Criptic's Page On Herps

simulate the needs of bog plants and animals. It is heavy enough to hold the plants in place and porous enough to allow water to circulate. Use this soil for saturated, but exposed areas. Use only sand at the bottom of a water area.

This planting mix is saturated with water to create a bog or marsh like enclosure. In actual bogs or marshes the soil at the bottom is basically a mucky, dense, foul mud that is filled with huge amounts of decaying organic matter. This muck is an extremely rich medium, but will only work in a large, natural environment. This simulation will work similar to the natural soil does in it's natural environment.

Contents:
2 parts natural sand, modified as described below.
1 part ground coconut husk fiber
1/4 to 1/2 part fully composted leaves.
Quality commercial pond plant fertilizer formulated for use in fish ponds.
Inoculation of bottom medium from healthy, established aquarium or pond.

The sand should be modified by removing most of the fine dust or silt. This can be done by washing the sand several times until the rinse water is not cloudy.

The coconut husk fiber should be soaked till it falls apart and appears fluffy. Rinse and squeeze out the coconut husk fiber until it is moist but not wet. Mix the ingredients together. Use about 1/4 the amount of pond fertilizer (intended for use with fish) recommended in the directions. Moisten the mix and stir. Take a handful or so of the sand, mud, or muck from the bottom of a healthy, established planted aquarium or pond and add it to the mix. This will help start the population of bacteria. Use a handful for every 10 gallons of mix. Stir the mix again and let it sit in a container for one day before use.

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