# laterite



## robinc (Jul 15, 2014)

I'm putting together a betta tank with regular aquarium gravel for the substrate. I want a lot of plants for this tank and I read that putting laterite under the gravel will help the plants. Can anyone tell me if they've done this and how well it worked for them?


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Hi Robyn. Sorry you haven't gotten any replies to your post yet. I am working now with Leonardite, a form of laterite. I bought this about a year ago. I just opened the bag, and realized it was the same stuff the fish store is trying to sell me for 3 times as much! It is used as an organic soil activator. This comes in a 20 pound bag for about 17$. It must be washed extensively, however it is not unmanageable. If you buy the stuff from the aquarium industry, you will be talking 40$ for 10 pounds, or even 10$ for one pound depending on the manufacturer. The only difference I can see is that it is washed and bagged, sometimes with a bit of liquid in the bag. 

Okay, so what is this stuff? It is a stage in the natural evolution of coal. Both Laterite and Leonardite are a softer coal. They encourage natural formation of benificial bacteria, which is also why they are used to activate soil. Garden soil must also be "alive" and colonised by these bacteria to be of best benefit to plants. It is also not a fertilizer, but it boosts the action of fertilizer. 

My experiment has been to wash the Leonardite, and then to see if it is harmful to fish or plants. Because I have so much I do not need to cover it with anything. I was worried about the possibility that it might leak, because when you wash it, the water you remove is quite black. (When you wash it, be sure to use this runoff water to water some plants, as it is also benificial). 

The cons of any of this strata is that plants float streight out. The roots wont remain buried. I solved this problem by getting plastic craft screen used in needlepoint, and loosely tying the roots of plants to the pieces of screen with thread. Then I bury the screen pieces. I have several big radican swords in the experimental tank. 

So as far as the experiment. So far so good. I have 3 molly fry about 1/2 inch, and one large shrimp in my 5 gallon together with some plants. They look healthy to me. I had to wash it on a screen for quite some time. It was a pain. The water was a bit cloudy at first. The water took about a day to clear, but it is now crystal clear. I actually cannot believe how nice it looks. It actually looks like the fancy planted tank photos and videos you see.

So basically, my opinion would be to use it streight, unless you have some fish that like sand. I will be making a divider out of plastic or acrylic to keep a sandy area open for my sandy bottom loving fish.


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