[Otto72]

As mentioned in another thread I have some new bags of Oliver Knotts substrate that I bought last year that I never used, I was gonna use these on my latest shrimp setup but the more I read the more I see other users using the ADA Aqua Soil and other similar substrates for their shrimp tank.
I read somewhere that Aqua Soil has an initial Ammonia spike during new tank cycling, is that true? and does ADA Aqua Soil have PH lowing properties?
Whats the differences between powder and normal?

What substrate are you currently using with your shrimp tank and why? (Pics would be nice too)

 

[GeToChKn]

ADA does have ammonia, to allow you to "dry start" a tank and have all the ammonia it needs to cycle. It does lower pH as do some of the other shrimp soils. The key to any of them, is the higher pH tap water you use and the bigger WC's you do, the faster you will wear it out. Use RO water or RO/Tap mix, do small WC's, which you should on a shrimp only tank anyways, and most of them should last for a while. Never used ADA, but I use Netlea soil and it works great for my crystals. I use the fluval in my other tanks as a cap as they aren't pH specific.

 

[Martin_G]

I'm using Eco-complete in black. Originally my tank was a fish, then fish and shrimp. Now its shrimp only with several plants and the shrimp (Red Cherries) are doing great!