# ADA aquasoil help!!!



## fishdude1984 (Feb 17, 2005)

I have had ADA aquasoil in my 20long for about a year and a half now and it appears to be breaking down in my tank. I'm having cyanobacteria problems and the water is so dark you can hardly see the back of the tank, which is only 12 inches wide. Carbon and water changes do not solve these problems. If you have a solution to this problem please help me out. I would also like to know if others have experienced this condition. Thank you for letting me know.


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## chiahead (Dec 18, 2004)

if you have disturbed the ADA soil over its life it can break down. ADA i snot like other clay substrates. It needs to be handled with some level of softness. Meaning changing the hardscape in the tank, like moving rocks, and driftwood around can crush the ADA granuals. One thing I noticed helps alot is adding green bacter, bacter 100, and phyton git. It seems to promote the bacteria to eat away the buildup. Do you see anything strange in the substrate itself? If you do I would recomend a light vacuuming of the buildup. Dont go too crazy but just suck up the upper inch or so and let the larger ada pieces fall back down.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Do a water change, add erethomycin(sp?) then use a bag of Seachem purigen.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I recently encounter the cloudy problem for whatever reason (change in tap water parameters?). The tanks have been setup for nearly a year, and I was performing a standard waterchange with a slow fill. I didn't rescape or touch the soil at all. Anyways, the end result was a murky, white/brown cloud in the 3 tanks that contain Aquasoil. All in the same day.

For about 2 weeks, I did every other day waterchanges and with even slower refilling. Eventually the murky water dissipated. I'm now left with clear clean water. So hang in there, do some water changes and clear the filter with each change.

-John N.


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## jsenske (Mar 15, 2004)

Weird. I have several all ADA substrate tanks of varying layout styles, etc. and have never encountered such issues. The fact that John N. had problems in 3 separate tanks all in the same day after a water change is highly suspect of something in tap water. 

Amano has tanks in the ADA gallery that are well over a year plus, I know for a fact.


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## LindaC (Nov 7, 2005)

How long can ADA Aquasoil remain in the tank before it's time to take it out? I have it in my 10 gallon, it's been a little over a year now and I vacum and rescape my tank all the time. I have to, my plants grow too quickly! Could this be why I have blue green algae?


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