# Do you, or have you, used ControSoil



## urville

Did alot of searching, read everything I could find on here, which isnt a whole lot.

Looking for pros and cons, the good, the bad, the ugly... the truth. :nerd:
Got a ControSoil tank, I'd love to see it!

Should I? Shouldnt I?
Give me the low down! :grin2:


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## clownplanted

My buddy on here @Aqua99 uses it with great results for his shrimp tank. I'll ask if he can chime in about it. I will say from what he says is it's great stuff. 


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## Aqua99

@clownplanted is correct. I am using it in several tanks at the moment and can't say enough good things about it.

Color is nice rich black (I haven't tried the brown yet) and the x-fine grain size is perfect for all my needs. I've found Controsoil to be not too light that plants pull out easily (keep in mind it's not sand/gravel) and not too heavy that it compacts or roots struggle to go through it.

It was hard to find when it disappeared from the market for a while, but thankfully it's back. Price is a big factor to me too. The price on Amazon fluctuates between $43-49 for 10L shipped depending on the day/week.

I'll try to grab some pics. 2 tanks are planted shrimp tanks (light CO2) and the other is a 30g high-tech to replace my 20. I prefer it to the ADA soils I've used mainly because of price and the lack of cycle "issues".


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## urville

Awesome. This is really great and I appreciate the willingness to share photos and speak on your experience with it! The big ammonia dump in the beginning was my main issue with ADA products and wanting to avoid them. So much has changed since I left the hobby in 05/06 and I'm excited to start anew with a couple of tanks and dig out my 5 lb co2 tank.


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## Zoidburg

ADA has a new product called "Light" which releases less ammonia. Ammonia release isn't bad, as plants like it (if you cycle with plants in) and it helps to cycle the tank.

I've also heard good things about SL-Aqua Soil and Prodibio.


That aside, there are two tanks here that are set up with Contrasoil. Can't give any input right now as the tanks have been set up for less than a week and need to cycle. Also working out some "bugs" with the first tank.... (error setting it up and issue with water from LFS...)


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## DennisSingh

Pro's
doesn't release as much ammonia
lesser water changes
perhaps more dosing, i did not use it long enough

Con's
boom in growth in ada not so contraoil
buffer 6.8, you may want lower
not much cons to this soil honestly


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## urville

Zoidburg said:


> ADA has a new product called "Light" which releases less ammonia. Ammonia release isn't bad, as plants like it (if you cycle with plants in) and it helps to cycle the tank.
> 
> I've also heard good things about SL-Aqua Soil and Prodibio.
> 
> 
> That aside, there are two tanks here that are set up with Contrasoil. Can't give any input right now as the tanks have been set up for less than a week and need to cycle. Also working out some "bugs" with the first tank.... (error setting it up and issue with water from LFS...)


No doubt, though I've heard that it is even a bit more than necessary which prompts many to do some water change to help it along. I also wondered about once the substrate lost its "umph". Seems some people replace substrate, that might be weird with that ammonia leech. I know a lot of people just use root tabs. I haven't gotten that far since that is a ways out, hah!

There's a lot of consideration to all the little bits and pieces you need with ADA too, like the balls, layers of differing substrate, and powders. I wanted to make sure ControSoil is can equally make decent tanks. My LFS uses Seachem AquaSolum only and they have impressive tanks but that's pricey and I had concerns about once the lower layers break down into a "soil soil" composition. Which i understand to be a feature and I do see it in the LFS tanks.

I'll look into those other substrates too.



StrungOut said:


> Pro's
> doesn't release as much ammonia
> lesser water changes
> perhaps more dosing, i did not use it long enough
> 
> Con's
> boom in growth in ada not so contraoil
> buffer 6.8, you may want lower
> not much cons to this soil honestly


I assumed one way or another there would be water column dosing of some kind at some point.

You're saying that ADA has a larger boom of growth? That's ok by me, I'm not entering a competition with this tank or anything so I'm fine with "low and slow" as it were as compared to "hot and fast".

Well, I may want lower. I am certainly interested in Shrimp in my tanks. This is something I have not tackled yet. I really wish there was a PDF on planted tanks I could print and read on all the styles and subjects in one nice tome. I considered peat in my wet/dry *filter* (I'm going wet/dry (at least for now in my research) based on some things I have read/seen at Barrs site) but I changed my mind after reading some troubling information about the uncontrollable nature of peat.

Bump: Addendum: I did consider actual soil but honestly, one thing I did before was I did a lot of it DIY. Some things I see as DIY-able with success, some things I really regretted DIY-ing. I felt like they didn't perform and it left a somewhat bitter taste for me. Whereas before I DIY'd a lot, I'm far more cautious about it now. So much is anecdotal, it's just hard to know what's going to perform at the end of the day.


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## Zoidburg

I don't think everyone uses 'balls', layered substrate or powders when setting up a tank with buffering substrates.


If you do it right, the soil should last around 1 year, at minimum, but I have heard of reports of soils still going strong at 3-5 years. Mainly chancing it after 1 year.

But when you go to replace the soil, you can do so in a bucket or an empty tank and wait for the ammonia to stop leaching before placing it into the tank, or only change out a small amount at a time to reduce the amount of ammonia that would leech out.


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## urville

I figured most people simply used root tabs and water column dosed.


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## clownplanted

urville said:


> I figured most people simply used root tabs and water column dosed.




The benefit of these kind of substrates is their buffering capability in addition to the nutrients. Especially important for species that require a level of ph these soils buffer to. 


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## urville

clownplanted said:


> The benefit of these kind of substrates is their buffering capability in addition to the nutrients. Especially important for species that require a level of ph these soils buffer to.


Dang. I cant fathom trying to replace substrate in an established aquascape. Probably right when it has reached where I want it to be.


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## clownplanted

urville said:


> Dang. I cant fathom trying to replace substrate in an established aquascape. Probably right when it has reached where I want it to be.




Yup especially once it looses its buffering capability. This is what is keeping me from going this route. I like the fact that I will never have to replace my bdbs as it will most likely outlive the tank itself. 


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## Aqua99

When reading through your concerns, most of the ones you mention are the reasons why I use Controsoil. 

I don't have to deal with anything strange or complicated while cycling.

I use nothing but remineralized RO/DI and my pH sits at 6.3 (without CO2 influence) thanks to the buffering.

If I get worried about a loss of buffering capacity, I vac a little substrate out of one area and replace it with fresh stuff without worries of ammonia spikes and such. No tank draining, no cycling.

I don't have any great planted pics of it to share as both of the following tanks are just shrimp tanks. The first one has a carpet of Monte Carlo/HC mix that grows like a weed. Nothing special for an "aqua soil" type tank, but this one has only trace levels of O2 and ferts (1/2 dose Thrive-S every 3-4 days) due to the CRS in there. Up until last weeks' plant swapping, it had a healthy stand of Rotala Butterfly and Diandra growing. I trim it back weekly so it doesn't spread out and take over the tank. The second one is a TB shrimp tank that gets the same ultra-low CO2/Ferts.


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## urville

Zoidburg said:


> I've also heard good things about SL-Aqua Soil and Prodibio.


Sl looks interesting! The Probidio is actually the other substrate my LFs (that's in another state lol) carries other than dennerle, flourite and the Seachem Aquasolum but DAMN! It's expensive.



Aqua99 said:


> When reading through your concerns, most of the ones you mention are the reasons why I use Controsoil.
> 
> I use nothing but remineralized RO/DI and my pH sits at 6.3 (without CO2 influence) thanks to the buffering. If I get worried about a loss of buffering capacity, I vac a little substrate out of one area and replace it with fresh stuff without worries of ammonia spikes and such. No tank draining, no cycling.
> 
> I don't have any great planted pics of it to share as both of the following tanks are just shrimp tanks.


Oh, I totally want shrimp. However, I don't know a damn thing abut keeping them so.... I need to start down that road soon. My problem is I always want incompatible things, but I'm trying to resist having a bazillion tanks this time, lol. Like I like the celestial pearl danios obviously but they aren't really community fish. So far, shrimp and fish seem to be mixed reviews. I haven't really gone down research road on all of that yet though.

Thanks for all of the help, you guys are really great and I appreciate very much.


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## Nlewis

Aqua99 said:


> When reading through your concerns, most of the ones you mention are the reasons why I use Controsoil.
> 
> I don't have to deal with anything strange or complicated while cycling.
> 
> I use nothing but remineralized RO/DI and my pH sits at 6.3 (without CO2 influence) thanks to the buffering.
> 
> If I get worried about a loss of buffering capacity, I vac a little substrate out of one area and replace it with fresh stuff without worries of ammonia spikes and such. No tank draining, no cycling.
> 
> I don't have any great planted pics of it to share as both of the following tanks are just shrimp tanks. The first one has a carpet of Monte Carlo/HC mix that grows like a weed. Nothing special for an "aqua soil" type tank, but this one has only trace levels of O2 and ferts (1/2 dose Thrive-S every 3-4 days) due to the CRS in there. Up until last weeks' plant swapping, it had a healthy stand of Rotala Butterfly and Diandra growing. I trim it back weekly so it doesn't spread out and take over the tank. The second one is a TB shrimp tank that gets the same ultra-low CO2/Ferts.


Are you using the extra fine?


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## Aqua99

Nlewis said:


> Are you using the extra fine?


Yes, I'm using the Ex-Fine (approx 1mm) in all my tanks. The baby shrimp in pic 2 make it look much bigger.

I really like the size. It's small enough that it just looks like uniform "soil" in a larger tank layout, yet doesn't compact.

I let the Ludwigia AxR in that tank get to a max height of about 3.5" before I chop it and replant the 1-1.5" tops (usually every 2 weeks). I'm really amazed at the root growth (roughly 8") on a bare stem when I pull it up. Again, nothing truly out of the ordinary for an "aqua soil" of any brand, but impressive to me given the minimal ferts and lower light these tanks get.


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## clownplanted

That is some serious roots much longer than the plant itself. Insane. I would say it most definitely likes the soil. Than again I was use to shatty root growth in my gravel substrate. The roots are much improved though in the bdbs now though. 


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## Coyne

I'm setting up a tank with ControSoil as well and thought I'd resurrect this thread with a quick question:
The product says that it reduces GH. Can anybody speak to this? I'll be using remineralized RODI water and am wondering if I'll need to compensate for this; and if so, by how much?


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## Zoidburg

Coyne said:


> I'm setting up a tank with ControSoil as well and thought I'd resurrect this thread with a quick question:
> The product says that it reduces GH. Can anybody speak to this? I'll be using remineralized RODI water and am wondering if I'll need to compensate for this; and if so, by how much?



I'm actually wondering this myself... still haven't added minerals to these tanks. Wondering if it reduces GH temporarily for the plants sake, then levels out perhaps?


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## clownplanted

Zoidburg said:


> I'm actually wondering this myself... still haven't added minerals to these tanks. Wondering if it reduces GH temporarily for the plants sake, then levels out perhaps?



Think of it as you are supercharging the soil. 
It will in that it absorbs in nutrients for the first couple weeks until it gets full of the nutrients. After a couple/few weeks when it's done is when the levels will level out and will stop lowering gh. This is why it's recommended to energize the soil with the nutrients you want i.e. Ca,K,Mg at a high level. The higher they are the faster it will happen. So once it's "full" the gh stops going down as it's no longer able to absorb. 


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## clownplanted

Coyne said:


> I'm setting up a tank with ControSoil as well and thought I'd resurrect this thread with a quick question:
> 
> The product says that it reduces GH. Can anybody speak to this? I'll be using remineralized RODI water and am wondering if I'll need to compensate for this; and if so, by how much?




So before using this you can either supercharge the soil with tap water that has enough minerals in it or use some gh booster. So the more minerals it has and can absorb the faster it will be charged. Once it's charged after a couple/few weeks it will be done. I would wait till this is done before adding inhabitants So you have a consistent level and do not have to worry about it bottoming out your gh. 

Once it's done and the gh stops lowering you should change out all the water and remineralize how you want the water. 

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## Coyne

Good advice, thanks. My tap water is crazy hard, so I think I'll just do it that way. Right now I've got the tank cycling bare while I work on the hardscape, but I think I'm just about done. I'll let the substrate charge while the tank cycles.


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## DennisSingh

controsoil can grow a wide range of plants just like any of the japan made soils


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## Craigthor

Just setup 4 tanks with it, really like the looks and feel.


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## clownplanted

Craigthor said:


> Just setup 4 tanks with it, really like the looks and feel.




Nice. Shrimp tanks?


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## Craigthor

clownplanted said:


> Nice. Shrimp tanks?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Nope, just plants for now that may change in the future but for now nope.


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## urville

I got my soil in, got my scaping materials. Working on my canister filter and equipment. I was wondering this too, and by seeing the answers now I wonder, is there a good thread or walkthrough on mineralizing water and the substrate. I can search, but if I have the ear of the experienced I'd rather defer to that first. I also wonder if anyone knows of a good list/database of shrimp friendly fish?


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## clownplanted

Well I will be using this stuff in my next two 10 gallon Shrimp tanks. Cannot wait. All because of @Aqua99


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## el-grunto

Here's my tank that has been running for a few months using brown Controsoil - Fine. I can't really answer any of the question about specific properties of the soil but it clearly grows plants well; even if mine aren't the most demanding.


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## Aqua99

I didn't do anything at all regarding "charging" the substrate. If I were to put tap into my tank to do it, I would be using up the soils ability to eliminate any KH in my tank (my tap has high KH and I like my shrimp tanks at 0 KH). I remineralize my RODI with SS GH+ only.

My tank did cycle quite a while so maybe that had something to do with it. I basically just used water with the tds I wanted to fill, and then the same tds water with a few water changes and never really noticed anything.

I thought the whole charging idea was more of an effort to make Controsoil essentially into the ADA stuff (https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/comments/2wllyf/any_substrates_on_amazon_like_ada_aquasoils/). Essentially loading the substrate up with a bunch of nutrients that it never had to begin with. This is why I initially stayed away from ADA, I didn't want that nutrient spike cycle hassle, especially in shrimp tanks. I use ferts very sparingly in these tanks, but I assume that any excess in the water column could be captured by the substrate over time which wouldn't be a bad thing for my plants anyways.

I did run my current 6gal shrimp tank as a full-blown planted high-tech (with CO2 & EI) for months with Controsoil and had great results. My carpet of Monte Carlo is still thriving in that tank so maybe excess ferts in the soil are still helping it, although it's been quite some time and the MC isn't that demanding anyways.


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## freshestemo412

I have Controsoil in my 12 long.

Check my journal / signature.


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## Jeremy550

Hey @Aqua99 I attempted a dry start twice with Monte Carlo and had horrible results. How did you go about planting it with the control soil? Any issues keeping it from floating etc? Thanks! 


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## Aqua99

Jeremy550 said:


> Hey @Aqua99 I attempted a dry start twice with Monte Carlo and had horrible results. How did you go about planting it with the control soil? Any issues keeping it from floating etc? Thanks!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I started mine by just burying a few pieces in the area I wanted carpeted. You might have to be gentle with it for a few weeks, but if you leave it alone it'll take hold nicely. It's become one of my best carpets I've ever had. I'm surprised because I honestly starve the tank of ferts to the point that all my stem plants are stunted, and also shut off the CO2 months ago. This stuff just keeps growing. I have to trim it so it doesn't creep out of the area I want it. 

It's in a Fluval Edge so I can see under the carpet and tell you that the roots are nearly 2" because I see them under the tank. I never have any issues when trimming. The roots are so long it never pulls up.

I'll try to grab a pic.


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## Sherminator

Jeremy550 said:


> Hey @Aqua99 I attempted a dry start twice with Monte Carlo and had horrible results. How did you go about planting it with the control soil? Any issues keeping it from floating etc? Thanks!


 @Jeremy550

What issues did you have? Just that it didn't want to root properly? I'm about to set my tank up using this soil was leaning towards doing a DSM with it.


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## clownplanted

Got the Controsoil in my two new 10 gallon tanks and I really love this Controsoil. Super easy to plant in and work with. Also no need to rinse. An hour after filling with water the tank was already clear. The super fine seems to be the perfect size for me. Keeping the PH steady as it should. Glad I got this.


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## varanidguy

clownplanted said:


> Got the Controsoil in my two new 10 gallon tanks and I really love this Controsoil. Super easy to plant in and work with. Also no need to rinse. An hour after filling with water the tank was already clear. The super fine seems to be the perfect size for me. Keeping the PH steady as it should. Glad I got this.


Awesome! Did you sprinkle in any GH booster or anything when you set it up? I'm thinking about adding a layer of this under BDBS for heavy root feeders. My tap is naturally pretty soft so I add a small amount of Equilibrium every water change. Anything to consider when adding this stuff?


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## natemcnutty

varanidguy said:


> Awesome! Did you sprinkle in any GH booster or anything when you set it up? I'm thinking about adding a layer of this under BDBS for heavy root feeders. My tap is naturally pretty soft so I add a small amount of Equilibrium every water change. Anything to consider when adding this stuff?


Just know that over time, the BDSD will end up on the bottom. Also, you want to use RO with this substrate if at all possible. Any carbonates (KH) added will use up some of the ability for this substrate to buffer the pH to a low pH.


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## varanidguy

natemcnutty said:


> Just know that over time, the BDSD will end up on the bottom. Also, you want to use RO with this substrate if at all possible. Any carbonates (KH) added will use up some of the ability for this substrate to buffer the pH to a low pH.




I don’t have an RO system but my tap is naturally soft. I actually have to add Equilibrium to avoid deficiencies. How would that work with this substrate?


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## natemcnutty

varanidguy said:


> I don’t have an RO system but my tap is naturally soft. I actually have to add Equilibrium to avoid deficiencies. How would that work with this substrate?


I think you might be mixing up GH and KH. GH is general hardness, a measurement made up mostly of Calcium and Magnesium, which is what Equilibrium adds. KH is carbonate hardness, and this is what will reduce the buffering capacity of the substrate.

Sadly, we call the low range of both "soft" water. Here in Portland, Oregon, our water is sometimes less than 1 dGH and 1 dKH (14 TDS lowest) while other times it's closer to 3 dGH and 1 dKH (60 TDS peak). I would consider that quite soft, but I still use RO with my buffering substrate just to prolong its life as long as I can.


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## varanidguy

natemcnutty said:


> I think you might be mixing up GH and KH. GH is general hardness, a measurement made up mostly of Calcium and Magnesium, which is what Equilibrium adds. KH is carbonate hardness, and this is what will reduce the buffering capacity of the substrate.
> 
> Sadly, we call the low range of both "soft" water. Here in Portland, Oregon, our water is sometimes less than 1 dGH and 1 dKH (14 TDS lowest) while other times it's closer to 3 dGH and 1 dKH (60 TDS peak). I would consider that quite soft, but I still use RO with my buffering substrate just to prolong its life as long as I can.




Says right on the bottle that it increases both GH and KH. But yes, without using Equilibrium, my plants get calcium deficiencies.


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## natemcnutty

varanidguy said:


> Says right on the bottle that it increases both GH and KH. But yes, without using Equilibrium, my plants get calcium deficiencies.


That's new to me. Can you show me a picture? The only mention of KH on the label is in reference to plant preferences. They recommend using Alkaline Buffer (expensive baking soda) to add KH.


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## varanidguy

natemcnutty said:


> That's new to me. Can you show me a picture? The only mention of KH on the label is in reference to plant preferences. They recommend using Alkaline Buffer (expensive baking soda) to add KH.




You’re right, I completely misunderstood the bottle. How embarrassing [emoji29]


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## natemcnutty

varanidguy said:


> You’re right, I completely misunderstood the bottle. How embarrassing [emoji29]


Cool. I was hoping nothing had changed as I frequently tell people to use it when it fits their needs  [emoji106]


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## varanidguy

natemcnutty said:


> Cool. I was hoping nothing had changed as I frequently tell people to use it when it fits their needs  [emoji106]




My tap is 4 dKH. How bad is that going to be for the soil? And the soil shouldn’t affect the Equilibrium, right?


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## natemcnutty

varanidguy said:


> My tap is 4 dKH. How bad is that going to be for the soil? And the soil shouldn’t affect the Equilibrium, right?


I'm not sure how quickly that would deplete it, but it really comes down to what your goals are. It may be more expensive to buy an RO machine and waste water than to buy new soil when the time comes, but that does require some work to redo everything. Really depends on your preference.

The soil has a negative charge and will hold Ca, Mg, and Fe ions to the surface of the soil with a light bond, so while it is kind of taken from the water, it's still there and available for the plants. After the first few water changes, it certainly won't be enough to cause issues with shrimp or anything like that.


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## varanidguy

natemcnutty said:


> I'm not sure how quickly that would deplete it, but it really comes down to what your goals are. It may be more expensive to buy an RO machine and waste water than to buy new soil when the time comes, but that does require some work to redo everything. Really depends on your preference.
> 
> The soil has a negative charge and will hold Ca, Mg, and Fe ions to the surface of the soil with a light bond, so while it is kind of taken from the water, it's still there and available for the plants. After the first few water changes, it certainly won't be enough to cause issues with shrimp or anything like that.




Well, it arrived yesterday and to my disappointment it said not to use with fish that will sift. Well...I have cories and rams, and my bristlenose likes to dig himself under driftwood.

Probably going to have to cap it with my BDBS that’s already in the tank. The soil is the extra fine grade so it’s the same coarseness.


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## madcrafted

varanidguy said:


> Well, it arrived yesterday and to my disappointment it said not to use with fish that will sift. Well...I have cories and rams, and my bristlenose likes to dig himself under driftwood.
> 
> Probably going to have to cap it with my BDBS that’s already in the tank. The soil is the extra fine grade so it’s the same coarseness.


Yeah, a nice capping would be in order. I use the 3 mm size controsoil in my shrimp tanks and it gets disturbed pretty easily. I can easily sink lava rocks and such into it with just a slight wiggle. I use airline tubing when I fill it up and even that is enough to blow a crater into the substrate if it don't direct the flow to the side of the glass first.


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## varanidguy

madcrafted said:


> Yeah, a nice capping would be in order. I use the 3 mm size controsoil in my shrimp tanks and it gets disturbed pretty easily. I can easily sink lava rocks and such into it with just a slight wiggle. I use airline tubing when I fill it up and even that is enough to blow a crater into the substrate if it don't direct the flow to the side of the glass first.




Wow that is pretty light, but good for plant roots so it makes sense!

Will capping it have an effect on its buffering or performance?


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## madcrafted

varanidguy said:


> Wow that is pretty light, but good for plant roots so it makes sense!
> 
> Will capping it have an effect on its buffering or performance?


Yes, it gives roots a good surface to grab ahold of and spread out. The 1 mm stuff like you have is preferred for delicate rooted plants like HC due to the fine structure, giving the roots more surface area with less air pockets.

Buffering shouldn't be effected, as water does circulate throughout the substrate. It's not like fine sand that becomes anaerobic through compaction. The structure of coal slag and this substrate should maintain an aerobic environment.


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## varanidguy

madcrafted said:


> Yes, it gives roots a good surface to grab ahold of and spread out. The 1 mm stuff like you have is preferred for delicate rooted plants like HC due to the fine structure, giving the roots more surface area with less air pockets.
> 
> Buffering shouldn't be effected, as water does circulate throughout the substrate. It's not like fine sand that becomes anaerobic through compaction. The structure of coal slag and this substrate should maintain an aerobic environment.




That’s good to know! I also have MTS, they’re so slow and gentle when they burrow, I don’t see them being a problem even with the soil.


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## madcrafted

Agreed. MTS are great for churning substrate. They are like the earthworms of a planted tank. They'll really like the extra fine stuff. Another good thing about the extra fine and BDBS is they should blend well together, so disturbance from uprooting/replanting is not a big deal even if it mixes together.


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## varanidguy

madcrafted said:


> Agreed. MTS are great for churning substrate. They are like the earthworms of a planted tank. They'll really like the extra fine stuff. Another good thing about the extra fine and BDBS is they should blend well together, so disturbance from uprooting/replanting is not a big deal even if it mixes together.




Oh man now I can’t wait to get this soil in there. It’ll be a good excuse to rescape the tank too.


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## varanidguy

madcrafted said:


> Agreed. MTS are great for churning substrate. They are like the earthworms of a planted tank. They'll really like the extra fine stuff. Another good thing about the extra fine and BDBS is they should blend well together, so disturbance from uprooting/replanting is not a big deal even if it mixes together.




So it’s getting very close to the time of the rescape, which means adding the soil. After adding the soil, should I continue EI dosing with liquid ferts?


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## Walrus

I’m using controsoil and so far it’s great. With respect to cycling the tank, do I need to add extra ammonia? I am testing 1ppm ammonia and dosing seachem stability. The 1ppm ammonia is coming from the soil, is it enough to “feed” the bacteria or should I add more ammonia?


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## varanidguy

Walrus said:


> I’m using controsoil and so far it’s great. With respect to cycling the tank, do I need to add extra ammonia? I am testing 1ppm ammonia and dosing seachem stability. The 1ppm ammonia is coming from the soil, is it enough to “feed” the bacteria or should I add more ammonia?




1 ppm is enough. Once you see ammonia go away, if you still have nitrites, and little to no nitrates, you could add a small bit of ammonia to keep the bacteria fed until it’s able to consume all ammonia and nitrite and all you have left is nitrates.


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