# aquasoil PH drop and water changes?



## KLove93 (Jun 15, 2017)

hi  

i think ive made a decision on a substrate for setting up my tank, im leaning towards ADA aquasoil amazonia, although have considered the other aquasoils due to their lower cost  
i have read very positive things about aquasoil for the planted aquarium and i have also read that they will lower the PH level in an aquarium, i dont have a problem with this at all, the problem comes when i have to do waterchanges.

if i were to use AS amazonia and it dropped my PH, what would i do when it came to carrying out regular water changes? since my tap water PH is about 7.6 and if the tank water PH has dropped im not sure how i would go about doing water changes :/ ?


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

KLove93 said:


> hi
> 
> i think ive made a decision on a substrate for setting up my tank, im leaning towards ADA aquasoil amazonia, although have considered the other aquasoils due to their lower cost
> i have read very positive things about aquasoil for the planted aquarium and i have also read that they will lower the PH level in an aquarium, i dont have a problem with this at all, the problem comes when i have to do waterchanges.
> ...


No different than any other water changes. The substrate will continue to buffer your water until it is exhausted.

Dan


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## KLove93 (Jun 15, 2017)

so the difference between my tap water and lowered tank PH (however much it may be) wouldnt matter? and i could just do a water change as i usually would?


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

KLove93 said:


> so the difference between my tap water and lowered tank PH (however much it may be) wouldnt matter? and i could just do a water change as i usually would?


Yes.. Your substrate will buffer the added water fairly quickly. Even at 50% water change the PH will only drop by half the difference and will not take long to be buffered by the Aquasoil. I guess it might help to ask what your concerns are in regards to the shift in PH? Are you keeping shrimp or other sensitive fauna?

Dan


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## Bensonsan (Jun 19, 2017)

You may also want to add some shell grit or crished coral below the aqua soil my concern would be it getting to acidic


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Bensonsan said:


> You may also want to add some shell grit or crished coral below the aqua soil my concern would be it getting to acidic


I would advise against this as you would be exhausting its buffering capacity more rapidly.

Dan


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## KLove93 (Jun 15, 2017)

thanks for the info guys im really stuck at the minute as to what to use for my substrate.

i have access to both aquasoil (malaya) and eco complete, im going low tech and i was leaning more towards the aquasoil the only thing that put me off is several posts ive read around the net about how it just turns to a kinda mush/mud/silt consistency over time. i dont know how long exactly it would last before that happens and i wouldnt wanna pull out my scape and attempt to replace the aquasoil. obviously it has an edge over eco complete when it comes to nutrients, but i dont like the idea of disturbing everything in my tank just to replace or add a new layer of aquasoil if i need to. 

what i like about eco complete is i know i could use it again and again for different tanks and it wont dissolve or turn to mud, but i guess it means id probably have to use root tabs and other ferts to make up for the lack of nutrients.

which way would you go for a low tech, seeing as the substrate is a pretty important part, i need some help deciding


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Fert dosing will make up for the aquasoil. Just leave less room for error.

Dan


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## Bensonsan (Jun 19, 2017)

I personaly run potting mix with clay a some shell grit and 5 to 7mm blue metal which is just basalt. In a 4x2x2 and my plants grow crazy fast no c02.

Bump: The blue metal is my cap and ive never had dirt come up. The blue metal is basically a less porouse heavier version of eco complete. And looks identical there's also finer basalt so not everything in the blue metal bag was exactly 5 to 7mm. But yea works amazing for me anyhow. Just a thought.

Watch this bud best substrate video ever he also uses aqua soil as a cap so may help you alot.
https://youtu.be/AgXQ6mBvhK8


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

I have used ADA Amazonia aquasoil in my bookshelf tank here - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...1-monte-carlo-mountains-12g-bookshelf-11.html
The soil turned to mud after about 18 months, some areas are not bad some are worse, still seems to work fine tho because water flow is restricted now within the soil BGA starts to top up along the glass / substrate level.

I have read that Cal Aqua Labs "Black Earth" is a good alternative and will hold its shape for ever / not break down.


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## Bensonsan (Jun 19, 2017)

Just use dirt why spenď so much needless money??

Bump: Im telling you if you have enough plants you will have no algae and seriously needing to prune plants. But cap it cap it hard fill it up slow and except that your gonna have tannins for first 4 months but your gonna grow what you want and then some... enjoy


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Bensonsan said:


> Just use dirt why spenď so much needless money??
> 
> Bump: Im telling you if you have enough plants you will have no algae and seriously needing to prune plants. But cap it cap it hard fill it up slow and except that your gonna have tannins for first 4 months but your gonna grow what you want and then some... enjoy



Have you used Aquasoil? There are benefits and negatives for both. The cost justification is a personal choice but it really bothers me when people start spouting its not worth the money and have never even used it to see the difference.

Dan


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## Bensonsan (Jun 19, 2017)

Ive got it in a nano ànd dont get anywere near as fast growth. I rekon aquasoil is better if you want a neater easier setup. And if i could afford enough aqua soil to have filled my big tank i would of. But at $500 australian i couldnt
Potting mix $12 blue metal $16. Huge difference.if you can afford it tho by all means. Also tank size plays a bug part aswell i guess.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Bensonsan said:


> Ive got it in a nano ànd dont get anywere near as fast growth. I rekon aquasoil is better if you want a neater easier setup. And if i could afford enough aqua soil to have filled my big tank i would of. But at $500 australian i couldnt
> Potting mix $12 blue metal $16. Huge difference.if you can afford it tho by all means. Also tank size plays a bug part aswell i guess.


So your claiming that plain soil provides better growth than Aquasoil? Can you tell me why soil would provide better growth than aquasoil? I would say this is due to something you are doing different. I would not make a claim that aquasoil will provide better growth than soil, but I would say under certain circumstances aquasoil will definitely provide better growth like if one is not fertilizing. How does tank size play a role other than cost? I'm not trying to be rude here but in post #5 you recommend crushed coral or shell grit underneath when using aquasoil because of your concern about it possibly becoming to acidic. This does not sound like a statement made by someone who has ever used aquasoil. I'm not saying aquasoil is better then soil but rather it provides what may be considered benefits by some based on what they are looking to accomplish in their tank. Generally it is used for its ability to buffer water to a more acidic level and being enriched provides a good safety net in terms of fertilizer dosing. Also its shape allows much better penetration of water and oxygen into substrate unlike soil. Are these qualities desired by all... nope. Those are some of the reasons people use it not to mention shrimp. If you paying out your butt for something like quality CRS something like aquasoil or other buffering substrate is very much well worth the cost and much easier than trying to buffer your PH, KH with additives or other methods. 

Did you ever think your ferts, lighting, plant choice, water temp etc. may be the cause of your lack of growth in the nano and not the aquasoil? 

Added: Both aquasoil and dirt will grow nice plants neither is going to make or break that fact. There are just different things that need to be done depending on which you choose.

Dan


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## Bensonsan (Jun 19, 2017)

Dan totally agree and i do run 2x 250 watt single ended metal halides so have got some serious lighting. Other thing is my tap water is quite soft so my tanks drop ph to much with out coral rubble. Sorry hope i didn't offend anyone and trust me im learning new things all the time.

Bump: By the way these are only my experiences it doesn't make them rite or wrong were all different. If i had lotsa money i would be using everything hehe. So yea what i say isnt gospel its just my experiences


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Bensonsan said:


> Dan totally agree and i do run 2x 250 watt single ended metal halides so have got some serious lighting. Other thing is my tap water is quite soft so my tanks drop ph to much with out coral rubble. Sorry hope i didn't offend anyone and trust me im learning new things all the time.
> 
> Bump: By the way these are only my experiences it doesn't make them rite or wrong were all different. If i had lotsa money i would be using everything hehe. So yea what i say isnt gospel its just my experiences


No offence taken and good debates lead to good info. I am wrong many times and will adamantly (for lack of a better term) defend my position until I feel its no longer correct. I'm not saying you are wrong and a lot of info in this hobby comes from observations. Mine may be different than yours but finding out why is the end goal. I'm not the type of person to take offence to objections on my thoughts, opinions or views provided its not turned into a personal attack. You make some very good points and valid arguments where dirt may be more beneficial aquasoil and I agree with you on a lot of that. 

Dan


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