# AlfaGrog... anyone, anyone?



## broodwich (Nov 29, 2005)

Has anyone ever ever heard of this stuff? I did some searching and I could not find any references to it on the forums. Google turns up a little information but it's mainly for pond people.

I have this silly book on setting up a planted aquarium that I have been reading and although I got the sense the book was authored by a guy from the UK, now that I start to look around more it's becoming obvious that the recommendations this guy makes may be sound but they are a little obscure.

This AlfaGrog product is a good example while it may be available in the UK, there doesn't seem to be anybody selling it in the states, at least not that I could find with the help of Google.

The author of this book recommends using a layer (the bottom layer) of this product as substrate. According to Alfa Aggregates, the manufacturer, it's a "porous ceramic filter media." They describe it further by saying, "Selected raw materials are rapidly sintered at high temperature to produce a foamed ceramic porous mass, which is crushed and sieved to a convenient particle size." So the manufacturer intended to be used as a filter media and that seems to be the primary application based on my research but the author of this book suggests it for a substrate.

The author suggests that the AlfaGrog's porous open structure promotes healthy root growth and boosts biological filtration because of it's large surface area.

So what do you think? Snake Oil with a rocky texture or possibly a good idea? Is this product perhaps sold under a different trade name here in the states? Anyone here from the UK seen this stuff?


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## kingborris (Feb 25, 2004)

Hi,

I cant help you with a source of alfagrog on that side of the pond, but i can confirm that it would probably make a suitable substrate layer. I use it as a filter media in my sump, but you could smash it up and use it as a substrate without too much difficulty. Its inert, and very porous. i havent tried this myself, but it should work. I would have thought any expanded ceramic media would work however, as long as you could break it into small enough peices

its also fairly cheap. I pay about US$20 for a 55lb sack


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## MarkyBoyle (Mar 5, 2021)

i was wanting to use JBL vocano mineral to raise my substrate but it is extremly hard to get hold of in scotland the guy in the fish shop has sold me alfa grog but i am unsure if it contains any trace elements or minerals. so i was wondering if anyone had any info on this as a equivelent for plants 




broodwich said:


> Has anyone ever ever heard of this stuff? I did some searching and I could not find any references to it on the forums. Google turns up a little information but it's mainly for pond people.
> 
> I have this silly book on setting up a planted aquarium that I have been reading and although I got the sense the book was authored by a guy from the UK, now that I start to look around more it's becoming obvious that the recommendations this guy makes may be sound but they are a little obscure.
> 
> ...


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