I Just Got Soilmaster Select!

echoofformless

echoofformless

Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Oct 1, 2005
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Phil Uh Del Feeya
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So here is what I am planning to do - I'm going to remove a good bit of the onyx sand from my 55g Amazon tank, and then replace it with a mix of soilmaster and quikrete medium sand. I am growing amazon swords, chain swords, vals and anacharis.

I'm going to take pics of the process and report some findings.

But the reason why I'm posting this thread now is to give any of you a chance to ask me specific things you want to know if you've been pondering the idea of giving this stuff a try.
 
I can't answer that from experience, but my research indicates that it's high fired or fracted clay. That is, its purpose is to absorb moisture (keeping the infield playable.) It might also contain some usable iron.

From what I'm gathering, it's the exact same stuff that is Schultz Aquatic Soil, Flourite, and some various other products which are marketed to hydroponics growers. It is both inert and stable (safe) and very porous - therefore it has a high absorbency ability - which means it will capture and hold dissolved organics in the water; which plant roots will readily feed upon. And being as though it is light and not very dense, there is ample spacing between the grains - little no compacting - allowing the plants' roots to grow freely and receive good circulation.

Basically it's like a "hydroponic soil." Yes, that is an oxymoron, but it's the most sensible way to describe it.

I will still be using root tabs along with Flourish, Flourish Iron, and possibly Flourish Excel.
 
Okay that is what I thought. Thanks. I have a tank that has one of shultz’s product in it. I hadn’t heard of the one you are talking about until recently.
 
I'm going to be setting up a low-tech planted asian tank soon and I've been looking for some economical options. This sounds like it might fit the bill...where did you get it and how much does it go for?
 
The main place to get it is Lesco, which is a supply house sort of business meant for landscaping. Check out their website and see if there are any close by. Otherwise you'll probably have to pay heavy weight shipping.

If you do find one local, call first and see if they have the stuff in stock. If not they'll order it for you. I got mine no problem. It was fourteen dollars or something and I have fifty pounds of it.
 
This is exactly what I was thinking of doing for my new 150. What color soilmaster did you get? How thick are you planning to put the substrate? Did you mix it 50/50?
 
so they use this stuff for baseball fields? is there anything in it that would funk up your tank? and wht was the price of it, and this one may not be in your experiance yet, but how would u compare it to eco?(price wise)
 
Soilmaster select is simply a fired clay substrate that is higly absorbant while still maintaining it's shape, there are no additives and there are plenty of people using it as an aquarium substrate.

Pricewise, a 50lb bag of Soilmaster select costs about 15-20$ while a 20lb bag of eco-complete costs around 20$.
 
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