# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Laterite Balls



## Paige (Apr 2, 2003)

Is it true that Dupla has stopped making their laterite balls? I like those little things. Is there any other company making laterite that you can use in an established tank. I can't redo my substrate with crushed laterite now. Are flourish tabs just as good?

Paige


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## Paige (Apr 2, 2003)

Is it true that Dupla has stopped making their laterite balls? I like those little things. Is there any other company making laterite that you can use in an established tank. I can't redo my substrate with crushed laterite now. Are flourish tabs just as good?

Paige


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Laterite and Flourish tabs are too different items. If you look at the package for Flourish tabs you will see they are mainly calcium and sulfur. Laterite is basically iron. Flourish tabs dissolve. Laterite lasts practically forever.

How long has your tank been running?


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## Paige (Apr 2, 2003)

This tank has been running for one week. I would have put the laterite under my subsrate but I thought the balls were still around. So I guess I will have to just add liquid iron fertilizer?


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## mm12463 (Mar 5, 2004)

I used to use a product called Substrate Gold. It's a red powder laterite.








I had good success with it. One of the options they had on the container was to mix some into a dough, shape into a ball and bake in your oven. Then you can jam those suckers into the substrate. I imagine if you can find it or a similar laterite you could do the same thing.

If you do a search on Google for Substrate Gold
there are a few posts about doing this some details on what substrate gold is. Oh wait go to AB's info on SG.

http://www.aquabotanic.com/plantfer.htm


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## Paige (Apr 2, 2003)

Thanks Mike! That sounds easy enough to me. I'll just make laterite balls









Paige


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## jaybird002 (May 12, 2006)

Is it true that Flourish tabs dissolve? I was wondering if I'd remember where I put the old ones when it comes time to replace them four months from now. The tabs seem to help my swordplant alot. It is growing bright green new leaves. Would laterite balls or other products have the same effect, or should I stick with Flourish?


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## Margolis (Sep 22, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by jaybird:
> Is it true that Flourish tabs dissolve?


yes it is. they are just fertalizer tabs.



> quote:
> 
> Would laterite balls or other products have the same effect, or should I stick with Flourish?


both. They offer different nutrients that the plants need


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## Actinic (Feb 5, 2003)

They are still making DuplaRit (DR). I just asked my cousin to send me a few boxes of K and G from Dusseldorf GmBH as I can't find anyone online in the US or Canada that carries it.

IME Schoelers (sp?) Substrate Gold (SSG)"performs" very close to DR. I've done side by side 20gal identical planted aquariums with DR, SSG and AP's Laterite. DR and SSG are very close and AP just didn't perform well at all.

JM2C


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Dupla went out of business, was bought by Red Sea. I don't know what ever happened to the Dupla product line. Is Substrate Gold still around? Karl Shoeller in Minnesota sold his business off some years ago and I thought the product disappeared.

Laterite is basicaly clay, or very close to it. It mainly provides iron. There are lots of substrate fertilizer products out there.


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## Actinic (Feb 5, 2003)

Jeeze. I've been out of the loop that long?!?

From my research in the mid 90's, DR and SSG may not have the highest iron content per se but the highest CEC of all the laterite substrate supplements.

JME

Wilson


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## imported_bonklers (Oct 15, 2004)

From what I've heard in my LFS, the Duplarit has been replaced with Duplaroot. It's the same but only with higher concentration they said. You can download their english catalog 04/05 here. Duplarit is not in it







.

Actinic what exactly is CEC?

So if I understand correctly from you guys, laterite as substrate fertilization is not enough and you'll need something like Flourish aside? Could laterite and standard clay also work out? 
I've got so much substrate-fertilization questions here because i'm going to restart my whole tank







.


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## Actinic (Feb 5, 2003)

Thanks for the Dupla link bonk







. CEC is cationic exchange capacity. It has to do with the ability of the organic matrix of the "soil" to ab/adsorb nutrients and releasing it if memory serves me right. I remember coming across many posts here regarding that.

I have to say, it's been since '95 that I last bought any Dupla products. The defunct chain, Aquarium Toronto, used to carry the whole line and when they went out of business, I bought pretty much their whole Dupla inventory at auction except for their lighting.

I just have a few boxes of K and G left. DuplaPlant and the 24 I don't bother with anymore as there are tons of "recipes" out there that will do the same thing.


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