# Organic Choice



## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

For those of you using organic choice, did you screen it before using? also did you just use it straight up, or mix it with top soil? Seems to me that the organic choice is a a lot of peat, along with bark/organics (twigs etc.) however i have heard several members are getting great results using it.


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## queijoman (Jun 23, 2008)

I used Organic Choice. I used it pure, w/o soaking, cooking, or mixing. It has worked decently for me, at least short term. So far my tank is ~4-5 months old.


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

I have not had any problems with it, and did not screen, soak, cure, whatever...just poured it in and got to work. I am using it in 3 tanks (125, 10, and a 3) and have no problems (see "Pea Soup Note" below). I've got it also in a terrarium, but while it's saturated to the extent of minor inundation it is not submersed as in an aquarium.

Pea Soup Note: The only problem I have had is when I tried to rescape the 125, moving around large-rooted plants and making a general mess:doh:. But this was my own fault and had nothing to do with the organic choice, so I have no problem recommending it to be used as is.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm using it and did not do anything to it other than dump it in the bottom of the tankand cover it. The only reason I'd mix in topsoil is if you are using a plant that really needs lots of a particular nutrient that would be in that soil. 

For example, Marsilea uses lots of Phosphorus. It is growing great (though slow) in a tank I have with actual yard soil (which happens to be high in phosphates). But in my "Organic Choice only" tank, it is only growing fair and I find myself adding a pinch of Monopotassium phosphate from time to time. (This could be counterbalanced with more fish and fish food, mind you, but as of now I'm that heavily stocked with fish. )

-Dave


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

Thanks for the responses everyone! I am in the process of doing a large batch of mineralized soil and say a few people using this and decided to try it out. I like the idea that it has a fair amount of peat and organics due to their ability to slightly soften water. However i didnt know if the large amount of organics in it would cause problems over the long run.

what I decided to do is soak it in buckets for 3 days, pouring off the excess water daily and re-soaking. A LOT of the wood pieces float to the top and this has gotten rid of a lot of them. I have decided to mic the organic choice half and half with topsoil also, in addition to that i will be adding red clay as called for in the minerlized soil article. 

This is going to be used in several different tanks, from a high tech 75g, several shrimp tanks, to a pretty much by the book NPT. So it will be interesting to see how the same soil performs in different set ups.


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

i use it and like it. i cap with pool filter sand and the only thing i get is a tea color to the water for a while. fish and plants dont mind a bit and im not sure if its the soil or the sand maybe a combo of the two but it seems to work great and i have it in 3 tanks.


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## Emily6 (Feb 14, 2006)

pretty much the same for me- a lot of tannins leached out for the first month. But the plants loved it. My tap water comes out at around 8 so the peat is great for bringing the pH down (through it takes a while). I just re-did my substrate actually- seems it went a bit anaerobic. But didn't harm the plants. Just stank and made the substrate mound and mixed the layers. Good luck!


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## El Exorcisto (Aug 10, 2006)

I use it straight up capped with various flavors of sand. It's abilities to grow plants like they're on steroids when everything else (light/CO2) are supplied amply is nothing short of legendary.


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## MrSanders (Mar 5, 2006)

El Exorcisto said:


> I use it straight up capped with various flavors of sand. It's abilities to grow plants like they're on steroids when everything else (light/CO2) are supplied amply is nothing short of legendary.


With strong light and co2 do you find the need to dose anything? or have you found the soil to handle all the macro and micro needs?

Right now im treating this like a mineralized soil, drying and wetting it several times before i use it. These tanks arn't going to be set up until i find a house to buy, so i have some time to do this!

I ended up going with a mix of organic choice, top soil and red clay. Approximately 70% OC, 25% top soil and 5% red clay. When setting up the tanks i also plan on using dolomite, and murate of potash as supplemental sources to make sure Ca, Mg and K are well covered. The amount of these i use will be very light in the none CO2 tanks, and fairly heavy in my 75g which has higher light and CO2.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

> I ended up going with a mix of organic choice, top soil and red clay. Approximately 70% OC, 25% top soil and 5% red clay. When setting up the tanks i also plan on using dolomite, and murate of potash as supplemental sources to make sure Ca, Mg and K are well covered. The amount of these i use will be very light in the none CO2 tanks, and fairly heavy in my 75g which has higher light and CO2.


I recommend Miracle Grow Organic Choice (and other potting soils) for NPTs only. The organic matter provides plants in an NPT with 'natural CO2'. The CO2 requirements of plants are so great that this 'natural CO2' is a huge help.

BUT, if plants have enough CO2, the fact is that most aquatic plants grow better in a mineral soil. Mineral soils have less than 1/10 the organic matter of potting soil and Organic Choice.

Therefore, if you are injecting CO2 into a tank, there's no reason to use Organic Choice. I would use a mineral soil (top soil, clay, etc). While the Organic Choice might work fine, there's no need for all that organic matter.

For an NPT, I would leave out (or strongly reduce) the topsoil and clay. I strongly advise against mixing soils unless you are planning to grow very robust plants (Amazon swordplants). The organic matter and the clay will release a ton of iron into the water. This will stimulate algae (my book, p. 132).

CO2 injection changes everything, including substrate choices.


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## El Exorcisto (Aug 10, 2006)

MrSanders, I don't dose anything, and haven't for over a year now. The plants are growing like mad under ODNO and NO T8s and injected CO2. I never had an appreciable algae bloom except when the tank sat dormant for 6 months...


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## wicca27 (Oct 13, 2008)

I use trumpet snails to help with the soil. I also use a chop stick every now and then in the begaining cause my bag dried out totaly between the 1st tank and the bowl and other tank i did


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