# Super substrate?



## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

Hi to everyone!
About on 15 April I'will remake the substrate of my tank using flourite and I want to try to put uder the flourite this product

This is volcanic lapillus, what do you think about?


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*Super Substrat*

Calcined rocs, lava products or Soilmaster and Turface are all the same beasts. Because they are vitrified they will release slowly (very slowly) their elements back in solution. I think this release will be to slow to be used for a complete solution of subtrat nutrient delivery.

But they have another important quality, their CEC or Cations Exchange Capacity. This is the capacity of a substrat to capture and keep nutrients from the water for further release to the roots.
Calcined products or vitrified clays like the product you show have relatively High CEC and are good candidates to keep nutrient in the soil.

You can have more info here : http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

I have already read that article and I found it really interesting.
How do you recognize that my product is calcined and vitrified with an high CEC?
So you think it would be a good idea to put it under flourite?
This product with an high CEC modify water parameter?


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*From Encyclopedia Britannica...*



> * lapillus*
> unconsolidated volcanic fragment with a diameter between 4 and 32 mm (0.16 and 1.26 inches) that was ejected during a volcanic explosion.


Both Turface and Soilmaster are calcined clay and in general this process (like volcanic eruption) give high CEC material with low leaching of constituant.

Flourite seem to be another calcined clay but as you see in my link with low CEC. Otherwise lot of people seem to grow plants well with only that as substrat.

CEC = 1.8
PH = 5.5

Seachem pretend that it will not alter the PH. I like to hear from user that have experience with Flourite.

To your question : 


> So you think it would be a good idea to put it under flourite?
> This product with an high CEC modify water parameter?


 What I sugest you to do is to crush a little bit (1/4 of cup?) of the Lapillus substrat and put it in a close jar with some distill water ( be sure of the parameter of the distill water) leave it there for a while and see if your parameter changes.

You need to do that to see how to prepare your substrat wit this product.


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

But if I use distill water with a kh=0 and a Gh=0 how I can understand if the lapillus adsorbe kh or gh? I thought to use tap water with Kh = 11 and Gh = 15.
I note that in your link, for wat concerned flourite, there is a mismatch between the link and the seachem site in the concentration of iron and K, what do you think about?
There is a method in order to misure CEC?


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*Mismatch...*

I go with Seachem for the iron content.

For the test, yes, you wright, I think you can do 2 test. One with distill water and one with normal water to test for leaching or absorption.

Only be sure that to keep the water (normal) for a couple of hours in the test jar before taking the tests.


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

Ok, today I make the experiment 
Thanks!


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

I've already put the lapillus in two jar with the two different kind of water. Now I will wait some days and later I will make the test of gh and kh.
This is a photo of lapillus 

As you can see the red color could indicate an high dose of iron...


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

I have made the test of the water:
the distill water didn't change its parameter while the lapillus seems to adsorbe gh in fact the normal water passed from 15° to 11° of gh while I don't Know the value of kh because I have already finished th test :-(


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

Well the stuff seem to not change parameter, this is good because you will not have to compensate and as you say:


> the distill water didn't change its parameter while the lapillus seems to adsorbe gh in fact the normal water passed from 15° to 11° of gh while I don't Know the value of kh because I have already finished th test


It suck some of the mineral, meaning good CEC capacity.

This is looking like a good inert material to make your substrat, no!
You don't look happy....


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

It looks somewhat like what we call in this country and in the pet trade "lava rock", which as far as I know is not clay and has no beneficial mineral content. It may have good CEC, but that alone in my opinion wouldn't be enough for me to use it as a substrate without adding anything else. It is also too chunky. Can you research any more information on its content? I don't think the color necassarily means it contains iron


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## mixpix (May 25, 2006)

If you see in my first post there is a photo of the composition.
It seems to have a lot of Fe and K and I will use it under the seachem flourite.
For the CEC I think it should be enough...


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I missed that! That is interesting. What is the texture of this? Is it very hard and abrasive feeling, or is it soft like clay?


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

Yep , red, brown, dark colors of clay, rocks, etc mean almost always Iron content. As I say to Mixpix
Clay, rock, lava, anything that can resist high temperature are always composed of what earth is made of. They become crystallize, vitrified just like this material, same with Soilmaster, Turface and lot of other aquarium substrate. They not really used as source of nutrient because their nature will resist leaching nutrient in solution at different pace. But more for their CEC properties and their ability to keep the substrat to become compact.


> This is looking like a good inert material to make your substrat


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