# Akadama preperation



## pauldesfitz (13 Sep 2013)

Well today I`ve ordered Two big bags of Akadama from bonsai2u.co.uk for £30.50 delivered. Not a bad price I thought . Waiting on my Co2 equipment to arrive to start my First Planted Tank project.
Any thoughts on what preparation is needed for the Akadama ?  Just a thorough wash thru ??
Only at early stages. Hardscape etc. and plants to follow.
Any thoughts ?


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## ceg4048 (13 Sep 2013)

Hello,
		 Akadama is just dirt, dug up from a Japanese back yard, put into a plastic bag featuring fascinating Japanese calligraphy. It will therefore be dirty forever and it really is of little value to stress too much about cleaning it. Soak it and stir/drain it a few times in case there are any non-Akadama contamination such as paper clips or pencil lead, and carry on. Your water will be cloudy for a while when you fill the tank, which is an excellent excuse to change your water more frequently.

Cheers,


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## pauldesfitz (13 Sep 2013)

OK Thanks for your help. I will have tonnes of other questions as I go along, so sorry for this in advance.
Paul


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## ceg4048 (13 Sep 2013)

No worries mate. Be sure to check the sticky Akadama - A cheap substrate | UK Aquatic Plant Society at the top of this section.

Cheers,


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## pauldesfitz (13 Sep 2013)

thanks Ceg...... already read it over many times....


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## Christian Walker (13 Sep 2013)

ceg4048 said:


> No worries mate. Be sure to check the sticky Akadama - A cheap substrate | UK Aquatic Plant Society at the top of this section.
> 
> Cheers,


 

Im a bit confused.  You just kind of slated this Akadama stuff and then linked to a sticky that seems to think its great stuff.  I read that sticky the other week and was thinking of using it but now you have said that, am I wasting my money if I go ahead ?


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## foxfish (14 Sep 2013)

The main issue that I have experienced with the stuff is that after a few months underwater it turns into a mush that if disturbed will form a brown cloud that will virtually fill you tank!!
Trying to dig up and replant something turns the tank into a real mess....other than that it seems to hold down roots and generally make plants happy.


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## squid102 (14 Sep 2013)

Christian Walker said:


> Im a bit confused.  You just kind of slated this Akadama stuff and then linked to a sticky that seems to think its great stuff.  I read that sticky the other week and was thinking of using it but now you have said that, am I wasting my money if I go ahead ?


I don't think Clive is really slating it. He is just being brutally honest about its properties! I bought this one Wattston Bonsai - Akadama  POSTAGE FREE - (Powered by CubeCart) for £16 inc postage. Although he doesn't send the one in the picture, he sends the Iberaki akadama. I have had it in my shrimp tank for 6 months. It has not broken down at all and I do not get any clouding when pulling plants up. I did not wash it before use although I did sieve it slightly with a kitchen sieve to get the dust out.

However, personally I find the grain size a little large and it is too easy for my shrimps to uproot carpeting plants. For my next tank I am using Tesco cat litter which has a smaller grain size. Plus it is a lot cheaper! Akadama used to be a lot cheaper but now that the price has gone up I don't think it is such an attracted option.


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## ceg4048 (14 Sep 2013)

Guys, sorry to be vague. It's exactly as stated by squid102.
The fact of the mater is just that Akadama, or Kyushu, or Capetown, or Zambeze, or even Congo, or WHATEVER are all just different forms of dirt.

But guess what? Weeds are found almost exclusively growing in dirt. So there is no problem using any of this stuff if you can live with the annoyances or disadvantage of each. The plants don't really care, as long as nutrients are made available to them.

If you dose the water column regularly, then this is sufficient. If you choose to use a more professional dirt then you can pony up the cash for an enhanced, nutrient fortified dirt such as ADA Amazonia. It's got NPK, trace elements and peat baked on the clay particles. So it's loaded with nutrients and plants will make excellent progress. Akadama is just a nutrient poor version ADA Amazonia. They are both clay dirt. The Amazonia is also baked so it's a bit tougher than Akadama and therefore does not cloud up as much. It's an outstanding dirt, but it's just dirt.....and it costs a LOT, so every dirt you choose will have an advantage and disadvantage from an ergonomic, economic, maintenance, aesthetic, and mechanical point of view. However, do not be hypnotized by marketing tactics, but instead look at them with eyes wide open.

Your choice of substrate, in-and-of-itself, will not matter as long as you address the shortcomings of each. If you have a nutrient poor substrate like Akadama you can fortify it with nutrients by lining the bottom of the tank with some gains of Osmocote or other branded slow release fertilizer. You must be sue to have it at the bottom of the substrate because it releases ammonia, so you don't want to have it near the top where it will diffuse into the water column where the fish are. This also can be done very cheaply and it can be almost as effective as Amazonia.

You can also use plain sand, and even fake gravel from the LFS. You just have to ensure that the water column is dose regularly with NPK+Traces. You can put little bits of peat or any organic matter like rotted leaves. Some of these products are sold on the market, but they have fancy sophisticated name, like "Orion's Belt" or "Transformer", so we think they are some kind of laboratory invention, but they are just like Dust in The Wind (see: Kansas).

So, use them, or don't use them. If you follow our Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) then your plants will not care.

See Flora max V Eco complete | UK Aquatic Plant Society for more info.

Cheers,


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## virgojavier (17 Sep 2013)

There is a way of avoiding dust cloud with Akadama, just sieve it like I did. Then I have applied some proper wash, left it flooded  for a week, wash it again and no sign of clouding during my set up and planting.

Regards


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## squid102 (17 Sep 2013)

virgojavier said:


> There is a way of avoiding dust cloud with Akadama, just sieve it like I did. Then I have applied some proper wash, left it flooded  for a week, wash it again and no sign of clouding during my set up and planting.



Yep. And under mine I put a sprinkling of Miracle Gro All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Food, a handful or two of peat and some activated carbon. I can't remember exactly why I put the carbon in; it obviously seemed a good idea at the time!


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## pauldesfitz (17 Sep 2013)

Thanks for encouragement.... Substrate should arrive tomorrow , so this is where fun begins !!


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## tom_middleton (20 Sep 2013)

Planning on getting the Ibaraki Akadama as well this week, planning on a thin layer of osmocote under the akadama and some root tabs under the heavy root feeders just to be sure and to give them a good kickstart.
From what I can see the Ibaraki doesn't break down and is similar to the double red line brand. Anyone got any feedback on whether this brand doesnt break down and on how effective their preparation and ferts are with this system?


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## ceg4048 (20 Sep 2013)

The only kickstart aquatic plants can get at startup must first and foremost, occur above the substrate. "heavy root feeders" also depend primarily on water column fertilization in exactly the same way as other non "heavy root feeders".

Your procedures and attention to details above the sediment is 1000X more important than what sediment scheme you choose.
If this particular brand is baked, it hardens to give it longer integrity.So it should hold up longer and not turn into mush as quickly.
There will likely be no nutrient addition if it is sold for bonsai trees. That will not matter if you are inserting garden variety nutrients into the sediment anyway.

Cheers,


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