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	Clay & Plants.
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	Is it true that if you place some Clay underneath the Gravel, it will help your Plants grow better & healthier?. http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43
Bob Wesolowski Mega Fish Posts: 1379 Kudos: 1462 Registered: 14-Oct-2004	Jason, It depends on the type of clay. Laterite is described as "clay" but its composition is substantially different from the clay that I have in my yard. See the following link: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/laterama.html#0 The clay in my yard in Michigan does not have the same amount of iron as laterite. It does form an impermeable seal when wet as the structure of the soil overlaps in the mixture to prevent seepage of water. The stuff is used by environmental firms to seal waste sites. __________ "To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research." researched from Steven Wright
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	The clay that i have is 100% clay. I was told to leave it in water for 2 days & then make small pea sized balls & bake it in the oven till they are hard. I was also told to put them in the tank, at a 2 inch distance & add Gravel on top of them. Is this a correct method?. http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43
Megil TelZeke Fish Addict Posts: 863 Kudos: 890 Votes: 393 Registered: 21-Jul-2003	even at 100% clay there are different types of clay. clay is just a particle size. If you can find out where the clay is from you can find out what it has in it.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43
keithgh Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 6371 Kudos: 6918 Votes: 1542 Registered: 26-Apr-2003	I personally would steer well away from it. There are plenty of good safe plant substrate additives on the market today. The problem with the clay you have no idea as to what is in it (nasties etc) Have a look in [link=My Profile]http:// www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/profile.asp?userid=6741" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] for my tank info [link=Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tanks]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/Betta%20desktop%20tank/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] Keith Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do. I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT? VOTE NOW VOTE NOW
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43
czcz Hobbyist Posts: 62 Kudos: 37 Votes: 0 Registered: 24-Nov-2004	Clay by itself is good. Besides laterite, if your clay is red Art Clay it should be high in Fe, and many use it to hold PMDD or a variation as DIY root tab. IIRC gregwatson.com or the krib has a Howto on this that involves baking. Flourite, Schultz/Profile, and many other substrates are just fired clay. I doubt your clay has the organics present in these methods, but Steve Pituch]http://users.ev1.net/~spituch/Steve's%20Page/Aquarium/aquarium%20intro.html[/link] and [link=Diana Walstad]http://www.aquabotanic.com/diana_walstad_gallery.htm[/link] are both famous for using common clay (from their backyard) in tanks, but this is arguably and advanced method and I suggest you read Ecology of the Planted Aquarium before doing so. Check out Xzaps experiments with [link=North Carolina red clay from his backyard. --- http://justanothertank.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:43


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