European Akadama?

In my local aquatics store, I have found a European manufactured substrate which appears to have very similar properties to Akadama. The product is Plant Substrate made by Velda, based in the Netherlands http://www.velda.nl/. Today I purchased a bag of this substrate and have mixed it into my standard soil mix. I will report on how it fares in time, but it looks very promising.

Plant Substrate packaging

Plant Substrate

Velda also produce another substrate which I have already used in my mix with good results, named 'Superdensa'. Unfortunately I can find nothing on the packaging nor on Velda's website that states what these products are actually made from but Plant Substrate appears to be clay based (Akadama) and Superdensa appears to be Pumice based (Kanuma).

Superdendsa

Here is my finished soil mix including Plant Substrate, Superdensa, Akadama, Sophisticat  and pine bark chips (the quantities are not accurately measured.)

Finished soil mix prior to sifting.