O'Neil
Member
Alastair said:
Excellent Kitty Litter it is, thanks Alastair
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Cat litter
- Thread starter foxfish
- Start date
Excellent Kitty Litter it is, thanks Alastair
A
Antipofish
Guest
logi-cat said:
shouldn't do it is meant to be inert.
hi all
in an earlier post Darrel mentoned the use of growmore in with the catlitter, i am planning on stripping down my 350l jewel and wanted to use the cl, the tank is well stocked and reasonably planted (but no real healthy growth) any idea how much growmore i would need to add to the cl? and if i used growmore would i need to use any other ferts? i do hope to start using liquid co2 as soon as possible if this would be seen as beneficial.
i am very new to planted (but not garden plants) tanks so any advice would be great.
thanks
michael
in an earlier post Darrel mentoned the use of growmore in with the catlitter, i am planning on stripping down my 350l jewel and wanted to use the cl, the tank is well stocked and reasonably planted (but no real healthy growth) any idea how much growmore i would need to add to the cl? and if i used growmore would i need to use any other ferts? i do hope to start using liquid co2 as soon as possible if this would be seen as beneficial.
i am very new to planted (but not garden plants) tanks so any advice would be great.
thanks
michael
Hi all,
I don't think this will be a problem in practice, if you soak your cat litter in tap water it will pick up Ca2+ and carbonate ions from the tap water. Some more details in the Akadama thread <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/search.php?keywords=darrel&t=741&sf=msgonly>
cheers Darrel
Potentially it can, this is because it has some cation/anion exchange capacity. If the cation exchange sites are full of H+ ions, these will be swapped for Ca2+ etc ions from the tank water an the pH may fall (acids are defined as "H+ ion donors").
I don't think this will be a problem in practice, if you soak your cat litter in tap water it will pick up Ca2+ and carbonate ions from the tap water. Some more details in the Akadama thread <http://www.ukaps.org/forum/search.php?keywords=darrel&t=741&sf=msgonly>
cheers Darrel
Hi all,
I'll have a a go at the "Growmore" questions as well. You don't need very much, because of the CEC of the substrate. Have a look at some of the pictures on the forum of people adding Osmocote to their substrate.
"Growmore" is NPK, 7:7:7 (as the 2 oxides) and moderately slow release so a much cheaper and fairly similar option to the bonsai fertiliser. It doesn't include the other elements required for plant growth (Mg, Fe, etc) so isn't a complete replacement for Osmocote or fertilizing the water column.
Because the NPK "7:7:7" is N😛2O5:K2O this gives us:
NO3 =N(14) O(16+16+16) = 62, 62\14 = 4.4 = 4.4 x 7 = ~ 30ppm NO3.
P2 (31+31) + O5 (16+16+16+16+16) = (62) + (78) = RMM 140 = 62/140 = 44.3% P so ~ 3ppm P rather than 7.
K(39+39) + O(16) = 78/94 = 83% K so ~ 6ppm K.
You could supplement the N and K with KNO3 (supplies both, but more K than N), or KCl and Epsom salts (MgSO4.7H2O) for Mg, but you would still need iron EDTA and micro-elements from one of our sponsors. I'll ignore phosphorus because it is added to UK tap water, and will be bound to the cat litter fairly strongly.
The other option is an "all in one" solution dosed at a lower rate.
cheers Darrel
I'll have a a go at the "Growmore" questions as well. You don't need very much, because of the CEC of the substrate. Have a look at some of the pictures on the forum of people adding Osmocote to their substrate.
"Growmore" is NPK, 7:7:7 (as the 2 oxides) and moderately slow release so a much cheaper and fairly similar option to the bonsai fertiliser. It doesn't include the other elements required for plant growth (Mg, Fe, etc) so isn't a complete replacement for Osmocote or fertilizing the water column.
Because the NPK "7:7:7" is N😛2O5:K2O this gives us:
NO3 =N(14) O(16+16+16) = 62, 62\14 = 4.4 = 4.4 x 7 = ~ 30ppm NO3.
P2 (31+31) + O5 (16+16+16+16+16) = (62) + (78) = RMM 140 = 62/140 = 44.3% P so ~ 3ppm P rather than 7.
K(39+39) + O(16) = 78/94 = 83% K so ~ 6ppm K.
You could supplement the N and K with KNO3 (supplies both, but more K than N), or KCl and Epsom salts (MgSO4.7H2O) for Mg, but you would still need iron EDTA and micro-elements from one of our sponsors. I'll ignore phosphorus because it is added to UK tap water, and will be bound to the cat litter fairly strongly.
The other option is an "all in one" solution dosed at a lower rate.
cheers Darrel
Morgan Freeman
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- 16 Aug 2010
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- 631
Is it possible to pre soak cat litter in nutrient rich water to give it some nutrient value? I'm not setting a tank up for a few months but figured I could leave it in a bucket somewhere.
A
Antipofish
Guest
Morgan Freeman said:
Absolutely but you would still need to do water changes. Best idea if you have the time would be to do several water changes to get rid of any unwanted odour from the cat litter. Then start to soak it in nutrient rich water. Cat litter (assuming you get the right one) is essentially clay and is meant to have a reasonable CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) making it suitable for absorbing nutrients.
Having said all that, Im no fan of the stuff as you can tell from the early pages in my main journal, lol.
LancsRick
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- 18 Apr 2012
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- 682
What I've found from my 2 months of using cat litter is that if you've got the luxury of prepping it in advance, you could definitely reduce the mess it makes!
- Rinse it through thoroughly in a sieve on day 1, until the water runs clear
- Leave soaking for weeks
- Agitate and change water (I was back to producing red dust water at this stage, maybe it would be viable to re-sieve it?)
The perfume is generally easily taken care of by a single rinse at the start, and is gone long before the water stops being red.
The pros are how cheap it is, but there's no doubt it's a right pain to stop floating when you're planting.
- Rinse it through thoroughly in a sieve on day 1, until the water runs clear
- Leave soaking for weeks
- Agitate and change water (I was back to producing red dust water at this stage, maybe it would be viable to re-sieve it?)
The perfume is generally easily taken care of by a single rinse at the start, and is gone long before the water stops being red.
The pros are how cheap it is, but there's no doubt it's a right pain to stop floating when you're planting.
sr20det
Member
Agree with Lancs.
I washed it until it was crystall clear, then left for a few days to dry out, then washed it again, throughly, once dry, it would relase a little cloudiness on washing again. Did this daily, left to dry over night, for a week, and then left to soak for another week, washing it again, and re-soaking wth fresh water every 2-3 days, and after two weeks it was brill.
Bit of a PITA, but again at the price, I am not complaining. I think it looks nice too
I washed it until it was crystall clear, then left for a few days to dry out, then washed it again, throughly, once dry, it would relase a little cloudiness on washing again. Did this daily, left to dry over night, for a week, and then left to soak for another week, washing it again, and re-soaking wth fresh water every 2-3 days, and after two weeks it was brill.
Bit of a PITA, but again at the price, I am not complaining. I think it looks nice too
Morgan Freeman
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Setting up my first cat litter scape, feels much like a lightweight eco complete.
A
Antipofish
Guest
Morgan Freeman said:
And smells like a Tarts boudoir ! LOL. Dont forget to wash it, then wash it again, and again, and again, and again......
Morgan Freeman
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- 631
Antipofish said:
It makes me want to puke. God awful smell.
I,ve just finished planting up a 4ft cat litter tank... its light, painfully light. It took 13 hours and nearly sent me to the asylem. If any more rise up from where i planted the i think i may cry 🙁
i hate using it, but rock wool saved the day.
good luck and i hope for your sake you have a small tank!
cheers
i hate using it, but rock wool saved the day.
good luck and i hope for your sake you have a small tank!
cheers
Morgan Freeman
Member
- Joined
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- Messages
- 631
No problems with planting so far! Same as ADA or EcoComplete.
Like many things in life - It is all about technique!
There is a certain way to grip the plants with your forceps & a certain way to wiggle them into the substrate.....
Bear in mind, thousands of folk can do this successfully so it must be possible?
There is a certain way to grip the plants with your forceps & a certain way to wiggle them into the substrate.....
Bear in mind, thousands of folk can do this successfully so it must be possible?
A
Antipofish
Guest
Lol foxfish I think "thousands" might be an exaggeration of the number of people using cat litter as a planted substrate.
Also, I think its fair to say that its more difficult for newbies to planting to grasp planting in this stuff than someone who has been planting a while. I hated the stuff when I tried it. Having been in the planted side of the hobby and done my fair share of planting now, i am confident I would find it a lot easier.
That said, I will never change my opinion of it. Its horrid, flyaway stuff thats a pain in the proverbial to get properly clean and I can think of nothing worse than using it as a first substrate.
Also, I think its fair to say that its more difficult for newbies to planting to grasp planting in this stuff than someone who has been planting a while. I hated the stuff when I tried it. Having been in the planted side of the hobby and done my fair share of planting now, i am confident I would find it a lot easier.
That said, I will never change my opinion of it. Its horrid, flyaway stuff thats a pain in the proverbial to get properly clean and I can think of nothing worse than using it as a first substrate.
