# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Turface MPV



## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

I have found some "turface mpv" locally for $15.00CAD for a 50# bag. I am thinking about redoing my substrate and thought I might give this a try. 
I guess it is the same as "schultz aquatic plants soil" and other schultz products.

Has anyone here used this stuff and care to comment about your experience?









Thanks


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Dave Gomberg used to talk about this stuff a lot and uses it all the time... its the same exact struff made of Fullers earth as Schultz clay conditioner... the granular size just look different

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Robert are you using Schultz? I saw one of your tank awhile back on the old forum and thought you mensioned it. Any comments on it?

Some info I found,

Turface - medium hard arcillite and other clays, possibly kiln fired; light beige; resembles aquarium gravel; 
2-5mm in size; no organic matter.

Arcillite - calcined, montmorillonite clay.

Calcined clays - clays that are heated to a high temperature to cause an extreme hardening and oxidation. They can then be fracted into smaller pieces to be used as a primary substrate base. They become very porous on firing, and provide many nutrient binding sites. Chemically and physically stable. Good CEC.

Turface CEC = 29.8 me./100g

Some info on substrates by Jamie Johnson,
http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm


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## Moe (Feb 1, 2003)

I seen some aquatic plant soil at lowes yesterday, looks like mpv. Id like to give it a try myself. It would be nice to hear a few stories.

Moe


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

I also would like to hear a couple personal experiences about it.
I found lots of info saying turface, profile, aquatic plant soil & clay soil conditioner are all the same, = arcillite.

It seem to have a little more iron than flourite and 18x higher CEC!

I'm a little skeptical though as it is 6x cheaper!







I would think more people would have tried it!

Here is a picture of the package, It seems it is cheaper sold as turface than any of the others listed above!


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Here is some people sharing there experiences from the krib,

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilizer/profile.html


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## imported_Sicklid (Feb 27, 2003)

After reading everything I could find about Profile and Turface, I used Schultz's AP soil with Laterite in my 55. I can't really say how well it works for plants because I've got other problems at the moment, but I can say that it's a bitch to vacuum. Because it's so porous, it doesn't weigh very much, and it will get sucked right up with the mulm if you aren't very careful. It can be kind of a pain to get back in hard to see spots, so I keep an extra bag of it around for the occasional re-sprinkling. I haven't had any problems with compaction, in fact it always seems light and fluffy.

>> It seem to have a little more iron than flourite and 18x higher CEC! <<

It definitely has a high CEC, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any iron of its own. I also noticed that the color and size changed very slightly from bag to bag. And you will have to rinse it a bit, though not as much as Flourite.

_*BlackMesaDesigns*_


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Sicklid, 
how long have you had it in your tank?
Would your other problems be related to the substrate? What are they if you don't mind?
Thanks for the heads up on the vacuming although I usually don't have a bare spot in the tank to use a gravel vac, but it's good to know!

Thanks again


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I haven't used it myself, but a guy I know around here has. He says it works alright, but because it's so light it's harder to keep some plants down long enough to get them rooted. I think I might not like to grow Bacopa caroliniana in a tank with that substrate.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Profile aquatic plant soil
Schultz clay conditioner
Turface

all made by the same company and all exactly the same. Very high CEC, over 90% pore space. Maybe slightly alkaline, but not enough to matter. It is high in iron, manganese, and some other minerals I forget. The common name for this type of clay is Fullers earth, which is an excellent growing medium.

I have been using it for several years. It is very light weight, so if you mix it with a little gravel it helps. Its light tan in color. Schultz Clay conditioner is in 40 pound bags and is between 10 and $12 at Walmart. When I tore all my tanks down to move to Oregon a couple years ago, I used this for all my tanks because its so cheap. I got mine at Fred Meyers, (the clay conditioner)

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Thanks guys,

I'm gonna give this stuff a try in the next few weeks.


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## imported_Zhima (Oct 9, 2003)

I'm using Profile Aquatic Plant Soil right now. I did not wash it before I dump them into the new tank so I don't know if the water will clear up after several water changes. My water is very cloudy and I have the cannister and powerhead running. 

I love the color and the size of the substrate. I bought one bag 5kg for 6.99CAD. I have to say I'm quite content with the quality so far.

Does anybody know if it will clear up eventually, or do I have to add another layer of substrate above it?


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