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Help chooing ADA substrate type and volume needed

FishBeast

Member
Joined
27 May 2009
Messages
264
Location
Australia
I have been planning my next scape which I will be starting sometime after october. I have given up on this scape because I have been unable to grow HC in it and it has been overrun with algae. I also have to wait a few months for my shrimperies shrimp to grow to a size where the fish wont eat them.

My question is: I will be wanting crypt wendetti's and mosses along with a few larger medium growth plants and HC. So far I have chosen ada amozonia 2 and would like to ask for you guys oppinions on its suitability for these plants.

I beleive I have stuffed up growing my HC because their is basically no nutrient in the sand that it had rooted in as the nutrient substrate was too deep for their roots to reach. I tried combating this by placing root tabs beneath which didnt work. The water perametres, co2, light.. have all been good.

My next question is ina 182x45cm tank. 5cms sloping to 10 cms at the back works out 7 bags of substrate or $505. (including shipping) :wideyed: So my question is when you guys use ada substrate, does it make the whole volume of your substrate?
 
I've read less than favourable things about ADA Amazonia II. I know LondonDragon had problems with it. You need to consider the amonia spike you get from ADA substrates when using it from new, ie if you are planning to rescape and existing tank which is stocked you would have to be cautious.

Regarding how much to use, it depends on the scape. You can divide off the areas where you'll be planting and only use the substrate there. I realise that if you're wanting a carpet of HC this might not work though. But, if you only want a carpet of HC up front then you can get away with the substrate being quite thin (a few cm or a little less I'd estimate).

Hopefully others will post their opinions :)
 
Thanks steve. For the sake of being easy to understand I wrote a sloping explanation of it although I actually intend to go for a look similar to this:

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2 ... ol=2&id=57

Hense being a long term project. I have been sorting suitable rocks over the last while and will continue until I have a complete replica of what it will look like inside my tank although I will use riversand as substrate for the "replica" model.

So because a significant portion of the tank will be taken up by rocks that is excellent advice.

Thanks a bunch.

I have also considered (depending on the depth of the raised section), say if it is raised 15cms or so, placing my existing flourite red at the bottom of that. How deep should the substrate be at the back of a tank?
 
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