[popytoys]

Hi all,

Hope you can share your experience... I have been using ADA soil for my crystal shrimp tank... Now I try to try some other soil... I was thinking using Fluval Stratrum, UP Shrimp soil (Taiwan), and AZOO Soil.

Have you ever you one of them before? If so... how is it? Can the soil be used instantly without any nitrate or dirt problem? Also, how long can the soil last? How is the ph and other parameter?

Thank you for your help.

PopyToys

 

[bizzle]

I've been using Up aqua shrimp sand for about a month now. There was minimal and I mean minimal cloudiness when I filled the tank. There is some minor ammonia leeching (.25ppm) and it buffers the water to 6.5-6.6. While reading up on it I have seen complaints about it's poor longetivity however I've seen the same complaints about every other active substrate on the market. The color once wet is a greyish black which doesn't look all that natural but I like it.

 

[markisashrimp]

I'm following along.....
In a week or 2 I'll be getting the new tank I have order to be made (It's a 4 section with own filtration) for some shrimps. Will be my first setup if actually sub for shrimps. The 2 2.5g I have now is just a holding tank until new tank gets here and cycled out.

Anyways, I am curious to know about these two products as will. But I do plan on capping the sub with Black Diamond sand just because I like how it looks.

 

[Tihsho]

I'm curious in this as well. What's the longevity of the nutrients generally before the substrate needs replacing? bizzle I see you mentioned you saw complaints, is that about the longevity of buffering or nutrients?

 

[jmf3460]

you asked for it so here is my rather rare and weird experience:
I bought fluval stratum, for both my shrimp and my plants. while my plants looked good using the stratum, the shrimp, which mine were plain ole rcs, started turning black then dying. I know this is weird but I couldn't help but blame it on the black stratum. They had never done this before on brown gravel or sand. When they would die you could see the black all in their intestines. I took it out, no more deaths, still thriving today. Don't know what the heck happened.