Re: Tank setup problem - Kitty litter substrate "puffing up"

[John Sankey]

I've always been curious about the advice to use kitty litter in
aquaria. It's a totally uncontrolled product - there are no
standards for it at all. Some include glues to make the stuff
clump when wet, others contain unmentioned stuff to allow it to
soak up liquid better, others chemicals to deactivate our sense
of smell ... Further, it's intended to be disposed of after use,
not used for anything else. It can contain absolutely anything!

Personally I buy only things that are rated fish safe. Even then
I still get stung occasionally (like the Jungle Labs fungal
treatment I just used that cleared the fish fungus fine but
killed off all the Brazilian elodea while leaving other plants
untouched!)

[Mister Gardener]

On 9 Apr 2006 11:55:39 GMT, (John Sankey)
wrote:

>I've always been curious about the advice to use kitty litter in
>aquaria. It's a totally uncontrolled product - there are no
>standards for it at all. Some include glues to make the stuff
>clump when wet, others contain unmentioned stuff to allow it to
>soak up liquid better, others chemicals to deactivate our sense
>of smell ... Further, it's intended to be disposed of after use,
>not used for anything else. It can contain absolutely anything!
>
>Personally I buy only things that are rated fish safe. Even then
>I still get stung occasionally (like the Jungle Labs fungal
>treatment I just used that cleared the fish fungus fine but
>killed off all the Brazilian elodea while leaving other plants
>untouched!)

It is sometimes difficult to find, but kitty litter with no additives,
no clumping powers, no perfumes, no nothing, just pure clay, works
well as a poor person's laterite.

-- Mister Gardener

[fa]

hi
kitty litter can work extremely well..... i really didn't want this to
be about that
this is a kitty litter without additives that's been tried many times
this particular brand especially
it's just clay, no additives....... in most cases, the very cheap kinds
of unscented non-clumping litter are just plain clay
you can even check the archives of this group or read at the Krib etc
etc you can read about it
it works well for gardening as well - instead of perlite or clay balls

[[email protected]]

There does not need to be much control, it's simply clay if you get
unscented etc.
I've used it with great success back in the mid to late 1990's.
Clay is the cheapest absorbant around so that's why it's been used to
clean up oil spills, cat waste etc.

The water absorption is normal. The cloudiness tends to go away after a
day or 2.
I do not suggest adding Jobes, you can, but if they pull uprooted
plants, you can plan on an algae bloom soon afetr unless a large water
change is done asap.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[fa]

thanks - i'm going to try rinsing and restarting it with half the
litter that's in there now - i think i'll leave the jobe's in and see
what happens - although some of it will most certainly be scooped out

[markkhenry]

I've consistently been analytical about the admonition to use backing clutter in aquaria. It's a absolutely amoral artefact - there are no standards for it at all. Some cover glues to accomplish the stuff clump if wet, others accommodate unmentioned being to acquiesce it to soak up aqueous better, others chemicals to conciliate our sense of that appears to smell.