Using Amazonia Aqua Soil - Part 1: "The Dirt" On What To Know Before Digging In

[@tiagomelo8431]

Well done! I've been looking for videos about the initial process with ADA aqua soil, and nobody has explained it in details better than you did 👏🏾

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Tiago - glad it was helpful! It's my favorite substrate for planted tanks, hands down. Once you get through the initial process, it is fantastic.

[@sabyasachidey7119]

Thanks a ton for this!!…best video ever on aquarium planted soil!!!

[@urpc.politics1]

Best video about Amazonia!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Ali - thanks for the kind words!!! 👍 Very glad it was helpful and you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!

[@Evilnikki]

I enjoyed how technical you got in this video ^_^

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Hi Veronika - Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!

[@aquarius9900]

i hope your Betta is doing well!! id love to see an update video staring the little guy!!!

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks, Aquarius! He's doing great and constantly bugging me to "star" in another movie ;) Tells me that if he doesn't he will be finding another agent and re-negotiating his contract. But - he does have one coming up soon :) I have one more follow up video on the Aqua Soil, then the little guy comes on in the next one :)

[@aquarius9900]

@@dmichaelsfishden Fantastic!!! cant wait to see him in his next production movie!!!

[@olivertaylor5113]

Great video. Exactly what I was looking for. Given that it breaks down after 1-2 years will it's affect on kH and PH diminish too? Thank you!

[@bettabegoodjr2104]

Perfect video I'm getting ready to set up my 20tall... how many bags of amazonia do you suggest for a iwagumi scape.. I want some nice hills for a scape

[@dmichaelsfishden]

For a scape I would suggest two bags in a 20 tall - you could get close with one but I don't think it will be enough....I used two bags in a 36 gallon bowfront, without much of a hill, so I think 2 bags will work well - keep in mind, though, like all substrates, it will break down over time, so your hill will kind of "sink." You may want to put some rocks in between or have something that will anchor the substrate for you....

[@bettabegoodjr2104]

@@dmichaelsfishden I finished my 20gallon!!! If I'm not asking for to much could you stop by my channel and let me know what you think of it?

[@anthonyragan2696]

Good video, I've wanted to give this a try. Does it break down and have to be replaced after a couple of years?

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Thanks, Anthony! It does break down, but it takes awhile. I've had mine in for almost two years (2 years in November) and I'd say about 1/4 of the very top has broken down into more of a silt. The majority of the substrate still has retained its shape and looks great. I did start supplementing with root tabs, after about a year in, but only if I saw that a plant needed a little boost. I feel like the high CEC rating helps quite a bit - I've always dosed the water column since setting up the tank, and I think the substrate does a great job of absorbing the nutrients, making them available to plants. I think this is why I haven't had to supplement a bunch with root tabs.....I would definitely recommend trying it sometime down the line to see what you think! 👍

[@fulesmackofule]

I've had this in my tank for 2 years already, but my aqua started to have cyanobacteria and I have never vacuumed the soil. I think it could be a reason. How can you do that? I noticed that anytime I wash some handful of soil in a bucket, it gets messy the same way as they disintegrate. 1. Is it still ok to use the soil after this long? 2. Is vacuuming okay? Thanks.

[@MarliQQLuv]

Did you have to use both bags of ada to fill the bowfront?

[@syazwan1324]

Is it okay to have ADA amazonia in nano betta tank that only have 6 plant which is 3 cryptocoryne on the foreground and 2 anubias, java fern on wood. Should i use other soil ? Is it too much nutrient for 3 cryptocoryne ?

[@WHSuperman2005]

Is there anyway to put the fish in automatically using prime or stability?

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Kyle - great question. Sorry for the late reply here. You would think you could, and you can try - the problem with the Aqua Soil is that it continually leeches ammonia for a week or two. Prime or Stability will temporarily convert Ammonia to non-toxic Ammonium for 24 hours, but then you are back to having Ammonia. You could try to add the Prime or Stability everyday, so you have something active all the time for a 24 hour period. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't work, but I would double the dose of Prime or Stability. I didn't personally go through this because I was planting for the first few weeks and waiting about a month or two before adding fish - I wanted to wait until the plants settled in and by that time the Aqua Soil had stopped leeching ammonia and I had a cycled tank. What will also help right off the bat, and the GOOD part about the soil leeching ammonia, is that the bacteria in Stability has an immediate food source, so this will help cycle your tank. So again, don't see any reason why this won't work - Just double the dose of Prime and begin with the Stability on day one and every other day after that. Hope that helps!

[@WHSuperman2005]

dmichaels fish den it’s okay. I ended up getting Up Aqua Sand due to the lack of ammonia leaching. It’s been a week and the dwarf hair grass and Optimus (my beta) are doing great!

[@greenthumbaquariums1185]

It's just an opinion, but I don't believe that CEC matters much in an aquarium. Sure, on land it can help retain nutrients for plants, but aquariums are closed systems so nutrients aren't going to go anywhere until the plants use them up. A nutrient imbalance in the substrate caused by plants using the nutrients will automatically balance itself out with what's in the water column (equilibriums are automatically established unless there's a force stopping them). If you have come across something, other than people repeating what they've read, please share. I don't mind being proven wrong.

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Green Thumb - Appreciate you checking out the video! it's definitely an interesting topic to discuss. Of course, this is also just my opinion, but after working with low CEC substrates (sand) and high CEC (Amazonia is about as high as my experience shows me), here's what I've seem to have found. It seems like there is a benefit to holding nutrients in the substrate as long as possible, because even though it is a closed system, algae can't get to the nutrients in the substrate. With the same parameters, lighting, dosing, etc. I've noticed two things with high CEC vs. low CEC. In low CEC, the nutrients are in the water column longer and more often, where algae has much easier access to them, essentially taking them away from the plants. Not that I've had a lot of algae problems in low CEC, but I've certainly noticed algae growth more in tanks with low CEC substrate. In high CEC, because the nutrients are held longer in the substrate, plants seem to have more access to them, longer, where algae can't get to them, and the algae can't steal them from the plants. I've noticed almost 0 to minimal algae (even just regular diatom algae in a newly set up tank) in tanks where I've had higher CEC substrate. Also with the same parameters, lighting, dosing, etc..with high CEC vs. low CEC - plants just seem to really thrive in the high CEC. Not that they don't grow in low CEC, but they really thrive in the high CEC. So I'm leaning towards the idea that high CEC substrate in aquariums really does make a difference. Just some food for thought. Of course, I don't have any scientific evidence to back things up. All I can rely on is my own observation....

[@DnASnakes]

Great video, very informative. Don't think this is good for me I like moving plants around. Lol

[@dmichaelsfishden]

Don - thanks for the kind words! Glad it was helpful. Yeah, if you like moving things around, there are some better options out there. 👍This is definitely a "set it and forget it" type of substrate. I try to avoid moving things around in this tank as best I can

[@Keldren.]

"this is as close as you can get to regular good ol dirt" so like.. why not... just like... actually use dirt??? this seems to have all the same benefits and drawbacks as organic potting soil capped with sand sooo why not just do that for like 5 bucks instead of 50?

[@gk9417]

Shouldn’t you cap this soil 🤷✌️🇨🇦