrients/minerals. Penac K adds minerals plus organics.

In my opinion, what Penac has done is taken items that are very beneficial and sprinkled some marketing pixie dust on them in order to sell more of them in certain parts of the world. That doesn't work here.

Likewise, ADA initially had marketing mumbo-jumbo on all their products. I had a hell of a time trying to translate their catalogue and product instructions because they focused on harmony, balance and nature rather than on hard facts about what they contained. It's the same thing here.

i went to an ag school (cal poly slo), studied ag for 2 years before i switched my major to botany. today i work with farmers supplying all kinds of materials, i also do transportation for them. i work next door to farmers whom ive known personally for years, and talked about farming a lot. my point is, there are not enough farmers out there trying new methods of ag here in the US for other farmers to compare yields to, or to do a really excellent cost analysis. lastly, most of the farmers i know run thier own land. they are recommended to grow one thing or another, but in the end its thier decision what to grow and how to do it. and the problem is, most large manufacturers (heinz)doesn't really consider quality of the produce, they only consider raw tonnage. so, how is a farmer who takes the time=$ supposed to recoup his expenses when the consumer doesn't factor in the thing making his crops more expensive? its a lose lose.

same goes for us plantedtank keepers. when a new product comes on the market, most are skeptical about weather or not to try it cause we have at least had marginal success without it. we see no need to spend more money for a product that may only marginally improve the tank. but, if you really are after the ultimate tank with lush growth and no algae for years at a time, possibly other factors should be considered.