So I was actually looking out of curiosity for high CEC substrates when I just figured that if filter media like zeolite or carbon are used to absorb (or adsorb) ions from the water column and purify it, then it should actually be extremely high in CEC and probably be better than baked clay products or even soils for substrates. Then I was looking into pool filter sands as an unrelated thing and found this
http://www.amazon.com/Zeobest-Sand-Alte ... B003ZTGUFC
Could this be the dream substrate?
Zeolite sand - pool filter sand's awesome cousin?
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Ghazanfar Ghori
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I'm sure you tracked it down but I had to look to understand, http://www.northernfiltermedia.com/zeobest.html
Very interesting:
Not all zeolites were created equal. Unlike other filter media that may or may not be the same, zeolite filter media vary greatly from one zeolite filter media to another. ZEOBEST excels in every attribute of a high quality zeolite filter media. Our large homogeneous deposit produces ZEOBEST that contains 90% (+/- 5%) clinoptilite, has a CEC rating if 1.2 to 1.8+ meg./gram, and a surface area of 1,357 square yards per ounce
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Very interesting:
Not all zeolites were created equal. Unlike other filter media that may or may not be the same, zeolite filter media vary greatly from one zeolite filter media to another. ZEOBEST excels in every attribute of a high quality zeolite filter media. Our large homogeneous deposit produces ZEOBEST that contains 90% (+/- 5%) clinoptilite, has a CEC rating if 1.2 to 1.8+ meg./gram, and a surface area of 1,357 square yards per ounce
.
Sincerely,
Tim
Tim
Wow okay. Look what I found
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.ph ... -tech-quot
Probably enough proof that it works right?
I'm setting up a new low tech tank soon, will probably use this stuff as a cap with MTS underneath. If it works well, I'll probably replace the sand pit I currently have made from crappy petco stuff (it grows absolutely nothing!) with this
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.ph ... -tech-quot
Probably enough proof that it works right?
I'm setting up a new low tech tank soon, will probably use this stuff as a cap with MTS underneath. If it works well, I'll probably replace the sand pit I currently have made from crappy petco stuff (it grows absolutely nothing!) with this
Read that thread some more and granted, he does have a very extensive EI treatment plus some osmocote/wormcastings helping him out. My question is would he have gotten the same results with a completely inert material like regular pool filter sand, not to mention a 3-6 inch layer of it? In my opinion, I think the CEC at least helped out with initial algae outbreaks that I think would have been inevitable with the soil and organics in the substrate if he had used something inert
