# ADA Amazonia AquaSoil



## gosquidgo (Feb 3, 2013)

Any thoughts on this type of substrate (besides the high price tag LOL):

ADA Amazonia AquaSoil

http://www.adgshop.com/Aqua_Soil_Amazonia_p/104-021.htm


Anyone ever use this? I saw it in someone's tank and it looks awesome!


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## tekkguy (Jan 28, 2013)

It is very, very good for planted tanks, and will help to keep pH low.

However, it is NOT FISH SAFE for several weeks. You will have huge ammonia spikes for a few weeks after setting up the tank. You need to test very, very thoroughly before adding fish.


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## Picasso84 (Feb 11, 2013)

tekkguy said:


> It is very, very good for planted tanks, and will help to keep pH low.
> 
> However, it is NOT FISH SAFE for several weeks. You will have huge ammonia spikes for a few weeks after setting up the tank. You need to test very, very thoroughly before adding fish.


Ooh, wow that is good to know! Thanks for asking gosquidgo!  I would've gotten it (still hadn't decided to get it yet, but still) and had spikes & may not have known until it was too late!


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## gosquidgo (Feb 3, 2013)

Thanks for the insight! Have you used it, tek? I read in one forum (old old post) that the person suffered a massive shrimp loss after stirring it up while changing out some plants. And another guy responded that their tank stayed cloudy for days (but no losses). Just wanted to weigh pros and cons.

I'd go for it, picasso, and let us know how you do. The tank I saw it in looked amazing!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I have used ADA amazonia. There is a reason it is one of the most popular brands of susbtrate available in spite of the price tag, and that is because plants love it. 

It does have an ammonia spike of around 8ppm and upwards in the initial weeks of set-up as mentioned, but this is often not a problem because you can either use it to fishless cycle your tank if there are no livestock present, or cycle it in a separate bucket if adding to an established tank. 

Honestly, a couple of handfuls sprinkled in one of my established tanks with a large plant mass was enough to boost their growth and I never saw any ammonia readings because of it.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I wonder about the part where it lowers GH and KH and acidifies the aquarium---even lowering the pH into the <6.0pH range.


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## gosquidgo (Feb 3, 2013)

Yeah, take that spam somewhere else, hoan.

This is all great info! So littlebetta, when you added it to your established system after you pre-cycled it, did it cloud up your tank? How does it look after it's been in the water a while? Is it still shaped like little balls or does it crumble into like, mud?

Also after a year or so in the tank, does it lose its effectiveness? In my saltwater system, I once used miracle mud for my refugium, but it requires you to change out 20% after 6 months to replenish the minerals in it (I stopped using it actually cuz it was more trouble than it was worth). 

What do you guys think was the problem with that guy's tank -- the one who stirred it up a little to change out some plants? As soon as he stirred it, instant invert deaths.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

I have heard of cases of the substrate exhausting (usually 2-3 years) and swings in chemistry wiping out fish.


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## gosquidgo (Feb 3, 2013)

Yeah, those are the types of concerns I have about the substrate. If I have to replace it in a few years, that's fine. But that means you'd have to cycle the new batch ahead of time separately.

Here's the tank I was talking about -- it's not mine; just someone else I know (http://bluelemonphoto.com/). He has a Copper Red Dragon Halfmoon Betta. I got his permission to post it here 










This is another he's setting up elsewhere (not a betta tank):










The substrate looks so nice and natural.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Honestly, if you go on enough forums and read enough threads you will see issues people have had with every kind of substrate. 

I believe that there have been a couple of versions of ADA Amazonia soil released and it was one of the newer ones that was breaking down quite quickly and causing problems with cloudiness. I think that this problem has since been rectified and it does not seem to have diminished its popularity. 

ADA does acidify the water/lower the pH because a lot of aquarium plants (particularly some of the more difficult types) actually prefer softer water to grow. I think you would only see a huge drop in pH if your water was fairly soft to begin with. 

A lot of planted tank substrates are not designed to be messed around with on a regular basis as it can cause them to crumble or fall apart. ADA Amazonia tends to turn to expensive mud if you are continually moving it around or plating and replanting over and over again. 

I've never run into any issues with cloudiness while using this product. If you are concerned, always fill your tank up using a plastic bag, newspaper or plate over the substrate and this should cause minimal disturbance to the soil.


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