[Buckeye_Robert]

I want to place about 10 different kinds in my tank
in small short glass pots.
and weigh out the same amount of HC for each tub and see what grows the best.


1.) Eco complete -----------------------got it
2.) Fluorite ---------------------------- got it
3.) ADA AS -----------------------------got it (Halibass)
4.) Soil master select -------------------got it
5.) Aquatic plant soil(Schultz's or profile) got it (Yoink)
6.) Tahitian moon sand ---------------- got it (Yoink)
7.) Kitty Piss Absorbent---------------- got it (Wasserpest)
8.) Onyx ------------------------------got it (DiabloCanine)
9.) Flora Base -------------------------got it (Fish Newb)
10.) Akadama, bonsai soil---------------got it (Apistaeasy)

 

[yoink]

I have some soilmaster select charcoal, aquatic plant soil(shultz or profile) and tehitian moon sand if interested.

 

[aquanut415]

robert, i think you are using too simplified of a design - you need to use isolated containers to be able to say what is causing what to have any degree of certainty.

the substrates ferts or nutrients will leach into the wc, and all the plants will be in a bath of multiple kinds of water.

try setting up a few small tanks and keep one type of soil per tank...

 

[epicfish]

robert, i think you are using too simplified of a design - you need to use isolated containers to be able to say what is causing what to have any degree of certainty.

the substrates ferts or nutrients will leach into the wc, and all the plants will be in a bath of multiple kinds of water.

try setting up a few small tanks and keep one type of soil per tank...

^ I agree.

Something that would be good might be these: http://www.hhydro.com/cgi-bin/hhydro/HH00449.html?id=yfNfjMT4, and at 50 cents apiece, they're also quite affordable.

I don't believe they have any holes...but if they do, you could easily patch the one on the bottom up with some silicone or something. You could have a row of these, each with a different substrate. Mix up a fertilizer solution with NPK, etc...and give each pot one or two sprays a day and make careful records. Have your lighting suspended over all the pots at the same time so that each is getting the same amount of light.

You're going to have to try to control all the variables except substrate type to get decent results.

1) Amount of HC you start with
2) Lighting -- water level in each pot should be the same as all the others!
3) Fertilizers

Sorry that this thread has been hijacked to an experimental design thread, but it's the only way you'll get results you can trust.

I can also donate a few handfuls of ADA AS.

 

[oblongshrimp]

Well if you put 8 small pots into a big tank the difference in nutrients leeched by the different substrates should be negligible. I would think you would want them to share water so you know the CO2, pH, KH, GH, and fert levels are the same.

 

[epicfish]

Well if you put 8 small pots into a big tank the difference in nutrients leeched by the different substrates should be negligible. I would think you would want them to share water so you know the CO2, pH, KH, GH, and fert levels are the same.

Get 8 small pots. Fill up a few containers of water and let them age together. When you decide to fertilizer, measure out the amount of fertilizer or give each pot the same number of firm squeezes of your spray bottle.

If the pots are sitting there, the differences in CO2, pH, kH, and gH from the aged water supply would probably be negligible.

ADA AquaSoil buffers the kH and gH and lowers it...if you had this in a large aquarium with a tiny pot of ADA AS, the buffering and lowering effects would be greatly diminished as compared to a "real" aquarium with *all* AquaSoil, for example.

In one aquarium, you'll have to deal with other factors such as CO2 diffusion rate and water circulation.

The differences between CO2, pH, kH, and gH contributed from the water sample would lead to less errors than having all 8 pots in an aquarium.

 

[oblongshrimp]

Are you talking about growing this emersed or submerged? If its submerged I would assume you will have to add CO2 and trying to do it consistantly among several tanks is going to be difficult.

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

Yoink
I forgot I have some Soil master select
can I get some of these aquatic plant soil(shultz or profile) and tehitian moon sand.
let me know $$$ or plants.
and thank you.

oblongshrimp Yes to the submersed
epicfish I do have different tubs for each plant.
and thank you for 1 handful of ADA AS

aquanut415 I did think it was a little on the simple side
but I don't have 8 tanks
just a fun project.

I did/do want to test using the same tank
lights/CO2/PH/KH/NO3.......


Sorry that this thread has been hijacked to an experimental design thread, but it's the only way you'll get results you can trust.

Please don't be sorry I LOVE this kind of back and forth
debate I am getting more info for better results.

 

[macclellan]

think hard about the following:
1. your filter choice/placement. differential water movement/co2.
2. light placement relative to the containers (all equal coverage).

Any variation would void the results of your experiment. Remember: part of the scientific method is to control all variables except the one being tested. If anything is different other than the substrate, the results aren't reliable. IMHO, here is an example of what NOT to do: http://www.geocities.com/jhoetzl/tank/substrates/substratechallenge.htm

gl w/the test.

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

this is not a scientific method just something I always wanted to try.

I will place the plants all close to each other in the same
center of the tank for the closest light spray.

gl w/the test.
Thanks

 

[ianiwane]

I don't know about this either. I agree with epic and aquanut. A big part of the reason why plants seem to grow so well in aquasoil is what it does to the WC.

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

I am sure your a correct.
and it might not prove a thing.
but it will be fun.

 

[aquanut415]

poor experimental design leads to skewed results.. skewed results will lead you to inaccurate conclusions about what caused what....

for best results, i suggest growing all the plants emersed. you will have many less factors to consider, isolate, and or manipulate.

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

Not a bad suggestion is there a trick to follow.
I have never done the emersed thing.

 

[aquanut415]

well... i can tell you this.

aquasoil grows HC better than anything i have used emersed...including fluorite, turface, schultz aquatic plant soil, regular old potting soil, and or rockwool.

there, i already did your test!

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

still looking for a few more substrates for MY testing.

 

[Wasserpest]

I like this idea... and I agree with Robert in that this would be a good trial, even in one tank. I always wanted to do that, splitting the bottom of a tank into areas using plexi stripes, and filling them with the different substrates.

I don't think that sharing the same water will void the results. In contrary, if you use different tanks, it will be close to impossible to make them all the same. If you own different tanks, you know that they can develop very differently, even if you use the same water, lighting, CO2 and fert regimen.

Doing that emersed would prove nothing IMO.

I can send you some of the Kitty Piss Absorbent that I have been using in most of my tanks, just for fun... it's just another cheap clay substrate.

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

Heck yes
I never thought I would say (I will take some Kitty Piss Absorbent):hihi:

This is just plain old clay and no scents correct.

 

[Burks]

Would you want Estes Aquarium Gravel?

 

[Buckeye_Robert]

isn't that plain gravel or does it have any nutrients to it?

I would love to try Flora Base