Aquasoil ? any reviews

[AquaTroy]

Picked up a bag of Aquasoil at the old Premeir LFS (now called Aquamart? I think), anyone have any experinces with this product? good bad or otherwise? Im thinking about using it in pots also.

Thanks in Advance..

[spypet]

try using the Advanced Search function for:
Aquasoil
and specify Search Titles Only.
next time it may be wiser to ask
about a product, BEFORE you buy it.

it would be a waste of money to use
it with regular immersed potted plants,
and probably not yield noticeably better results,
unless you needed soil with high drainage properties.

[CrazyMidwesterner]

Originally Posted by AquaTroy

Picked up a bag of Aquasoil at the old Premeir LFS (now called Aquamart? I think), anyone have any experinces with this product? good bad or otherwise? Im thinking about using it in pots also.

Thanks in Advance..

I have never used but I know many people love it. I heard it has a problem clouding in bigger tanks but for smaller tanks it works great. I think there is ammonia spikes associated with it initially but they subside.

I have never used it that is just what I gather from what I have read.

When you talk about using it for potted plants are you talking submersed just potted or emersed as spypet was commenting on?

[AquaTroy]

Originally Posted by spypet

try using the Advanced Search function for:
Aquasoil
and specify Search Titles Only.
next time it may be wiser to ask
about a product, BEFORE you buy it.

Hmm, just a bay day, or are you always this grumpy, I was told at the LFS it was a premium product, and the Show Plant tank was also enjoying this medium, just wanted some feedback from this what I was told "happy "COLORADO forum, maybe its not


Actually, I have money to waste, thats why I am in this hobby!

Potted a few this am, and went well, soaked medium for a while prior to potting, a floss sheet on bottom of pot to keep medium from flowing out of drainage holes in future, and placed a layer of pebbles on top. after planting, placed all in a empty (as in fish, not water) tank for a hour or two to let intial cloudiness occur, then moved to inhabited tanks. So far so good

[CmLaracy]

Originally Posted by AquaTroy

Hmm, just a bay day, or are you always this grumpy, I was told at the LFS it was a premium product, and the Show Plant tank was also enjoying this medium, just wanted some feedback from this what I was told "happy "COLORADO forum, maybe its not


Actually, I have money to waste, thats why I am in this hobby!

Potted a few this am, and went well, soaked medium for a while prior to potting, a floss sheet on bottom of pot to keep medium from flowing out of drainage holes in future, and placed a layer of pebbles on top. after planting, placed all in a empty (as in fish, not water) tank for a hour or two to let intial cloudiness occur, then moved to inhabited tanks. So far so good

It's amazing (Aqua Soil), and yes, he's usually like that...

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by AquaTroy

Picked up a bag of Aquasoil at the old Premeir LFS (now called Aquamart? I think), anyone have any experinces with this product? good bad or otherwise? Im thinking about using it in pots also.

Thanks in Advance..

I just set up a 15 gallon high experimental tank on December 26 2007 to test ADA Aquasoil II
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/su...erimental.html

I have to honesty say that I was skeptical that the stuff would live up to the hype. However, with the rate of plant growth I have seen compared to Seachem Fluorite and Schultz Aquatic Soil, I have to say I am quite impressed. The rate of plant growth I saw in less than one month with Aquasoil, I only saw with Fluorite and Schultz Aquatic Soil in 3 months.

When I get a chance, I will create a web page posting monthly pictures to show the progress of the plants growing in it. I just have not had time to do this right now. And since the last picture taken Jan 16 2008, there has been a doubling of plant mass and I have had to prune and trim like crazy.

[plantbrain]

ADA As is great stuff, about all I use.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[TAF CAF]

Originally Posted by AquaTroy

Potted a few this am, and went well, soaked medium for a while prior to potting, a floss sheet on bottom of pot to keep medium from flowing out of drainage holes in future, and placed a layer of pebbles on top. after planting, placed all in a empty (as in fish, not water) tank for a hour or two to let intial cloudiness occur, then moved to inhabited tanks. So far so good

Most people on here will think of potted plants as being plant wrapped in rock-wool and then stuffed into a netted pot... then poked down in the gravel of your tank.

I don't think they were thinking about using it to 'pot' plants into pots with. I havn't used it, but would think that if it works well in small tanks, that it would work well in pots.

Oh, and spypet is very helpful... just comes across as grumpy sometimes.

[MrJG]

AquaTroy: I see that you moved some AS potted stuff over to tanks that have fishy inhabitants. Keep a close eye on those tanks. Normally there is a really substantial ammonia spike associated with newly submerged aquasoil that takes several weeks to clear up with 40-50% water changes every couple of days. Granted this is normally experienced with using AS as the entire substrate for a tank. Just figured I'd give you a heads up incase you didn't know... if you did know already many apologies.

[AquaTroy]

Thanks to all for all the good info, Watching for Ammonia spikes as suggested but as I only put two or three plants (in 3 inch pots) into very overfiltrated, yet underpopulated tanks, and I havent tested positive for any spikes. And only with my guppies(YES GUPPIES) so losses would be minimal

I have cultivated full bed planted tanks in the past, But was given this idea by a fellow aquarist. The pots give the advantages of a planted tank, but allow for quick changes back to bare bottom as the need requires. Sometimes we have way to many plant munchers and this will give me the flexilbity I want, and get some greenery in my tanks.

It has also given me the itch to do another full bed planted tank, but can decide what tank to "green" probably a 30L...

Thanks Again

[TAF CAF]

Nice Looking Plants.

[AquaTroy]

Thanks, Im seeing new sprouts and the guppies live! any idea where I can get Endler's in Colo?

[plantbrain]

NH4 spikes are easy to contend with, hardly a trade off to fret over.

Water changes, Zeolite, activatred carbon , purigen etc all help to address tannins and NH4.

By the time they are exhausted, the tank is well cycled(about 1 month).

Then they are biomedia thereafter.
Roots are well established and your leaching is reduced from then on unless you do a large trim, uproot etc, then simply make sure to do a large water change right away afterwards.


Regards,
Tom Barr