Why is there little to no info online about clay as a substrate additive???

[Rob909]

I ordered some plants online this weekend and they were delivered with “red clay”
I read about it on the website and it seemed strait-forward enough: provide iron to the red plants.
I bought a few tiger lotus bulbs so I figured it would help more than hurt.

Here’s where the major OOPS comes into play.....

How was I (a complete newbie to plants) supposed to know you need to dry the clay first?!
I made little clay pellets and dropped them into the tank, and buried them in the sand. Now, after 24 hours, and then an 80% water change, this is what the tank looks like!!
Before refilling the tank, I tried to scoop out as much of the clay I could, but the water is way too cloudy to know if I got everything for sure. I’ll do another 80% water change tomorrow if it doesn’t clear up over night and look for more clay once the water level is low enough.

 

[Ulu]

It will eventually all filter out if you keep stirring it up.

I did a planted tank with a planting mix and baked clay litter 50/50 and the plants grew particularly well for the year I had it.

 

[Rob909]

Oh okay, good to know. I was able to pull out one more piece the next day and the tank had gone from “muddy” looking, to “milky”. I did a 75% change and cleaned out the sump where a lot of it had settled. It made it all cloudy again but it cleared up much faster this time.
I’m drying out the pieces I removed and I’ll try them again in a couple days.

 

[Chris40]

Rather than take the time to dry the clay, I always just made some small cubes and froze them. Always worked like a charm!

 

[Rob909]

I assume they end up rehydrating anyways, so as long as I keep them covered with substrate, they shouldn’t stain the tank again right?

easier said than done with geos and clown loaches. It would be easier if I elected for a heavier substrate, but pool filter sand is all I put in so far.

 

[bathawk]

you could bake them I have some red clay sticks that are backed so you can push them into the substrate they do brake down after a while though.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

I don't think I've read that you're meant to bake it. But you're meant to have a fairly deep substrate so that it traps the clay under it. Looks like you have a pretty shallow substrate, not enough to keep it from escaping into the water?

 

[Rob909]

Yeah, it’s really shallow and only pool filter sand so it’s too light too.