Aquatic pond compost.

[G H Nelson]

Hi gang@ukaps
Is aquatic pond compost a viable substitute to other plant media/substrate for a planted aquarium?
Or does it have different fertilizers? Or are other ferts/traces added or removed?
I know there is grit added to weight the compost down.Or could the whole thing get messy
Just a thought :idea:
Cheers
hoggie

 

[BigTom]

I've seen MicracleGro aquatic compost used a few times in el natural setups... the exact contents of a particular bag of compost will probably vary quite a lot in terms of nutrient ratios, added fertilisers, amount of assorted crap, bits of wood, etc.

Personally I'd go for something as lean as possible when using compost in a planted tank (I used a John Innes mix in mine, forget which one exactly).

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi Tom
Cheers
Do you top the compost with substrate?
hoggie

 

[BigTom]

I cut the compost 50/50 with sand then capped with pure sand, but I've seen some tanks that are literally just soil from the back garden... you're bugggered if you ever want to move stuff around if you do that though.

 

[G H Nelson]

I cut the compost 50/50 with sand then capped with pure sand, but I've seen some tanks that are literally just soil from the back garden... you're buggered if you ever want to move stuff around if you do that though.

Very interesting
hoggie