perlite in your tanks?

[psyched102]

hello Aqua People!

I have seen "mentions" on the web about using Perlite as opposed to charcoal (carbon) to clarify the water in fresh water tanks. Any feed back? Also, the only brand at our local home store is by miraclegro which states on the bag that it has fertilizer in it. For some reason, that doesn't sound like it would be good for the tank as i spend a lot of time removing it already (in the form of nitrites, nitrates and ammonia).

Any feed back on its use and/or how to "de-fertilize" the perlite itself, would be great.

thanks,
Craig
Psyched102

 

[i3k]

Go to any hydro/nursery store and get yourself some fert-free perlite. It will be a lot cheaper than that miracle gro stuff.

 

[psyched102]

True...just have to find such a place ....lol

 

[enrgizerbunny]

True...just have to find such a place ....lol

amazon.com
^all sorts of supplies shipped to your door

 

[Matt68005]

Perlte floats"..........


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[psyched102]

yes it does float....i would have to put in a filter type bag....maybe panty hose if i rinse it well enough

 

[morena]

Pure Perlite as Biomedia

Hi, I was wondering if you ever find any additional information on this topic. Or ever got around to trying it out?

I have some extra perlite from a gardening project I got from online. I read the package, and specifically says that it doesn't contain any fertilizer and you have to add your own, it also mentions it's derived from a natural source and is sterile naturally. I collected a handful, rinsed it thoroughly, and placed it in a sock, then put that in a jar of tank water to get it ready

I got a little worried, when I read on another site someplace about the perlite powder being toxic, even to humans. As it is essentially airborne fiberglass? Mentioned something about perlite & clay dust getting in the lungs of construction workers & clay potters? They theorized that if it's not good for humans, it shouldn't be introduced near fish as it may "abrade their gills" and cause complex problems later on. Any thoughts on this? What is your experience with using perlite as biomedia? Initially I thought it sounded like a great idea, with the surface area, and it seems to be very similar to lava rock / zeolite / carbon / ceramic rings. Now I'm not so sure. . .

 

[psyched102]

Hello, I have my perlite soaking in water that i just pulled from my tank. there was dust in it so the water contained it. I plan on putting it into a nylon bag that i have at home (for charcoal). I am not sure how many microns it is. I suppose pantyhose will work too.

The perlite I bought did not indicate if it had fertilizer in it. I am going to assume it does and let it soak. I will keep check the bucket of water to see if the nitrates, nitrites, etc go up over the week's time.

The original bag I bought from Home Depot was by Miracle Grow....didn't even cross my mind that it had fert in it.....so i'm using it in my plants.

Will update this in the days to come.

--Craig