Hi guys,

I'm hopefully setting up my 33 gal. soon. I originally planned ADA Aqua Soil/EI but have recently been tempted by the new Tropica Aquacare range.

Their substrate sounds similar to AS (clay-based) except it's used as a base layer topped with plain gravel. Migration won't be an issue as I'm going for a low maintenance layout i.e. Crypts, C helferi, moss, ferns etc. Here's a link - Tropica

Their original TMG has been replaced with Aquacare Plant Nutrition but they now also produce Nutrition+ that contains N and P. This sounds ideal for a low maintenance set-up like mine where there's no great demand for water column nutrients.

Any thoughts?

I think that's pretty cool-- my only concern would be the roughness of normal gravel, and how I think that plant roots get less damaged (at initial planting) when using substrates like AS/Florabase. Incidentally, the damage caused to roots during planting is also why I'm a bit turned off by Flourite-- and being that Florabase can cause weird stuff, AS it is for me. XD

I think this is pretty cool though George, I'd just be careful in choosing the gravel to top it with. Maybe mix something with both large and small grains . . .

BTW-- can't be bothered with maintaining stem plants?

I do have some great inert stuff. Black quartz, no sharp edges, 1-3mm grain size, easy to work with. You've seen my previous layout, I used it then over Dennerle Deponit. Worked a treat, glosso full-carpet in a month with only 2wpg T8.

Interestingly PFK magazine want me to review their new product line so I'll be giving it a shot (it's free!) I've been in contact with Tropica's product development guy and he's given me some good info on it and answered some "awkward" questions too. A really helpful guy actually. I'll post some more tech. info later.

Needs must I'm afraid. Two young children, dog, high-maintenance wife, career, writing, forums........... I need 30 hour days.

Haha, I can understand dude. That quartz sounds great-- I can never find useful dark colored innert gravels at stores. Maybe I have bad luck.

If you can provide more info, that would be great, I'll be hanging out with the Tropica and Karen Crowd and taking them around to the Bay area for the AGA conference this Nov. So I'll plenty of time to figure most things out there and try to forge a strong connection and shipping/business relationship, we need something to counter ADA in the USA as far as a product line.

Regards,
Tom Barr

My pleasure Tom. And perhaps you could share some of your scientific understanding with regards some of the biochemistry etc. Not my strong point I'm afraid.


I asked how the substrate could remove nutrients from the water and apparently help prevent algae.

Answer (paraphrased) - The clay particles in the substrate are positively charged with cations (typically with K+, H+, Ca2+ etc.) - these cations can be exchanged, so that the clay particle can take up for example an ammonium (NH4+). The plants can through their roots release H+ to the clay particles and instead take a K+ or an NH4+.

What I understand from this is that, for example, ammonium that we know is a big algae trigger (20x more than NO3) is converted by the substrate by releasing the H+.

Another thing that was mentioned is suffering plants release nutrients from their cells into the water, and this can cause the algae.

So does this mean that even plant deficient of nutrients or light ("suffering") release their own store of nutrients? Why is this? Is is CO2 related? i.e. low CO2 starves the plants, especially in high light, causing the suffering and therefore the release in the stored nutrients. The plants don't grow leaving the algae to instead.

My last question related to the actual bottles of the new AquaCare Plant Nutrition+. Is the NP seperated from the other nutrients? I understood that Fe and PO4 oxidise when mixed in solution.

Answer - The bottle only has one section, and it contains also K2PO4 as P-source, while N comes from NH4NO3.

Clay does make for a good CEC product, Cation exchange capacity.
ADa uses it as well and Seachem etc, this allows the transfer of nutrients, but does it actively lock enough nutrients out of the water column to achieve this in terms of algae control?

No.

Will it reduce nutrients vs sand? Yes.
What happens if the exchnage sites are all full after some time?
Things like this will make a difference.

Stressed plants will leak a lot. Healthy plants tend to leak duifferent compounds, less N, more carbs. Stressed plants have many issues that are lacking in terms of NH4 uptake also.

Odd they used NH4NO3 instead of KNO3.
That is likely mightly diluted.

Otherwise some clown will add way too much and kill their fish.
NO3 vs NH4 is more like 200X or more in terms of algae inducement.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Any Pics of the substrate?

Regards,
Tom Barr

No proper pics yet. Here's the most we can get without asking them direct - http://www.tropica.com/pdf/aquacare/...ide_uk_web.pdf

I think I'm going for a 2cm layer (2x recommended) topped with 4cm+ of quartz.

Interesting on the NH4NO3. Perhaps KNO3 and KH2PO4 seperate would be safer then? I was just thinking of the easier all-in-one dosing.

Is the NH4NO3 also likely to induce algae with mainly slow growers?

Well, Tropica fiolks will be here for the AGA conference and I'm taking them and Ole out to see some aquatic weeds.

I'll ask for product samples etc and see if they bring some for us to view.
TMG is wildly popular here and has been for decade or longer.

I still use it.

Regards,
Tom Barr