I was looking for ideas other then additional support means for substrate in shower caddie planters, and wondering if dwarf sag can grow healthy in Expanded clay pellets which is what i have growing in them? I have Flourite, pool filter sand, and play sand on hand as well if those would be better being mixed in. Or is the clay not going to save much on weight?
Give it a try. If it is compact enough to hold the plants down, it should work. Some of my LECA is so light-weight it is neutrally buoyant. The water is still going to be your significant weight factor though.
When using the expanded clay - soak it first and remove any of the floaters. Some of the pellets will readily sink, while other with more trapped air wiill float for months before eventually sinking.
Hmm, thank you guys. I guess now i'm wondering if i try it out as i see a local hydro shop selling 10L of it for $10- should i fill the voids with sand so the roots dont become susceptible to rot? It's a substrate/plant question was unsure of where to post, but the first question was substrate related, which brings me to other concerns lol
Sand will settle to the bottom, so that won't work well. In order to use Hydroton under water, you'll likely want to cap it really well with something like Flourite so it gets weighted down.
A lot of people use it in riparium planters and in emersed setups.
Yeah, i saw the riparium planters, and saw these shower caddies for $2.50 each. I'm at work so dont have pics but heres my craiglist post, you can see the caddies in use. I did a little modding with quilting template, and hot glue.
I bought bigger ones with some other ideas, (DIY addict) but with them being bigger, weight on the suction cups will be a concern. Was thinking magnets, but before i do that route was thinking of trying the clay pellets, so i guess i'll pick up a bag, and see how it goes with a sand cap/flourtite cap. With Geo cichlids like that one in the ad pic, you can see why i'm finding alternatives to ground level planting. They dig the whole tank up lol Thank guys
The clay pellets have all sorts of little nook and candies for the roots to grab hold of and propagate. Since It's an inert substrate you'll be better off with larger particles / more water flow as the roots will be getting all if their nutrition from the water column.
I thought that place was for growing the skunk grass.
I'll have to look to see if the DT stores still have those caddies in stock.
I drive by that hydro store all the time when I drive into 24hr zone.
10 liter bag of those clay pellets is (12 lbs)?
I'll have to step inside this "hydro" store to take a closer look at these pellets since I have to talk to my butcher to see if I can borrow his paddywagon after he clocks out of work.
I've occasionally seen these for sale in garden centers and nurseries/greenhouses. But a hydroponics store is probably the best bet, and they also have the really big bags if you decide you want a lot of it.
Yeah I picked up the bag yesterday. $10- huge bag. Definitely want to pre-soak, and rinse before in tank use. I poured all of it in a tote of water. What ever I don't use will just top off my house plants with.
Surprised to see this old thread pop back up. Honestly no idea, i never tested the PH, and only used the idea for a month.
You really need to soak these things for awhile to get them to sink.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Planted Tank Forum
3.5M posts
130.6K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Aquatic tank owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about flora, fauna, health, housing, filters, care, classifieds, and more!