Will mud clogs the substrate and kills the roots?

[leafhorn]

Wondering if anyone can help me on the issue...

I am using ADA soil, but discovered that the Africana soil disintregrets easily. A large part of the soil had turned to mud.

During inital setup, some rock wool touched the soil, and the affected area turned to mud, took out some grains and used rock wool to wrap around the grains, the grains later melted. So I siphoned out the mud and affected area and replaced with new Africana soil. Had to buy another bag just for this...

About 2 weeks had past and now I discovered that more soil had disintergreted, and some areas of the tank had become mud, about half inch below the soil bed. Also, I did not add baking soda directly, but premixed in litre of water first.

I am using Amazonia on another tank, do not have such problems. What is the cause of it?

I am worried about the ADA Africana soil all turning to mud eventually and thats the end of my setup, the substrate will clog with the mud and the roots will not develop. Whenever I pull out plants mud just gets release and turns the tank very cloudy, the tank condition looks just like the longkang after a rainy day, muddy.

Does anyone using African soil have similar experience? Or is it just me due to the rock wool incident?

Sorry if this offends anyone, but I have say that I am extremely disappointed and pissed off with ADA Africana soil (Amazonia is great however), the efforts, trouble and money put in all for a tank of ADA MUD makes me want to strangle Amano. [] []

[sherchoo]

If I'm not wrong Amazonia will eventually turn into mud too.

How long does it take before the Africana soil turned into mud?

[leafhorn]

Alamak, so all aquasoil will eventually turn to mud.

Mine is only a few weeks, perhaps due to the reaction with rock wool.

So the question is, once it turns to mud, will it be the end for this tank?

Because mine is turning to mud at a rather high speed. Hope it stops...

[jacian]

I don't think it is going to be the end of the tank. I can't be sure but since there is nothing you could do at the moment, why not wait and see. Do keep us updated on the outcome.

[loupgarou]

sorry, but in nature where aquatic plants grow, I doubt much of the land is anything else but mud

[leafhorn]

That is great news then, thanx. Because my line of thinkings that when it all turns to mud, the substrate becomes so compact that oxygen can't get to the roots, then they die.

Certainty hope for the best, really hope that those muddy area are the ones that I missed out siphoning during the rock wool incident.

Another likely cause is my Crinum. Because my Crinum dont have roots when I buy it, each blub only one or two root. So it keeps on floating.. you know aquasoil grains so light, cannot hold it. So I keep replanting them and pressing them in and after that pressing the aquasoil around them to hold them, the pressing might crushed the already half disintergreted grains...

From now on will try not to reposition my plants around too much.

[jacian]

If the cause is Crinum, use something (eg stone) to weigh it down first. Remove after it has rooted.

[leafhorn]

Thanx jacian for tip. But managed to finally hold them down with just soil, whole bulb in substrate, hoped the porousity helps and the bulb seens to be ok, no rot. Some stalks I did reveal a bit of the bulb, but some are fully in the substrate, no deep of course. As long as they stay there I won't mess it liao, dont want to mess with the substrate of this tank liao.

[leafhorn]

Anyway I read of substrate clogging after a few years of setup resulting the setup's death eventually, even with topup ferts and spot fertislisation,

Was wondering if our Aquasoil really turn to mud, will the plants still be ok?

[PeterGwee]

Why don't you write to ADA? I think they are the best to answer your question. []

[leafhorn]

How to write to them??

[jacian]

If you are really worried about substrate clogging, get some MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails), they should help.