# Laterite/Sera Floredepot & Soilmaster



## Ed_Alfonso (Dec 10, 2005)

Hi All,
I just picked up my 2 bags of Soil Master Select - Charcoal. But before I set up the tank I was wondering if anyone had used laterrite with the SMS?
Also has anyone tried useing Sera Floredepot? Could this be used with SMS?
Thanks,
Ed


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*Well...*

Personally I will recomended mixing laterite with Soilmaster.

The reason is that Soilmaster is almost completly inert and will not leach nutrients. Laterite is not a baked clay and will leach overtime more nutrient.

Soilmaster is use for is CEC quality. (Cation Exchange Capacity) CEC is the capacity of a soil to capture and hold nutrients.

For your infos:

Soilmaster CEC=19, PH=6

Turface black CEC=41.1, PH=6.2

Laterite CEC= 2.7, PH=5.7

Infos on CEC: http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm


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## Leonard (Mar 4, 2007)

a stupid question: what is laterite, what's the mening with using it? Do you talk about something who is like this (for example): http://www.aquaristic.net/shop.php/...nid/326020/Hobby Laterit Kugeln 200 g, 15 mm/ or http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=195
I thought that wouldn't work, that it would give you a nice alge farm =) greenalges, doesn't it contains a lot of micro nutrients? which will be let out in the aquariumwater and make the hairalges grow? Am I wrong (guess so  )?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I don't understand how a substrate can have a pH. There are no ions in a substrate, so it cannot have a pH. If you mix the substrate with water, the pH of the water will depend on how much substrate you mix in, won't it? Either I am confused, or my lack of chemistry knowledge is showing again.


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*PH on substrat...*

This is report here:

http://home.infinet.net/teban/jamie.htm

and I find the Turface PH on a Powerpoint of the company that make the stuff.


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## Glouglou (Feb 21, 2006)

*Laterite...*

laterite is not a clay. It's a natural result of decomposition of any type of rock in a material that lost all is soluble element and is structural humidity and, by pressure, it become a new rock Laterite.

Composition of Venezuelan Laterite:
Al2O3: 37.38
SiO2: 1.16
TiO2: 3.15
Fe2O3: 35.77
LOI, 22.44.

I beleive that Laterite in a acidic water will leach is iron and some of is contituant elements providing some nutrients.


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