Humu-plus Peat Substrate...

[Origami Gourami]

How do!

I inadvertantly purchased HumuPlus (Iron and Mineral) substrate from my lfs, thinking it was a bargainous box of concentrated plant food (D'oh and forehead slap).

However, a cunning plan begin to formulate in my hate-to-waste-anything mind;

Could I use it in one of the baskets in my Rena 404 as a means to get the juicy iron and mineral goodness to my plants? Obviously I'd have to put it higher in the filter trays than the activated carbon I'm guessing, but would it have any adverse effects?

I keep 10 discus in the below set-up, but I'm worried about changing the pH. Currently it is around 7.5 - 8.0; before anyone gets upset, these are UK raised discus (well, apart from two wilds) who have been fully conditioned to my local water conditions by my lfs and their supplier/breeder.

Would this be a sneaky way to drip feed nutrients to the plants in the tank?

Am I missing something obviously wrong with this plan?!

Any suggestions gratefully received!!

AtB
O.G

 

[Dubby]

I like your idea, but If you put the stuff into the filter then there is the chance that the water will get bits floating in it. It might be easier to make balls of the stuff and inserting them into your substrate. What substrate do you have at present?

 

[Origami Gourami]

Hi there,

Just regular sand, but with an armored shrimp and several catfish and plecos, the terrain gets levelled every so often!

Would a few localised peat-banks work in the same way? Sounds good...

Thanks for the idea,
O.G

 

[Themuleous]

Hi O.G

I can't say I have any experience with this although I have thought the same thing! Let us know how you get on if you do it. My only comment is that even if you place it after the carbon on your filter, it'll get removed by the carbon when the water goes though the filter again.

As far as I am aware plants take up lots of their nutrients via their roots, and I wouldn't have thought that doing it this way will give sufficient time for the nutrients to get to the root before the water is cycled through your filter again.

I’m not sure if this is right; please advise if I’m way off the mark people! But just a thought.

Sam

 

[Origami Gourami]

Good point Sam, I hadn't thought of it in that way. Seems unless the peat is under the plant it'll just get absorbed by the carbon before it can do any good...

It makes sense how you describe it.

Anyone tried it with truimphant success or catastrophic failure?!



O.G