# Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil "profile"



## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

what's going on plant freaks!

i'm starting up a new ten gallon planted tank. my lights will be pc's that will carry 5wpg, and i would also inject diy co2.

i just bought a bag of schultz aquatic plant soil "profile" and i have heard that it is way too light to hold down plants. should i add sand as top layer then? if anyone has any experiences with this kind of substrate please give me a holler, i want to know the pros and cons of the product.

i have also read in this article that schultz carries a higher level of iron than flourite or turface on this site: http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm

any input would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

mikey.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

I use it in my 50g, I believe I posted a picture of my tank somewhere in the Aquascaping section. I like it, some people think it looks too orange, but I personally think it looks nice, nice and natural. It is however light, but it will hold down any plant just fine.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

thanks, i was thinking flourite at first but being it so expensive, i stumbled upon this and will try it out. i would also put a thin layer of sphagma peat moss which is from scott's that i got from home depot.

hmmm, being that the SAPS is lightweight from what everyone has said, would this let the peat moss seep out into the water column. hmmm, never thought of that till' now.


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## toofazt (Aug 9, 2005)

I like it. My 20G with 3.5'' of Schultz no ferts.


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## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

Hey toofazt, what kind of lighting do u use on the tank? How could u keep such a densely planted tank without ferts? Thats amazing. Where do you purchase this Schultz soil and how much is it?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I have tried it in the past, and even have a 10g with it right now. But it really is not as good as heavier substrates.

It is very difficult to keep plants down in the substrate when they don't have a root system yet. So it makes it exceedingly difficult to plant a large number of stem plants like aromatica, or stellata, or nesea or any of the more 'floaty' plants.

You might get away with it if you plan on using mostly rooted plants, like crypts, glosso, some of the grasses or maybe HC. But planting stems will be difficult.

The color is ok, I think it has its own appeal, but I also like black substrates too.

As far as I know this substrate does NOT contain any significant amounts of macros or micros, so it will not grow your plants hassle free. You will need to add ferts lildark185.


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## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

I was just wondering if it were actually that good since toofazt said he didn't use any ferts. I currently use 100% flourite red in my 55gal tank.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Me too in one of my 55's  except I have the darker fluorite, not the red kind.


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## toofazt (Aug 9, 2005)

I don't use any ferts. I use ro/di water with Seachem equalibrium. I have lots of Endlers and cherry shrimp in this tank. It has been set up for almost two years and I do a water change maybe every 3 months. I have two 15W normal out put flouresent bulbs over it that are probably 3 years old. You can get Schultz aquatic soil at HomeDepot for ~$4 a bag.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Actually planting stem plants for me in this type of substrate is quite easily. For those bigger stems like limnophilia aromatica I only plant a stem at a time, but for other plants like ludwigia, rotala, etc ... its easy to plant 3-5 stems a bunch. You just really need to know how to plant it.


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## chadly (Dec 19, 2005)

I have it in my 20Long. It is delicate, but when the plants root and spread it holds well.


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## RoseHawke (Jan 4, 2005)

I've got it in my 10 gallon, but it's capped with an inch or so of a fine gravel that's comparable in size to the Schultz. Maybe it's the gravel that makes the difference, I dunno, but the few stems I've tried in this tank I've had no trouble getting to stay down. I've also stuck a few sprigs of HC in there just to see what they do, but those of course don't actually go into the Schultz, they're just in the gravel.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I have some profile in use. I found that at first it held on to alot of air so was even lighter in the beginning. The material does have more volume per weight than say flourite, but after it looses the air seems to work fine for me.

If you have new plantings of stems and are getting pearling befor they grow roots it may not hold them down as well.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

thanks for the info guys, should i assume that i should layer it like this: 1.peat moss 2.profile 3.gravel? i have a lot of extra gravel in my house so hopefully that would work out. 

these are the plants i am gonna order soon when i transfer my shellies to the 20glong and the 10g will be free (today! hah!)

green cabomba
pygmy chain sword or dwarf hairgrass or glosso
rotala magenta
cryptocoryne wendtii red
java fern
java moss or fissidens


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

thanks for the info guys, should i assume that i should layer it like this: 1.peat moss 2.profile 3.gravel? i have a lot of extra gravel in my house so hopefully that would work out. 

these are the plants i am gonna order soon when i transfer my shellies to the 20glong and the 10g will be free (today! hah!)

green cabomba
pygmy chain sword or dwarf hairgrass or glosso
rotala magenta
cryptocoryne wendtii red
java fern
java moss or fissidens


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

You really don't have to add the gravel if you don't want. It'll probably hold the plants better but really not that necessary.


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

thanks! another question that would somewhat derail, now i have used peat in a pantyhose inside the filter to soften water of a tank but haven't used it as a layer in the substrate. i have been reading a lot about peat moss as substrate filling and have found mixed opinions about it. aside from it softening the water, does it have nutrients beneficial for plants? does it inhibit algae growth (like laterite seeping in the water column), the reason why i ask this is the fact that i experimented on aragonite sand (from an african cichlid tank) as a substrate in a 3g glosso, dwarf eleocharis tank, the extreme hardness of the water caused extreme algae blooms like bba,bga and green water. i wouldn't want that to happen in this new setup. 

and thanks again jdinh! you've been really helpful!


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## nap83 (Feb 7, 2006)

oh and should i presoak the peat first? how much? i'm thinking just a very thin layer waaay underneath the substrate.

one more thing, i still do not have a choice of fauna in the tank, i have my girlfriend's betta (which i could accompany with harlequin rasboras) or my german blue ram pair? sorry just a weird survey i guess, just trying to hear from people.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Either way would work, when I re-do my tank i'm still thinking whether to put it beneath the substrate or in the filter with all the media. Algae only occurs with an unbalance of nutrients or not enough nutrients for plants to consume. Boiling peat is an option, it'll help reduce the tannings that leach but will do nothing esle differently. I would boil it since I really don't want pee looking water in my tank haha ... but yeah.

As for fauna, a betta living in there would be like paradise! having the 10g all to himself, however a school of rasboras or a pair of rams would be nice as well. Its all up to you.


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