# Colombo Flora Base



## livewire (18 Apr 2013)

Hey everyone, I have looking for advice from members who have used this substrate.

I am going to change the substrate in one of my tanks to Colombo Flora Base, I have 12 Green Rasbora's in the tank and plenty of Cherry Shrimp. I have been that this substrate will leak some ammonia but no where near as much as Aqua Soil. Ideally I would put the Rasbora's in my bigger tank temporarily but would then have to strip the tank of plants to catch them again which I do not want to do!! 

Once the swap is done what process should I follow to make sure the fish are not poisoned by excess ammonia? will doing daily 50% water changes for a few weeks be the solution? and should I lower my daily ferts dosing due to the fact that the substrate will I assume be leaching some nutrients in to the water column?  

The tank will have landscape rock, a carpet of HC and some Blyxa Japonica. 

Any advice would be appreciated.


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## ceg4048 (19 Apr 2013)

If I were you I's think about mineralizing the substrate for a month or so before putting it in the tank. Leeching toxins can be controlled by frequent water changes but the sediment will not have been matured. There will be no bacteria in the sediment and that can cause problems. You should think about the sediment in exactly the same way as you would the filter media because there's a lot of microbial activity that they sediment is responsible for.

Just soak the lot in a bucket, keeping it moist for about a month or more and then you won't have the risk of problems when you swap it out. That will save you from having to do all those water changes as well.

Cheers,


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## livewire (19 Apr 2013)

ceg4048 said:


> If I were you I's think about mineralizing the substrate for a month or so before putting it in the tank. Leeching toxins can be controlled by frequent water changes but the sediment will not have been matured. There will be no bacteria in the sediment and that can cause problems. You should think about the sediment in exactly the same way as you would the filter media because there's a lot of microbial activity that they sediment is responsible for.
> 
> Just soak the lot in a bucket, keeping it moist for about a month or more and then you won't have the risk of problems when you swap it out. That will save you from having to do all those water changes as well.
> 
> Cheers,


 

Thank you, when ever I ask a question I cross my fingers that you will come along to give advice lol

So my rescape will have to go on hold for a month whilst the substrate soaks in a bucket, should I change the water in the bucket once a week or just leave the substrate in the same water all month?


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## tubamanandy (19 Apr 2013)

I've just setup an 80 litre tank using Colombo Nutri Base (5kg) topped with two bags of Colombo Flora Base Black (10kg). I hope I have got those the correct way around. I`m pretty sure if you were to use both, the Nutri Base must be covered. I use a Seneye device and have been monitoring the Ammonia and have not noticed any spikes BUT I am using a very mture filter and my PH is around 7.0. The Nutri Base is quite sandy in texture and colour (between and and fine gravel) and the Flora Base looks quite decorative. I know I didnt have to use both.


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## livewire (19 Apr 2013)

Hello, I am running a fully cycled 1000lph external on my 60L, so I guess I could get away with it and I would check the ammonia level every day. 

Still undecided weather I just stick it in the tank or soak it in a bucket for a month. I have a load of stem plants that I could put in the gaps between the HC for the first few weeks to help with the ammonia leach if there is any. 

My other question was should I lower my daily dosage of ferts due to the substrate releasing its own nutrients? at the moment I am dosing 2ml of TPN+ and 2ml of Excel daily, the tank is also running pressurized Co2


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## tubamanandy (19 Apr 2013)

You dont wash/soak the Colombo - instructions are quite clear.

Personally, I use the EI dosing method but wont be altering it due to the new substrate. My filter is coping very well (so far) with any ammonia release


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## livewire (19 Apr 2013)

tubamanandy said:


> You dont wash/soak the Colombo - instructions are quite clear.
> 
> Personally, I use the EI dosing method but wont be altering it due to the new substrate. My filter is coping very well (so far) with any ammonia release


 

I was just going by the info Ceg gave in the second post.


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## ceg4048 (19 Apr 2013)

livewire said:


> So my rescape will have to go on hold for a month whilst the substrate soaks in a bucket, should I change the water in the bucket once a week or just leave the substrate in the same water all month?


You don't need to change any water. Just keep things simple. In fact you don't need to fill the bucket. As long as the top layer stays moist/damp everything will be fine. Just keep the bucket covered to keep in the moisture and check every now and then to make sure that it's not drying out. This is exactly the same as doing a Dry Start, except it's done in a bucket and it's very low stress. This is also exactly the same thing that happens in your garden, except you will not have to mow the lawn. Bacteria develop in the sediment and they convert the ammonia to NO3. Put the bucket in the garage and forget about it mostly. Maybe stick a hand in and turn it some to get oxygen down to the bottom.

This is just dirt. Treat it as such and do not make life complicated.

Cheers,


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## livewire (19 Apr 2013)

This is why I like your advice, detailed information with a simple round up at the end 

Thank you


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## gmartins (23 Apr 2013)

In my tank and I am using Amazonia and has been dry-staring for 1 month. Can I assume that when I fill it up I will have completed the N cycle?

sorry for the off-topic live wire


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## ceg4048 (23 Apr 2013)

One month is better than zero, but not as good as 2 months (but who wants to wait 2 months?). We aren't dealing with robots here. It's not possible to say that in exactly 4 weeks everything will be fine, however, that's enough time for a good percentage of the bacterial diversity and population to develop. Temperature and  Oxygen availability are all factors.

Cheers,


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## gmartins (23 Apr 2013)

cool. thanks. I am to do the normal initial maintenance (e.g. frequent wc, etc), but it is good to know that these bacteria may contribute to reduce the initial ammonia spike.


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