ADA Amazonia Aquasoil

[cyfan964]

I want to get ahold of some of this stuff for a 2.5 gallon nano that I want to do inverts in. Does anyone know of a place to buy smaller portions online? I really don't need a 9 L bag.

[FSM]

They sell 3 liter bags too.

[cyfan964]

Originally Posted by FSM

They sell 3 liter bags too.

Lol damn! I totally didn't even see that available initially... thanks!!!

They are currently out of the normal type of aquasoil... what's the powder type?

[zzyzx85]

it's fine stuff. Small, granular, about 2-3mm, evenly sized.

[CL]

The powder kind is around 1mm from what I can remember when I used it. It's got a really nice texture, IMO.

[Ebichua]

The powder type has less nutrients than the regular kind, so I would recommend you stick with the regular aquasoil over the powder type as it will serve you better in the long run. The powder type is only helpful in the beginning stages of setting up a tank and planting (suppose to be easier to plant with). But after that, it's not really worth it anymore... Not sure why they charge more for the powder type. Less nutrients, smaller quantity, minor enhancement for planting. Not worth it in my opinion

[vca2004]

I have the regular ADA Aquasoil and am VERY unhappy with it! I got it to slightly lower my pH for the sake of the plants and the shrimp. I've had it for 2-3 months now and the effect is gone! I have pH 7 out of the tap, had pH 5.8 at cycling time, then it was at 6.6 for a while and is now back at pH 7 - same as tap water. So to me this stuff is pretty pointless and a total waste of money. Go with some other plant substrate instead!

[Whiskeyfox]

I just bought some off someone here on the forums. perhaps someone else may have some they'd let go of, try swap and shop. I used it to top off my eco-complete. I really like the looks of it better - the baby dwarf tears i had didn't do well because i think the eco-complete grain size was too big for the little roots.

[cjp999]

Originally Posted by vca2004

I have the regular ADA Aquasoil and am VERY unhappy with it! I got it to slightly lower my pH for the sake of the plants and the shrimp. I've had it for 2-3 months now and the effect is gone! I have pH 7 out of the tap, had pH 5.8 at cycling time, then it was at 6.6 for a while and is now back at pH 7 - same as tap water. So to me this stuff is pretty pointless and a total waste of money. Go with some other plant substrate instead!

I also partly bought AS to lower my pH, and that affect is now gone after a year. I'd say don't by it for this reason, unless you just need your pH temporarily lowered, or you are willing to replace AS every year or so.

What I like about AS is the look and it is easy to plant in. It also initially gives great growth to plants like Swords, but that too wears off within a year, and it's only recently that I've realized I need to start using fert tabs in the substrate.

I also have flourite in a smaller tank. I actually like its look better than AS, but it is not as easy to plant in. However, the water is a lot clearer in the flourite tank than the AS tank, but that could have something to do with other factors like bio-load, filtering, or the fact that one is a high light and the other low light.

[Whiskeyfox]

what initially attracted to me to eco-complete was that i thought it was all black... well, when i got it set up under the lights, it wasn't uniformly black... there are other colored rocks in there including white! I felt it was a little bit of a let down.

[CL]

Originally Posted by Ebichua

Less nutrients, smaller quantity, minor enhancement for planting. Not worth it in my opinion

Actually you get the same volume, but more weight, so there is more substrate there, and it takes more material to produce, which is why it costs more, but supposedly it does have less nutrients like you said, which is why I would chose normal type over powder, unless you like the aesthetics of powder because a 2.5 is so small (I chose the powder type for my 2.5 for this reason)

[cyfan964]

Originally Posted by CL

Actually you get the same volume, but more weight, so there is more substrate there, and it takes more material to produce, which is why it costs more, but supposedly it does have less nutrients like you said, which is why I would chose normal type over powder, unless you like the aesthetics of powder because a 2.5 is so small (I chose the powder type for my 2.5 for this reason)

Yup I chose the powder for scale reasons. I thought the regular would look a little big in a tank so small .

[rrrrramos]

I can't say I agree with the two posters who said it is useless. It's packed full of nutrients, and is one of the best substrates for plants to grow in. It allows for great root structures, holds carpet plants better than any other substrate I've used before, and honestly I love the color it has under the water and light. And you should never use the Aquasoil as your only mean for lowering pH. You should look into a Co2 system if that is your main goal..

[cjp999]

Originally Posted by rrrrramos

I can't say I agree with the two posters who said it is useless. It's packed full of nutrients, and is one of the best substrates for plants to grow in. It allows for great root structures, holds carpet plants better than any other substrate I've used before, and honestly I love the color it has under the water and light. And you should never use the Aquasoil as your only mean for lowering pH. You should look into a Co2 system if that is your main goal..

Didn't say it was useless. I said don't buy it to lower your pH. I was disappointed the pH lowering affect was relatively short lived, since at the time I bought it this was often cited as one of the big advantages of AS in high pH tanks.

Also, water clarity with AS may be an issue. I don't like my water clarity in my AS tank compared to all my other non-AS tanks. But as I pointed out, it's possible this might not be due to factors other than AS, although others have had similar problems.

I do like the look, how well plants *initially* grow in it, and how easy it is to plant in.

The ample nutrients in AS that give you great initial growth also seem to be relatively shorted lived. I'm not sure how it stacks up long term with other substrates, but you should at least plan on using fert stakes within the first year. I'm not sure if there are some nutrients in AS that do last long term. I just know my sword growth nearly stopped after a year.

[lauraleellbp]

The ADA Amazonia II was developed in part to help lower pH and hardness. How much it might or might not do that is very much dependent on the water you start off with.