Schultz Soil Conditioner As A Substrate!!

I'm one of the folks who will not use the material. I set one test tank up and decided quickly (~3 months) that it was not for me - it is way too light for me. Broke that setup down and reset with gravel+laterite. I found it was a PITA to work with, but I am accustomed to gravel/laterite or Flourite, both much higher-density materials
 
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Here’s some info on using it in case you haven’t seen this site yet http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_substrate.htm

I have a 30g tank that is 50% Clay soil and 50% Sand. I don’t see any problems at all. My crypts are doing fine. And I have no problem with it holding anything down. I got some glosso that I just plugged in and none have come to the top yet.

Although it doesn’t have any nutrients in it or anything like Flourite, it’s suggested to mix at least 50% Flourite with it.

I just re-did my 90g and I got 30lbs of Red Flourite, 30lbs of Regular Flourite, and 40lbs of the Clay soil Conditioner and everything mixed in fine. The colors blend nicely and I’m sure all the soot from the fluorite is enough to go around. :D I put the fluorite in about a week ago and it still hasn’t fully cleared up yet.
:mad:

Good luck with it.
 
Ah, the old Flourite(wait for it to clear) game. You know, I had more of a wait for the Schultz stuff to clear than the Flourite. I think it's because I wash the Flourite so well, knowing that if you don't it will make your tank look like a big bowl of coffee.
Anyway I just threw in 30# of Flourite along with 40# of the other stuff an it looks great and I know it'll be great for the plants.
This tank is going to be 3 to 1 light to water so it's going to be interesting to see how it works out.
Len
 
I keep hearing about Schultz, but everyone has mentioned Turface, MVP, etc. I went to Lowes and looked around and only found small bags of Profile (from Shultz, I believe). Anyone use this stuff? Is it also known to be very light weight? Supposedly NASA has approved it.....like that means anything! Anyone hear about that beautiful planted show tank they had on the Space Shuttle??......exactly....point made.

I'm sure that even conventional hydroponics in space isn't going to worry about the weight of the substrate....you know what I mean?
 
Sumpin', you're a trip!!!!:D
What some people complain about is that Schultz's Soil conditioner(Turface is the same stuff, but cheaper) is a little more difficult to plant in. By that I mean it is less dense than Flourite and so doesn't hold plants down as firmly as other substrates. That's why I bought it knowing that I would mix it with Flourite.
The good thing about it being less dense it that it's VERY, VERY porous which means it gives lots of area for good bacteria to attach itself to.
Len
 
the shultz aquatic plant soil, and clay soil conditioner are the same thing - both 100% arcilite (at least, last time I checked)
It's the good ole add "aquatic" to the name = double the price!

I've got two tanks set up running CSC - very nice. Yes, very dusty, even after much rinsing, and it IS very light, so be careful vacuuming or else you can just suck up a siphon-full of the stuff!
That said, the plants love it - lots of roots, and whenever I pull anything up, lots of roots are clinging to grains of the stuff.
I find it easy enough to plant things in - the grain size is small enough that it holds well untill the plant gets rooted unless you have a big fish that knocks things loose (like my Bichir).
Overall, I'm very happy - 40# for next-to-nothing at wal mart is an absolute steal! Anyone with more money might consider Flourite or Onyx, but for us on a budget, it's perfect.
 
So the Arcilite is called "Clay Soil Conditioner" from Walmart? I want to make sure I'm looking for the right stuff! I have bought the wrong stuff (ferts) in the past and I'm still recovering!:o

I looked at Lowes today and only saw the "Aquatic Soil" by Schultz. Where else would I look for this clay substrate? Are they at least iron enriched?
 
all right i just jumped ship. :eek:

not in any way to disapprove the soil, but i finally broke down and ordered 6 bags of onyx sand for my 50g. i've always wanted a darker substrate and i think onyx would be able to keep me happy for a while. plus a friend offered me a deal for $15 per bag as opposed to the lfs' standard of $20. that saved me about $40 if i was to order from big als including extra shipping.

speaking of big als, those from the west coast who are thinking about ordering heavy items such as substrate should check out thatpetplace.com. i find their shipping cheaper, enough to even offset their slightly higher prices than big als. reason being that they don't have to ship from the opposite end of the coast.
 
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