I'd be willing to bet that the "Aquasoil only has problems in alkaline water" claim is sort of ADA's way of "covering up" the problems that Aqua Soil has been having lately. I mean, they're not going to release Aqua Soil II and say, "Lots of people have problems with the original Aquasoil causing cloudiness and turning to mud, so here's the fix!"
I'd be curious to see how Aqua Soil II would have worked instead of Eco Complete as the final solution for you Tom. Of course, it's not available yet, but apparently it will be "soon" -
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...azonia-ii.html
http://www.adana.co.jp/index_e.php
Quote:
Release of "Aqua Soil Amazonia II"
Aqua Soil Amazonia has been used by many planted aquarium hobbyists around the world, as base substrate material for growing aquatic plants. Aqua Soil Amazonia is produced from black soil with rich organic substances, helping the plant growth, and most aquatic plant species can grow in healthy condition with Amazonia. But, in the alkaline base water*, there are rare case reports that organic substance such as humic acid may seep into the water, and cause water coloring or cloudiness.
So this time Aqua Design Amano introduced "Aqua Soil-Amazonia II", a new Amazonia type substrate, produced with different black soil mixture ratio, preventing water coloring or cloudiness. As the base color or plant growing pattern is different from existing lines, we continuously market Aqua Soil Amazonia. Please select according to your needs and preference. But if your base water* is alkaline, we recommend to use Amazonia II.
*Base Water refers to all types of water used for the aquarium, including tap water, groundwater, or aquarium tank water.
Distinctive FEATURE of "Aqua Soil-Amazonia II"
1. Amazonia II has less incident of water coloring or cloudiness.
2. It contains black soil, appropriate for water plants growth, and its natural color matches well with planted aquarium.
3. It lowers pH and KH, and makes ideal water condition for most plants and tropical fish.
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