Coco coir questions

some coco coir I see comes in bricks that say they expand. Do you just put them in water to make them expand? I have heard that you don't need to mix anything with coco coir but some people put coco coir\perlite in a 60\40 ratio. Is perlite preferrered? You are supposed to use special nutrients for coco coir but i have heard people using Earth Juice Sugar Peak.
I have also heard of a product called Earth Juice Assist for conditioning coconut coir, peat, rockwool. Would I need any other nutrients besides earth juice and will earth juice work with coco coir with or without earth juice assist?

Fast forward March 2010-- dah dah dah -- There is a guy on youtube called sublbc. He is doing a coir grow and you can see it is straight coco that has been broken down and hydrated like you say. I guess a few years ago this was the way yet those growers noticed yellowing of leaves do to less magnesium calcium locking up in the coco nut coir, or perhaps sea salt deposits that were not rinsed. These days mixed with perlite is the way forward for beginners. Some companies sell mix for high prices yet still same as premium soil price, yet this coco coir mix has plenty chunck perlite and has had humic acid added and ph perfect ect. Very few problems with this mix substrate in my area also sold as Ready Gro. Without a hydro store, Ace Hardware sells Turface. Which is similar but not quite as explosive growth as can be had with a hydro store even online supplied coco mix with perlite. Cloning in this becomes a sinch. Also, this substrate can absorb up to nine times its weight and still provide air to roots of plants. It is so wick action and water absorbant that NO HOLES are required yet for flushing salt deposits some prefer to have holes or A HOLE to drain out water. Most of the time this stuff just absorbs water like a sponge which makes it easy for a soil grower who handwaters to switch to hydroponic nutrients given sparingly and handwatered! Anyone knowing these facts should be in LOVE with coco. Lightweight. Clean. Resusable. ect! XD!

coco coir is definitely great stuff, mixed with perlite and vermiculite I use it with ordinary hydro nutrients and they are growing fine, although the nutes specially for coco can be better. Some comes in a big bag loose and some comes in a brick form, just put it in a bucket of water for 30 mins and they expands big time.