kitty litter question

Ok this question is for those who have used kitty litter. I found some that is non-scented and not odorized kitty liter all natural clay.......at the dollar store. The question is what do I need to do before I use it in my refugium? Also, should I put live sand or oyster shells or crushed coral?? I am upgrading due to the amount of bubbles that are going into the display tank.

thanks in advance.

 

this has to be the first time ive ever heard of using kitty litter in a fuge lol

 

personally I would be afraid to try this. There's no telling what chemicals were used in the production.

 

I run it in mine. All clay kitty liter is compositionally the same exact thing as the expensive mineral muds, without the magical claims or expensive price. I use Special Kitty non-fragranced from Wal-Mart.
I run 2" of kitty litter and about 2-3" of sand. You do not want the crushed coral or shell for the same reasons you don't want that in the DT.

 

Hmm Pack, kitty litter & sand? What are the reasons not to have crushed coral & shells. Isn't this closer to the real habitat like down with the flounder and all?

 

Because crushed coral and shells do not have the surface area need for proper bacterial breakdown. You will end up with all types of debris getting trapped in there to do nothing but rot and release wastes into the water (nitrate factories).

 

That's whats so great about this hobby, you learn something new everyday. Thanks packleader.

 

Yup, I knew about trapping "junk" & nitrate, but "surface area" and stuff, these are the details I always miss.....kinda like organic chemistry (love/hate). So the kitty litter/sand in the fuge PACK, can it be planted?

 

hmm. Thats cool. so does it's like clay when it gets wet? Bet it's ALOT cheaper than mineral muds.

 

Ever seen a litter box? Or better yet, ever stepped in a used litter box (squish)!!!??