Don't let them get to you Dr. Novak. You know the saying, "ignorance is bliss!"

There's a lot of experts on KZfaq. They let you know they're not an expert all while telling everyone else they're wrong. One in particular even has people help him delete or remove comments from their videos and live streams. If their comments don't align with what he's telling people. Unfortunately for people actually trying to gain some useful knowledge this is the world we live in.

I really want to know which youtubers are claiming cat litter is no good, I'm still new and need real information!

Uhhh.... isn't that the whole point of using kitty litter? An excess of nutrients is one of the biggest problems in getting a well balanced aquarium. Kitty litter binds excesses of those elements from the water column, and releases it back to plant roots through cation exchange. Microbes living in that environment contribute to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. I make small volume, planted aquatic bowls (2-10 litres) with no fish in them. The early ones I made with just gravel only supported plant life for a few months, and then the plants started showing nutrient deficiencies. The ones with a layer of kitty litter in them support plant growth for years. If I add a few snails to eat the dead leaves, the plants grow even better. I have several bowls that are over 5 years old, and only need to have water topped up every once in a while. My newer bowls are made with a makeshift plenum under the substrate. I am interested in seeing if that makes any difference 5 or more years from now.

Really interesting stuff.

the dust from the kitty litter and crushed coral also helps with parasites and bacteria on and inside the fish and brings out the colors of the fish both for hard and soft water fish , from the smallest to very large , so i do not rinse the media

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Happy New Year.

I have heard these arguments, one even claimed that kitty litter would strip the nutrients right out of your fish, they obviously don't know how it works.

Well Dr. Novak no one can fix stupid, follow the money. Those so-called experts only care about money, tell the truth NEVER. Dr. Novak you're the only youtuber that will tell the truth about this hobby. Keep up the great work.

Why wouldn’t the laterite supply all needed iron to the system? Is the issue that it is locked up in the minerals and not available to substrate or water column? If that is the case, why do we use laterite in aquaria? Bonsai practitioners commonly use zeolite, diatomite and Akadama (red ball earth)…for their high CEC and in the case of the Akadama, the relatively high iron content of the volcanic clays it forms from.

Gotta share this channel's content. Folks would benefit greatly.

i use a mixture of kitty litter, crushed coral and eggshells in my guppy , molly and pleco breeding tanks they are all big and healthy , this mixture is great for strong plants and snails . The crypts do melt when first planted but bounce back and look much better, people think i am nuts for using kitty litter but it works also it is so cheap , it is a mess for a few months with water changes the tanks are clear with a working substrate that keeps everything healthy

I just heard in a KZfaq video that on the set of the substrate, if you are going to put kitty litter, you need to soak it in fertilizer to charge it for a while, otherwise it will suck too much nutrients from the water flow. I saw this video before and came back, bc i see the info does not match. I am thinking about a plenum with gardening screen, pool sand a mix of dirt and kitty litter (not soaked in fertilizer) and iron, capped with play sand mixed with gravel or safe T sorb, for a 55g. Do you think is there something that needs to be adjusted on this set?

I just picked up some substrate heater cables brand new made by Dennerle 4 meters long. I remember you talking about it . I cant wait to use it with the kitty litter. Do you have any info on how to set this up? Thanks

Dr novak, what kind of kitty litter are you and people using in these ponds and tanks? I remember you saying baked natural kitty litter. But what I'm seeing on Amazon looks like kitty litter with lots of antioder anticlumping chemicals. I would hate to buy and use something that hurts my plants and fish. What should we be looking for when buying kitty litter for this use? Or what specific brand do you recommend. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos.

I'm in polk county FL, and all non clumping non scented brands I have tried turned into mush at the contact with water, I haven't found a bag that labels "baked clay". which brand do you use?

QUESTION FOR DR. NOVAK: I was wondering where does iron in the system comes from?

The clay is going to absorb anything in the tank that is positively charged, which is why it grabs all the ammonium so quickly. That is not 'all nutrients and minerals' by even a long shot though. Advanced plant keepers who dose their own elements will tell you you have to space them out because some are positively charged and some negatively charged and they can counteract each other if you dump them in together. How could the clay take them all? Anyway, when I converted to anoxic I used way more oil absorbent than I needed to in 2 huge BCBs in my sump. Everything was fine for the most part, but I did see a drop in pH from around 7 to around 6. This gradually reversed itself in a few weeks. The fish, who never left the tank, were absolutely fine before, during and after. As for 'charging' the clay if you're using it as the substrate in a heavily planted tank, I don't hate the idea, as the clay will hold onto some nutrients for the plants to utilize. But recognize, if you overdose something like Easy Green or Thrive, a fair amount of it is just going to sit in the water column waiting to be used (including by algae) unless you have a plenum pulling them into the 'kitty litter' substrate. Only some of the minerals will actually be attracted to the clay.

Hi I was wondering if you had a video how you set up a aquarium with cat litter also does the brand special kitty litter work?

Does Safe T Sorb grow plants as good as kitty litter?

Every time I watch your videos about how good clay is I start ways of thinking of baking cheap bentonite clay litter that's easily available in India. I just need a way to roast/bake it.

Does the Kitty litter need to be pre-washed for a plenum? If so, what is the right way to do it, what is supposed to be removed by the pre-wash?

Does the Kitty litter needs to be recharged the same way the activated carbon does, by putting it into a pan at the stove for toasting?

I am not in any position to argue. One thing I flcan say is it's not as nice to look at as say ammazonia. So I'd probably use kitty litter and cap it with Amazonia.

The question I have about Kitty Litter (KL) is it absorbing anything at all, is it making any type of exchange? I understand it has the negative charge and creates flow so the Anoxic bacteria can do its exchange. So, in my mind the KL is nothing more than a magnet and is inert. On the other hand, it has to be absorbing/leaching something or users wouldn't be reporting PH changes after KL is added. Could it be that the KL is leaching minerals and once that process is over the PH returns to normal? I tend to be on the side of leaching, because if KL is binding something it's just a matter of time before it needs to be exchanged for new KL, in the same way Carbon becomes exhausted over time. I have heard you say that the plenums last for years before they need to be broken down and refreshed. I'm just unsure if that is due to the Iron additive being exhausted and not the KL. If that's the case the KL will only need replacement if it turns to mush, and iron can be dosed infinitely?

the people who claim it sucks are mad

Your wendtii experiment makes no sense to me. Why wouldnt you do a new experiment if you messed the other one lol

Your analysis of clay based substrate on personal observation doesn't seem scientific either. Theres a possibility of variables, for example you may have a different starting water parameters. As well every setup you use is different. A proper research experiment would be to put kitty liter in multiple bare and stable tanks with water with different parameters, and measuring any change over time. If the clay pulls out mineral content like calcium, its possible it may cause huge ph swings if there is not enough buffering capacity. You having success in your tanks, doesn't factor in other people's water quality, parameters, and setup.

The anti kitty litter group is probably people working in the aqua soil industry