Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tank Plant Advice => Topic started by: Cod_only_knows on April 02, 2016, 06:54:59 PM

Title: Cheap substrate
Post by: Cod_only_knows on April 02, 2016, 06:54:59 PM: Hi all,
After reading countless aquascaping articles in PFK I have decided to give my tank an overhaul. I just picked up a 10l bag of Colombo Flora Base on Gumtree for £10 and was thrilled with the deal... until I got home and read a few threads I hadn't read last night!

Whilst Flora Base is largely held in high regard, I just found this thread http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/cat-litter.8572/ (http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/cat-litter.8572/). It seems that cat litter is an outstanding, cheap substrate with exceptionally high CEC values. I may have got a good deal on my substrate, but it's nowhere near the steal I thought it was :-[

Anyone here dabbled cat litter as a substrate?
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Extreme_One on April 02, 2016, 07:56:58 PM: Not personally but have read plenty of accounts of people using it for great planted tanks.

Best not to look around after you've spent your money or you risk buyer's remorse. ;)
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Cod_only_knows on April 02, 2016, 08:26:51 PM: True that! I was just trying to find out if I needed a base layer like Nutribase. Don't think I do, but may give even better results. As I'm planning on using a lot of heavy root feeders I want to give them the best chance.

If I ever do get my hands on a 240l I will definitely be investing in some cat litter!
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 10:00:05 PM: So is kitty litter basically being fobbed off to us as marine gravel but with pretty colours??? :rotfl:
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Littlefish on April 02, 2016, 10:04:29 PM: If only I could put a mini litter tray in each tank and train the inhabitants to use it, that would make cleaning the tanks so much easier. :)
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 10:12:02 PM: Donna, if only... ::) ::)
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Littlefish on April 02, 2016, 10:19:38 PM: Especially for the axolotls.
Bless them, they are cute, but they do disproportionately large poohs.
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 10:21:00 PM: :o :o :o :o :o :o

It's like having small children... At numerous points in their lives you wonder how the hell did something so big come out of something so small!!!??? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Littlefish on April 02, 2016, 10:26:28 PM: :rotfl:
Awesome
:rotfl:
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: fcmf on April 02, 2016, 11:01:55 PM: Quote from: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 10:21:00 PM
It's like having small children... At numerous points in their lives you wonder how the hell did something so big come out of something so small!!!???
I've just tightly crossed my legs! :rotfl:
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Fiona on April 02, 2016, 11:05:32 PM: Quote from: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 10:21:00 PM
:o :o :o :o :o :o

It's like having small children... At numerous points in their lives you wonder how the hell did something so big come out of something so small!!!??? :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

YE GODS!!! :yikes: Sod that for a game of soldiers!! I will never complain about fish poo again!
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Paddyc on April 02, 2016, 11:10:35 PM: Quote from: Fiona O'Mahoney on April 02, 2016, 11:05:32 PM
YE GODS!!! :yikes: Sod that for a game of soldiers!! I will never complain about fish poo again!

I don't know how I managed to contain the mouthful of red wine I had when I read this Fiona... :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

My laptop screen lives to fight another day :rotfl:
Title: Re: Cheap substrate
Post by: Fiona on April 02, 2016, 11:38:58 PM: :cheers: