# Aquasoil as cap?



## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Can you use aqausoil as a cap in an El Natrual tank?


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## rowdaddy (Mar 21, 2013)

I don't do this style myself. It's my understanding that you want a rich base with an inert cap. Whereas aqua soil is totally used as both the nutrient rich base and the attractive top all in one. I could be wrong, but you know i had to give you my 2 cents. Lol

I am Rowdaddy. 
SC Aquaria

75 Community
20H Community
20L Convict "Bedroom" 
20L Growout
10gal RCS
1.5gal in progress
55 gal Paludarium/Vivarium coming soon


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

rowdaddy said:


> I could be wrong, but you know i had to give you my 2 cents.


LOL.

What do you do? I was thinking about going the El Natrual route because I have heard that's it's pretty simple and low maintenance. But I also know that aquasoil lowers your ph, and in my case that's good because my tank water ph is 7.4 and my tap water ph is 6.4. So I thought why not combine the two.


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## rowdaddy (Mar 21, 2013)

Who knows it could work. Don't forget they say you should age/cycle your aqua soil because of the initial ammonia spike.

I have Fluorite/floramax in my 75, Tahitian moon sand in my 10&1.5, a plethora of different substrates collected over the years on my 20H &20L(some of it's even blue.lol). I've never done capped dirt because i re-scape too much. I've never done aqua soil because of the expense & availability.

I am Rowdaddy. 
SC Aquaria

75 Community
20H Community
20L Convict "Bedroom" 
20L Growout
10gal RCS
1.5gal in progress
55 gal Paludarium/Vivarium coming soon


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

Ya I rarely re-scape anything. How much is aquasoil anyway? I thought that just setting the aqausoil in your tank was better because it gives the plants a head start with the ammoina spike and everything. That also would help for cycling


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## rowdaddy (Mar 21, 2013)

I think it's around $40 for a 9 liter bag. Depending on what size tank you have, you'll probably need multiples.

I am Rowdaddy. 
SC Aquaria

75 Community
20H Community
20L Convict "Bedroom" 
20L Growout
10gal RCS
1.5gal in progress
55 gal Paludarium/Vivarium coming soon


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

Aquasoil works fine for a cap over a soil substrate. Most people don't use it as a substrate cap because it's expensive and (potentially) difficult to purchase. Do be aware that you need to do a lot of water changes at the beginning, however, to keep the initial ammonia levels under control.


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## Shrimplett (Mar 21, 2013)

HOLY COW, that stuff is expensive!!!!! :jaw: Hmmm.... Not sure if I want to spend that much on "dirt" lol. How much do you think I would need for a 55 gallon tank?


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## GeraldStringham (May 16, 2013)

It is actually $30 a bag where I got it from adana-usa.com or something like that. I am using it just as you are suggesting in my rescape. I am going to be using it as a cap over mts. I can't see how it will lead to any issues. Although my aquasoil has been in use for over a year now so I won't have to worry about the ammonia spike. If you haven't purchased it yet I would say however that it is not nearly as attractive a substrate as say black diamond. It is also a huge pain dealing with the clouds of dirt everytime you touch anything in your tank. If I were you I would just go with an inert substrate cap that you liked the appearance of.


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

cloud18 said:


> How long does it typically take for aqua soil to settle in and not melt your plants?


The increased water change schedule is recommended for a month so i would say 1 month. You can also use activated carbon to help with the initial release of ammonia. (FYI - The recommended water change schedule using Aqua soil is Every Day for the first week, Every other day for the second week, twice a week for the third week, once a week after that).


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