The Plan. will it work?

[ddavila06]

I am getting started finding stuff to set up some 20 longs to grow crypts and breed apistos.
this is my idea for substrate of at least one of the set ups:

base of natural pottery clay, worm castings around inch and half-two inches and top off with another inch or so of natural gravel.

will it work? what should i expect??? will there be an explosion of algeas???? how long until is fish safe?????

im not sure but this style is like going el-natural, isnt it?


comments, suggestions all very welcome! personal experience a big plus!

Kris, i saw on APC that you tried something similar =) did you mineralized it, boil it or just used it straight from the bag? and what were the final results?? im tempted to cover with natural small size gravel or used eco or something like that...

[krisw]

Hi Damian,

Does it work, yes, but at least with my worm castings (which I generated from my own table scraps and worm-farm) I noticed nutrient deficiencies. I still have two tanks setup with the "wormstrate" as I called it, and with them, I pretty much only dose Flourish and occasionally K as there seems to be sufficient N and P in the substrate still. I did several blog posts when I tried this out:

Has the recipe I used (a hybrid of the plain Brazilian method and Sean's soil recipe):
http://www.guitarfish.org/2008/07/22/40 ... -aquascape

Algae war:
http://www.guitarfish.org/2008/08/18/40 ... 1-month-in

Settled after 3 months:
http://www.guitarfish.org/2008/10/04/40 ... r-3-months

Of course, your mileage may vary. The biggest factor is the source of your worm castings. I knew that mine derived from 100% organic fruits/veggies in my kitchen. I knew how long it was in our worm bin. I knew that rain ran through it several times outdoors, which probably mineralized it a little bit. Who knows what you're getting in the bag from the store.

[ddavila06]

cool man! thats the article i was reading! my only concern was: was it mineralized or put straight" but after reading it a third time i realized it was outside and naturally mineralized at least some!..

so im going to use mine straight from the bag, would you suggest rinsing it or boiling it?
uhmmm....so i only need to figure out what to cap it with.. thanks a bunch!

[krisw]

I didn't boil mine, but if I were going from a bag I couldn't trust, I likely would. I believe the Brazilian method calls for boiling. Make sure to mix it with quartz sand, or it'll be too rich. I capped with old spent Aquasoil in mine, as that's what I had available. Lots of things would work fine for that.

[takadi]

Damian, if I get my hands on a 30 gallon, I will be trying something similar to this:
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.ph ... -tech-quot

[marydotson]

I'm a little late on this thread, but I wonder if you considered roasting rather than boiling to sterilize. I'm a cheapskate and can't sanction throwing out old substrate (heck, it's imported from Japan). So I put it in foil catering trays and bake it on my (outdoor) gas grill until all the water boils off + 10 minutes. That sterilizes it and while it is dry, it is easy enough to store in old kitty litter bins. I've also used it for my Walstead approach tanks with yard dirt. Overall (and maybe this is my girly side showing) its a whole lot tidier...

Btw...can I milk a few red (terrestrial) worms off anyone?

[takadi]

Mary, you are talking about red wigglers right? I'm bringing some for Mike Barber this saturday, so if you're coming I can bring some for you too. Please confirm

[marydotson]

Yes! I only need a few starter guys (the little guys multiply really fast, as I recall from the last time I kept a worm bin). Thanks so much--let me know what $ you want in return. Tonight I'll get to work scaring up a household tub to make up into a new worm bin!

[DelawareJim]

Rubbermaid. 2 bins nested with drainage holes and you're good to go. My bin cost between $5 - $10.

http://www.vermicompost.net/rubbermaid-worm-bin-plans/

Cheers.
Jim