Ada Aqua Soil

[qwikimpss]

Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? It looks pretty good as I will be moving in about a month and will have a chance to completely re-do my planted tank and was thinking about using this as a substrate. I was thinking about the "Amazonia". One concern is that it says that the substrate lowers the PH, well with CO2 would it possibly drop too low? I would like to crate a successful amazon-type tank with some cardinals which I've never had good luck with. Also is it more like sand than gravel? Any comments?

Here it is. In the American ADA online catalog.

 

[qwikimpss]

Nothing?

 

[Themuleous]

Can't say I have matey, the whole ADA product range it fairly new over here so will take time for people to use it.

 

[simonbrown403]

I've read about it in a planted tank journal for the ada comp, it said it rich in nutrients, which caused this person loads of problems when setting up his tank.
It seams it can be awkward to use unless you have a reasonable knowledge and experience with planted tanks.

That's the opinion i get from what I've read anyway.

 

[qwikimpss]

Huh. Well, I'll try it anyway after I move....a month and a half.

 

[riverman444]

Those cube gardes look fragile. Aren't the rims around tanks for extra support? ADA cubes do not have any support......hmm.

Expensive stuff.

 

[JArtiles305]

Expensive stuff.

Very Expensive

 

[qwikimpss]

Ya, the cubes are expensive...but I can't help but want one, they make awesome looking tanks with the glass filter inlet/outlet.

 

[Graeme Edwards]

Hi,

Iv got ADA malaya, aquaessentials is the only place that sells ADA in the uk.
It has the consistancy of real clay like soil but in 3-4mm balls/pearls it is slightly damp in its bag.
When you put it in your tank little bubbles form inbetween the soil balls, im under the impresion this is supose to happen for roots to extract oxygen better and help the possitive bacteria thrive especially if you use power sand/power sand special or backtar100.
Thing i found was if you fiddled tomuch when planting or replanting the soil balls/pearls brake up an loos thire shap and connsitancy.

I cant give a true apinion on if it works well because i tryed it in my tropica aqua cube but sufferd with algea on my christmass moss and particuls settling on my plant.

Be sure though that it was my mistakes that compromised my aqua cube, not the product.

Hope this helps.

Graeme Uk

 

[qwikimpss]

That does help a bit. Thank you. I wanna try it when I re-set up my tank...doesn't hurt to experiment with stuff!

 

[oldwhitewood]

I use the ADA substrate. I use power sand special under aqua soil amazonia. I must say my tenellus has grown really well using it, but most of the other stuff I have are stem plants and thus I can't really see what radical a difference it makes. It does lower the ph a bit I think and is also high in nutrients as well, if like me you are using the recommended tourmaline BC keep a close eye on parameters. You probably will go through an algae bloom. You know the way ADA setup their tanks? The process they go through is the tank matures and goes through an algae bloom and they release something like 45 japonica shrimps into the tank (this would be for a 60cm tank), they also introduce ottos and after a few days the tank is cleaned and after that balanced. I don't think this is to deal with a normal diatom bloom which you get when maturing a new tank, from the pictures I have seen and my own experience with my quasi-ADA setup this is what I experienced, now the tank is fairly stable dosing with the Green Brightly Ferts but I suspect lacking in nitrates which is why I am going to start dosing with NO4.

 

[qwikimpss]

That is awesome WhiteWood. Now I don't know if I want to try it now tho. The only way I have found to get ANY FW shrimp around here is to special order it and that is expensive even tho I have wanted Amano Shrimp for some time...Oh well. I'm just trying to plan out my re-vamped set up for a few months down the line. Thanks a ton for your input!

 

[George Farmer]

ADA Aqua Soil is now widely regarded as one of the best substrates available.

I will use it in my new set up - and I am very picky!

 

[qwikimpss]

Well that seals it! If George is gonna use it then I may as well try it too!

 

[bennett]

i'm looking into selling my girlfriend so i can get some