Terrarium Substrate

You've got me. Never used it but it looks like it might work.

The ad goes on to say A LOT of things about the benefits of "sub substrate" and volcanic ash and activating bacteria. I would be careful.

May I ask why try this versus some of the others like Landen that are tested in aquarium setting? Then again, I don't know enough about terrariums to know. Perhaps @Krandall has some experience?
 
Art said:
You've got me. Never used it but it looks like it might work.

The ad goes on to say A LOT of things about the benefits of "sub substrate" and volcanic ash and activating bacteria. I would be careful.

May I ask why try this versus some of the others like Landen that are tested in aquarium setting? Then again, I don't know enough about terrariums to know. Perhaps @Krandall has some experience?
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Cheaper CEC potential? Just wondering. Not many inert substrate options with decent CEC . I know Safe T Sorb works really well, just brakes down fast.
 
Unexpected said:
Cheaper CEC potential? Just wondering. Not many inert substrate options with decent CEC . I know Safe T Sorb works really well, just brakes down fast.
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Have you used Safe T Sorb? I have and I haven’t experienced any breakdown with it. I like to use it as “grit” in my soil mixture, but I’ve seen many people use it as substrate alone.
 
Mr.Shenanagins said:
Have you used Safe T Sorb? I have and I haven’t experienced any breakdown with it. I like to use it as “grit” in my soil mixture, but I’ve seen many people use it as substrate alone.
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Never used it, just going off the internet nonsense. Would it last 5 years and come in black?
 
Unexpected said:
Never used it, just going off the internet nonsense. Would it last 5 years and come in black?
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Ahh gotcha. Lol no, afraid it doesn’t come in black unless you put it to its intended use first 😂. Can’t say how long it lasts years wise, but it IS calcined clay so it should stay solid for quite a long time. The only downside is it’s quite light and dusty so a good washing before use is necessary. Some people will sift it out to get rid of the smaller pieces, but IMO it’s not worth doing.

There is seachems black laterite but that’s gonna cost ya for a large tank.
 
@Krandall has a lot of experience with Safe T Sorb and reports it holding up well for a long time.

I have some in a tank that hasnt gotten mushy in over a year.

Putting it in mesh bags and capping it with BBDS keeps it from migrating to the surface…. It doesnt look bad in its own right, but I prefere the appearance of BDBS …

If you dont put it in bags, it doesnt take long for it to appear on top…
 
Unexpected said:
Cheaper CEC potential? Just wondering. Not many inert substrate options with decent CEC . I know Safe T Sorb works really well, just brakes down fast.
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SafeTSorb does not break down fast… in my experience, it doesn’t break down over years!

As far as this product is concerned, I would not have any faith that it was inert. One would certainly NOT want a terrarium substrate to be inert. When making a “scratch” terrarium substrate, it is pretty common to include worm castings for plant nutition. Remember, we do not need to worry about nutrients leaching into the water column in a terrarium.
 
Mr.Shenanagins said:
Ahh gotcha. Lol no, afraid it doesn’t come in black unless you put it to its intended use first 😂. Can’t say how long it lasts years wise, but it IS calcined clay so it should stay solid for quite a long time. The only downside is it’s quite light and dusty so a good washing before use is necessary. Some people will sift it out to get rid of the smaller pieces, but IMO it’s not worth doing.
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Or learn how to fill a tank without making a mess. ;) MAYBE I need to upload that article. I can put un-rinsed Safe-TSorb into a tank and have the tank completely clear on filling. And once it is wet, like most substrates, even when disturbed, the dust settles right back out, and doesn’t hang in the water for more than a few hours.
 
Pepere said:
Putting it in mesh bags and capping it with BBDS keeps it from migrating to the surface
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What is BBDS?

(And in practice, I find that layering anything tends to end in migration and mixing!)
 
Krandall said:
Or learn how to fill a tank without making a mess.
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John Krasinski GIF
 
Krandall said:
What is BBDS?
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It is a mistake actually. BDBS … Black Diamond Blasting Sand. Inert coal slag…. I prefer the aesthetics of it.

Safe T Sorb in the mesh bags I use has been contained by the bags reliably and roots enter in to the bags readily.
 
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