Author Topic: Substrate (Read 25576 times) 85 replies

Puffin · « **Reply #20 on:** May 16, 2014, 10:47:24 AM »

Bad news on the tank, just been to collect as was told would be there yesterday, only to find it's being delivered at 3pm, at which time I'll be collecting my son from school, taking him home and packing for a weekend camping. So Monday it is then, this time I'll phone to see if it's in the shop. Kind of wish I'd paid the thirty quid more to take it home off the shelf in pets at home two weeks ago!

Sue · « **Reply #21 on:** May 16, 2014, 01:41:47 PM »

Ah but just think of all the things you have been learning in that two weeks

dbaggie · « **Reply #22 on:** May 16, 2014, 07:11:55 PM »

Quote from: Puffin on May 16, 2014, 10:47:24 AM

So Monday it is then, this time I'll phone to see if it's in the shop. Kind of wish I'd paid the thirty quid more to take it home off the shelf in pets at home two weeks ago!

Patience is definitely a virtue where fish keeping is concerned - consider it practice!!

Puffin · « **Reply #23 on:** May 19, 2014, 03:20:10 AM »

Thanks both, you are absolutely right of course!

Puffin · « **Reply #24 on:** May 20, 2014, 11:33:47 PM »

Ok, so just been chatting on a different forum, and there's some concern about me adding soil from the garden. The specific thing said was "I assume the soil has never been treated with anything"
Well I don't really have an answer for that! Of course I can't be sure it's never been treated with anything, this house is 70 years old and I've been here nine months!
What sort of 'anything' would he mean? Pesticides? Heavy metals? Fertilizers? Slug pellets? If the advice is use garden soil surely there's a fairly high chance any of it might contain some of these? And how many weeks of rainfall would it take to effectively wash out?
Can anyone reassure me? I don't particularly feel the need to explain myself to the forum users, just feel more confident myself.
Unfortunately there's no copies of Diana walsted's book in Cardiff library catalog, but I think I'll try to order it.

Richard W · « **Reply #25 on:** May 21, 2014, 07:02:41 AM »

This is another example of the ridiculous "fear factor" that seems to have pervaded fishkeeping, so many things people are afraid of, for no reason whatsoever. Unless your house was built recently on an old gas works or something, there is no need to worry about contamination. If pesticides or herbicides were persistent, no plants would grow in the garden and there would be no worms, insects or whatever either. So long as your garden grows things, there will be no problems with using the soil.

I wouldn't bother about Walstad's book. There is very little about the practicality of fish keeping. It is really a scientific treatise on the logic behind the low-tech planted aquaria which she advocates. There are large numbers of graphs, charts and equations, all backed up by proper scientific references. That is what impressed me about it, her ideas were supported by real research in contrast to much of the information on fish keeping elsewhere which often seems to be based on little real knowledge but which is passed on so many times that it becomes considered as established fact.

chris213 · « **Reply #26 on:** May 21, 2014, 07:44:26 AM »

I am running soil from gardens in both my tanks all seems to be Fine for me and plants are growning lovely in 5 Ft. Tank with fish and plants settleing intoo my 60 liter tank and doing Well ( no fish yet ) i was nervous to start with to use soil but now i hace done it and seen the results i doubt i would ever go back now. .

ColinB · « **Reply #27 on:** May 21, 2014, 07:47:25 AM »

Ah, but you have 'access' to a ready supply of suitable soil!

chris213 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 21, 2014, 08:26:36 AM »

. Not my fault i have neighbours

Puffin · « **Reply #29 on:** May 21, 2014, 11:19:56 AM »

See Colin it's your use of the word 'suitable' that gives me doubts!
Thanks guys, I knew you'd reassure me. Got my top layer of sand today, and discussed getting some of the mature media from MA when I get water in. So just need to have a child free day when I can get all this sorted!
Unfortunately their plants were rather sad looking specimens so may buy online.

Richard W · « **Reply #30 on:** May 21, 2014, 11:33:10 AM »

I bought all of my plants from EBay and the quality has been excellent. Many of the large suppliers have weekly deliveries of plants flown in from the south-east Asian countries where they are grown and so they are really fresh. I would never buy potted plants, highly overpriced. Don't be afraid of stem plants, they are just what a gardener would call unrooted cuttings, but once in the substrate they root within a few days and will grow rapidly. And only a fraction of the price of potted plants.

ColinB · « **Reply #31 on:** May 21, 2014, 12:43:23 PM »

Quote from: Puffin on May 21, 2014, 11:19:56 AM

See Colin it's your use of the word 'suitable' that gives me doubts!

Ah! That's only as in 'not unsuitable', e.g. Stable manure etc etc.

Puffin · « **Reply #32 on:** May 21, 2014, 08:40:09 PM »

Nothing from the compost heap then Colin?

Got my carefully prepared soil into the tank and realized there's not nearly enough, so dug up and sorted some more (I don't have a spare sieve so picked it all over by hand) left it out in the garden, mostly to keep it put of reach of the kids, and it chucked it down with rain! So now I have mud!

Resa · « **Reply #33 on:** May 22, 2014, 01:19:57 AM »

Lovely...mud-pie making for the kids tomorrow then

Puffin · « **Reply #34 on:** May 22, 2014, 10:01:24 PM »

Bit disappointed, and slightly confused... Initial test shows high pH of 8.2. As we don't have any limescale here I thought it'd be low.
Other tests: using API master test kit
Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10 -20

Does water conditioner affect pH? I'm not able to add the exact amount for my tank as the tank is so small, so probably overdosed.

Dosed to 3ppm ammonia and left to mix for a few hours. Think I need to add a tiny bit more.

Puffin · « **Reply #35 on:** May 22, 2014, 10:02:33 PM »

Apologies, this is on the wrong board!

dbaggie · « **Reply #36 on:** May 23, 2014, 12:20:43 AM »

Quote from: Puffin on May 22, 2014, 10:01:24 PM

Bit disappointed, and slightly confused... Initial test shows high pH of 8.2. As we don't have any limescale here I thought it'd be low.

Have you tested the water out of the tap to give you a benchmark?

SteveS · « **Reply #37 on:** May 23, 2014, 01:01:59 AM »

What figures do your water company give for hardness? It may not show up as limescale, you may have water-softeners for example.

Puffin · « **Reply #38 on:** May 23, 2014, 07:04:24 AM »

I haven't been able to find that out. Welsh water's website just takes me to a blank page.
Tap water pH is 7.8

ColinB · « **Reply #39 on:** May 23, 2014, 08:33:51 AM »

Quote from: Puffin on May 22, 2014, 10:01:24 PM

Bit disappointed, and slightly confused... Initial test shows high pH of 8.2. As we don't have any limescale here I thought it'd be low.

I used to think my water was pH 8.2 so I bought a full range test kit which gave me 7.5 as it goes up in 0.5 of a pH unit. I think the colour that would be 7.5 to 7.6 on the high range if it was on the colour-card is very similar to the colour that is shown as 8.2

You could try and blag a test strip from your LFS.

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Substrate

Substrate

Author Topic: Substrate (Read 25576 times) 85 replies

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