# Questions on Amano's use of Activated carbon in substrate and Tourmaline in filter



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Amano is a great artist with planted tanks. He is also a good salesman. There is no relationship between those talents, in my opinion. I would like to be able to do as well as he does with an aquascape, but I would look somewhere else for anything to do with the technology of planted tanks. And, Amano doesn't use nearly everything he sells in his tanks.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

The Tourmaline is quackery, the carbon is not.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

Can you please explain why he puts down carbon, Tom? All you've said is that it's not quackery.... So what is it's purpose? I listed several of my own theories about his use of carbon under the substrate, so are any of them right? 

Please elaborate.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Carbon is good for terrestrial plant sediments as well. It absorbs many things, tannins, and has a high CEC, so it's like a nutrient sponge. Highly porous, good biomedia.

Sucks up bad stuff in the beginning, gets "filled up", then bacteria cycle the remainder/new inputs.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

I use carbon in a lot of my terrestrial pots. It also helps to keep the soil loose and prevent compaction(in terrestrial pots).


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

what does "new inputs" mean? 

Once it sucks up nutrients, does it ever release them for the plants when used in the media?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

CEC is the ability of a material to adsorb cations, like iron, potassium, ammonium, on the surfaces of the material, where the plant roots have easy access to them. High CEC substrate materials do help with plant growth to some extent.


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## deleted_user_7 (Jul 7, 2003)

I know what cation exchange capacity is, but does the carbon release the nutrients to the plants *easily enough* for the plants to benefit? 

If there was no problem with carbon releasing what it has absorbed easily enough for the plants to benefit, then for the carbon to reabsorb more and so on and so forth, we would. All be using quite a bit of carbon in our media I'd imagine. It can't be as simple as that, the carbon must become depleted or "clogged" at some point and at that point it's just biomedia. 

As for the tourmaline, all I have learned is that Tom doesn't like it...and that's pretty much useless and doesn't help at all. I personally believe in using tourmaline, as previously mentioned I have several products infused with tourmaline. If you don't believe it does anything positive, don't use it. 

I'd still like to know why he put so little in the substrate and so much in the filter? Or rather why does ADA suggest using so little in the substrate and so much in the filter. I've got 500 grams of tourmaline, give or take a couple grams, I'm dealing with. Should I put it all in the filter, all in the substrate, or put half in both? Please, if anyone gives advice, tell me the reasoning behind the advice.


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