Schultz Soil Conditioner As A Substrate!!

djlen

djlen

Fish?.......What Fish?
Aug 19, 2002
3,515
0
0
Somerdale, New Jersey USA
I recently heard about this stuff and since I'm setting up a 55 gal. I bought a 40lb. bag at a local nursery. Schultz has, in the past made "Aquatic Plant Soil" but I wasn't able to find it anywhere. I called the company and was told that the "Soil Conditioner" and the aquatic plant soil were the same product. I just loaded it into my tank(quite dusty, but not as bad as Flourite) and it looks and feels just like Flourite. The bag states "100% Arcillite". It's made of 100% natural minerals that are kiln-fired to create ceramic granules. I've talked with people who have used it for years and report that it doesn't breakdown. I'm sure it doesn't have all the properties of Flourite because it's only $15 a 40lb. bag. My intention was to mix it with Flourite, but I may just give it a try without.
You can find more info on it at www.shultz.com and look for soil conditioner or Profile products. Also there are extensive write-ups about it on the krib.
Len
 
It gets about 5 shades darker when wet. I'm sitting here looking at Flourite in one tank and this stuff in the other and can barely see a difference when submerged. I didn't notice much difference in weight, but one of the main features of the Schultz stuff is that it is very porous which helps with aeration and gives more area for biological filtration so it might be slightly lighter.
Len
 
Last edited:
To add weight you can mix it with regular 2-3mm sand about 50/50.

The color is nice.

Since you are trying to be cheap, why not get a 50lb bag for 8 $ of MPV turface, same stuff for lots less.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
djlen, i'm eager to await on your follow up report on how well this stuff performs. i've been thinking about flourite for a while and can never get myself to blow over $100 just on substrate. i think, and hoping, that what you've found will be a good alternative.

there's a walmart near my work, and i will hop over there first thing monday to check it out.

plantbrain, i'm not familiar with MPV. is that just a brand name or an acronym for a particular type of material?
 
I couldn't find the Turface anywhere. Looked high and low for it. This stuff looks very similar to the red Flourite under lights. I'm going to invest in a couple of bags of the dark flourite to darken it up.
Len
 
It's the stuff they put on baseball diamonds. They also use it as a soil amendment etc.
I'd just mix with heavy sand, forget mixing with flourite, do it one way or the other.

Remember, you were trying to be cheap?

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
I have used the Aquatic Soil by itself and wish I had mixed it with something. The results growthwise have been great. I added some fish to the tank and they leave troughs and peaks all over the substrate. Because it is so light their wash from swimming swishes the substrate all over. . . I think I am going to add some sand. . .

So bottome line. . .

As a plant substrate it works great!

As a substrate for fish it isn't so great.
 
now you've done it! i just came back from walmart after compulsively buying a bag of schultz to play with. i hate you all! :p

this stuff doesn't feel that light, but definately lighter than normal gravel or sand. should be ok, hopefully, with smaller fish that don't splash around too strongly. i'm planning to mix with fine sand to help smaller-sized glosso and marsilea get a better foothold, and plan to plant everything else a bit deeper.

about $7 at walmart. thought i'd sacrafice a nice lunch burger to play with a bag of these...
 
nvision, it's really not all that bad. I've talked with a bunch of people who have used it and love it. The closest I came to hearing a complaint was one person said that he had to be a bit more careful when vacuuming the substrate.
I think you'll be happy with the results that you see in your plants by using it, and as Tom says, you can mix it with something a bit heavier. I had intended from the beginning to mix it with Flourite in my 55 and that's what I'm going to do. I'm only having to buy two bags of Flourite instead of six. Big savings.
And Tom, it's not "Cheap", it's common sense.
:p
Len
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom