LOVE using kitty litter in my base mix. Combined with worm castings, crushed lava rock and a sprinkle of active charcoal. I dose liquid micros and macros on a regular schedule so I find it works indefinitely as a base due to its ability to absorb and hold nutrients. Also allows for root growth unlike any other substrate I've tried (and believe you me, I've tried most of em) Always cap with sand though! Messy stuff if you don't cap it properly. Another great video!

So very cool...I am learning all sorts of new things on your channel! YOU PUP IS AMAZININGLY ADORABLE!

I'm loving the substrate videos. thanks for sharing the knowledge

Wow.... amazing jaw dropping information! Thank you for doing the research for us. It’s SO helpful.. Though I just finished rescaping three planted tanks (1 125-gal & 2 75-gal) including changing the substrate to Fluval Stratum. I will forever bookmark this video for next time!

I've used kitty litter in several tanks and it worked great. Especially when you put a layer of supplements/dirt underneath

Thanks for another super video! My local TSC has 40 lbs Saf T Sorb for $6.49...when I think of all I've spent on substrate over the years it just blows my mind.. can't wait to try it!!

While I will probably use an active substrate, but I find it very interesting learning about all the various substrate options. Thanks for another great video!

This sounded so insane at first! Learned a lot as always thanks Bentley!

Another great video, thanks Bentley!!!!!

Perfect timing. I am setting up the substrate now for a 55G.

Bentley, thank you so much for making this! I'm definitely gonna use this info and possibly safe T sorb to bring down my gh a bit and kh and also absorb excess nitrates to help with breeding Hypancistrus etc. thank you again! cheers mate!

Good work! Super nice video.

Very good info as always.

Great work, thx for link on charging Safe-T-Sorb. I'd like to try this in a 125 gal rainbow tank. Color will be great w/ wood & comfy for rainbows; checking how well grain texture works w/ Corydoras.

Thank you for this. I ran across it while I was struggling for issues in my aquariums and getting ready to set up new ones sans the mistakes. I decided to try the Safe T Sorb. It makes the most sense and is readily available for a good price at TSC. I took the bag and dumped it in an approximate 30 G tote and started to rinse. Once I got it reasonably clean I dumped some easy green in the mix and left it sit for 48 hours. I am using COOP test strips to test. My tap water is neutral pH, over 300 GH and medium KH. After 48 hours the water still offers high GH while the KH and pH has dropped past the point of a meaningful reading. Lower than 40 Nitrate. I have found test strips to be inaccurate with nitrate - as you discussed in another video. My take away is that I need to add argonite and/ or limestone to keep my sanity. I have this same problem with my dirted tanks. Another point is that I think one 40 lb bag may be enough in my 125 especially if I have to cap or blend with argonite. I'm going to see how the tank water fairs after 48 hours. It surely has an end point for absorption. I assume it's absorption not adsorption ( charcoal does so).

KZfaq has loads of videos on using cat litter in denitrification biocenosis baskets. Add some iron rich substrate amongst it and it supposedly removes all nitrates from your water and turns it into nitrogen gas. I'm about to test this myself, but it will take months to show any results.

I'm using Kitty litter over undergravel filter as Kevin Novak shows. I didn't charge it in any of my four tanks. Never saw any drops in kh, gh, ph. What i do see is crazy good plant growth and very stable water quality. I did put a one inch cap of aquarium gravel for personal preference but it's all working great. Although i will caveat with patience. It takes a few months before this method really starts to work well. But it's been rock solid in four tanks now and should last indefinitely...not a few years

I live this series Bentley... well done as usual.

Did not watch the livestream but am I'm interested in trying Safe T Sorb, looks good. Thanks!

Nicely done mate learned a lot

Great video. Thank you for sharing you experiences. Scape on! - Little Bobby

Hey Bentley is talkin old school with the clay litter, I did it in the 70's with big tanks that I hardscaped only. So much cheaper for big tanks with an expensive topper

Love my safetsorb! I love how easy it is to plant in and it doesn’t compact. I put it over soil. Keeps wonder chemistry very well! Made from same clay most shrimpers use! I also wonder Bentley if that’s why I’ve been able to use osmocote without the normal pitfalls?

I only would recommend clay based non-clumping cat litter or API Pond media (essentially the same thing). Some good info in here, but also a bit misleading. It will not strip your GH or KH, it will however bind nutrients from the water column, making them available to the roots of plants. Since it does not strip GH/KH from the water, and doesn't maintain PH, calling it active is misleading to be honest. Most hobbyists would consider active substrates those that buffer/maintain/sustain a stable PH (ie. volcani/humus based buffering substrates for below 7 PH, and crushed coral for PH well above 7). Cat litter is clay, and should be treated no different than using any clay in an aquarium.

Very helpful Bentley. Thank you for sharing. I really want to start a channel for keeping fish in the UAE based on water and locally sourced rock types. You are inspiring! Great job!

I use cat litter mixed with worm castings and topped with sand. *** pets the puppy ***

I just found your channel and I’m so glad that I did. I was planning on doing a 50/50 mix of safe T sorb/organic potting mix capped with some black diamond blasting sand in my 29g tank I’m planning. Would I still want to charge it? Also, if I used a half inch layer of that, would a 1 inch cap be good? Liked and subscribed!! I also watched your videos on lighting. Great stuff man.

Could I use a small bag of kitty litter to soften the water in a licorice gourami tank because I have super hard water

Great video thank you Do you have a video showing how to charge the Safe t sorb ?

I'm just getting a new start with plant's & been doing a lot of research making a list of all the info I can get from articles to videos I can find. Right now I have a 75 gal aquarium with just black diamond blasting sand for a substrate for the plants I started with when I set the aquarium up, I use the root tabs/capsules & 10 pumps of easy green once a month. I also save my goldfish waste water & in between easy green & the root tabs I hit the plants with the goldfish waste water as a fertilizer I use a turkey baster, & suck up a full tube & put 1/2 UNDER each plant. That has given me a good plant growth & hasn't fouled the water either I don't GUSH the fish waste water, I do it slowly to keep it underground & I don't vac my aquarium nor do I do any water changes & have no issues.

I now have 4 small aquarium that have cat litter capping potting soil, they grow plants beautifully

I like the idea of using safe T sorb, gonna do some research on charging. I think this will be a good cheap alternative to use in my 55

I wonder if you could use a dry start type method to charge saftsorb and plant straight into it while there’s still an abundance of nutrients?

Helllo Bentley. This is my first time here. I was looking for videos on substrates. Thank you for this and related reviews. I used to work on Bonsai and I am familiar with both Akadama and Turface that I added to my personal Bonsai Soil mix after taking classes from two top Bonsai Instructors. Back then, I lived about an hour away from each. It was great. Unfortunately. I was injured and downsized so that I don't have the room thst I had back then. Meanwhile of late, I am back on recovering from getting runover and falling down the stairs from a balance issue,, being 70 didn't help. I got my 1st Betta Kit Tank on 10/27/2022 for my 70th birthday a few days later. I have my 5th additional tank... this up-size 55G tank is sitting on the porch waiting for a nice warm day to run an over night water test. This 55G will be my room-divider... so that I can see it from most of my apartment. I am trying to wean off from using a cane. Being a senior, I need to watch my pennies aquascaping this big tank. I am blessed that I had help from 2 young men from the local Church to unload the tank and the stand, plus a smaller tank for Quarantine. They will be back once I am happy with the water hold test. I am not expecting any troubles... but 55G is a heck of a lot of water compared to my 10G Planted with Some Fish Tank. I am glad that I am on the 1st floor and it will not be over anything. Thanks for info on the other alternatives to laying down substrate. Being that I still have the torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. This 55G will be plenty big, and give my Betta and friends more room to swim around in and to be able to to grow my Chocolate Kuhli Loaches from 2 to 7 making this a nice size shoal from them. The same for my Brown Bristlenose Plecos and Bronze Cory Cats... and up my 5 Neon Tetra shoal up to 7 or more. I love my Nerite Snails and have been thinking about getting a few more different Nerite Species... I only have 2 Tigers and 2 Zebras concurrently. Who knows, I may consider breeding these lesser known Species. The egg spots... I can live with and they don't bother me. I started a Plant Quarantine Tank and have my new young Chocolate Kuhli Loaches quarantining in it until I get this 55G balanced. The 5 young Brownnose Plecos are in being quarantining, as are the 5 Neon Tetras. I am looking forward to see who has what. By getting the Turface, Akadama, SafeT'Sorb... I will have the starts of creating my old Bonsai soild again. Thanks again.

Hi , Bentley How long do you think it will take to charge safeT sorb and how much do you think I will need for a 125gal tank and whet would be the best fertilizer to charge it with. Thank you for your time.

Hello sir.... Love your educational information videos. I am going to set up a 4 foot 75 gallon system. Thinking about using Safe-T-sorb. If I want to pre-charge the substrate will mixing Osmacoat into the cleaned substrate and letting it circulate for several weeks before adding plants work? Just a thought and I would love to have your insight on it.

Turface with a bit of flourite seachem to give a bit of color to the clay... so far, it seems it works quite well, but the first steps were hard to manage, specially hardness parametres...

This is fascinating. I used red baked clay Turface (not yellowish or brown) along with a tiny proportion of expensive aquarium substrate a good 15 years ago in a big pentagon tank. I found Turface particles were a decent size but weighed so little, so light and floaty, that I couldn't effectively siphon near the surface. I didn't charge it in advance, but I didn't notice a problem with chemistry in our rock hard water. The tank constantly had algae issues but this was also before LED lighting. Last year I broke down that setup with intent to reseal the glass panes. I left the Turface out in a garden cart, let it soak up rain and get occasionally drained, and I've re-used that in my two smaller tanks along with smaller amounts of regular pet store gravel. One of these tanks has a constant algae problem, the other doesn't - but I've also been inconsistent with maintenance during the last six months. Now I'm considering swapping in some of the Safe-t-sorb for the algae tank.

Great insight, will the kitty litter drop / buffer ph?

I used the Turface years ago and loathed it! It’s so light I had no hope of planting foreground plants. It’s also filthy! I never charged it, but Iowa water is hard beyond comprehension, so I never noticed my water column being stripped. I would never use it again! I will so that I never noticed any breakdown in four years of use. It does come in a very dark grey (almost black). The appearance is attractive.

Can you use Safe-T-sorb or Kittie Litter as root tabs to recharge soil?

Sorry for late Post been busy with kids and Foster Care. I have been using safet absorbent and loving it but you have raised like crazy more than black diamond sand. How I charged mine is I broke some osmocote plus and let sit for 4 weeks than added to my new top fin 36 bowfront for the wife

I’m a penny pincher. I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Volcanic soil variants are locally available. We screen gravel from local creeks and solarize/bake it with great results as a semi-neutral soil. Also, you can buy pumice/volcanic gravel in red or black and screen the size that you prefer. I like 10mm+/ 1/4” minus.

I can't wait until you do that in depth review on Safe T Sorb - really educational TY

Thanks for the advice. I am a 68 yr old disabled professional artist and have been in a wheelchair for the past 12 yrs. Six yrs ago the president of the Aquarium Enthusiasts of the Triad, NC was kind enough to came to my house and set up my new 75 gal aquarium for me since I was unable to do it myself. She is a Nuclear Physicist at the Wake Forest Bowman Grey Medical School and had all of her aquariums setup with cat litter substrate. She sited all the scientific reasons for using the cat litter most of which I didn't understand. LOL. So she proceeded to set my 75 gal tank up with the cat litter. Since that time, everything, fish and plants, has gone very well and I have not had any problems. My question concerns the cat litter. Would you suggest that I add anything to the cat litter or possibly the water for the benefit of the fish, plants and snails? Sorry for the lengthy information. I tend to do that! Thanks for any information you can help with.

I love experimentation with materials in this hobby. We wouldn’t learn if we didn’t try.

How do I know when Safe T Sorb is fully charged?

I may play around with some Safe-T-Sorb, looks good to me.

Oh dear. We were starting a new tank and accidentally got some buckets mixed up. As a result a small amount of Tidy Cat ‘Performance’ clumping litter got mixed in with the gravel substrate. Do we need to empty the tank and start over?

Thanks

I didn't listen to the live stream. Perhaps you covered this inquiry there. What thickness of these substrates would you recommend? Do you reccomend placing them directly on the bottom of the aquarium or using a plenum? It would be fantastic if you and Dr. Kevin Novak could have an interview session. Thank You for your content.

Safe T Sorb sounds like a very good option just wondering what particular fertilizer would be a good marinade for Safe T Sorb And still be safe for the fish. I think using this in combination with a sub gravel low flow Plenum theoretically could be a really good combo.

Hi Bentley, big fan for awhile now and to the point, I purchased safe t sorb yesterday 9/12 for a new 29 gal. and will be laying root tabs every 6 inches along with fertilizer to charge the sts. Will it work? Hope to read your comments. Thanks

so i used kitty litter in five out of twenty two tanks, is there a way to recharge it after two months? , great video series very helpful

whoops! Used catlitter and JBL aqua basis plus(a longterm nutrients mix) in my BCB,works fine but have soft water so for my platys and mollies dont want do strip out minerals ... any tips?

Starting my 1st community planted tank and wanted to try the Safe t Sorb you discussed. You talked about the importance of charging this substrate but I can't find any information on how to correctly accomplish this. Can you point me in the right direction? The tank is a 75 gallon and I have already purchased two 40lb bags.

I was wandering if I could achieve something really close to RO water by using uncharged Safe T Sorb, in a HOB filter, on a container that holds my water change water for my crystal shrimp? I have very hard water, and I have crystal shrimp. They like softer water and I am wanting to breed them. I am currently using rainwater for their water changes. I was thinking about doing this with the Safe T Sorb, and using salty shrimp, (for bee shrimp), to reminerialize the water. I can't afford a RO unit ATM.

Hey Bentley. I have 2 questions if you dont mind. 1. Would you rather use safe t sorb or eco complete from your lasagna method in the master substrate mix? And 2. The website you provided mentions using baking soda to charge the safe t sorb while you mention using liquid fertilizer to charge it, what is the better option? Im going all in on your master mix i hope it pays off!

Does Europe have any alternative to safety sorb?

How long does it take to charge these substrates?

Could very small amounts of cat litter help soften water I have tons of tanins but still super hard water and my pygmy sunfish don't seem to do well in my super hard water

Do you think you will do a tutorial when you do this with SafeTsorb?

Great! 👍

Do these type of substrates remove medication from the water column?

Can I use zeolite in the substrate because cat litter is somehow not cheap here? and a sprinkle of active charcoal also to eliminate the tannins and increase the substrate cap cec as well. I'm not thinking of using huge amounts, but capping the dirt with 10% of zeolite and the rest is inert gravel. What do you think about it 😊

hope i can find safe t zorb in philippines

Can I use osmocote to charge cat litter?

This video showed up after watching Dr. Kevin Novak's video on cat litter for use in a long term filter largely utilizing very low flow and low oxygen, what he calls a biocenosis or anoxic (even though it's more hypoxic) filter.

I thought the crystaline structure and negative charge of the kitty litter could continue to attract the positively charged ammonium ions way longer than that. Is it just like absorbing minerals that starts to cap out, or does that apply to the ammonia too? I had always thought people would run their Biocenosis clarification baskets for wayyyy longer than that without issue

I had good success with oil dry. At the time it was the only thing I could find that was clay-only.

I'm in love with the loach. Can I keep one in a 55..OMG I must have one!

If i use Pure aquarium sand as Cat litter for my Persian cat is it Okay??

what do you think about All Purpose Gravel from home depot?

Hello, Bentley.. You have over 500 thumbs up, here.. Can you tell us more about Charging Oil Dri or cat litter? Would sure hate for it to leach out ferts and kill my tank. No fancier test kits on hand. Just ammonia and nitrate strips. Any advice to not Overcharge? Thx..

Just a FYI Oil-Dri premium is the same as SafeTSorb..exactly the same.

Because I can charge it specifically with the things I know are missing from my water supply. At least I assume I can spike it harder with more potassium and calcium and magnesium.

What do you think about using safe t zorb as a cap with a bottom layer of fluval stratum? Am planning my next planted tank (36Wx24Dx20T)and thinking of doing stratum in mesh bags as the base layer and safe t zorb as the cap. Thoughts?

I use kitty litter and Seachem Flourite Red in my BCB's and Plenums aka Dr Novak. I cap it with crushed coral sand to buffer my pH.

I am getting ready using DR novek

What is the loach looking fish?

Can Diatomite clay cat litter be used? There are only two types of cat litter available locally diatomite and bentonite. The bentonite clumps together and they are either scented or with antibacterial agents added which defeats our purpose of actually growing the bacteria. The Diatomite version is non clumping, unscented and 100% pure without additives. However I'm not sure if it works or not. Kindly advise if you have any knowledge or experience on using Diatomite clay as a substrate for anoxic filtration. Thanks. Below is the description on the packaging Diatomite Non-Clumping Odourless (Unscented) Cat Litter, 100% natural and environmentally friendly diatomite (diatomaceous earth) cat litter. Diatomite is a natural sedimentary mineral with absorbs, locks and completely seals liquids and odours. It’s made from crushed remains of marine life called diatoms. Absorbs 1.5 times its weight in moisture 50% more absorbent than traditional bentonite clay litter. Hygienic and healthy due to its mineral structure Made of high-quality diatomite

I'm using a plenem there's catlitter n tetra attave substrate over it its changed my water parameters alot after a month without a water change ph from 7.8 7.8,kh 40_120,gh80_360 n no3 5ppm

Oil-Dri is nothing but baked clay granules that don't dissolve in water.

Did you mean RO water? Or DI? Because my RO water still has carbonates in it. And it seems like the right kH for a lot of fish and shrimp. Now, I do add calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron. But these are things my tap water is low in.

Yep, that's me you're talking about in the opening. I see an hour, listen for maybe 10 minutes, 15 if it's real interesting. After that I got to pay attention elsewhere and the likelihood of going back to a real long video for information... Not happening. To me at least, keeping fish is not the Joe Rogan Experience. I haven't been there in a while, but I used to bounce back to hear the end of a discussion. That's easier on channels with nothing to teach.

cat litter new or used ? :D

Charge it?

🤔 Using a plenum ( either a slow or lightly active by using a low output pump ) under the substrate will prolong the life of the soil and the plants. High grade landscape cloth/ weed barrier over the plenum and under the substrate will prevent the soil/ substrate from entering the plenum but slowly allow water to enter the plenum thus allowing oxygen to go through the soil which is highly beneficial for the plants. It’s best to charge the cat litter/ floor dry etc with liquid iron which the the thing most beneficial for plants.

I've tried it once I certainly don't prefer it great for plants but not so great for fish I feel there's better Alternatives out there you can just use regular pea gravel and fertilizing Dose plants or just let your tank fertilize your plants however it is a cheap alternative to buying gravel at a pet store

I personally do not believe in "charging" my cat litter. I have never done this and both my root feeding and column feeding plants thrive without added ferts for years. The only issue I have with it is that it will rise to the top over time. Especially with catfish or bottom feeder fish that pull plants and stir up the bottom

Have to use the right type that rinses clean without a grey cloudy water column mess. Once the right type is used it's friggin Purrrrfection.

I won't use kitty litter period! Too many unknown ingredients. Even if it says it is pure clay. If I could trust that I would possibly use it as a dirted tank. I have little confidence in listed ingredients on pet quality "Stuff!" I've seen too many "Surprises in a bag!" From various suppliers. Cleaning it has got to be annoying, doesn't that stuff clump as it gets wet? Or at best dissolve into a powder as it soaks up water? I will stick to more commercial substraight or sand and gravel at Home Depot. Thank you sir, great instructional video!!

I found some kitty litter at dollar tree made of diatomaceous dirt!

Turface does not break down its baked clay., I have had it in several tanks for 10 years.

give us a way, a solution for plants substrate that last long for at least 15 years without dirted tanks problems

Has anyone else used "molar clay" ? I've used a brand called Akadema (no longer available) successfully.

I sure hope this isn't click bait... Edit Yay!!!!!

@Bentley Pascoe Nutrition out of your fish ...very funny pleaseeeeee .... It is much better to use inert substrate and top up using root tabs & liquid ferts, than using a powerful active substrate and keep water changing daily for weeks to take those nutrition out of in order to BALANCE. Whatever the active substrate won't last ever , after couple of years you need to still use the root tabs.. Liquid ferts yes obviously from the beginning.

Human malware, lol. How appropriate. 👍💓👍

do not flollow this cat litter system if you want a lots of plants in your aquarium alive and healthy . and iron laterite as well. i have to redo everything again. as my planted aquarium is dying out . plants are not healthy . water is too redish . i dit separated the laterite and cat litter with a mesh from the cap thick gravel . so in case of a problem i can redo easily. fish are doing well. waterchange with RO do not stop the water form becoming yellowish after each chhange . i measured the iron , and it is very low in spite of the laterite . cat litter is stripping all the nutrients. my aquarium was doing much better before the change to a anoxic filter. however , i think it is a good thing to do . just disregard the cat liter and laterite . i will have to spend a whole day to redo soon my 100 gallon aquarium . and i lost at least $ 200.00 of plants worth in the process . all the epihyte plants are doing very bad and algae took over the plants bolbitis and java fern after 2 months . i was away for 3 weeks,. but the problem was starting before. the plants are not doing well after a while . so i learn . do not do ca litter if you love a planted aquarium . even with co2 and most sophisticated light and fertiliser . it is not good for this kind. i can understand why ada and takoshima would not follow that principle and were probably aware of that . like i said. i was very enthousiast for dct novak teachings . it make sense . but as i watch his planted tank. it might be ok for some plants and a small planted aquarium. but not for a very dense planted one . as i am experiencing right now . it is more complicated than just cat litter for ecc charges and all that /