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Its not grippy because of its lightness. Theres no weight pushing down on the plant from all sides to hold it in the substrate. Tropica soil is quite light but still heavier than the Manado. I used to love the JBL aquabasis as a base layer substrate. Does cloud quite alot when uprooting plants...

Thanks for the advice. As you suspected im not a newbie to the scene but have just lost touch with some of the new products and techniques. Since my last full planted tank it must be about 6 years! I will buy one 2.5l bag of plant growth and get one 9l bag of soil plus a smaller bag just to...

Hi all, Planning a new 60x40 and ive worked out i will need about 12.5l for a 5cm substrate depth. However, i will be using the Tropical plant growth substrate and the soil over the top. What ratios should i use them in? Based on the above calculation would one 2.5l bag of the plant growth...

please delete. answered my own question!

used to use aquabasis in all my tanks and i love the stuff. changed to eco complete for my 4x2x2 and im already thinking of going back to aquabasis. despite it turning the water pink if you fiddle too much, its cheap and really effective!

im hating eco complete at the moment. bigeest mistake ever. really expensive and its non nutritious.... better to either spend more and get an ADA substrate or Oli knott... or spend alot less and get something like JBL aquabasis and Cap it... Yes, eco complete is nice to plant into but apart...

its not nutrient based, just a pea gravel. looks really good. check the journal section for one called 'crypt causeway'. i remember zambezi gravel was used in there...

ahh, right, thats puts me back to basics then. good old aquabasis it is... would far rather use that than the mud tropica produce.... might cap it with some zambezi gravel so its more nautral.

if you want to go really cheap there is always Garden soils etc, but you need to read up on that. The next stage would be akadama... Have you considered JBL aquabasis plus from zooplus... (postage isnt too bad) i used that stuff in my 240L and its very nice. needs capping though...

i have no shrimp in my tanks due to hungry rainbowfish but im still keen on using it in the near future. I loved the old Aquabasis, shame it clouded nice and pink!

whos used it? thoughts opinions? i swear by JBL aquabasis as it is cheap and really nutritious. but i would love to hear thoughts on manado. good growth? particle sizes consistent? Cloud the water? Ammonia spikes? a good review would be super.

have you looked at argos play sand? 15kg for £2 or £3 is a bargain. just give it a wash and wack it in. if after a few months it starts going a bit manky as most sands do, simply suck it out with some tubing and then put in some fresh! after all you have 15kg of it! beware however, that the...

yeah i got 1kg of the stuff and it has lasted me ages. i go overboard on the stuff when i put it in but it has done my 240L and my 4x2x2 and im only about 1/2 way though! B&Q stock it i believe, but i got mine from ebay

+1 for not washing it

have you though about getitng something like osmocote? it has good NPK, and is pretty cheap. i always use a sprinkling of that in all my tanks. your amounts should be fine mate, got somethng planned :lol:

what about good old eco complete? i believe thats slightly heavier as its more grainy. it may not have as many nutrients in it, but coloumn dosing will still prove fine.

if you use it, ebay is your best bet :D get the double red line stuff. (yorkbonsai is a good seller)

that greatly depends on the flow in your tank as well.

it all mainly for perspective, it gives a better sense of depth. otherside you have to 'look over' the plants at the front to see those at that back and the scape looks a little flat. Its all to personal taste.

what type did you buy. you need the double red line stuff. i had akadama in a tank for about 6 months with no signs of crumbling etc.

yep the mulm will go in as per usual :D osmocote is good stuff, smeels bad, but is good :lol: i understand there is a differeance between spagnum moss peat and peat moss, i believe the spagnum is the stuff underneath the peat moss? however are there any advantages/disadv to each? i might...

right cheers for that, i will see what i can match up. is there anything non inert that would be good to get in there? i will have some osmocote on the very bottom to add a little something.

capping it is worse IMO as whenever i move/uproot something i always get the sutff from underneath on top, thats why if i can find something very similar i can mix them together, something bigger than sand but very fine gravel.

hi, i have about 45KG of this stuff but i need a lot more before i can get enough slope in my tank. Now, instead of buying more that will cost me about £70 can i use something to bulk it up with. like slide in 10KG of something else, i idealy want just the one substrate, unlike last time (i...

thats a lovely tank, if you were to put something like some blxya japonica in front of your stems but behind the HC, it would look stunning. Its amazing what akadama and dosing the water column can do.

i think it would be a good alternative to tanks with akadama as a substrate. its worth a try i guess.

hi guys, it has now hit our shores. proof.... http://www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/tropical-coldwater/planting-equipment-additives//new-jbl-manado-25l-planting-substrate-p-4923.html not bad for a 25L bag. if anyone does buy it, i would love to know what they think, take lots of pics before it...

is there going to be 9L bags of NS in the future? or do we only get little 3L?

haha, i have had sand in my oven and everything. only last month we had to get a new one as i was making smoke bombs (potassium nitrate, aka saltpeter) on the stove and it caught alight, !!! the whole kitchen went black :oops:

yeah ,good points guys, i like the margin for error :D being that im am on a learning curve, i like the idea of room for error. plus im not always totally regular with my dosing. i have got about 50Kg of EC for about £80 inc delivery

hi tom. what do you mean by mineralize soil? what is it and where can it be found, thanks

i use osmocote, which is NPK enriched plant food, surely if i put some EC down (very thin layer) then some Osmo and then a lot more EC, this will work, will be dosing the water column as well! john starkey and themuleous have had great results from it, so im going to give it a shot, i just...

thing is its not the same price though, i can get a bag of eco complete for about £18 inc delivery, the ADA stuff is about £35 inc delivery. Thats a monumental difference and on a 240L tank i cant justify that, its alright for you guys with tiny 60cm things but when you have double that...

here mate. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Caribsea-Eco-Complete-Live-Planted-Aquarium-Substrate_W0QQitemZ150364400147QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item23026aaa13&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 i will let you know the results of my question regarding delivery.

its 9.95 on ebay, but its the delivery that gets you if you want to order 5 bags. ive emailed them asking if they will do me a deal, i know for a fact that a courier will deliver them all for about £20

thanks guys, i might have a go with that, i hope its better than jbl aqua basis

hi, as in the title, does it cloud badly? i have JBL aquabasis and this stuff is a monster at clouding. im thinking about getting some ADA Amazonia (i or ii?) as i believe that doesnt cloud as much?

use a really cheap substrate under it, like argos playsand, its about £2.50 :lol: then put the ADA stuff onto so its covered. no one will know you have skimped, especially if you put some ADA at the sides of your tank so they cant see the line between the sand underneath and the ADA on top :D

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/28-Litres-Akadama-BONSAI-SOIL_W0QQitemZ330344493162QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN?hash=item4cea10f06a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 there you go 28L (20Kg) for about £27, thats about £1 a litre, now compare that to other stuff like tropica and ADA...

have a look on ebay mate, its not that expensive, a 14L bag will cost you about a tenner.

use akadama!!! make sure its the double red line stuff!!!!

even though zooplus' stuff comes from germany delivery is damn fast. :thumbup:

tropica stuff? jbl aquabasis is good

or go to Argos and get 15Kg for £2.89 :D

still £40 for a bag of what is essentially gravel. for people on a tight budgets (students) thats a hell of a lot of money. i blame the lack of funds for our attempts at scaping. if you dont have all the best products you will find it hard to achieve success as i have to 'make do and mend' :lol:

i guess it depends what you want it for. it wiould be fine for a short term scape of a few onths but it probably cant cope with a longer scape of a year or 2.

i got mine from ebay mate. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/14-Litres-Akadama-BONSAI-SOIL_W0QQitemZ330317466017QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_HomeGarden_Garden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN?hash=item4ce87489a1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1686%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50...

yeah, but i fiddle which is annoying. :evil: but anyway guys cheers for the help, i know its not just the jbl and akadama. :D

ahh, right, looks like i will have to put up and shut up :lol: . (im a perfectionist you see :D ) im going to set my 120L up as a breeding tank but i cant decide what to breed. im going to try corries but wondering if there is anything else. i was thinking so CRS or something. (if these...

yeah, its just a pain. i was wondering if its like that with all substrates or just 'clay' based ones. (i know alot are clay based)

hi, does this happen to all substrates? when i touch mine (aquabasis and akadama) it clouds so much its annoying. does this happen with other stuff like eco complete, the red sea stuff or ADA stuff? can i have your guys personal experiances on this matter. cheers

sorry that wasnt mean to be a 'sniudy' comment i was just saying that the finished product wilkl just contain the 'info' and not me crappy chat! sorry, i cant remember how much substrate i used.

well someone could cut out the chatty bits at the end and then just have the info that people need and turn it iinto a sticky. would be a good idea.

can i just chuck JBL AQUABASIS into the mix for you, ideal as a 'bulk up' substrate as its cheap. you can then cover with some ADA stuff.

Re: Thing about using Akadama i dont even rinse it, its to much hassle. :lol:

i have been to sofia. and pomorie and plovdiv. :D

yeah i might give it ago. what shall i do with the dust? mix it with compost for my house plants? :D

but 1) ADA is expensive 2) i have about 14 kg's of akadama so its in plentiful supply! i might just leave it how it is or just leave the jbl aquabasis uncapped.

yeah, it may be a week or three :lol: before i actually get round do setting it up but i will see how i go. thinking about it a powder may not be the best option but if i can at leat crush it a bit that will be fine. might get a rolling pin, put the akadama in a clear bag, tie a knot and roll...

hi, can it be crushed into a more of a powder? i want a fine substrate for my next tank and i have some jbl aquabasis but want to cap it with something, i have masses of akadama so i was wondering if i could mash it up a bit. or would that be a bad idea? its only a small tank so i wont need much.

does it not stir up really badly?

well the best thing would be to go with the one which will suit YOU best and your fish. a tip would be to get a small internal (i use a fluval 2+) and then when you re arrange cram it full of filter floss and get it running, then it sucks it up and after about 30 mins after you are done re...

i take it they have to be cut in a spiral? how do you join them together? or just over lap? how do they not curl up again? or is this the substrate that keeps it there?

how? they are the wrong shape?

looks like i will get that, i dont need the big bag. i might try an experiment and have tropica substrate on one island and Aquabasis on the other. and then see which grows best. does that sound good? or am i being wierd :lol: :?:

aaron whats CEC?

well it will be below the akadama (underneath :lol: ) but i know the eco complete is expensive but i couldnt decide out of the others. it may have to be decided on price or colour which i also have no clue on, or particle size, and texture (e.g pumice or clay or easily crushable etc, all these...

i have some choices to complement my akadama, black gravel and my aquabasis. which is best: (it would help if you have used them but some knowledge is fine) 1) Tropica substrate http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1120 2) Tetra plant complete...

i might as well not bother with it then and save myself a fiver. cheers for your help ceg.

bump. would like to order this tonight. is 900g perfect, to little or too much?

il leave that well alone then, or would a very fine sprinkling be of any use? il just get some sphagnum.

bump

i have a bag of compost outside and it says it contains NPK and trace elements. can i use in in my tank? would it go right on the glass at the very bottom below things like aquabasis and special aquarium plant substrates. i can also get some sphagnum moss peat, is it worth mixing this with my...

isnt most iron liquids no good to plants at all? i dont knw which ones are good. there must be some iron root tabs out there. something like his: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/aquatic_plants_care/fertilizer/easy_life/81123 would that work? id prefer something to go in the substrate though.

but me being a 16 yr old, i dont want to spend masses cos i dont have masses!!! thats why something thats non ADA would be good.

are there any non ADA iron products, like any substrates that are just highly concentrated in iron? or do you guys add iron root tabs? if so where can i get some, becuase i think i could do with some. if you crush root tabs up and put them underneath the top layer of substrate will they still...

hi, on a tank 120x40 would 900g be enough? i think this has to go on the very bottom on the glass, so it would be a very thin layer sprinkled on.

il have a look on TGM's website for it, and i may get some.

hi, redsteveo, could you tell me where you got your sera and tropica soils from. i have some of the JBL Aquabasis at home waiting, but i am going to use a mix of other things too. this is why im asking you now! :D

is there a massive benefit with this, as i want to order some glosso and probably some pogo helferi, but then i want lots of stems like rotala and alternanthera and e.tenellus. so i would have to place two orders and subsequently pay more for the postage. if there is no massive advantage it...

just get the sponges and squeeze it onto the substrate? woud i do this before the akadama goes ontop? would i do this even if im going to grow stuff emersed? i want to try growing things like glosso for a week or 2 without much water and see what happens, but im not sure that i understand the...

i think i will just mix the osmocate with the jbl. and then put the akadama on the top and do plenty of water changes! what is mulm?

il stick with the osmocote then!, well what layer would it go? ontop of the aquabasis? also how far will 1kg go in a 120x40 tank?

i was looking at garden direct but wasnt sure if that was the right stuff! but ts cheaper from green fingers anyway, cheers sam. i am planning my 4 foot at the mo and have jbl aqua basis and then akadama. but i was wondering is there other powders that i should use to help the growth like...

where can you get osmocote from? and is it good? never heard of it or sphagnum moss!

no, it has a few more years in it. it depends if your next scpae is going to be long term (e.g 3 or 4 years). if it is then i would change it.

what have you got? just plain sand or gravel or anything underneath?

wat do you think of akadama, jbl aqua basis and them capped with some black gravel? i dont know what to have on the bottom? akadama or aquab? i want a layer of about 5-6cm in total, so 2cm akadama, 2cm aquabasis 2cm black gravel. will this work? do you think i will get good results?

surrey, england.

where can you get akadama from? is it any good? regards, N

hi, i have some jbl aquabasis and im about to set my 240l tank up, do i need to cap it, (i have black gravel) or not? which looks best? will i suck the aquabasis up when i do a gravel clean? what is the advantage of capping?