JoeQ Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 Does substrate (in my case eco complete) absorbe liquid nitrogen like it does with other nutrients because of its high cec ability? Could cec be the reason I can't seem to budge my nitrates very much, even tho im dosing nitrogen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 It actually has a.lower cec value and not enough to notice. You simply aren't dosing enough or your test kit needs calibration. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted October 13, 2022 Author Share Posted October 13, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 5:00 PM, Mmiller2001 said: It actually has a.lower cec value and not enough to notice. You simply aren't dosing enough or your test kit needs calibration. I actually thought Eco complete had a decent cec ability? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 3:30 PM, JoeQ said: I actually thought Eco complete had a decent cec Me too, I haven’t been able to find any test results on it, but the internet seems to think it has a high CEC or a low CEC. 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 (edited) Hi All, Eco-Complete is derived from volcanic basalt (per their package information below) and most volcanic based soils have a low cation exchange capacity (CEC) unlike clay based soils with a high CEC. Although Eco-Complete claims to contain a good number of minerals and nutrients (as does Seachem Flourite - #19 in table below) it likely does not have a high cation exchange capacity likely being similar to Seachem Flourite with a CEC @ 1.7. So no, it is unlikely that the Eco-Complete will absorb nutrients from the water column and make them available in the the substrate. That said, a high CEC does not mean that the substrate will absorb nitrogen. High CEC substrates absorb positively charged molecules (cations) of the primary and secondary nutrients potassium, magnesium, and calcium as well as some trace nutrients but does not absorb nitrogen or phosphorus. ADA Aquasoils on the other hand are "soil" based and they do contain nitrogen and have a relatively high CEC of 27. -Roy Edited October 13, 2022 by Seattle_Aquarist 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 (edited) Roy has the most awesome charts of such usefull information! Edited October 14, 2022 by nabokovfan87 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 I will add, and maybe not all batches, but Eco Complete is still raising my KH over the week. Very frustrating. There's something in it and have read similar complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seattle_Aquarist Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 8:38 PM, Mmiller2001 said: I will add, and maybe not all batches, but Eco Complete is still raising my KH over the week. Very frustrating. There's something in it and have read similar complaints. Hi @Mmiller2001 Yes, this is not surprising since volcanic soils also typically have a high pH (aka increase dKH). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 10:10 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said: Hi @Mmiller2001 Yes, this is not surprising since volcanic soils also typically have a high pH (aka increase dKH). Interesting. Mystery solved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted October 14, 2022 Author Share Posted October 14, 2022 On 10/13/2022 at 5:00 PM, Mmiller2001 said: It actually has a.lower cec value and not enough to notice. You simply aren't dosing enough or your test kit needs calibration. Let's say my light was higher in previous days, this would result in faster nitrate consumption than with lower light. Is this assumption correct? On 10/14/2022 at 12:10 AM, Seattle_Aquarist said: Hi @Mmiller2001 Yes, this is not surprising since volcanic soils also typically have a high pH (aka increase dKH). Possibly 2 mysteries solved in one small post!!! Could this also explain why I have to buffer my 10g who has a shallow layer of flourish sand, while my 36g has a deep bed of eco complete? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 On 10/14/2022 at 7:14 AM, JoeQ said: Let's say my light was higher in previous days, this would result in faster nitrate consumption than with lower light. Is this assumption correct? It would be all nutrients as metabolism is fueled by light. More light, more nutrient uptake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeQ Posted October 14, 2022 Author Share Posted October 14, 2022 On 10/14/2022 at 10:36 AM, Mmiller2001 said: It would be all nutrients as metabolism is fueled by light. More light, more nutrient uptake. That's what I thought was happening, I didn't mention todays nitrates were higer than yesterdays after cutting the light intensity by 8%. Oddly enough my tds were lower by 30ppm! Does this mean I could be achieving a better nutrient/light balance? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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