akadama

[Nick16]

hi, can it be crushed into a more of a powder? i want a fine substrate for my next tank and i have some jbl aquabasis but want to cap it with something, i have masses of akadama so i was wondering if i could mash it up a bit. or would that be a bad idea? its only a small tank so i wont need much.

 

[Themuleous]

I don't see why not? It might make it uber messy if you have to move stuff around but it should work the same I would think. If you do, let me know how you get on, I had this exact thought the other day 🙂

Sam

 

[Nick16]

yeah, it may be a week or three before i actually get round do setting it up but i will see how i go. thinking about it a powder may not be the best option but if i can at leat crush it a bit that will be fine. might get a rolling pin, put the akadama in a clear bag, tie a knot and roll it a couple of times, then our the stuff into a bucket and repeat the process.

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh sounds about right 🙂

Sam

 

[Stu Worrall]

ive found that when you crush akadama it just turns to dust rather than smaller pieces 🙁

 

[Themuleous]

ADA do a power form of their substrate 🙂

Sam

 

[Nick16]

but
1) ADA is expensive
2) i have about 14 kg's of akadama so its in plentiful supply!

i might just leave it how it is or just leave the jbl aquabasis uncapped.

 

[Themuleous]

Oh right sorry I mislead you. I meant, if ADA do a power substrate then power akadama must work too! 🙂

Sam

 

[Ed Seeley]

Why not try crushing it gently and then seiving the resulting bits to get rid of the very fine dust like bits while keeping the slightly larger bits? I've never tried it but it might work well.

 

[Nick16]

yeah i might give it ago. what shall i do with the dust? mix it with compost for my house plants? 😀

 

[Ed Seeley]

yeah i might give it ago. what shall i do with the dust? mix it with compost for my house plants? 😀

Why not? Can't hurt! You could always put it in the base mixture in the tank with the slightly larger stuff on top.