Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 2:36 pm Post subject: Can laterite be added in a 2 week old setup
Hi all,
I have a 12 gallon planted setup, 2 weeks old, with a 36W 6500K PLL & a regular dose of liquid fertilisers. As of now, my plants are in an ok state, except that I do see shedded leaves here & there which even my rosy barbs might be nipping. Off late, after reading a lot, I found that adding laterite is a good thing. So, would like to know whether at this stage, should I add it ? If yes, then how. My current gravel layer is around 3 inches.
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:04 pm Post subject: Re: Can laterite be added in a 2 week old setup
Rip your tank apart and start all over again. Plants need proper lighting. You have to increase it.
Remember just Laterite will not be enough. You have to add nutrient rich red soil, then laterite and then your gravel to hold everything down.
Plants will live in any substrate for some time only. They use up the nutrients stored in the roots and/or stems. When the stored nutrients are exhausted they turn yellowish, fade and then slowly die.
Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:10 pm Post subject: Re: Can laterite be added in a 2 week old setup
Thanks Trevor. Well, that is something I would hate to do it though its my mistake. Anyways, elsewhere, in one of the forums I read that you get laterite nudgets which you can place near the roots. The downside is, you got to do this once in 2 months or so to replenish it. Any thoughts ?
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: Can laterite be added in a 2 week old setup
As per Trevor's advice, am finally prepared to start all over again & rip apart the tank. Just for curiosity sake, I called up my LFS & told him abt the current state of my plants. He asked me to get pictures of them & was also mentioning abt some fertiliser called Volcano soil. But he warned me that its a hassle to implement it & takes arnd a week to settle. Also, its prone to fungus & might kill any livestock.
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