[Fishstein]

I've heard Soilmaster Select is very light. Can anyone tell me if a 50lb bag will give me enough coverage for my 48 x 18 75 gal tank?

BTW, Next week I'm going to post the name of a Lesco dealer I spoke with who agreed to ship Soilmaster Select for a very reasonable cost to anyone who can't get it nearby (without having to order more than 1 bag).

 

[Fishstein]

Hi Cott,

Why would you want to? I just used it in a 75 gallon tank setup. It's light, but heavy enough to hold down plants and not cloud up the tank every time you plant.

Regarding clouding, without doing any pre- rinsing, my tank cleared up overnight. I just poured water in the tank over a plate to minimize agitation and then ran my canister filter and my Magnum 350 with a micron filter overnight and the water was crystal clear in the morning. I'm sure I didn't even need to run the 350 micron filter.

 

[Fishstein]

I would not spend a minute rinsing. On the advice of others on this forum I didn't rinse and I couldn't be happier with the results. I used to use Flourite and was a religious rinser. A dozen rinses perhaps per bag of Flourite. With Soilmaster Select, I assure you that if you just place the SMS in your tank and put a plate over it when you add water, you do not need to rinse. Any cloudiness in the water column was removed by my filter, settling and a Magnum 350 with a micron filter cartridge overnight. So much easier and less time consuming (and less water wasting) than rinsing. My water was crystal clear after less than 8 hours.

 

[Fishstein]

Same I would add with Seachem Flourite or other inert substrate. I add EI ferts to the water column + CO2 and add plant tabs every few inches to the substrate. Even with good C02 and fertilizers added to the water column, some plants will really benefit from substrate fertilizer. In particular,I found red temple plants, Amazon swords, crypts and other plants with deep roots really took off with fertilizer tabs added to the substrate.

 

[Fishstein]

IMHO rinsing is a total waste of time. I have now done two tank setups with Soilmaster Select - it was a pleasure not having to rinse - all you need to do is put it in your tank and ADD WATER CAREFULLY WITHOUT STIRRING UP THE SUBSTRATE.

How? Place a plate on the substrate and pour water gently onto the plate. Then use a micron filter (like Magnum 350 with a micron cartridge) to accelerate clearing the water column or just let your regular canister filter do the work. You can add some micron filter pads to your canister filter, just be sure to take out the bad after a day or so when you are done so as not to stop up your filter.

Both tanks cleared for me overnight. Water was crystal clear in AM.

 

[Fishstein]

Hi jaidexl,
I don't disagree, but what's the problem with that?

 

[Fishstein]

Hi Jesstray,

For now, just plant your plants a little deeper than usual. That should help. I used to use Flourite which was heavier but I find the Soilmaster Select easier to work with. The Soilmaster Select has smaller and rounder particles than Flourite. However, flourite is also an excellent substrate, and for those looking for an even darker substrate than Soilmaster Select, Seachem is coming out with a black Flourite soon from a new site they are working.