# ADA soils



## mfcphil (30 Mar 2009)

Keep reading conflicting threads about ADA Amazonia.

I have ordered a couple of bags and was intending to swap the coral substrate in my tank with this.
What I was going to do was keep the original water is large buckets keeping the fish in one bucket with a heater in it while I replaced the old substrate with the new.

Now some posts are saying this will be ok and other are saying the new added ammonia will harm my fish.

Can someone advise me if what I intend to do will be ok  :?


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## ceg4048 (30 Mar 2009)

Hi,
    Just go for it and monitor the ammonia levels. If the levels rise then just increase the frequency and amount of your water changes. The more plants you have in the tank the less problematic this will be.

Cheers,


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## Dave Spencer (30 Mar 2009)

Whilst it is not something I would try personally, I think it has been done before (Ed Seeley?). Hammer the water changes for a while would be my advice, and make sure your plants are at maximum turbo growth. Try adding some Zeolite to the filter, too.

Dave.


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## mfcphil (30 Mar 2009)

Thanks for your help....will adding the amazonia dramatically change the saved water that I am putting back into the tank?


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## LondonDragon (30 Mar 2009)

mfcphil said:
			
		

> Thanks for your help....will adding the amazonia dramatically change the saved water that I am putting back into the tank?


Like ceg said just keep up the water changes and you will be fine, I don't think you will need much of the old water anyway, I wouldn't use more than 20-30% from the old tank. As long you got the normal Amazonia and not Amazonia II you will be fine


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## mfcphil (30 Mar 2009)

I thought if I wanted to add the fish back into the tank straight away I would have to keep about 50% of the water...as if I was doing a weekly change.


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## ceg4048 (30 Mar 2009)

No, you don't. There is no universal law about the amount of water you need to save. As long as you add clean water, at the correct temperature, the volume doesn't matter.

Cheers,


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## mfcphil (30 Mar 2009)

Many Thanks


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## Ed Seeley (30 Mar 2009)

I did it and kept the fish in a QT initially but never measured and ammonia or nitrite spike so added the fish back after 2 days!  With a large mature filter and large daily water changes then you should be fine.  I'd save as much water as possible when doing this to reduce the changes to the fish, but you certainly won't need to save more than 50%.


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## TDI-line (30 Mar 2009)

I removed my old substrate and replaced with around 14 bags of Amazonia in my 720 litre. 

All livestock including shrimp went into my spare 125 litre for the next week. 

I refilled the tank with tap water and used the original filter media.

I changed 50 % of the water twice of the next week, replanted and put all the livestock, no losses.

Haven't looked back since.


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## mfcphil (31 Mar 2009)

Thats great but alas I dont have a massive spare tank to store things while the water sorts itself out    I know in the long run what I am doing now will be of a great benifit but I am just worried about losing my beautiful fish.


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## mfcphil (3 Apr 2009)

Well my Amozonia arrived today but when it turned up it was Amozonia 2 will I be ok using this? 

I thought this was for harder water or something...know I read about it somewhere.


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## LondonDragon (3 Apr 2009)

mfcphil said:
			
		

> Well my Amozonia arrived today but when it turned up it was Amozonia 2 will I be ok using this?
> I thought this was for harder water or something...know I read about it somewhere.


Get it exchanged for normal Amazonia, I have this in one tank and its given me endless problems, it also breaks down very quickly and turns to dust. Personally I would not recommend version 2 of this soil.


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## mfcphil (3 Apr 2009)

oh dear I have just finished changing the substrate....out with the old in with the new...fingers crossed its ok!!


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## Superman (3 Apr 2009)

My amazonia (1) has been in my nano for nearly a week with off the scale ammonia, but that's with an uncycled filter.
I'd advise to keep an eye out.


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## mfcphil (3 Apr 2009)

Will do thanks Clark!!


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## TDI-line (3 Apr 2009)

Good luck with the change over.


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## Mark Evans (3 Apr 2009)

buy oli knott nature soil and have done with all the ADA problems regards ammonia


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## mfcphil (3 Apr 2009)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> Good luck with the change over.




Thank You


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## mfcphil (8 Apr 2009)

Had a mad day on Saturday one of my gold rams and both my balloon rams had hidden themselves somewhere in the tank.
When I found them they were at the very bottom of the tank gasping.... I dashed and changed 50% of the water.
I only have the tetra 6 in 1 test kit and that was saying things were ok. 
Fish were saying something else...they didn't make SUNDAY   

To be honest I did not check the water the day it happened I was too busy trying to get the water out as quick as I could.

My black neonâ€™s are fine as are the Ottoâ€™s I even have a gold ram, which looks perfectly well.

Think it must have been an ammonia spike.

Done daily water changes for the last three days to be on the safe side.

Get some replacement fish at the weekend.

Going to leave the very temperamental Rams alone....taking suggestion for some tank mates!!


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## Ed Seeley (8 Apr 2009)

mfcphil said:
			
		

> Think it must have been an ammonia spike.
> 
> Done daily water changes for the last three days to be on the safe side.
> 
> ...



Please don't get any new fish for a while until you are completely sure that the tank has matured properly and their won't be any more disasters.  If you think it might have been an ammonia spike then it would be cruel to subject more fish to it.  After a fortnight more then you can start to slowly restock with more confidence this won't happen again and what's a couple of weeks to wait compared with possibly killing more fish.

Please also bear in mind that more fish mean more ammonia and potentially more algae so waiting on stocking fish is good for the eventual health of the tank and plants too.


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## mfcphil (8 Apr 2009)

Yes very good advice.Taken!!

Thanks Ed


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## Ed Seeley (8 Apr 2009)

mfcphil said:
			
		

> Yes very good advice.Taken!!
> 
> Thanks Ed



No worries mate.


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## Superman (8 Apr 2009)

Sorry to hear about your fish losses.
Thats half the problem about swapping substrate and especially to Aquasoil Amazonia, that's why I'm thinking of moving (when I do) using Oliver Knott's Nature Soil.


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## mfcphil (8 Apr 2009)

I looked at Olivers and thought of buying it but most of the things I read were sayin Amazonia was the bees knees.
My tank will no doubt benifit in the long run.

Thanks Clark.


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## Ed Seeley (9 Apr 2009)

The plants do love the nutrients in Aquasoil so they will definitely benefit.  Ammonia is a part of those nutrients so it's all good!  I'm not sure whether that means the Knott substrate has less ammonia and nutrients in or whether they are just in different forms?  Either way AS is excellent.


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