hi to every body at equaria central.this is the first time I hve posted a question. i have a question about laterite. i have a 55 gal tank that i set up about three years agowith plants i used laterite under the aquarium gravel.I also use diy co2.and 160 watts of light.the plants are doing good but the dont seem to grow as rappidly as the useto. i was told the i had to replenish the lateriteonce a year. is this true and if so would i be better off mixing flourite inthe gravel.any help will be appreciated thanks anybody can email me at swick@att.net
does laterite lose its properties
- Thread starter elliot
- Start date
As far as i can tell, if your lamps are less than a year old ( lamp color frequency changes over time ), you have enough nutrients ( You don't mention a fert regimen ), and there is enough Co2, plants should go crazy.
Check out Rexgrigg.com. some one on here pointed me to it and you might find out ,like i did, that there is a lot to know about these planted tanks.
Check out Rexgrigg.com. some one on here pointed me to it and you might find out ,like i did, that there is a lot to know about these planted tanks.
Several things...
As mentioned lights lose their intensity after 6-12 mos. depending on type of fixture you are using.
When the tank is first set-up people tend be very diligent to care (e.i. water changes, CO2 mixtures, dosing, feeding) but after awhile they allow the tanks to slide as other things (work, family etc.) come up and take priority (I'm guilty here).
Some say plants can get old and need to be replaced. Personally not sure about that, I've had the same plants for years and seem to be doing fine.
I used algaefix in my tank and seem to have stunted the growth for awhile, have you been using any chemical recently?
I would throw some root tabs under the plants, they contain more trace and ferts then laterite does and is a much less hassle then adding a clay based soil to an established tank. If you were planning on tearing down and resetting the tank up, then I would either go with eco-complete or florarite, or a new batch of laterite mixed with small gravel about the same color.
As mentioned lights lose their intensity after 6-12 mos. depending on type of fixture you are using.
When the tank is first set-up people tend be very diligent to care (e.i. water changes, CO2 mixtures, dosing, feeding) but after awhile they allow the tanks to slide as other things (work, family etc.) come up and take priority (I'm guilty here).
Some say plants can get old and need to be replaced. Personally not sure about that, I've had the same plants for years and seem to be doing fine.
I used algaefix in my tank and seem to have stunted the growth for awhile, have you been using any chemical recently?
I would throw some root tabs under the plants, they contain more trace and ferts then laterite does and is a much less hassle then adding a clay based soil to an established tank. If you were planning on tearing down and resetting the tank up, then I would either go with eco-complete or florarite, or a new batch of laterite mixed with small gravel about the same color.
With that light level and the addition of co2, are you adding any nutrients other than laterite. Laterite is a good substrate supplement, but, it doesn't quite have "everything the body needs".