Being the somewhat tight-a$$ DIT'er. when I first heard of the kitty litter thing as a substarte, I thought it was too good to be true! And it was... to an extent! As has already been mentioned, there are BIG differences in different brands!
I ended up trying the first 'natural' kitty litter I could find from Petsmart and that turned into a big mess!! THe plants loved it, but talk about huge clouds in the water anytime you messed with the tank!! After that fiasco, I decided to buy 4 or 5 different kinds and compare them, so I stuck about a cup of each in some water and left it for a week. Most of them tunred to a big pile of gooey mush... all but the Walmart Special Kitty and the Oil-Dry!! Both are listed as all natural clay and are a grey/blackish color. I have since used the Walmart stuff several times and it works good. I would recommend you mix it into the lower layer of the substrate. I use a mix of blasting sand, the kitty litter and some Flourite. I'd say the mix is about 70%-20%-10% respectfully and all my plants to great... when they have enough light and ferts!
Basically, I say go for it... especially for a planted tank, but mix it with something else.
Good luck,
I ended up trying the first 'natural' kitty litter I could find from Petsmart and that turned into a big mess!! THe plants loved it, but talk about huge clouds in the water anytime you messed with the tank!! After that fiasco, I decided to buy 4 or 5 different kinds and compare them, so I stuck about a cup of each in some water and left it for a week. Most of them tunred to a big pile of gooey mush... all but the Walmart Special Kitty and the Oil-Dry!! Both are listed as all natural clay and are a grey/blackish color. I have since used the Walmart stuff several times and it works good. I would recommend you mix it into the lower layer of the substrate. I use a mix of blasting sand, the kitty litter and some Flourite. I'd say the mix is about 70%-20%-10% respectfully and all my plants to great... when they have enough light and ferts!
Basically, I say go for it... especially for a planted tank, but mix it with something else.
Good luck,
