Head over to ukaps, many use it and it is the same as the tropica substrate, they're both just clay, I used it with great results.
Plenty of people seem to be using it here as well.
llj
Get Ready! 🐠 It's time for the....
🏆 Click to enter! 🏆
Head over to ukaps, many use it and it is the same as the tropica substrate, they're both just clay, I used it with great results.
as the cat litter is so cheap compared to planting substrate i will probably do the whole floor of the tank with it and cover it with black gravel, that way if i decide to add some foreground plants later on then im all ready to go . all i will do is stop the cat litter just short of the very front so i can put just the gravel in the front so as to avoid the look of a 2 tone substrate
a couple more questions tho 1stly as truck says the cat litter will absorb nutrients from fish waste , uneaten food etc and release it to the plants , but its going to be a discus tank which will have a much more frequent cleaning regime than a normal setup. if im doing water change and gravel vac every 2 to days will the litter be able to soak up enough nutrients?
also lighting. the tank is a 4x2x2 currently running 2 42 inch 38w arcadia original tropical tubes is that enough or should i add nother tube?
planting will mainly conmsist of amazon swords giant valis and maybe some crypts and a few forground plants . to me it doesnt look that brightly lit with just the 2 tubes plus 2 foot of water is quite deep for the light to penetrate.
good point about the risk of the 2 mixing i have given that some consideration maybe i will just add substrate in the areas that will be densely planted and leave the open areas where it will be heavilly vacced as just gravel.
the tank is 453 litre / 100uk gallons which i believe is roughly 120 us gallons .
the only reason im wondering about more light is that at the moment ive got normal valis in there and it is turning brown now after about a month in the tank
i will probably do some barrier work . to be honest tho re the valis im not too surprised as it was literally just bought from lfs bunched in lead ( which im sure is a factor) and literally just thrown in. i havent dosed with any ferts at all .
as for co2 id rather not if i can avoid it to be honest . i will only be growing easy fairly undemanding plants so i was hoping on a nice nutrient rich root base and plenty of light being enough for healthy growth. im quite happy to dose with a liquid fert if need be as long as it wont affect the discus
thanks i love that piece of wood its probaly say just a bit smaller than a basketball and i got it ridiculously cheap off of a well known auction site.
i have done a quick google image search on Aponogeton crispus i like the look of it how tall does it grow? im after something tall as my tank is 2 foot deep ( hence the giant valis)
as for the Nymphaea lotus var zenkerii wow what can i say thats absolutely stunning i have just got to at least try 1 of those .