# Special Kitty



## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

Can someone please tell me what the consistency of Special Kitty after it has set in water over night? Will it be like a gritty or stony mush? Or should it be more like the original form straight out of the bag.

I put some in a bucket of water last night and today it seems mushy with small gravel like pieces when squeezed in my hand.

Thanks
Joe


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

It will be a mess. It is best not to get it wet. Put it in the tank, cap it and then add water. Add water by pouring it onto a saucer.


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## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

Well I went and bought me some Peat, Jobes sticks, and Special Kitty to redo my 50 gallon. Flourite is about $30 here in town so I am trying to find something else to top it with.
I was thinking of putting the small plain gravel that Walmart sells on it but this gravel looks to big.
Has anybody tried this or is there something else cheap that I can find in town to top the kitty litter with?
Thanks
Joe


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

You can use pool filter or play sand that you find at Home Depot/Lowes to cap it. I have seen some very nice tanks with the kitty litter substrate.


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## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

sewingalot said:


> You can use pool filter or play sand that you find at Home Depot/Lowes to cap it. I have seen some very nice tanks with the kitty litter substrate.


I thought about this too. I just don't want white or colored sand. Something black or natural looking.
Thanks
Joe


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

The play sand is natural sand color. Quartz 3m is a nice black sand option. Good luck!


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## Joetee (Mar 28, 2006)

Well we all heard about Special Kitty and that we should test it first to see if what and where we buy it, that it is ok to use in out tanks.

I bought mine at Walmart here in Lexington, KY.

Using a Nutrafin KH/GH test kit:

Tap water GH - 7 drops or 140ppm
Tap water KH - 4 drops or 40ppm

Water from unwashed kitty liter after it set for 3 days in a bucket:

GH - I stopped after 20 drops or 400ppm.
KH - 9 drops or 90ppm.

This just goes to show you that when the experts says to test something, test it. I am glad I did.

Joe


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## tonbrencat (Jan 20, 2009)

not all kitty litter is made the same from state-to-state, mix about 25% kitty litter to top soil and cap with sand, the problem with 100% kitty litter is the mess it makes when you plant and/or pull plants


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Joetee said:


> I bought mine at Walmart here in Lexington, KY.
> 
> Using a Nutrafin KH/GH test kit:
> 
> ...


Interesting!!

I bought some from Wall-Mart from Bentoneville Alabama. I didn't test it. Mixed it in my dirt. The gh and kh, which is 0, not changed. In fact I have to add baking soda to get the kh up to 5.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

You could go to Woodford Feed Co. They have a nice brown/ dark khaki colored sand. I get mine for free since I usually get about 5-10 lbs. It should be less than $5 for 50lbs- I think.


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## olichka87 (Aug 5, 2009)

*is this it...*

is this the right stuff?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10293705#ShortReviewTitleBar


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

Joetee said:


> I thought about this too. I just don't want white or colored sand. Something black or natural looking.
> Thanks
> Joe


If you go to a Spa/Pool store you should be able to get PFS in different colors mine was a dark grey that looked very similar to SMS Charcoal when wet.

- Brad


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## redfalconf35 (Feb 24, 2008)

Hilde said:


> Interesting!!
> 
> I bought some from Wall-Mart from Bentoneville Alabama. I didn't test it. Mixed it in my dirt. The gh and kh, which is 0, not changed. In fact I have to add baking soda to get the kh up to 5.


I'm surprised, i always thought that GA had hard water.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

olichka87 said:


> is this the right stuff?
> http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10293705#ShortReviewTitleBar


That's what I have been using in my tanks. Test it first...


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Wasserpest said:


> That's what I have been using in my tanks. Test it first...


How would you compare it to aquasoil?


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

clwatkins10 said:


> How would you compare it to aquasoil?


That's apples to oranges. Flourite/Eco/SMS/Turface/SAS/PFS/Quartz-T/Kitty Litter are all inert unlike ADA that's a whole different animal the only comparison for that is MTS.

- Brad


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

bradac56 said:


> That's apples to oranges. Flourite/Eco/SMS/Turface/SAS/PFS/Quartz-T/Kitty Litter are all inert unlike ADA that's a whole different animal the only comparison for that is MTS.
> 
> - Brad


Yeah, I was thinking that, but I'm just wondering plant growing- wise. Like which method grows plants better?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

clwatkins10 said:


> How would you compare it to aquasoil?





bradac56 said:


> That's apples to oranges. Flourite/Eco/SMS/Turface/SAS/PFS/Quartz-T/Kitty Litter are all inert unlike ADA that's a whole different animal the only comparison for that is MTS.
> 
> - Brad


Not to be nit-picky, but most of these are NOT inert. They are not organic (if that's what you are referring to) but they contain amounts of nutrients, since they are basically clay/loam. Here is a link from some dude/ dudette that analyzed many substrates in a lab, and the nutrient contents were very interesting.

Chris, I can't compare it to AS since I have never used that, but in combo with some peat and fert sticks I get excellent plant growth out of the KL. My latest tank, the plywood thing in the garage that started its life earlier this year, just blows me away looking at the biomass that this particular substrate mix produces.

But I am repeating it again, as Joe's example shows - Special Kitty is different stuff depending on the region, and I have been lucky in that regard, but you can not assume your local KL will be a suitable planted tank substrate.


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

Wasserpest said:


> Not to be nit-picky, but most of these are NOT inert. They are not organic (if that's what you are referring to) but they contain amounts of nutrients, since they are basically clay/loam. Here is a link from some dude/ dudette that analyzed many substrates in a lab, and the nutrient contents were very interesting.



I agree it's by "some dude" I'd be more impressed by something by plantbrain, Hoppy or Left C than by some dude you found on a five second Google search to try to prove me wrong by semantics.

I do note that by "some dudes" data that none of the commonly refereed to "inert" substrates really didn't have anything that a plant could use besides Fe and maybe Mg in some cases in any real amounts so I stand by my label for all general purposes.

~

I'll take a closer look at that web page later tonight because it is interesting.

- Brad


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

Sorry for the jab Wasserpest, it was the end of the day and I was getting ready to leave the grind with to much left not done. That and anyone starting a post with _"Not to be nit-picky, but" _darn well means to be nit-picky 

Overall your probably right but it didn't add to the conversation at all, I stand by my advice and my results with my tanks. I did finally look at that webpage a bit closer and I still feel that I'm correct in using the word "inert" since I'm not wearing a white lab coat, rubber gloves, and goggles.
Most of those trace amounts other that Fe and Mg are to small for plants to use hence the reason we always recommend water column dosing.

It's best not to get to technical with people unless they start the thread at that level as probably 95% of the people with freshwater tanks do not want or need as much information as that. They just need what and how much type of directions and if they want to learn more they as about it.

- Brad


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

> Sorry for the jab Wasserpest, it was the end of the day and I was getting ready to leave the grind with to much left not done. That and anyone starting a post with _"Not to be nit-picky, but" _darn well means to be nit-picky


Not acceptable by any means. Don't post then. 



> Overall your probably right but it didn't add to the conversation at all, I stand by my advice and my results with my tanks. I did finally look at that webpage a bit closer and I still feel that I'm correct in using the word "inert" since I'm not wearing a white lab coat, rubber gloves, and goggles.


If it contains elements that will be used, then its not inert. 



> Most of those trace amounts other that Fe and Mg are to small for plants to use hence the reason we always recommend water column dosing.


Wow. Thats it huh? Water column dosing is all we do? Maybe you need to do some google searches... Perhaps have a look at El Natural, or perhaps mineralized soil.



> It's best not to get to technical with people unless they start the thread at that level as probably 95% of the people with freshwater tanks do not want or need as much information as that. They just need what and how much type of directions and if they want to learn more they as about it.


Thats the worst advice I have seen yet. Just because you claim "they don't want or need the info", does not mean it should be discounted or otherwise thrown out. People use these forums as a resource, and many members here search for answers. They may be looking for that info!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

"inert" means "won't change" (my own definition, google if you want and you'll find similar defs)

Fired clays (Flourite, SMS, Turface, etc) by that definitition are NOT inert. Not only do they contain trace in of themselves, they'll also pull nutrients from the water column and hold them in a form usable to the plants. In addition, many will impact the water column by stripping it of kH.

(If you do your research, the "dude" who did that study did a quality job, in a professional lab, though as Tom Barr does point out when discussing that study, just because there is a particular elemental content does not necessarily mean that the elements are in a form that is bioavailable to plants...)

Limestone isn't inert in an aquarium. Crushed coral isn't inert. Both will raise hardness and buffer pH.

River rock (typical aquarium gravel) and substrates such as Colorquartz (ceramic coated silicates) ARE inert.

I do think it's important to make those distinctions, because they can have a big impact on plant growth.


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