# Ada Aqua Soil Amazonia



## sAroock (Oct 26, 2010)

the ammonia spike and the very annoying case of cloudiness at the beginning too. Depending on how big your tank is, it might be more economic to use MTS. But for small, one bag of ADA works wonders and looks great.


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## BradC (Dec 22, 2010)

fishranger said:


> So apart from the ammonia spike is it worth buying or would I be better off making my own MTS? I was going to put some forest sand over the aqua soil to keep it from getting stirred up to much.
> Thanks for the advice.


I used the Amazonia 2 in my 55 gallon and had really no issue with cloudiness. The ammonia issue was kind of annoying but in my opinion is worth it in the long run. Also think it's looks great if you are going for a more dark substrate look.


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## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

There are no problems with AS. It is the best plant substrate I have ever used, bar none. It doesn't like to be stirred up though so when you plan a layout you can't really fuss with it. If you are new to the hobby, or plan to move plants around, I would use something more amicable to being disturbed, and cheaper.


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## captain_bu (Oct 20, 2007)

Overfloater said:


> There are no problems with AS. It is the best plant substrate I have ever used, bar none. It doesn't like to be stirred up though so when you plan a layout you can't really fuss with it. If you are new to the hobby, or plan to move plants around, I would use something more amicable to being disturbed, and cheaper.


x2....

I have two aquasoil tanks and no problems with cloudy water. The ammonia is no big deal either unless you are too impatient to wait to add livestock. The plants love the ammonia. Grain size of aquasoil makes it excellent for promoting root development and it looks really nice.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

How long does the clouding last? i got my 1st amazonia soil today. my tank is cloudy.


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## Tunze (Sep 3, 2008)

Every time I have used AS the cloudiness usually last about two or three weeks. Its always a really weird looking cloudiness its more like a smokey bar. Big water changes and planting early seems to help some.



amcoffeegirl said:


> How long does the clouding last? i got my 1st amazonia soil today. my tank is cloudy.


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## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

Tunze said:


> Every time I have used AS the cloudiness usually last about two or three weeks. Its always a really weird looking cloudiness its more like a smokey bar. Big water changes and planting early seems to help some.


Yes, it does help. Just like the instructions tell you to do...


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

Come on take it easy on me. its my 1st attempt with the whole planted tank thing. I thought i could come here for advice. maybe its experts only forum.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Hello amcoffeegirl,

You could always feel free to contact me directly and I would be more than happy to assist you with being successful with your planted aquarium


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

amcoffeegirl said:


> Come on take it easy on me. its my 1st attempt with the whole planted tank thing. I thought i could come here for advice. maybe its experts only forum.


Well mean old me will help:tongue:

Most folks tend to have limestone tap water wells or sources, perhaps they add more PO4 to the pipes for corrosion control, anyway, something reacts fairly well in the soil to produce the floc(Cloudy stuff).

I use ADA AS a lot and have not found much issues here, but it is likely tap water specific. Low KH's will help most folks. It'll go away with time and good plant growth, good root establishment. The NH4 is not an issues after 3-4 weeks anyway. The cycling will take care of it if the plants have not started to strongly by then either way.

Takes little getting use to, but the soil is really good. If you pant in it lightly, then you will not mash it up, think to grains as clay balls that you do not want to mash up too much, because that is what they really are, semi soft clay.

Some folks have used SeaChem Purigen for nagging issues(ADG as well), I use it, but more for tannin removal, this might help some.
Other than this, just be patient. It should go away.

You will want to do frequent large water changes the first 1-2 months.
Say 2-3x a week, 50% etc. This helps the plants, prevents algae and exports the NH4 and reactive components that cause the cloudiness faster.

BTW, you can also mineralize ADA AS prior to use.
Or use it in a Dry start method, which does the mineralization while the plants grow in and cycles by the time the aquarist fills the tank up.

After 3-4 weeks, the NH4 outer layer on the Grains of clay are depleted.
Same with any soils with NH4.

BTW, every single person here was new once, so we have all been right where you where are at now. 


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

tom barr your posts are always a good read. very informative.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

thank you for your response. im quite sure i will have alot of questions. its ironic that you answered my post. i had just read an artical called why i hate ada aquasoil. lol


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

amcoffeegirl said:


> thank you for your response. im quite sure i will have alot of questions. its ironic that you answered my post. i had just read an artical called why i hate ada aquasoil. lol


I don't, the client did and made me hate it:hihi:
I like it.

I can easily do the same thing in a solid clay mud , MTS basically but the same stuff, just not in a nice rolled grain formulation, for free, but I still suggest this and use it myself.

There are some trade offs, but they are outweighed for most folk's goals, habits etc.

ADA filters? Probably not.
Tanks, I vote yes on those, Penac? Quackery.

So there's a little of everything that is in there, but......if you market every possible thing, there are going to be some items that do not do much if anything and will not offer much trade off other than perhaps thinking you feel good. 

But the ADA AS and the tanks are not those.
Well made, look good, perform well and worth the $ comparatively speaking.


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

Thanks again for sharing your experience and information. theres always something new to learn. thats why i enjoy this as a hobby.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

The filters are very much worth the money - they are pure stainless steel and engraved with the ADA logo / mission statement.

However, being worth the money doesn't mean that it's the most economical way to do the same thing as an equivalent eheim.


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## fishranger (Nov 15, 2010)

*aqua soil*

Thanks for the advice and info everyone just recieved my soil today! My next question is how bad is the NH4 spike? The tank I'm using it in is established with some apisto sp orgeons and baby red macros. Should I leave the fish and just do more water changes or leave them in a bucket for the mini cycle? 

Thanks 
Cory


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

I love it, but I haven't experienced the persistent cloudiness people speak of. It’s usually a bit dirty the first 24 hours, but after that it’s clear and pretty. I do find myself impatient with the wait for the ammonia to go down though, LOL!


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## amcoffeegirl (May 26, 2009)

From what i see i would not put any fish or shrimp in my tank. i have not tested it but it looks like a huge bacteria bloom.


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## dthb4438 (Nov 12, 2007)

BradC said:


> I used the Amazonia 2 in my 55 gallon and had really no issue with cloudiness. The ammonia issue was kind of annoying but in my opinion is worth it in the long run. Also think it's looks great if you are going for a more dark substrate look.


 
I feel the same way. Use it in both 55 gal and 29 gal and no cloudiness. The spike went away after two weeks of daily water changes. Used as many plants as I could find during this period.


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## Hadley (Dec 12, 2010)

I'm STILL battling cloudy water. I've been doing large water changes 4 - 5 times a week now for a month. I tried siphoning off the layer of dust on top of the AS and that seemed to have helped a bit, but I'm really regretting choosing this substrate at this point.

The water is this deep amber color every time I do a water change and I'm ready for this phase to be over.


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

After doing water changes, it helps to dose water clarifiers. I would also recommend adding fresh carbon to the filter every week and making sure that all you mechanical filtration is washed out and clean. 

For those of you struggling with a bacterial bloom, a uv sterilizer will take care of it within one week. They're kind of costly, but just buy one from a big box store, run it nonstop for at least 3 days, and then return it.


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## Hadley (Dec 12, 2010)

I've been doses with water clarifiers and just added fresh carbon ... cleaned out the filtration yesterday. I'm about to do another water change, we'll see what happens.


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## soundgy (Jul 8, 2010)

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction for good information on doing an emersed phase with some plants and ADA Amazonia AS. I just received mine in and I want to make sure I do it right. I will be making my first attempt at ADA AS, emersing plants, and CRS + CBS Shrimp. Please help 

Thanks,


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## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

Hadley said:


> I'm STILL battling cloudy water. I've been doing large water changes 4 - 5 times a week now for a month. I tried siphoning off the layer of dust on top of the AS and that seemed to have helped a bit, but I'm really regretting choosing this substrate at this point.
> 
> The water is this deep amber color every time I do a water change and I'm ready for this phase to be over.


What kind of filter are you using? I'm only using HOBs, but it really only takes about 24 hours for the "dust" to settle.


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## Hadley (Dec 12, 2010)

Betta Maniac said:


> What kind of filter are you using? I'm only using HOBs, but it really only takes about 24 hours for the "dust" to settle.


A Whisper filter. I've had the substrate in my tank for a month now, the water that I drain from the tank is always amber/yellow and the water is just NOT clear. 

Other than when i siphoned the particulate matter off the surface the substrate is not disturbed at all during a water change. It's getting very frustrating at this point.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

soundgy said:


> Is anyone able to point me in the right direction for good information on doing an emersed phase with some plants and ADA Amazonia AS. I just received mine in and I want to make sure I do it right. I will be making my first attempt at ADA AS, emersing plants, and CRS + CBS Shrimp. Please help
> 
> Thanks,


Due to the sheer volume of nutrients/ammonia that ADA AS produces, it is recommended to do a daily water change for the first week when first setting up submerged.

However - while doing an emergent start, I would recommend every other day filling the water up a little bit and draining it out to remove such things. I've had problems in the past with UG in an emergent start where the aquasoil basically fried the UG.


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## Overfloater (Jan 12, 2004)

fishranger said:


> Thanks for the advice and info everyone just recieved my soil today! My next question is how bad is the NH4 spike? The tank I'm using it in is established with some apisto sp orgeons and baby red macros. Should I leave the fish and just do more water changes or leave them in a bucket for the mini cycle?
> 
> Thanks
> Cory


It's not ideal to put fish in the tank during the initial setup. My gut tells me that if you have an established filter and you do water changes every other day or so, you should be fine though.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

fishranger said:


> Thanks for the advice and info everyone just recieved my soil today! My next question is how bad is the NH4 spike? The tank I'm using it in is established with some apisto sp orgeons and baby red macros. Should I leave the fish and just do more water changes or leave them in a bucket for the mini cycle?
> 
> Thanks
> Cory


You'll need another place for them for about 1-2 months I'd say for Red's.
You really need to wait till the plants start to dominate and control the system.

Do not rush the livestock to an early deathroud:
Make sure things are running well before hand.

I typically use RCS or so me hardy fish first, if they are fine for a week or two, then I add others. Good management of CO2 is critical, as is good light, but on the lower side, adding too much light causes more headaches in this hobby by newbies than I can count, then they get impatient with CO2, gas their fish etc.

Don't be that guy/gal.



Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Francis Xavier said:


> Due to the sheer volume of nutrients/ammonia that ADA AS produces, it is recommended to do a daily water change for the first week when first setting up submerged.
> 
> However - while doing an emergent start, I would recommend every other day filling the water up a little bit and draining it out to remove such things. I've had problems in the past with UG in an emergent start where the aquasoil basically fried the UG.


That was due to high NH4 levels, if the leaves are exposed, even some roots in some species, it is a herbicide, not a fertilizer at that point. You can also just plant after 2 weeks of a pre soak, but nawww:tongue:

HC, hair grass, Starou etc have not had issues, UG might, but it did well for me.

Test pot and non CO2:










4 weeks after flooding.


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## Patriot (Dec 22, 2010)

Im using a canister filter and it sucked up the dust over night. when i woke up i notice how dirty my glass was compared to the clear water.


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## pao81cha (Feb 26, 2010)

I've went through many tanks with ada. This seems to work for me. I'll fill the tank with half the water. Then you just simply dump the bag in. Its gonna be cloudy but after 24 hours it was clear. Just have to have some kind of filtration. I've used hang on filter and had no problem. I've also used sponge filter and it cleared it up. As far as the ammonia spike, you just have to have a lot of plants in there. I just set up a 55 gallon and had fish and shrimps in within the end of the week. Tested ammonia levels and it was great. Going onto the second week. Have rasboras and armono shrimp, yellow, cherry, and tiger shrimp and no deaths.. Have tons of mosses and plants.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

sAroock said:


> the ammonia spike and the very annoying case of cloudiness at the beginning too. Depending on how big your tank is, it might be more economic to use MTS. But for small, one bag of ADA works wonders and looks great.


No matter what size tank, MTS is more economical. That being said, ADA is the substrate to beat, when it comes to planted tanks. 

Lots of options coming close now though, Fluval, Azoo, etc.


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## Bunbuku (Sep 19, 2010)

I have used Amazonia regular, II and in 2010 Africana. I can concur with others that Amazonia has _off the scale_ NH4 readings even after week 1 of daily 30% water changes, and week 2 of every other day 50% water changes. Its now end third week and finally the NH4 is gone and the NO2 are coming up.

Some of my softwater plants could not handle the spike NH4 and melted after the first week. Others fared better. If you have a lot of delicate plants I suggest Africana.


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## meowfish (Jan 5, 2011)

Regarding cloudiness: my only experience is with Amazonia II, but when I laid the substrate I spritzed it thoroughly, as suggested by the "Book of ADA" catalog that came with the substrate (and I do mean thoroughly; it was soaked). I had virtually no cloudiness, as in the water was literally crystal clear the next day and has been ever since. 

I was shocked, there's no other way to say it.

I may have simply gotten lucky, but I haven't seen too many comments on using a spray bottle so I thought it was worth a mention.


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## fishranger (Nov 15, 2010)

*tank setup*

Have the tank set up for about a week and a half with not much of an NH2 spike used the orginal tank water and had a cycled filter on it. Right now have some tetras in it doing fine. I think the reason why there was a small NH2 spike in the first 3 days after that it went away thanks to the dwarf water lettuce that is growing like weeds in there. Adding CRS in there soon and some otos and apistos. So far the AS is ok no problems yet :thumbsup: Will add some pics after I get the shrimp.


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## Armonious (Aug 16, 2010)

I have been having significant problems with tannin-stained water due to my AS since I set it up. That was almost 4 months ago now. Large, regular WCs sisn't do much. No driftwood in the tank, just Seiryu.

I am about to put some Purigen in my Eheim 2213 here in the next couple of days here once it arrives. Hopefully tht will solve my problem.

Granted, I have seen countless tanks by others with AS, and they have not had the stained water issue. Looks like I just got a bad batch. It is irritating, but does not seem to be effecting the rate of growth at all, which I suppose is all that really matters. 

Would I like the water to be crystal clear? Of course! However, the possibility that your water may become discoloured is small from what I have read, and does not detract from the fact that ADA AS is a good product.


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Hey Armonious,

When we encounter this at the gallery or in client's aquariums, we use Seachem purigen in our canister filter and it clears the water up immediately and keeps it that way.


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Hey Francis, since we're on the topic of Aquasoil here, has there been a lot of issues with Amazonia 2 breaking down over a fairly short amount of time? I have AS2 and it's been breaking down pretty badly. My moss is covered in it and the particles get stuck on to all my leaves, no matter how much I vacuum. 

I've been seriously considering switching to Amazonia 1 because I've heard it holds up over a long period of time versus AZ2. I have hard water and was told that AS2 is better for it but I'm not so sure now.

What are your thoughts?


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Amazonia II has been discontinued and is being replaced with a new type of Aquasoil, Improved Amazonia, which solves the problems of Amazonia II and strikes a happy balance between Amazonia I and II to provide the best of both worlds.


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## askindc (Jun 28, 2008)

Francis Xavier said:


> Amazonia II has been discontinued and is being replaced with a new type of Aquasoil, Improved Amazonia, which solves the problems of Amazonia II and strikes a happy balance between Amazonia I and II to provide the best of both worlds.


When do you think the new type of Aquasoil (designated "Improved Amazonia") replacing Amazonia II might be available? I received some Amazonia II two days ago, and I was planning to use an ca. 2'' thick layer of it capped with an equally thick layer of Eco Complete when I set up a new 20 g high aquarium next month. However, now I'm thinking of trying the new Improved Amazonia instead, if it will become available during the next few months. Thanks for the information!


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## IntrepidAquarist (Jan 26, 2011)

I ordered Amazonia II for my tank, and I just now read this. Should I be making plans to get a refund on it. I'm not looking forward to a soil product that's going to turn to gunk after a month or so. I bought the Amazonia II because the dealer recommended it since I have harder tap water. I've spent a good amount of money on this project so far. Any suggestions or thoughts? =/


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

Current holdings of Amazonia II are perfectly okay - the line was simply removed and refined to be more ideal as a true improvement over Amazonia, as opposed to a roughly-the-same alternative with trade off traits.

The new Amazonia will likely be on our next container order - we have more or less sold all of our effective stock of Amazonia II. There's something like three 9L bags left and a few boxes of 3L.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

guess l should be looking forward for my next bag of ada soil


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## JohnnyTran (May 11, 2010)

Francis Xavier said:


> Hey Armonious,
> 
> When we encounter this at the gallery or in client's aquariums, we use Seachem purigen in our canister filter and it clears the water up immediately and keeps it that way.


is it bad if i use Seachem purigen in the tank house crystal shrimps???


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## thewife (Jan 26, 2011)

IntrepidAquarist said:


> I ordered Amazonia II for my tank, and I just now read this. Should I be making plans to get a refund on it. I'm not looking forward to a soil product that's going to turn to gunk after a month or so. I bought the Amazonia II because the dealer recommended it since I have harder tap water. I've spent a good amount of money on this project so far. Any suggestions or thoughts? =/


Don't panic babe. It'll be fine, I'm sure. I've rather rarely seen complaints about the stuff turning to mush...more than enough people give great reviews of both AS I and II, but there will always be the odd bird out there that has a bad experience with it. That's true of pretty much every product on the planet. If you refunded every product that had even so much as one bad review, you'd never buy anything ever again


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## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

^^+1 for TheWife!

Frank, any idea on the pricing on this AS III?


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## Francis Xavier (Oct 8, 2008)

It will be the same price as the other Aquasoil's as far as I know so far.


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## !shadow! (Jan 25, 2010)

can't wait to use it on my next scape.


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