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Yes. Unlike gravel, ADA Aquasoil can be crushed by squeezing it with your fingers. And even if you don't, in about 3 to 4 years, it will turn into muck.
Cheers,
I wonder if this question was ever raised but I run a search through the forum and found naught. So here goes...Does ADA Aquasoil turn to mush/mud/powder if i apply a little pressure on it..say a heavy driftwood?
I am keen to change the subtrate of my small shrimp tank to this soil since seeing fLush is selling his 4 months old Aquasoil. Thinking that I would circumvent the initial ammonia/ph problem the soil is noted to have, I still have the worry that if I screwed up somehow, one fine day, I might get a muddy tank when the soils breaks up. I seen some conflicting info on this question so would like my doubts cleared before I procede. By the way...I am trying to keep CRS in the tank, with the Aquasoil.
Anyone using Aquasoil can help? Maybe grab a pellet of soil and break it with your fingers to see if it is really that soft? Or anyone living in Tampines/Pasir Ris area keeping CRS with Aquasoil and don't mind me popping over to take a look?
Yours Truly, Avan
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Yes. Unlike gravel, ADA Aquasoil can be crushed by squeezing it with your fingers. And even if you don't, in about 3 to 4 years, it will turn into muck.
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
Hi,Originally Posted by zyblack
I wonder if this question was ever raised but I run a search through the forum and found naught. So here goes...Does ADA Aquasoil turn to mush/mud/powder if i apply a little pressure on it..say a heavy driftwood?
I am keen to change the subtrate of my small shrimp tank to this soil since seeing fLush is selling his 4 months old Aquasoil. Thinking that I would circumvent the initial ammonia/ph problem the soil is noted to have, I still have the worry that if I screwed up somehow, one fine day, I might get a muddy tank when the soils breaks up. I seen some conflicting info on this question so would like my doubts cleared before I procede. By the way...I am trying to keep CRS in the tank, with the Aquasoil.
Anyone using Aquasoil can help? Maybe grab a pellet of soil and break it with your fingers to see if it is really that soft? Or anyone living in Tampines/Pasir Ris area keeping CRS with Aquasoil and don't mind me popping over to take a look?
We use ADA soil in all of our soft water stock tanks. When the soil breaks down, just up with a thin layer of fresh substrate, the water remains great for the inhabitants. Cheers
New Aquasoil takes considerable pressure to crush with your fingers when wet. Over time the pressure needed decreases exponentially.
Aquasoil will "melt down" after about 2 years of use.
don't worry, be happy
ok..so i gather that Aquasoil may require laying a new layer every 2-3 years? Worth a risk in a CRS tank even though I don't have much plant that requires a fertile substrate (i.e. moss, hygrofilla)? Would other substrate be more suitable?
I am using some cheap black (coated...i think) gravel which do not have much drainage space between individual grain. With the shrimps' waste products and uneaten food lying on top the surface, it is starting to be an ugly sight. Also noticing some moulding on the gravels, so I wish if there is any moulding needed to be done, be out of sight and under the gravel.
More advice please...regarding this soil before I get some...Thanks for the replies above.
Yours Truly, Avan
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau
What exactly is moulding on the gravel? Interesting. Care to give more details?
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
Avan, you trying to say moultings?
You can just have a thin layer of ADA Aquasoil over if you don't intend to have plants with roots. This will make the replacing of Aquasoil easier and less mess imho.
Moulding...erm...fungus growth? Some fuzzy thing growing where leftover food is found. Hard to suck up the excess food since it kind of disturbs everything making my water cloudy. Killed my last batch of cherries this way I think. Will try to get a picture tomorrow when there is light since I don't want to scare my fauna with the sudden flash.
Was thinking that if i can find some sort of substrate where the excess waste and food particles can sink to the bottom and decay there...maybe forming the so-called mulm that Peter Gwee so often refers to. Ada aquasoil seems round and appear to be perfect for this...but now my new worry is that my fish and otos may suddenly dash around the tank and stir up the aquasoil.
They do that when I switch on the light going to the kitchen at night.
Other than aquasoil, is there any other substrate that is round and can create drainage between grains? Preferably something hard and long lasting AND dark in colour..asking too much??
Yours Truly, Avan
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Um... why don't you feed less then?
That's serious overfeeding if you're getting mould/fuzzy growth. I used to have those back in the days when I overfed.
Hmm...feeding less? I normally feed my shrimps a tiny piece of algae wafer or spirulina tabs but for some reason they eat very messy..spew all the food bits around my tank, then go graze on moss. I think I stop feeding my lone CRS the rest of the month. Hope it feed on the mould/fungus and get bright red/white.
Yours Truly, Avan
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
~ Henry David Thoreau
hi,
For a new pack of ADA amazonia soil, do I still need to wash it(in pails or something) before use ?
No, never wash it. You'll turn it into mud if you wash it like normal gravel
Just put it in direct and fill in water very slowly. No cloudiness will be seen this way.
Avan, I can't think of a solution to that
for what i did was, i place a big plastic bag flat over the the soil and then slowly pour water onto it, once water level filled up to the desired hieght then removed the plastic bag. Cloudiness-Free guranteed
Thank you Terence. Indeed I am afraid of turning the soil into mud yet very tempted to wash it before use.No, never wash it. You'll turn it into mud if you wash it like normal gravel
Just put it in direct and fill in water very slowly. No cloudiness will be seen this way.
Avan, I can't think of a solution to that
there's instructions in the bag telling you specifically not to wash it... great for lazy ppl... heh heh... reason why i'm selling it is because i'm starting a rock scape, have 30 over KGs of rocks to put in, know it would turn into sand/powder, i wonldn't want my tank to be messy... so change it while i can! to something hard and won't break down...
cheers
i never tried any ADA soil before.
am still a newbie so going the budget route.
but just to join in the discussion here...
from what everyone's been saying, the ADA soil is not very lasting and seems like the accepted method is to top up with more soil.
but if i don;t want to do that, want something lasting and more permanent, yet can still be good for plants
any good gravel that would serve this purpose?
seachem onyx sand or dennerle quartz gravel? understand that they are supposed to work with base fert, not standalone?
IMO 2 years or more is a long time for an aquascape.. it is rather difficult for the ichy hands not desiring to tear up the tank every now and then.
yea true.
but using other gravel means that when i rescape i can wash and reuse right?
rather than buy new ada soil since the old ones became mud
correct me if im wrong please.
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