# manado in the UK



## Nick16 (17 Aug 2009)

hi guys, it has now hit our shores. 

proof.... 
http://www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk...jbl-manado-25l-planting-substrate-p-4923.html

not bad for a 25L bag.
if anyone does buy it, i would love to know what they think, take lots of pics before it goes in the tank and after.


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## aaronnorth (17 Aug 2009)

never heard of it  

does it need capping then? not a bad price...


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## George Farmer (17 Aug 2009)

Check it out - viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6316

Looks like it's nutrient-free with good CEC, so dosing the water column would be necessary in high-energy setups.  

Pity JBL still don't do a liquid NPK product.

The CEC can't be very high though (like Akadama and Aqua Soil), otherwise it would reduce hardness and pH.

Sounds very similar to Unipac's Aquaclay Ground, but with a nicer colour.

It's price is attractive and worth considering if you're happy with a 'sterile' substrate.


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## zig (17 Aug 2009)

It says "nutrient medium" so maybe it is nutrient rich, but with what who knows. Great price if it is, for 25l.


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## George Farmer (17 Aug 2009)

Just remembered this -

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6316

I'm pretty sure it's nutrient-free.  However, it's CEC will allow it to obtain nutrients from the water.

Great price, for sure.


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## zig (17 Aug 2009)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Just remembered this -
> 
> viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6316
> 
> ...



Aw yes the search function  Pity, they would clean up if it did, although the label is highly misleading. Still good addition, might try it myself.


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## Nick16 (17 Aug 2009)

i think it would be a good alternative to tanks with akadama as a substrate. 
its worth a try i guess.


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## CeeJay (17 Aug 2009)

Hi all
Just a pity about the following quote in the ad. 
"Prevents algae growth as it absorbs excess fertilizer out of the water".  

Never mind eh  

Chris


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## Mark Evans (22 Aug 2009)

i've just received my trial bag form JBL so I'll get some images up shortly


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## Mark Evans (23 Aug 2009)

ok, as promised an image of the JBL substrate.

this is the only thing I can supply regards to info as i've not used it in a set up yet. The phone is there for scale






To the touch, it's quite rough, more than ordinary gravel. not the clay like feel you get from NS or AS, but then it does a different job.


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## zig (23 Aug 2009)

Thanks for the photo, thats helpful. So this stuff would probably scratch the glass if you were not careful. The grain size also seems quite small.


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## Mark Evans (23 Aug 2009)

zig said:
			
		

> So this stuff would probably scratch the glass if you were not careful. The grain size also seems quite small.



yeah, I'd be careful, more so than AS or NS which can be thrown about a bit. 

it's very fine indeed, probably a winner for HC and fine rooters.


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## JamesM (23 Aug 2009)

Chuck some in a glass of water and see how long it takes to settle and clear bud...


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## Mark Evans (23 Aug 2009)

JamesM said:
			
		

> Chuck some in a glass of water and see how long it takes to settle and clear bud...



done!...approx 1 second to clear. IMO/E any substrate will be clear if you fill slow enough and in the correct manner.

it's pretty clean. 

going back to the scratching, I guess it's no different to using normal gravels which you'd have to be careful with. 

anyway, I'll be setting up a 35 litre with a JBL substrate system so should be able to report back in a few weeks


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## CeeJay (24 Aug 2009)

Hi

Nice one saintly, thanks for sharing

Chris


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## Mark Evans (25 Aug 2009)

chrisr01 said:
			
		

> Nice one saintly, thanks for sharing



i was the type to give my last sweet at school   

rolo anybody?


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