2x2feet tank

[Goalkeeper]

Plan to start above as planted tank. Check cost of ADA Amazonia soil today n 9L pack selling $40. This means I need abt 36L which is $160! Does this sound right? Do I really need to buy so much. LFS told me if plan to have rooted plants need abt 3 inches height. I plan to start with low tech first n if budget allow later buy CO2 tank etc. like to plant some moss as carpet, any type as long as not too expensive. thanks for any advice u can give on soil requirement n cost based on this.

[diazman]

Hi there, if you planning to have some low requirement plants like moss, you can opt for cheaper soil alternatives i.e. GEX brand for example. They work well for low tech setups as well.

Additionally, if you are only going for moss only tank, then there is no need to have too deep a substrate bed since you will/might not have any root plants. My setups, at most only had about 3-5cm worth of soil all around. (flat)

[Goalkeeper]

Thanks bro. Any idea what's the price difference btw gex n Ada? I intend to have some rooted plants n planning to get a co2 in few months when budget allow. So wanted to get the soil right too. But if cheaper versions work, am for it as well. Is 5 cm enough if I plan on rooted plants?

[wongce]

Hi goalkeeper, my lucky guess; Y618 uncle that told you that you need that much soil? haha

Gex and ADA just few dollars difference.... hmm, for moss or low tech plants... you don't even need sand to begin with... some low tech plants just need sand, some just need a piece of driftwood for rooting... well don't be shock though, what the uncle told you is true to a certain extend... but for beginners, why don't you just start with some sand....carpeting moss needs only stainless steel wire mesh with good tying skills.... refer to my blog below for 1 stop info that you need... hope it helps

[Goalkeeper]

Thanks bro...yeh almost half way through reading your articles. Very informative and useful. Thanks for spending time putting together.

[wongce]

Thanks bro...yeh almost half way through reading your articles. Very informative and useful. Thanks for spending time putting together.

I hope you don't fell asleep reading it...:P

[diazman]

Yes, sand also possible, then you can create something like i did some time back, come i poison you

Lapis sand setup, nothing fancy. Everything grows there.

[Goalkeeper]

Bro wongce, student cannot fall asleep when reading kungful manual!

Bro diazman, nice setup....can feel poison liao! Your current setup must be more "powerful"! I was also thinking combining the soil with some fine sand (those we see at the beach), can save some money on the soil....hopefully this will work too! Your setup above use CCo2 etc? Growth is lush. Thanks for sharing.

[diazman]

Thanks . The tank had nothing special in it, just 24 watts of lighting over 1ft tank and high rate of flow. No CO2, just occasional flourish. Supposedly low tech but with high lighting . Original intention was to see if I could grow mini christmas moss in warm water, and i managed to do it (the moss in the middle foreground under the bogwood)

If you planning to have sand in it, perhaps can grab those sudo sand.

[Goalkeeper]

I saw this brand HELP soil at seaview. Price is $9 cheaper than Ada Amazonia before discount per bag. Grab two and probably buy the sudo sand to mix partially.

[tubularistical]

Hi Goalkeeper, may I ask where you bought $40 ADA soil from? I got mine at $45 and will be needing a couple more bags. I've yet to use mine and hope to see whether it's worth the few $ extra, I was using GEX soil before/currently and looks like it's about depleted after 1.5 years.

[Goalkeeper]

Hi bro I saw them at Y618. I didn't buy....too ex for me. The boss told me it's $40 per 9 liter pack. She said that morning one guy bought 10 packs....must be rich!!

[cherabin]

Honestly, I'll just get ADA. The cost savings that you get from other brands such as Gex etc just doesn't justify the drop in quality.


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[tubularistical]

Hi Goalkeeper, thanks for the location I had the same thought as cherabin - few dollars difference per packet, but if it can last longer then perhaps it may work out to cost about the same long term? It'll be another 1.5 years before I can see for myself though, can't wait to get started!

[Goalkeeper]

Ya, I chose the cheaper one first as am not sure how long I'll stick to this hobby!! Does regular fertilising also provide nutrients for the soil? For new setup with new soil do we need to add fertiliser immediately or will existing soil nutrients suffice?

[Urban Aquaria]

Ya, I chose the cheaper one first as am not sure how long I'll stick to this hobby!! Does regular fertilising also provide nutrients for the soil? For new setup with new soil do we need to add fertiliser immediately or will existing soil nutrients suffice?

Regular fertilizing will supplement the overall nutrients in the soil. A good quality soil substrate with high cation exchange capacity (CEC) will be able to store some of the added nutrients and gradually release them to plant roots over time.

Most plants can take in nutrients from both the water column and substrate, but some plants are heavier root feeders so will grow better and faster with higher nutrient substrates.

One of the issues with relying on water column fertilization is algae has access to it too, on the otherhand nutrients in the soil are mostly only available to the rooted plants.

The amount and type of ferts to dose initially and over time will depend on the soil substrate.

With brand new ADA amazonia aquasoil, its a tried and tested soil so its nutrient release and parameter buffering characteristics are well known and predictable. There will usually be enough nutrients to boost plant growth for the initial 4-6 months (can be more or less depending on planting density), with just dosing of micro/trace ferts (along with potassium/K) recommended to provide additional nutrient support.

With other brand soils, you'll just have to observe the plant growth and condition to see which additional fertilizers and nutrients are required.

[barmby]

ADA aquasoil is proven. without a doubt. Try to use the best option out there and help you to fast track and gain the upper hand. Only the experience ones can afford to try and take out one or two elements and see whether they can get away with it or not.

The whole point is get the whole nine yard that will help plant and you to settle down properly. And is all about growing plants and not crisis control or rather algae management.