Anyone tried this??

[Aderynglas]

I'd love to set up a planted tank but the budget is practically non existant, not even shoe string

Have been thinking a long time about the possibility of using catlitter as a substrate. NOT just any cat litter but the teracotta, rounded granular, baked moler earth cat litter. Thing is, Tesco haven't come up with any answers as to whether or not there is any chemical additive (odour control) - I think the other one is Sophisticat PINK. Has anyone ever tried this?? I'd like to have a couple of fish in the tank but don't want to take any chances with their little lives. Just to add there is no obvious scent to the litter, but that isn't necessarily a good guide

Any experiences gratefully recieved

 

[scottracy]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3237&highlight=catlitter

This thread has alot of good information with various links.

Scott

 

[Swimfins]

Don't go cat litter. You can buy Profile aquatic pond soil for the same price and it works very well. I bought 2 x 6kg (about 12 pounds each)bags for 7 dollars each.
I regret paying 29.00 a bag for regular aquarium gravel for my 66g tank that I had to fortify with Teralit at 40.00 for 15kg. D'OH!

 

[Aderynglas]

Perhaps I should enlarge on the cat litter I'm thinking about, its a calcined (baked) moler earth granular litter and is Terracotta in colour, it doesn't breakdown or clump but stays as granules wet or dry

I'm In the UK so many of the substrates etc aren't available to me here and laterite for aquariums would cost more than the Aquarium, external filter, plants and fish put together

 

[Kissofthegorami]

Some people use regular catlitter along with vermiculite and soil to some success. A baked clay like you have described would work well. Clays are porous and many contain iron, hence the red color. Hopefully the granuals are not too large but I doubt that would be a problem with kitty litter. I would recommend a substarte fertilizer. To do this cheaply u can purchase a bag of cheap pond fertilizer tabs or use osmocot and put some in balls of clay and let the harden. Place these sparingly in the substrate. Fertilizing from the substrate will cut down on algae and is in many ways more effective and cheaper than water fertilizing.