29 gal (I think), low tech no co2, will add excel every week, dimensions are L 24, W16.



I am hopefully ordering my substrate within the next two days so I can start an emersed growth.

I am going to be ordering aqua soil in black, the normal and sand type. I am not sure exactly which one to get though, I have heard good things about the amazonia but there is type I and type II, which one? I know some people said you don't need the sand, but why not? I originally wanted a sand substrate but I figured this was the most efficient method as far as growing plants go.

How deep should I make the normal substrate and how deep should I make the sand?

How much do I need to achieve a successful setup with this substrate? (9L x ?)

Any other information you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Money really isn't an issue for this because I want to set the substrate and forget about it, I heard ADA is worth the money and I figure it will be a good source of nutrients for my plants so why not.


Thanks.

There is amazonia I & II regular type
There is amazonia I & II powder type
There is Powersand, which is not actually sand.

Amazonia I has more nutrients than II. Normal type is a larger grain substrate and should be used for the majority of the tank. Powder type is very fine grain that should be used in the foreground for small plants like HC and for aesthetic purposes.

Powersand is rather large white pumic rocks mixed with additional fertilizers. It is meant to be used as the bottom layer below the aquasoil. Most people don't like it because it is easily uprooted when you replant, leaving your dark substrate with white rocks strewn all over. If you are dosing water column ferts then the powersand is unnecessary.

As for how much you'll need I'm horrible with math so I'll leave that to someone else.

24X16X3 = 1152 ( the 3 is for a 3 inch depth )
that 1152 are cubic inches and you need to convert it to liters = 18.882 Liters

I use this :

Cubic Inch, Milliliter and Liter Converter

so, 18.882 liters /(divided) 9 liters per bag= 2.098 bags ( Two 9 L bag)

at least that is how I've been told

First off thanks for the replies.

I think I am going to go with the Amazonia II regular with two, maybe three 9L bags and 1 3L bag of Amazonia II powder type, which they are out of stock =(

My reasoning is that on their website it states that Amazonia II has been fine tuned to not stain the water which I am assuming Amazonia I has had issue with. And of course the whole new water clarity nonsense but I think the staining is my main issue.

Has anyone had any problems with Amazonia II?

I have read quite a few forum posts about inconsistency between bags of Amazonia II resulting in some tanks taking quite a while to cycle and a lot of problems with cloudy water. The general consensus seemed to be to stick with the Amazonia I though there are also some people who have had no problems with type II. I set up my first Aqua soil tank a month ago using Amazonia I and have had no problems with water clarity or staining. I used a dusting of peat under the Aqua soil and still don't see any "staining".
I doubt that you are going to need 3 nine liter bags for a 29 gallon tank. I used 3.5 nine liter bags in my 50 gallon long (48" x 12.5) and the bed goes from 2.5" or so deep in the front to 5+" in the back. I could have easily used less.

Hm, good to know. Thanks I think I will definitely go with just two bags (good thing its expensive after all said and done including shipping.) Maybe I will just go with Amazonia Type I, as Phanmc said he supposedly is more nutrient rich. Why did you use the peat?

You could also get two 9 liter and one 3 to be on the safe side, I got a fourth bag in case three wasn't enough. Not like you can quickly run down to the LFS to get more if you don't have enough. With extra you can vary the slope, make hills etc. I added the peat since my water is very hard, figured it couldn't hurt, you don't add a lot. I haven't tested my GH but my KH fell from 17 dKH out of the tap to 5 dKH in the tank after the substrate swap. I inject CO2 and the combination of the gas and aqua soil has my tank pH sitting at around 6.2 (it is 8.3 or so out of the tap). A big motivation for me to try aqua soil was to soften my water and it has done a good job of that. Plants are settling in and taking off too.

I'm also wondering about substrates.
I know that some plants rely more on the water column, whereas others need good substrate. Here's my dilemma: I've had my tank for a while now, and I'm using river sand as a substrate. It looks good and I've had moderate success with my plants. I have an automated CO2 system. But it still doesn't get that lush, tropical look I'm looking for. I've read about EC, ADA, etc... I added Laterite a while back, about 3 boxes I think. I really like the sand, but I know it's inert and probably not the best, but how important is the substrate? Is it worth swapping out the sand? I'm leaning towards ADA aquasoil... How often do I need to replace it? How much do I need for a 100 gallon tank? Do I need it at all? Please help me!! I'm confused!