Using Bricks As Laterite Source ?

[akudewan]

I'll be going planted very soon.

First of all, I'll be converting to sand, a layer upto 1.5 inches will be good enough? Also, I'll be getting some Amazon Swords. These are heavy root feeders, so I'll mix some laterite with the sand. Hmm, now where do I find laterite? I gather that its basically red earth, right? The first thing that came to my mind was bricks!!

If I beat a brick into powder, and mix it with the sand, will it work?

 

[AndyTaylor]

I'm guessing no, but I could be wrong. laterite is tropical red clay. I don't know exactly what red bricks are made of but i reckon it's not high in nutrients and probably full of chemicals too, and not the good sort of chemicals. Don't do it.
It's worth getting a good substrate, no point in wasting all the hard work of putting the tank together.

Andy

 

[akudewan]

Hmm...well this wikipedia page http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laterite

Laterite is a red-colored clay rich soil found in the tropics and subtropics. It is typically an infertile soil. Bricks made out of dried or baked laterite make a good building material. Most of the temples of the Khmer empire in South-East Asia are built with this material and have survived for over 1000 years.

Thanks for the info though...I'll look for other mud too

 

[emo]

The fact that bricks are "dried and baked" could hold a clue that possibly the goodness that once was there has been removed from some serious oven action. For the price of a box or Laterite, I reckon it's well worth it.

 

[Dubby]

Hmm...well this wikipedia page http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laterite

Laterite is a red-colored clay rich soil found in the tropics and subtropics. It is typically an infertile soil. Bricks made out of dried or baked laterite make a good building material. Most of the temples of the Khmer empire in South-East Asia are built with this material and have survived for over 1000 years.

Thanks for the info though...I'll look for other mud too

Since you live in India you might be able to find it locally. See this article http/www.aquabotanic.com/latr.htm

 

[jimbooo]

good find, very interesting thanks dubby

 

[akudewan]

Thanks Dubby. I did some more asking around. Laterite is all around me. Its been used for making pots and stuff for centuries in India. The rivers bring this soil from the mountains, especially in the east, which makes the whole region fertile. Which is why agriculture is the primary occupation of people.

 

[rdd1952]

so I'll mix some laterite with the sand.

Keep in mind that large grain material (laterite) and small grain material (sand) will only stay mixed for so long. The laterite will eventually come to the top and the sand will go to the bottom. If you want to see exactly what I'm talking about, put a mixture of gravel and sand in a bucket and tap the sides or bump in on the ground for a few minutes. You will see the small stuff all settle through to the bottom. You can also go to a stream, take a pipe (preferably clear) and stick it in the ground so it pulls up a soil sample. You will be able to see that the deeper layers are finer grained than the top.

 

[onemisterchristian]

Sorry to jack your topic, but rdd, how then do you mange to keep fine grain sand on top of the laterite? i mean you see people with planted tanks all the time with sand over the laterite.

 

[akudewan]

so I'll mix some laterite with the sand.

Keep in mind that large grain material (laterite) and small grain material (sand) will only stay mixed for so long. The laterite will eventually come to the top and the sand will go to the bottom. If you want to see exactly what I'm talking about, put a mixture of gravel and sand in a bucket and tap the sides or bump in on the ground for a few minutes. You will see the small stuff all settle through to the bottom. You can also go to a stream, take a pipe (preferably clear) and stick it in the ground so it pulls up a soil sample. You will be able to see that the deeper layers are finer grained than the top.

My sand is also coarse. The particles are about 1.5 mm in size. The laterite must be in contact with the roots, so even if it rises to the top layer, would it cause problems? Maybe it would give a red tinge to the water, but from what I've read, it clears out in a day or two.

 

[donkey]

what about using a grave tidy. that will stop it all mixing .. have a look here

http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/bigpics/graveltidy.htm

 

[akudewan]

You're a bit late donkey, I already setup the sand (Or should I call you a noble steed??) Besides, I'm not sure I get that thing here

 

[donkey]

LOL

i kinda like the noble steed bit myself

ok its easy . strip ya tank back down again . the add ya laterite. then put ya grave tidy on top. then put ya sand on top of that

 

[WendyinWichita]

It seems like a person would have to cut holes in the gravel tidy to accommodate the plant, kind of like a weed barrier in a flower bed. Cutting holes in the barrier would let the substrate mix. Also, we with planted tanks seem to re arrange things frequently, meaning the barrier would resemble swiss cheese in no time!

 

[donkey]

in the past i had a saltwater tank and i did use a grave tidy to stop the coral gravel and the coral sand from mixing together .and it dose work very well indeed .i dont think that the roots need to be in the laterite as long as the laterite is under the roots so it can release the nutrients and the trace element for the plants . but i still think that the roots will grow through the gravel tidy anyway