# Will this clay benefit my soil substrate?



## Colin Wrexham (Mar 24, 2017)

Thats more for modelling by the look of it. I mixed tropica in with my compost. Its powder form or granuals you need really. There are loads of others on the market. I used mine as a base layer mixed in with aqua compost then sealed it with gravel....stops it leaking out into the water. Great for the roots to fix to. I wouldnt risk it as it has oils etc. Plus it says it will instantly harden for modelling so you dont know what other agents are in there. Just my opinion, others may have a better idea

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## York1 (Dec 18, 2014)

I use Mexican pottery clay. You can get it at hobby lobby. I just cut it into chunks and let dry. Then use it like root tabs.
https://www.amaco.com/products/clay-mexican-x-119-5


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## Rickie Briana (Dec 6, 2016)

York1 said:


> I use Mexican pottery clay. You can get it at hobby lobby. I just cut it into chunks and let dry. Then use it like root tabs.
> https://www.amaco.com/products/clay-mexican-x-119-5


I found the same stuff on Amazon so that's perfect, the only reason I don't want a bag of tropics plant substrate is money, I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible and use what I have
Some osmacote plus and clay should do the job perfect


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## d33pVI (Oct 28, 2015)

Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think this type of clay is of any real benefit. 

I've seen many people advocating for the addition of 'red clay' as a soil amendment/addition, which I believe stems from a misunderstanding of the popular article for creating mineralized topsoil. The author mentions the addition of clay as a 'flocculent', meaning it helps bind the soil slurry. The only way for it to have this effect would be by using the raw powdered form of pottery clay. If you have ever gardened in an area with clay soil you should be familiar with the consistency of the soil the article is aiming to create.

Adding little balls/sticks of modeling clay seems more like a placebo or just a misunderstanding that keeps perpetuating itself. I've seen them for sale in numerous places and always wonder. I know people claim "adds CEC", but from what I have read soil already has a much higher CEC value than clay. 

Plus the whole "red clay has iron", while true, is it actually in a form which plants can uptake? This I have not seen any evidence presented either for or against. I know laterite (which to my knowledge is just a naturally occurring red clay) was a very popular substrate addition for a long time, but nobody seems to mention or use it anymore.

Anyhow, that's just my take on the subject after doing a lot of research on dirted tanks. Personally I think substrate is one of the more overthought items in the hobby. When some of the most beautiful tanks I have seen are done with plain sand, why stress over creating the perfect recipe for dirt?


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## York1 (Dec 18, 2014)

d33pVI said:


> Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think this type of clay is of any real benefit.
> 
> I've seen many people advocating for the addition of 'red clay' as a soil amendment/addition, which I believe stems from a misunderstanding of the popular article for creating mineralized topsoil. The author mentions the addition of clay as a 'flocculent', meaning it helps bind the soil slurry. The only way for it to have this effect would be by using the raw powdered form of pottery clay. If you have ever gardened in an area with clay soil you should be familiar with the consistency of the soil the article is aiming to create.
> 
> ...


All I know is it made a difference in my tanks and this is not modeling clay.


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## Rickie Briana (Dec 6, 2016)

I understand what you mean with the whole clay thing, But i have had a planted tank for 2 years now and i have been using a sand substrate. But no matter what nutrients I add, or light I use, my pants melt and the algae takes over.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Rickie Briana said:


> After hearing about how much clay helps plants by providing iron, I was thinking about adding some clay to my soil substrate im gonna be putting in soon in my 75 gallon tank. Anyone know if this clay from amazon would work? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001680UVO/ref=twister_B004IA5MP6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
> ACTIVA Plus Clay Natural Self-Hardening Clay Terra Cotta


Hi Rickie Briana,

Many types of clay contain polymers and plastics and are unsuitable for planted tanks however laterite has been used for decades in planted tanks. *I would suggest this product.*


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

The thing about laterite and other clays is that they provide a vast interstice of ion exchange points mixed into an otherwise inert substrate. These are known as high "-" negative cation type soils.

Note the fact that you're having all these myriad exchange points for the root hairs of plants in your substrate, overlooks the real driver of using this 'earth'. Something Dupla and the Booths were working with since 1990's. That for these catalyzing areas to work efficiently, you should have a bit of weak, localized heating deep within the gravel that very slowly pulls water from the tank down through the gravel, which the water, when combined with the increase in temperature from the heating coils and the laterite, increases the reactions and exchanges of postively charged Ammonia, Fe and other plant nutrient cations, that are attracted to the '-' charged points in the laterite.

I used Thiel Aquatech's laterite back in 1992 in a 32 gallon that had substrate heating. My gravel ran about 1~3 degrees warmer than the tank temperate and I grew plants out of that tank like crazy. On a tank that got maybe 5 to 9 ppm CO2 injection from a 1 liter yeast-sugar reactor.

Under a light that a few knowledgeable LFS employees considered 'really bad' for growing plants.

Yes you can have great growth using laterite and other high cation exchange soils in your substrate, but remember that it was originally intended as part of a older substrate system.


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## vonrad001 (Jun 22, 2017)

Properly planted tanks (with fully(or truly) aquatic plants) need #1 - source of CO2, #2 - proper lighting (more is not always better) and finally #3 - substrate. Aqua plants (roots) can actually live long life in sponges, cotton, sand, gravel but it's better to have a layer of dirt (preferably organic - no chemicals) ! I'm no expert on planted tanks but if you don't have any of the above and can settle for a quick dirt tank #3 quickly becomes #1 and it's got to be organic dirt or special plant growth substrate.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Read the section titled Article: Laterite. It gives a fairly good historical perspective of the use of high cation soils in planted tanks.

Aquatic Concepts


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