After reading a gas spectrometer analysis of MM I have determined that there may be better sources of base material, that is to say material containing lesser amounts of undesirable elements such as Al. Looking into this further, most soils all across the US are difficient in nutrients of one form or another and high in others, so to think there is a magic spot that has soils that can meet all the requirements for coral I don't believe exists.
The primary goal for the soil then changes from supplying all the micronutirents nessesary to denitrification. Hopefully without adding anthing harmfull in the process. Since the disolution of minerals is quite low for most elements, only free ions tied up by the cation exchange capacity of the soil is really what is readily available. I will not go into detail about this aspect.
Therefore I opted to find a suitable substitute for MM locally. Since our primary goal is denitrification we are looking for high silt content which creates a semi boyant substrate.
Using soil survey information gleened from the internet I have found a suitable sorce with 50% silt. About 2-3% organic matter. It was located in a hardwoods forest which are less acidic than softwoods typically. It was full of roots and critters. the bigger ones were removed.
The soil sellected also had a granular structure which I believe may be bennificial even though it impacts how boyant the substrate will be. Sized from gravel to course sand.
This has been placed slowly over the top of the existing mud substrate so as not to bury organisms present. It also did not move the water parameters much when it was added. I did not mix anything else with the soil prior to adding to the system such as buffers or calcium supplements.
Its been in place for one month already. Clams are moving though the substrate, worms are present, the soil is plainly visible in the low light areas of the refugium and is retaining its orginal structure. Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate are below the detection limits of the test kits used. The inhabitants SPS,LPS, Soft corals, sponges, truncates, ect. Fish, life in general in the tanks apears to be doing well.
I am in the process of correcting a calcium overdose and will report conditions when Alk and Calcium are at the correct ratios.
The primary goal for the soil then changes from supplying all the micronutirents nessesary to denitrification. Hopefully without adding anthing harmfull in the process. Since the disolution of minerals is quite low for most elements, only free ions tied up by the cation exchange capacity of the soil is really what is readily available. I will not go into detail about this aspect.
Therefore I opted to find a suitable substitute for MM locally. Since our primary goal is denitrification we are looking for high silt content which creates a semi boyant substrate.
Using soil survey information gleened from the internet I have found a suitable sorce with 50% silt. About 2-3% organic matter. It was located in a hardwoods forest which are less acidic than softwoods typically. It was full of roots and critters. the bigger ones were removed.
The soil sellected also had a granular structure which I believe may be bennificial even though it impacts how boyant the substrate will be. Sized from gravel to course sand.
This has been placed slowly over the top of the existing mud substrate so as not to bury organisms present. It also did not move the water parameters much when it was added. I did not mix anything else with the soil prior to adding to the system such as buffers or calcium supplements.
Its been in place for one month already. Clams are moving though the substrate, worms are present, the soil is plainly visible in the low light areas of the refugium and is retaining its orginal structure. Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate are below the detection limits of the test kits used. The inhabitants SPS,LPS, Soft corals, sponges, truncates, ect. Fish, life in general in the tanks apears to be doing well.
I am in the process of correcting a calcium overdose and will report conditions when Alk and Calcium are at the correct ratios.
