# SoliMaster Select Do You Wash?



## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

I just got my bag of SoilMaster Select (charcoal) from Lesco. I've been waiting for about 2 weeks. But I'm going to put it in my tank today and was wondering if I should wash it. I usually wash every other substrate I've used so I'm guessing yes. 

Also I dont know if this question is in the right topic but I'm going to ask anyway. Whats the best way to change the substrate? I have a 75gal tank with a medium amount of plants and a 5" Serrasalmus Elongatus Piranha thats very aggressive. I dont really have another place to put everything while I change the substrate except some 5gal buckets. Thanks again everyone.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Yes, you should wash SM before use. I have never yet been able to get the wash water to run clear, but it is a great deal clearer than the first wash cycle after I get done. Remember, SM is made to be spread on the ground, on baseball fields, where contaminating dust is not a problem. But, that same dust may well be a problem in an aquarium. The dust is brown, while the SM is charcoal, so I have to assume the dust is not just from the rubbing together of SM particles. So, be safe - wash it!


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

I would absolutely wash it! I have used it in several tanks and when I washed it I had a lot of dusty, dirty, scummy water to discard! It's always best not to introduce that extra debri into your tank. Remember, this product is manufactured to spread outside onto ball fields, unlike gravels packaged for aquarium use, there are not any safeguards during manufacturing to ensure it is fish safe.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Cool thanks hoppycalif and Mud Pie Mama for the replies. I will definitally wash it then.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I did not wash my SMS before putting it in my tank and had very minimal clouding. here are the pics of that setup. I have also done another tank the same way with very minimal clouding. A lot of folks complain about rinsing and I have no idea why they even rinse in the first place. As long as you fil the tank slowly there should be no need to rinse.

There is another thread here about SMS changing some folks water parameters also. If you are interested, do a quick search for "Soilmaster Select" and see if it pops up. It seems most of the folks who had issues with water parameter changes rinsed their SMS.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Ya I read that earlier before I made this thread I also read the one about water peremeters. Thanks for your help do you have any pics of that same tank but what it looks like now?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I just updated the pic of the tank in the thread I linked to above. I have been meaning to do this for quite a while but I keep forgetting about it. Thanks for the reminder! The pic is how the tank looked about 10 minutes ago...


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Matt, I knew you don't wash SM before using it, but I don't see the benefit in not washing it. Do you feel that the "dirt", whatever it is, is of benefit in the substrate? I'm pretty lazy, but I am also selective about my laziness (usually....well....sometimes, anyway.)


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I really don't se a benefit in washing or not washing other than the time/water saved by not washing  The only reason I didn't wash my SMS was to give it a try and see how it worked. Many people claim it was very dusty so I figured I would give it a shot without rinsing and see how it worked  I too am lazy and figured I would give not rinsing a shot I've had minimal isues with the tank unless they were CO2 induced (My 4y/o son likes to play with the know on the needle valves).


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

MatPat said:


> I did not wash my SMS before putting it in my tank and had very minimal clouding. here are the pics of that setup. I have also done another tank the same way with very minimal clouding. A lot of folks complain about rinsing and I have no idea why they even rinse in the first place. As long as you fil the tank slowly there should be no need to rinse.


I have the same experience as matpat. Fill it slowly onto a plate and there shouldn't be much clouding.


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

When I use Turface (I really need to get me a bag of Soilmaster Select so I can be more on topic ) I wet it down in a bucket so that it doesn't create a dust cloud when poured into the tank. But I don't wash it.

When I fill the tank slowly I'll get a layer of cloudy water that stays in the bottom 3" of tha tank. Then I cheat and run my Vortex XL diatom filter and wipe out any and all residual dust in the water. :icon_lol:


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## Urkevitz (Oct 26, 2004)

When I setup my tank I didn't wash the Soilmaster at all, I wasn't even careful about filling it slowly. I just dumped the water into my hand.

The water was slightly cloudy, but less cloudy then any other substrate I have used. It sounded like a bowl of rice crispies as it sucked up the water.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Slowly onto a plate? I have never heard that before thats very interesting. And smart.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I didn't wash mine and recommend that you leave the dust in it. People are always talking at cation exchange capacity (CEC), which by the way, is very good in SMS. All of those helpful chemical reactions should be improved by increasing the surface area of the substrate. Washing the stuff removes all of the fine particles which would have provided a TON of surface area. I suspect (with no proof whatsoever) that the fine particles make life easier on the roots. 

If you fill the tank too quickly it will become hopelessly cloudy and you'll be several days before it looks good. I agree with MatPat and the others who just fill the tank VERY carefully.

Also, I've only managed green water on 2 occasions. One was after a large substrate disturbance when changing it. I'd recommend that you take everything out and do a 100% WC. Save all the mulm you can though for the new SMS.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

thanks for the replies and if I get green water I will just put my U/V sterilizer in for a few days.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Hey I have one more question. If the water is a little cloudy from the dust off the SoilMaster do you think it will be ok to put my fish back in the tank?


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I think they'd be fine. Most fish are accustomed to silt-laden water that they see after heavy rains.


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## thadius65 (Oct 23, 2006)

Just a bit of WARNING....

My PH dropped dramitcally with the use of this product. I did not rinse, so I would highly recommend to eliminate any potential contaminants.

See long thread here:

Soilmaster Select PH?? - The Planted Tank Forum

I still am dealing with low PH in the 4.8 range. So be careful and patient with the cleaning. Not saying that will totally prevent drop.

Good luck.

Ted


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Ya I read that whole thread before I bought my SM. But thanks for the heads up and it did lower my pH a little its at 6.4 but I washed it pretty good but am still getting alot of dust. But everything seems fine.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Hello everyone I was just wanting to know if I need to fertilize right away. You know since I added the SoilMaster Select last friday. I have 2wpg of light with co2 injection I usually dose some NO3 and CSM+B through out the week but I thought I read some where that I dont need to fertilize for a little while if thats true than how long? thanks again


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## Jeff232 (Nov 4, 2006)

I did not wash my soilmaster select and the water was only cloudy a couple days, I was constantly messing with it, i was also having trouble with my canister filter leaking air so i cleaned that out and reprimed about 5 times, the silt was dirtying my floss. I Did notice a lot of air bubbles in the substrate and they are still bubbling out and it been nearly 2 weeks. I occasionally stir my substrate to get the bubbles out, i think ill gently stir my partially filled tank next time to get rid of the air.

initially the PH dropped to below 6 from my tap at 8.3. I just added baking soda to get the KH above 4 and its been sitting at 7 for a week or so with no further ph fluctuations.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

The bubbles will eventually go away. I never saw much of an issue with pH in my tank either. You have to wonder how consistent their product is. It really isn't intended for anything but soaking up moisture on ball-fields.

Incidentally, it's low density will gradually improve over time, but not by all that much. It gets blown about by the slightest current.


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

Ya my fish is about 5" and is very fast and when it gets going fast around a conrner it kicks up a bunch of SM.

Jeff32 my water is doing the same thing but the pH is at 6.4 and my kh 4 so if I add a little baking soda it will raise the kh? how much do you usually put in. my tank is a 75gal.


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## Jeff232 (Nov 4, 2006)

read this: Aquarium Plants | My views, Steve Hampton, on how to succeed with aquarium plants

I have gathered a lot of info on that site and it seems to make sense for me.

i go by what he says on the bottom about 1/4 tsp of baking soda raising the kH of 50 liters by 1 degree. This will also raise your Ph.

there are 3.785 liters per gallon and after the thickness of glass, gravel, and rocks you probably have around 65 gallons of water(a total guess on my part) so approx 250 liters.

250L/50L = 5
5 x .25 tsp = 1.25 tsp 
so 1.25 tsp will raise your Kh by one degree and your Ph by some amount that you must measure.

I would raise my kH by one degree and retest the Ph and see where it is. I got mine to 7 by adding another 3 tsp if i remember correctly so perhaps the effect of baking soda on Ph is diminishing as the Kh or Ph goes up?

when i first set things up my Ph was really low(below 6) and i added 3 tsp of baking soda and got a Ph of 6.6, Ive added a little more baking soda since that initial measurement which brought me up to wher it is now at 7 and everything seems to be thriving.

I have since become lazy and have not measured anything except Ph after I read an article here last night. The fish are happy and the plants are growing nicely. Ill soon have enough food in my tank for oto's with the green stuff growing on the sides. Is that green stuff supposed to be bad?


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## nswhite (Aug 25, 2006)

cool thanks for the tips I will definitally be using the info you provided. And I'm not sure about the green stuff on the sid if its just green spot algae then your good but if its multiple algae than you may need to take some thing different.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> It sounded like a bowl of rice crispies as it sucked up the water.


 Isn't that the coolest thing? Really weird the first time you work with the stuff.



> You have to wonder how consistent their product is. It really isn't intended for anything but soaking up moisture on ball-fields.


 You might want to go to their website and take a look. Turbomkt had a link to it once. I was very impressed how much research and work they have put into this stuff. I guess products for ballfields can be big bucks with lots of competition. It even had a PowerPoint Presentation explaining everything about the product! All this for something that goes onto the ground of a Ballfield. I guess Sports is BIG BUSINESS. :smile:


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