Cat litter clay type

[Mortis]

Im in Bombay and I know a couple of guys who are going to set up planted tanks soon on a budget who I am helping out. So I started searching for cat litter since you guys have had good results with it. I managed to find only 3 types/brands and none of them are moler clay based

1] Bentonite, unscented in the form of tiny while 3-4mm balls

2] Natural bentonite 1-4mm brown chips/granules and lightly scented

3] Natural montmorillionite 1-4mm brown chips granules and unscented

Im guessing the first one is out because I cant say for sure how its been processed and what else it might contain. Its quite solid though

Both the others are quite solid and uncrushable by hand through the bag [ I tried lol]. I was just wondering out of bentonite and montmorillionite which would be "better" ? The CEC would be the most important thing in this case right ?
Are any of the cat litters used on the forum bentonite or montmorillionite based ? Are either prone to becoming mud after a while in the water ?
How do I process the scented one for use, just wash multiple times until the smell goes ?

Can cat litter be enriched by soaking in a solution of micros ?

I also found another interesting fert for terrestial plants that is a mixture of humic acid and seaweed extract adsorbed onto montmorillionite granules. Think its safe to try ?

 

[ceg4048]

Any of these will work. Obviously, choose the heavier of the three because that will cause less headaches. They are all basically the same family of clay and they have similar CEC. Just about all cat litter is Bentonite/montmorillionite except for the "non-clumping" ones which can be made of other mineral types such as zeolite.

The CEC will vary depending on the mineral content as well as how it's handled or processed and also what things it is combined with. In any case, the CEC will be on the higher end, so really it's better to just select the product which has the color you prefer, the higher rigidity and the heftier weight.

If you add nutrients to the water column the clay will also transfer this to the roots. If you can find a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote you can lay that at the bottom, but I wouldn't waste time soaking it, just dose the water column and get on with it. Aquatic plants feed from the leaves 10X or even 100X more efficiently than roots.

Cheers,

 

[Steve Smith]

Interested to know, is there any issues with them being scented?

 

[ceg4048]

Yeah, probably the tank will smell like scented kitty litter for a while. Maybe soak the lot in a bucket for some days/weeks and change the water often. If unscented is available that would be a better choice generally.

Cheers,

 

[Henry]

The best way to remove the scent is to wash it in small batches in a sieve. Washing it in a large amount in a bucket takes considerably longer, the smell seems to linger.

Check bonsai websites for fine grade moler clay. I got 30l for £11 plus delivery. Best thing I've ever bought for my tanks!

 

[Mortis]

We are suffering from a water shortage in my state so Ill stick to the unscented and conserve the water. With the scented would putting it in a bucket with a powehead and a bag of activated carbon help ?