Schultz Aquatic Soil + ??

[xpirtdesign]

Anyone know where I can get Schultz Aquatic Soil here in SOCAL?

Also, I've been reading that I should lay down the soil and add some other substrate, like gravel on top. What kind of gravel, sand, or other substrate should I use in combination to the Schultz?

[Sounguru]

I lay a very thin layer of peat then Shultz topped with Play sand works wonders for my plants.

I get the shultz at home depot but it seems to be seasonal. It is over in the garden soil section.

[xpirtdesign]

How long does the Shultz last before I need new soil? Where do i get play sand?

[Sounguru]

Shultz last forever and you can get play sand at home depot too.

[xpirtdesign]

awesome, i guess i gotta go to all the home depots lookin for it, thanks for the replies

[CBWMN]

ALSO LOWES

[xpirtdesign]

what color is play sand? will it blend well with the schultz?

[Sounguru]

I think it blend well .... Schultz is kind of a rusty peach color and sand is well sand colored :-)

[xpirtdesign]

cool im still trying to find the schultz, if i cant find it by tomorrow i'll probably end up getting eco complete

[Mgamer20o0]

start trying garden centers too i am sure someone has it. personally i think pool sand is better then play sand.

might also want to try this.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/library/52554-how-mineralized-soil-substrate-aaron-talbot.html

though once again i do say until you have a firm grasp on what you want to do layer isnt for beginners since its easy to mix up. with layering you want it on the bottom and something on top so color shouldnt worry much anyways.

[xpirtdesign]

i wanted schultz aquatic because its cheap. i really dont wanna spend the $20+ per bag of eco-complete or flourite. but geez, i went to 3 home depots, 1 lowes and they've never even heard of schultz aquatic soil!

i guess i'll have to call up some gardening centers in the local area tomorrow

[aqua-nut]

First off, don't ask any of the Home Depot or Lowes employees if they have it. They won't know.

Secondly, it goes by different names. The smallest packages are Schultz Aquatic (for pond plants). I've seen larger bags (aprox 2 cubic feet) sold as soil conditioner. It's also sold for baseball infields, sold by the cubic yard or ton, I'd guess. There might be others, but those I have seen.

[Keboss]

I got mine at Menards. I didn't have any trouble but have read of others who had a ammonia spike a few days after filling thier tank. Might want to rinse well and presoak a few days, stirring often.

[SnakeIce]

Shults does grow plants, but it is inferior to flourite and doesn't even compare to ADA's aquasoil. Shults alone doesn't hold plants down as well as other substrates, and because of that would be very hard to keep as the bottom layer under anything more dense such as sand.

If you want cheap, turface or soilmaster select is heavier, may be available in other colors and grows plants just as well or better. Lesco I know will ship, but I don't know if the soilmaster select they once had is still being made. These will come in 50 lb bags though.

[Bravofleet4]

I was able to get turface from a John Deere Distributor in Irvine. I would just look on their website for store locations. It cost me about $20 for a 50 lb bag. Unfortunately, they only had one color. They described it as brick-red but really it's more muddy orange. It's not pretty but the grains are finer that I had predicted. Don't know yet how well the plants will grow in it.

[xpirtdesign]

Well, i couldnt find the schultz anywhere. I talked to a guy at a landscaping place that knew what it was. He said that its very hard to find in california since the southern states tend to need it more because of the quality of soil they have there.

Anyhow, I gave up lookin for it. Instead, I bought some play sand from home depot. $3-$4 per 50lbs bag. It looks great and the sand isnt to fine. Actually I love the stuff and its cheap as hell. I hope that the nutrients and the pressurized co2 will make up for a non-fertilizer type substrate.

Any thoughts on this is appreciated.

[Sounguru]

None of my tanks have any of the fancy substrates and my plants do real well. I have everything from kitty litter to just sand in my tanks.

[xpirtdesign]

awesome. play sand it is.