TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk
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I found this website a while back when I first found out about laterite, and I have to say that the red dirt in the first picture looks alot like the clay stuff pic that I posted earlier.
Everything about laterite
I just want to know if the stuff that I have is laterite, since I haven't been able to find any retail seller that carries the stuff around here.
Joel
Everything about laterite
I just want to know if the stuff that I have is laterite, since I haven't been able to find any retail seller that carries the stuff around here.
Joel
Mindmaze,
From the website link you provided...
"The differences, however, between different kinds of laterite are very big. Not every red soil constitutes laterite and by far not every laterite is suitable for aquaristic conditions.
The degree of oxidisation of the different kinds of laterite varies a lot as well. Laterite can be so 'stony' that plant roots are incapable of dissolving iron and other nutrients from it. When searching for the right laterite one therefore has to look out for a specific grain structure of the laterite. Furthermore, the chemical composition of laterite also has to be checked and tuned exactly to the requirements of the aquarium. Important in this context, too, is the correct chemical balance between iron and the remaining trace elements, e.g. manganese, zinc, tin, copper as well as the important macro nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. The pH-value has to be right as well."
So if you really want to use the stuff in your backyard, I would suggest doing a chemical analysis before testing on your plants. Otherwise, your plants might die.
From the website link you provided...
"The differences, however, between different kinds of laterite are very big. Not every red soil constitutes laterite and by far not every laterite is suitable for aquaristic conditions.
The degree of oxidisation of the different kinds of laterite varies a lot as well. Laterite can be so 'stony' that plant roots are incapable of dissolving iron and other nutrients from it. When searching for the right laterite one therefore has to look out for a specific grain structure of the laterite. Furthermore, the chemical composition of laterite also has to be checked and tuned exactly to the requirements of the aquarium. Important in this context, too, is the correct chemical balance between iron and the remaining trace elements, e.g. manganese, zinc, tin, copper as well as the important macro nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. The pH-value has to be right as well."
So if you really want to use the stuff in your backyard, I would suggest doing a chemical analysis before testing on your plants. Otherwise, your plants might die.
It appears as though little 'ol Greg has the laterlite uperhand now... Bwaha...
I have a Pet-cetera besdie my work, Big Al's Aquarium Services a little ways away (its GREAT... they sell plant stuff too, i havent been there sicne i've been ineterested in CPs though), and Petsmart...
What kinds of neps benefit most from laterlite soils?? Merriliana for one... I know that one, any othersthough?
I have a Pet-cetera besdie my work, Big Al's Aquarium Services a little ways away (its GREAT... they sell plant stuff too, i havent been there sicne i've been ineterested in CPs though), and Petsmart...
What kinds of neps benefit most from laterlite soils?? Merriliana for one... I know that one, any othersthough?
Laterite can enhance the coloration of some species of Nepenthes. In addition to merrilliana,
I've also used it on N. sanguinea. Here's the story: I have a very beautiful red sanguinea,
which produces pitchers that are glorious. You can see a photo of it on my website, on the
page devoted to the species. Anyway, after a number of years, the plant was only producing
yellowish-green pitchers; the color was gone. So, suspecting that the change was due
to depletion of minerals in the compost, I repotted the plant in a mix containing the laterite
granules I wrote of in a previous post. After a few months, the plant once again produced
pitchers which were as richly colored as ever.... No kidding!
I've also used it on N. sanguinea. Here's the story: I have a very beautiful red sanguinea,
which produces pitchers that are glorious. You can see a photo of it on my website, on the
page devoted to the species. Anyway, after a number of years, the plant was only producing
yellowish-green pitchers; the color was gone. So, suspecting that the change was due
to depletion of minerals in the compost, I repotted the plant in a mix containing the laterite
granules I wrote of in a previous post. After a few months, the plant once again produced
pitchers which were as richly colored as ever.... No kidding!
Mindmaze, don't you have at least a Petsmart someplace nearby (seems like they're everywhere)? They sell a 22 oz and 44 oz size box of laterite that's sold for planted aquaria.Look near the aquarium plant fertilizers. It's been a while since I bought any (never tried it on my Neps but I sure will next repotting) so I don't recall the price but it's somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 for the larger box.
Any dedicated fish store worth their weight will be able to sell you some. You might also make a substitute and use the planted aquarium gravel called "Flourite" which is basically the same as laterite-only in 3-5mm size granules (a bit larger than laterite granules) it's made of fractured porus clay granules which contain natural Iron (and possibly other trace minerals) in it. Flourite is 7KG for $20 (it's enough to fill a 10 gallon tank bottom 2" deep).
I've been using a balanced aquarium plant fertilizer called Yamato Green to give my Neps trace minerals (there's a quick interview with it's creator on my natural-aquarium site but it revolves around it's use for aquarium plants). I haven't had a yellow leaf yet and plenty of nice colors on the pitchers too.
Good luck!
Any dedicated fish store worth their weight will be able to sell you some. You might also make a substitute and use the planted aquarium gravel called "Flourite" which is basically the same as laterite-only in 3-5mm size granules (a bit larger than laterite granules) it's made of fractured porus clay granules which contain natural Iron (and possibly other trace minerals) in it. Flourite is 7KG for $20 (it's enough to fill a 10 gallon tank bottom 2" deep).
I've been using a balanced aquarium plant fertilizer called Yamato Green to give my Neps trace minerals (there's a quick interview with it's creator on my natural-aquarium site but it revolves around it's use for aquarium plants). I haven't had a yellow leaf yet and plenty of nice colors on the pitchers too.
Good luck!
dangit SWORDS! You are always beating me to the punch!
I have used both lateralite and Flourite substrates in my aquariums, and found flourite to be superior...
when I can, I plan on re-potting my merriliana with some flourite in it's soil...
here is a link to my favorite aquatic plants store, and it should go to their lateralite/flourite page.
http://www.azgardens.com/ (Or not!
I have used both lateralite and Flourite substrates in my aquariums, and found flourite to be superior...
when I can, I plan on re-potting my merriliana with some flourite in it's soil...
here is a link to my favorite aquatic plants store, and it should go to their lateralite/flourite page.
http://www.azgardens.com/ (Or not!
I have AZGardens bookmarked already!
I've never ordered aquatics by mail cos World of Fish gets a great variety a few times a month (I got some Utricularia by accident from them) but it takes me to tell em how to grow the stuff sometimes (plants such as glossostigma elatinoides, hairgrass, etc) to get them to be sucessful with some of it. I was offered a job but they unfortunatley can't pay what I need.
Yeah, I hate using Laterite clay in an aquarium due to the orange cloud it produces if it accidentally get stirred up (when uprooting plants, etc) Flourite (once settled) is just like gravel. I like replanting and pruning my tanks a lot so I need non-cloudy stuff.
I've never ordered aquatics by mail cos World of Fish gets a great variety a few times a month (I got some Utricularia by accident from them) but it takes me to tell em how to grow the stuff sometimes (plants such as glossostigma elatinoides, hairgrass, etc) to get them to be sucessful with some of it. I was offered a job but they unfortunatley can't pay what I need.
Yeah, I hate using Laterite clay in an aquarium due to the orange cloud it produces if it accidentally get stirred up (when uprooting plants, etc) Flourite (once settled) is just like gravel. I like replanting and pruning my tanks a lot so I need non-cloudy stuff.
