Turface in combination with...?

2059 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by cS, Apr 30, 2004

Error

Discussion Starter · Apr 29, 2004

Okay...I've read a lot about how good this stuff is, so I want to give it a try. I am probably going to redo one of my substrates soon, so...

1" of soil/peat humus (or moss? not sure which one) mixture under 1.5" Turface

.5" soil under 1.5" Turface

Has anyone done this?

Capped with something, possibly? I understand Turface is not too aesthetically pleasing. What colors does it come in? On the other forums I have seen black mentioned.

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Jay Reeves

· #2 · Apr 29, 2004

If you are going to do this in a 10 or 15 gal tank then - what the heck - go for it. anything larger that you are going to put a bunch of energy into I am not so sure. I love Turface for a variety of things but have found it to be to light (weight) for substrate use. Also, the turface by itself or with a very small amount of peat is all that is needed since the appealing aspect of the Turface is it's ability to hold nutrients. I have used soil with a cap of quartz gravel. It is heavy enough to hold it down fairly well.

As far as aesthetics - you are correct, it is not the most appealing substrate, IMHO. The only color I have seen is a tan to light red or pinkish color.

Regards,
Jay Reeves

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Error

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 29, 2004

How about this then...a .5" layer of peat (I'm still not sure if it's supposed to be moss or humus), then a 1" layer of Turface, then maybe 1.5" gravel? Kinda thick...might that be a problem?

Also, if Turface is so light, I'm sure some of it will come out on top eventually, especially if plants are uprooted for relocation. This leaves me wondering if a cap is really a good idea after all.

Any thoughts...???

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dennis

· #4 · Apr 29, 2004

Error,

How big is your tank? One thng that I have read a number of times here is to use a very thin layer of peat MOSS, which you boil first to help remove some of the tanons and so it will sink(this supposedly stinks so

My understanding is that a little goes a long way. I heard somewhere to use a handful for a 75 gallon. Using an inch or so of Turface sounds good but I would put a good 2 inches over it. More if you want. THis will help keep it out of the water even more and I find that a really thick substrate is nice. 3" mininum. Hope this has helped

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cS

· #5 · Apr 30, 2004

If you are going to use peat moss, then it's not advisable to use too much. A general rule of thumb is to use only enough to cover the bottom of the tank so that you can still see some of the glass bottom showing through. Otherwise, it makes determination of CO2 concentration virtually impossible, due to the humic acids released by the peat ... at least for a while until all the peat is spent.

Regular Turface (i.e. Profile's Aquatic Plant Soil) looks like clay. There is also Turface Gray, which I assume is gray? Nonetheless, from what I have read, it is quite difficult to source the Turface Gray. If you are pleased with the original color of Flourite (i.e. not the Flourite Red), then regular Turface shouldn't bother you.

I've used regular Turface for a better part of a year and although it is relatively light, I never found it to be a problem. Try it alone first and if you find it to be too light then by all means add something else to it; but please find something that match the color of your substrate. Otherwise, it would look quite aesthetically unpleasing IMHO.

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