# How Much Substrate for Flex 57L?



## k2focus (Mar 9, 2018)

I'm planning on setting up with Flex 57L with CO2 and an extra light, but I'd like some good substrate. The ADA Amazonia Powder Soil looks great, but I have to order it, and I have NO IDEA how much. It comes in 3 and 9 litre bags. Any ideas from anyone?

Thanks!


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

k2focus said:


> I'm planning on setting up with Flex 57L with CO2 and an extra light, but I'd like some good substrate. The ADA Amazonia Powder Soil looks great, but I have to order it, and I have NO IDEA how much. It comes in 3 and 9 litre bags. Any ideas from anyone?
> 
> Thanks!


https://angelfins.ca/index.php?main..._28216&zenid=c3d9e9f88eb451a229df0bb8bab55867


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## matty101 (Jan 8, 2018)

Mine is doing amazing with the standard light i wouldnt even bother with an extra one









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## k2focus (Mar 9, 2018)

matty101 said:


> Mine is doing amazing with the standard light i wouldnt even bother with an extra one
> 
> 
> 
> ...


that's looking nice. are you using CO2? also, what substrate/amount are you using?


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## matty101 (Jan 8, 2018)

No co2 mate and i am using tropica plant soil with a 1 1/2 inch white gravel on top at the back then about an inch of fluval stratum at the front of the tank but i wish i added a little more for ease of planting.

I add root tabs to the swords and dose plant growth premium liquid fert 

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## k2focus (Mar 9, 2018)

matty101 said:


> No co2 mate and i am using tropica plant soil with a 1 1/2 inch white gravel on top at the back then about an inch of fluval stratum at the front of the tank but i wish i added a little more for ease of planting.
> 
> I add root tabs to the swords and dose plant growth premium liquid fert
> 
> Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk


What size bag did you buy? I'm only asking because I have to order the stuff, so I can't look at it next to a tank to visualize it.


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

k2focus said:


> What size bag did you buy? I'm only asking because I have to order the stuff, so I can't look at it next to a tank to visualize it.


well... I have just set up a 57L Flex about a month ago... now, to be honest, I I never used the ADA Amazonia Powder... I used Seachem Flourite Red because I had a few bags in the basement... but I can tell you what I did... 

Firstly - totally different types of Substrate - I have never used the ADA product before but from what I see it appears to be a much "Lighter" product and the Flourite I think would compact down a bit tighter... Secondly, of course, the bags are a different size and measured differently as the Seachem is a 7-kilogram bag (Weight) and the Amazonia Powder is 9 Liters (Volume). Yeash - figure that one out! LOL.

Ok - So far I I have been about as helpful as a stack of bricks to a drowning man. One thing I can tell you is that the Fluval Flex has the two (2) filter inlets on the left rear wall of the tank. One at the top of the wall and one near the bottom. Now when I put in my Flourite (about 2 inches deep) I ended up having to slope it down towards the left rear corner rather than sloping upwards in order to prevent the gravel from falling into the rear chamber through the slots. (my tank never came with the covers for the slots to make them smaller) - now I don't know if it would have made a big difference if some flourite ended up in the rear chamber or not to be honest... but none the less I don't like the sloping to the rear. it is only about an inch deep in that corner.

If I were to guess, I would say 1 bag (9 Liters) of the ADA Powder should do the 57L Flex.


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## Quagulator (May 4, 2015)

hellllooooo....... substrate calculator for ada found here: https://angelfins.ca/index.php?main..._28216&zenid=51b13393e3a449f02e05fe5be012cba7


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## k2focus (Mar 9, 2018)

Quagulator said:


> hellllooooo....... substrate calculator for ada found here: https://angelfins.ca/index.php?main..._28216&zenid=51b13393e3a449f02e05fe5be012cba7


Thanks. I wonder how accurate it is though. It looks like I'd need a lot more than I thought.


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

k2focus said:


> Thanks. I wonder how accurate it is though. It looks like I'd need a lot more than I thought.


More? I think you are misreading the results.... the Flex 15 gallon footprint is 16 inches x 15 inches. 

According to that calculator, it says for Amazonia Aqua Soil at a depth of 2 inches you will require 8 liters, so 1 (one) 9 liter bag would do the job. Mind you I think that is the normal Aqua Soil, not the Powder... Again I have never used ADA but I did note on the product description on the site the following: "_Use only a thin layer of Powder type Aqua Soil on top of Normal type Aqua Soil. About 1/2 inch should be sufficient, more than 1 inch will likely cause problems - excessive dust when replanting plants, restricted water circulation through the substrate._"

Anyway, it seems accurate enough... for the Flourite (which I used) - it says I would need 2 bags. I actually only used 1 bag... but as I mentioned above, I did use less in one corner due to the filter vent. I guess if I had not, and actually sloped up toward the rear of the tank etc... I would have used about 1.3 bags... thus 2 bags of Flourite required.

Perhaps 1 bag of flourite really - I forgot to take into consideration that some of that real estate is actually taken up by the internal filter. 

I just noticed - you are in Scotland. Perchance did you enter centimeters into the calculator rather than inches? That would give you a requirement of 53 liters (6 bags)?


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## k2focus (Mar 9, 2018)

Aftica said:


> More? I think you are misreading the results.... the Flex 15 gallon footprint is 16 inches x 15 inches.
> 
> According to that calculator, it says for Amazonia Aqua Soil at a depth of 2 inches you will require 8 liters, so 1 (one) 9 liter bag would do the job. Mind you I think that is the normal Aqua Soil, not the Powder... Again I have never used ADA but I did note on the product description on the site the following: "_Use only a thin layer of Powder type Aqua Soil on top of Normal type Aqua Soil. About 1/2 inch should be sufficient, more than 1 inch will likely cause problems - excessive dust when replanting plants, restricted water circulation through the substrate._"
> 
> ...


i just want more than 2 inches. I want to ramp it up towards the back right.

Also, I've seen plenty of people use only powder in small tanks. i think that part about only using a small amount is for larger tanks where it would probably create some dead spots.


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## Aftica (Nov 26, 2003)

k2focus said:


> i just want more than 2 inches. I want to ramp it up towards the back right.
> 
> Also, I've seen plenty of people use only powder in small tanks. i think that part about only using a small amount is for larger tanks where it would probably create some dead spots.



Well.. I guess in that case... a maximum of 2 bags should do the trick I would think.

I also seem to remember seeing others using strictly just the powder in Nano tanks... Not read of any problems... just repeating what I saw... like I said - never used the ADA product before so I figured it was worth pointing out the recommendation. I do suspect your right about that concern is probably for larger tanks. 

Cheers!


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