# Ada



## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

I had a long talk to my nearest aquarium shop recently about NPTs and he has quite a lot of beautiful tank setups as well as a few for customers, I was discussing my plan to start a new NPT and he started recommending ADA tanks and substrates if i was going to start a NPT. He showed me a few of his setups as well and it looks pretty complex even with a CO2 system.

I'm absolutely new to aquariums and owning bettas. I have zero knowledge when i first started (which i regretted) but i'm trying to learn about everything i can as well as water testing. Is ADA good? Would it be recommended and any good if i was going to start a NPT?


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## Fieldz (Apr 6, 2011)

ADA is one of the best available. It was created by Takashi Amano, the father of planted tanks. The high price is because of their difference in quality. If you have the money and you want a professional looking tank, go for it.


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

My boss had one in his office for crystal shrimps. The glass is very clear, you are paying for the workmanship of the tank, very well sealed and you can barely see the sealant. If you have the money, it's a treat.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

ADA is considered basically the top of the range for anything aquascaping related. Think of it as like the Ferrari of the aquascaping world. 

_However_, there are some things ADA sells that are just clever advertising. I believe some of the substrate additives for example do basically nothing but empty your wallet. 

A cheaper option is the Do!Aqua range of tanks and equipment. This is supposed to be aimed more towards newcomers to the planted tank scene. 

I do love the ADA soils and so do my plants. The only downside is the initial ammonia spike but this provides a way of fishless cycling your tank.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Oh yeah, is there any difference between Do!Aqua and ADA? Cause when he showed me the tank, it was a Do!Aqua tank but it did also have ADA stamped on the bottom as well. I will probably ask the shop owner about the ADA substrate additives.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Do! Aqua is an ADA series 
If you are looking at rimless tanks You should take a look at the truaqua low iron high clarity rimless tanks, they're much cheaper and equally as beautiful


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

It looks like the OP is in Australia (did not even notice when I first posted) so Trueaqua is not available here.

What we do however, have available is YiDing brand of tank which is basically identical (when you get the 'crystal' glass) to ADA. I think there was some talk that YiDing is the OEM of ADA. 

ADA is ridiculously priced here. I paid over $1000 (plus freight) for my 90x45x45 Do!Aqua tank. To get it ADA was about double that. Ridiculous.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

you go all out when it comes to shiny tanks dont you LBF >.>


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Haha that was back when I was rich. And you know who lives in the most expensive tank in my house...the goldfish! 

You can't really surpass the workmanship on brands like ADA, Do!Aqua and YiDing. Only difference between the Do!Aqua and the ADA tanks is the sticker is different and the glass on the Do!Aqua tanks is standard rather than low iron.

I do love low iron glass, but I honestly think it is not worth spending extra money to get it when everything else is identical in quality.


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

so what is so special about low-iron glass? clarity?


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## Crowntails (Feb 12, 2013)

ADA is the highest quality tanks there are. Check out AquaTop tanks though, they are very high quality and tons cheaper. I considered purchasing the 2.11 gallon version.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm pretty sure clarity is the only reason. I have low iron and 'standard' glass tanks side-by-side and there is only a slight discernible difference between the two.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks for all the help and input. This helped me clarify a lot more. I was just asking about NPTs generally at the shop so i was still pretty blur on the details and i didnt focus much on the tank. asked about the tanks and he uses the Do!Aqua tanks all around his shop, shop me a 25x25x25 and said that will cost about $60. Might have to go back and check the price now that i know the size of tank i can get. Wow, $1000 is a lot of money, if the tank is really going to cost that much, might have to buy the tank first and save up for the substrate and plants and deco. Thinking of getting a 45x27x30 i think is the size.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Yep. That is my favourite size tank for keeping bettas. I have about 5 or 6 of them. 

$60 looks almost $20 cheaper than the only online supplier in Australia I know who sells these tanks. 

But it is a lot of cash to outlay for a 25x25x25cm tank. 

The glass in my 90cm tank is as thick as my finger and bevelled all the way around so I didn't mind paying top dollar for it. This was also before a lot of the cheaper brands of rimless aquariums became available in Australia so the seller had kind of cornered that market. 

I would guess you would maybe be looking at $100 maybe more, possibly less for a Do!Aqua tank in the size you want.

Definitely spend the money on the ADA soil though if you are wanting to start a planted tank. A little goes a long way and there is a reason it is still popular among planted tank enthusiasts.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Around $100 seems very reasonable and i would be fine with that. $1000 might come as a pretty big shock to me.  I was at the over priced pet store recently and even their rimless tank of roughly the same dimensions was $90, might as well get Do!Aqua tank. The quality on it does look amazingly well crafted and seamless, thinking of going to the aquarium shop soon.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Well good luck with your plans and definitely keep us posted on here with pictures if you go ahead.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Alright, so i went to the shop and the 45x27x30 tank costed $110 and the 45x24x30 for $100. 

So i pretty much went out and paid what my budget allows, a tank, heater, thermometer and a filter, costed $200 in total so the tank is pretty bare until i can afford the rest. Will have to start saving up for the substrates and plants to go in next and have a go at aquascaping.

On a seperate note, turns out the additives for the substrate and all are also sold by spoon fulls instead by the aquarium so it isnt necessary to buy the whole bottle of additives.

Will post pics up tonight when i get the tank setup for Nibblez to go in, least he wont have to cramp into that tiny .8 gal cube again.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

The tank is just absolutely amazing. Quality is stunning, definitely worth the money. Just sucks that i dont have the money to buy the substrates and plant as well to setup the tank. Tank is now filled, water warmed and Nibblez nice and cozy in his massive crib. Here are some photos, would snap more photos but my phone is acting up again after the last photo i took.
























Will have to wait for the aquarium to contact me with news on a lid for my tank. I will probably just update this thread as i make any changes to the tank.


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## VJM (Feb 7, 2013)

They are beautiful tanks, and starting off with something you are likely to love looking at is great.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Alright, a little update on my first NPT. Went back to the aquarium to get the necessary stuff for my hardscape, still need to find rocks and driftwood. Anyways, here are the pics.








Got a bit to shutter happy with my friend's DSLR  Hoping to go back to the aquarium tomorrow and get the rocks, drift wood and plants to get the plants growing so i put Tenshi in as soon as the tanks has been settled. YAY!


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Just remember that with ADA Amazonia, the substrate usually has a massive ammonia spike. I think some people have recorded it up to 8ppm, which makes it unsafe for a betta to live in right away. Did the guy at the aquarium explain that? 

I found duckweed and hydrilla are excellent at utilising ammonia. My giant duckweed thrived when I added some handfuls of aquasoil to the tank it was in.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Yeup, checked with the shopkeeper, was told that it will spike. Said that the substrate adjusts the water so that the pH levels at below 7, at roughly 6.5 or so, ammonia level is spike but it is non-toxic at low pH. Something like that, but in the, she still advised that i best keep the betta out of there till i've got my plants, shrimps etc in there and let the tank cycle.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Ammonium is still toxic, just less toxic. I agree that it's best to keep your betta out of there until the parameters settle down. 

What kind of rock/hardscape are you going for? I like seiryu stone when it's done with a more delicate wood. But it may be too rough for a betta's fins.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

That does look nice indeed, if i did find that in the right size, definitely going in the foreground. With the terrain that i formed, would like to follow that, so maybe a partially buried rock in the middle peak. I guess it really depends on what i can find in the aquarium shop. Hopefully theres a wide enough range for me to choose from.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Still no rock and driftwood... :'( Will keep updates in a journal, seems a bit more proper than this.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

dont forget to link us to the journal!


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I am jealous. D: Only aquascaping I can think of is making one of my 2.5 gallons into a Hawaiian theme. Not that interesting.


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## Nibblez (Jan 29, 2013)

Heres the link:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=156161

Should be getting the driftwood and rocks today but i got back late and the shop is closed so i should be getting all the stuff tomorrow


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