# What is the lifespan of AKADAMA?



## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

Get another tank and start cycling it with Amazonia, keep both going until you can fish out all the little ones. That is what I do. I am about to pull my 2 month old akadama because I want to use Amazonia and Africana for my tanks now. My akadama buffers good but I want it in the 5.5 range and only africana will really give me that


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## Nubster (Aug 9, 2011)

I've read people on here using Akadama 18 months or more and still getting the same buffering as they did day one. In my tank, with RO water with pH 7 Akadama would buffer down to around pH 6.2 I think. It was good for the 6 months I had it.


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## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

I think that frequent water changes with higher ph water shorten it's lifespan


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

pejerrey said:


> I think that frequent water changes with higher ph water shorten it's lifespan


This!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

I have done weekly water changes for a year with RO. I honestly never missed a single week and even had friends do it when I was on multiple vacations. So yeah, my akadama is probably worn out.

This whole substrate change is a huge PITA. :icon_eek:


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> I have done weekly water changes for a year with RO. I honestly never missed a single week and even had friends do it when I was on multiple vacations. So yeah, my akadama is probably worn out.
> 
> This whole substrate change is a huge PITA. :icon_eek:


starve the shrimp for 5 days, lower photoperiod also. Then drop a food and catch the babies!


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## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> This whole substrate change is a huge PITA. :icon_eek:


 Not really man, I switched substrates once and took me about 1 1/2 hrs. Akadama doesn't leach anything, perhaps the opposite.

I can tell you how I did it if you want to.

Although I did loose some shrimplets


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

pejerrey said:


> Not really man, I switched substrates once and took me about 1 1/2 hrs. Akadama doesn't leach anything, perhaps the opposite.
> 
> I can tell you how I did it if you want to.
> 
> Although I did loose some shrimplets


Sure, I'd like to hear your process. I do have some Ebiten PRLs juveniles so losing shrimp really isn't an option. I might only do half of the tank at a time and see how that goes. Or just set up a new tank and then throw this one out. Still trying to source all my options.


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## speedie408 (Jan 15, 2009)

Best thing to do if your soil is needing replacement would be to set up a brand new tank, new soil, cycled, and ready to go for the shrimp to swap right over. That would be the best method for the least collateral damage.


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

I agree, setup a new one and make sure it is good!


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Last time I did it with netlea soil, I put the soil in panty hoses, let it leech ammonia for its 2 months with a few cycled sponge filters and grow some nice biofilm in the soil, then netted the shrimp, took out the old soil, cut open the panty hose and dumped in the new soil, done in a few hours.


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## pejerrey (Dec 5, 2011)

speedie408 said:


> Best thing to do if your soil is needing replacement would be to set up a brand new tank, new soil, cycled, and ready to go for the shrimp to swap right over. That would be the best method for the least collateral damage.


Yeah, if you can do that will be the best!
 

(I've been thinking to get another nano tank to start a new scape this way. Then shut down the existing one and repeat the process when I want to)

The way I did it was really really simple BUT THEY WERE NEOS.

Measured the existing parameters.

I took a 3 gal plastic container and transfer the HOB, some moss and plants and filled up with tank water.
I net out all the shrimp into this container. 

Then uprooted all the plants, put them in another plastic bowl and catch the last shrimplets.

Took all the fluval soil out, clean the tank and place my new DIY UGF in there, using a big strainer I rinsed the akadama under the tap before placing it in there.

Filled up the 1/2 tank with DI water and 1/2 of what was in the container with the bugs. Started the eheim 2213 w/UGF to clear it up. 

Plant it up and place the rocks and all of that. 

Compared the parameters, matched GH and temp. TDS and ph were off.

Transfer the Hob to the tank and "drip" (rather quick, more like "stream") acclimate the shrimp in the container.

Put the shrimp back in.

Then, weeks after, I got rid of the neos and got CRS. I monitored the water the whole time. The tank didn't "recycle".



I'm not saying that you should do this with your PRL tho. But it would work with inert substrate and neos FO SHO


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## plamski (Sep 25, 2009)

I have my Akadama for 6-7 months with biweekly RO water changes. Its start with buffering to PH 5.5 3 months lather PH6.2 and now PH6.8. 3 days ago I added Malaysian wood and PH went to 5.1.looks like Akadama don’t have any buffering capacity any more.
In tanks with 14 months old Africana , Malaya and Amazonia wood didn't change pH at all.
To lower you PH you can use fist size Eheim peat moss $9 per box .It can hold 0.6-1.0 point less PH in 20 gal long for 40-50 days/ in to the filter/
When i have to replace substrate I'm waiting till Feb when shrimps are not breeding much. Young shrimplets are big enough to be pulled out. I'm moving shrimps from all tanks in one tank and I'm replacing substrate. In April I’m selecting best shrimps and separating them in already cycled tanks.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Thanks all for your comments. I really wish I have started with aquasoil right from the beginning. Luckily there is a store near that carries Amazonia II so I'm off to spend some money. I really wish there was an easier way to do this instead of setting up a second tank. Any girl I bring to my apt already thinks I am a freak for having a tank in my livingroom and bedroom....now I'll have a random tank sitting next to my TV cycling. haha


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Oh yeh, one more thing. Is there a use for the 1 year old akadama or is it just garbage?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Use it for Bonsai, other house plants, keep it in an aquarium for Neo shrimp where you aren't too worried about buffering.

You could sell it on the For Sale section, honestly, and people will buy it just for the way it looks.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

somewhatshocked said:


> Use it for Bonsai, other house plants, keep it in an aquarium for Neo shrimp where you aren't too worried about buffering.
> 
> You could sell it on the For Sale section, honestly, and people will buy it just for the way it looks.


Cool, that's not a bad idea. I'm sure someone out there will be looking for this stuff sooner or later.


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

hedge_fund said:


> Any girl I bring to my apt already thinks I am a freak for having a tank in my livingroom and bedroom....now I'll have a random tank sitting next to my TV cycling. haha


Then you are dating the wrong girls (says the chick with tanks in her dining room, office, and kitchen).


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Betta Maniac said:


> Then you are dating the wrong girls (says the chick with tanks in her dining room, office, and kitchen).


Well, if you're ever in Greenwich CT then you are more than welcomed to stop by. It would be nice to have someone actually know something about my shrimp tank instead of a girl saying "wow, those are nice lobsters"


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

hedge_fund: Ever decide what to do with your old substrate?

I ask because I'm noticing a lot of hobbyists run into the same problem lately (not just Akadama, but substrate that's a year or two old and such). When you do decide, it may be a good idea to set up some sort of how-to post to show people what they can do with their used up substrate instead of tossing it out.


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## h4n (Jan 4, 2006)

somewhatshocked said:


> hedge_fund: Ever decide what to do with your old substrate?
> 
> I ask because I'm noticing a lot of hobbyists run into the same problem lately (not just Akadama, but substrate that's a year or two old and such). When you do decide, it may be a good idea to set up some sort of how-to post to show people what they can do with their used up substrate instead of tossing it out.


Yup,
I use mine in bonsais and house plants to! 

-Sent from my Samsung Note, a "Phablet"


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I also use spent soil in my house plants and garden beds.

Akadama only lasted about 8 months for me before it lost its pH buffering. I use remineralised RO.

Easy to tell when it lost its life too... All of a sudden shrimp are dying, then I check pH and its 7 or higher, ouch.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

That's how I use mine.

Just thought it was a good idea to post something for those who constantly ask the questiona bout what to do with old substrate.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

somewhatshocked said:


> hedge_fund: Ever decide what to do with your old substrate?
> 
> I ask because I'm noticing a lot of hobbyists run into the same problem lately (not just Akadama, but substrate that's a year or two old and such). When you do decide, it may be a good idea to set up some sort of how-to post to show people what they can do with their used up substrate instead of tossing it out.


That's a good idea....I'll eventually get to it when my new amazonia tank is done cycling and it's time to tear the old one down.


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## binbin9 (Jan 31, 2012)

This is a good way to catch out your shrimp without too much work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb_k2Wg9ayI


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Good in theory, but doesn't work worth a darn for many of us. And if it does catch shrimp, you have to be careful to get them out within a short time ot they die from oxygen deprivation.


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