# Shrimp Safe in new ADA Aquasoil?



## Erirku

Hello! 
I have a question for all you ADA substrate users, and their shrimp experience.
I will be redoing my 5.5 nano tank, and taking out the old substrate for ADA. I have read, in the thread, that some people had troubles with ADA and their shrimp dying right away. Will ADA kill Crystal or Cherry shrimp, right after set-up? 
Also, what kind of peat moss should I use for the bottom layer, that is safe for my plants and fish, without toxins? 
Thanks, Eric.


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## fishdude1984

I used the whole ADA line (power sand and aquasoil) and I had no problems with my Amano shrimp at all, in fact they have done better for me with the ADA system than with any others I have used, I think you should be fine as long as your system is cycled, but that’s just my opinion, no guarantees, im not sure about other shrimp.


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## wiste

Erirku said:


> Will ADA kill Crystal or Cherry shrimp, right after set-up?


Adding shrimp to any tank right after set-up will put the shrimp at risk regardless of the substrate. They should be transferred to a holding tank that has been setup long enough to "cycle" and held there until the new setup has been up long enough to cycle.



Erirku said:


> Also, what kind of peat moss should I use for the bottom layer, that is safe for my plants and fish, without toxins?


Any peat purchased from an aquatic supply source should be safe. If it does not say it is safe, ask.


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## Roy Deki

I've set-up two tanks using ADA AS and both times I used well seasoned and seeded filters and both time I got alot of amonium. I believe it is from the AS, so don't place your shrimp in there for a couple of weeks. I did 30% water changes every day for two weeks until I had 0 amonium. Cycled or not the AS seems to leech out amonium for about two weeks. My tanks were heavily planted and again, I used filters that have been in use for over six months.


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## bathysphere

i wish i had known that before i put all my cherries in a new AS tank... until seeing this post i thought it was excess co2 that killed them all...


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## Roy Deki

That too bad, I learned the hard way as well. How long ago was it? Did you check your amonia levels?


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## AaronT

Roy Deki said:


> I've set-up two tanks using ADA AS and both times I used well seasoned and seeded filters and both time I got alot of amonium. I believe it is from the AS, so don't place your shrimp in there for a couple of weeks. I did 30% water changes every day for two weeks until I had 0 amonium. Cycled or not the AS seems to leech out amonium for about two weeks. My tanks were heavily planted and again, I used filters that have been in use for over six months.


I have had the same issue...with temporary green water. Don't dose anything for the first few weeks. Then test the water for ammonium and add the shrimp if it is clear.


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## John N.

*Is Aquasoil really dangerous to shrimp in the beginning?*

Interesting thread. I've seen a couple of posts here and there stating that they never had a problem introducing shrimp (CRS, Amano, cherries) on day one of using aquasoil. Yet I've seen some reports that aquasoil leeches ammonia, causes pH swings, etc and will take a few weeks before things settle, resulting in near instant shrimp deaths. Any more experiences out there?

Also, with seasoned bacteria filled filters, shouldn't that prevent any problems with ammonia build up?

-John N.


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## ianiwane

Aquasoil does leech ammonia. In my 120cm tank I had an ammonia reading or 8ppm 2 days after setup. I figured what they hey and dropped in a single cherry. It made it. I didn't realize why until Ghazanfar told me that under a pH of 6.6 ammonia looses toxicity. However, to be safe do not introduce any shrimp for at least 2 weeks of doing lots and lots of water changes.


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## John N.

That's interesting Ianiwane. Do you, or anyone else know the mechanism, or can explain why at a pH of 6.6 ammonia looses toxicity? 

Typically, aquasoil drops the pH to around that level in most people's tanks so is it safe to say that environment isn't toxic for fish and inverts because of the above.

-John N.


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## bigtroutz

Ammonia forms ammonium ions in acidic pH conditions:
H+ + NH3 <-> NH4+ 
or
NH3 + H2O <-> NH4+ + OH-

Ammonia is toxic, ammonium is less toxic

The equilibrium will shift back the other direction as the water becomes basic (ph > 7)
Ammonium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ammonia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A more complete discussion of the topic as it pertains to fish in aquaria can be found here:
Free Ammonia Calculator (Javascript)

Everything is "toxic" in high enough concentrations


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## chiahead

bigtroutz said:


> Ammonia forms ammonium ions in acidic pH conditions:
> H+ + NH3 <-> NH4+
> or
> NH3 + H2O <-> NH4+ + OH-
> 
> Ammonia is toxic, ammonium is less toxic
> 
> The equilibrium will shift back the other direction as the water becomes basic (ph > 7)
> Ammonium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> Ammonia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> A more complete discussion of the topic as it pertains to fish in aquaria can be found here:
> Free Ammonia Calculator (Javascript)
> 
> Everything is "toxic" in high enough concentrations


WOW thats some really great info there---thank you!


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## ianiwane

yup exactly as bigtroutz said. To be safe though I would still cycle the tank and wait for the ammonia levels to drop.


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## John N.

*YAY! No deaths!*

Ah, so the above must be the reason why none of my shrimp died in my substrate change over. I redid my tank with Aquasoil a little over a month ago, and haven't had a death. I did 25% daily water changes for a week, and then 50% weekly thereafter. Great info.

-John N.


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## Ajax

Ok so I've got something even more strange for ya'. I took about 15 cherries out of my previous scape with AS & PS that NEVER had babies. I re-scaped my tank with all new AS & PS, waited a week to put the same shrimp in there & they started having babies. I thought maybe I didn't have a male or something, but obviously I did. Not sure what caused that.


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## John N.

Hmm, though pH doesn't really matter with cherry shrimp. It's possible that the new aquasoil was able to lower the KH and pH further and creating a environment suitable for the cherries to breed. Or more likely, the cherry shrimp got older and it's a coincidence.

-John N.


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## eklikewhoa

I have a newly setup tank that I used aquasoil and powersand with an addition of tourmaline BC and i had a good amount of ammonia leeching too. i tested after a 80% wc and still had 5ppm of ammonia and this is with a established eheim 2213. i put one amano shrimp in today and it looked as though it went crazy swimming all over the water column and not "grazing" like it did in the holding tank so i caught it out, it was only in there for a minute or two. 

the ph level is pretty low with the AS dropping from 7.6 at the tap to about 6.4 and a low kh of 6 from 13. i plan to wait another week before trying to add them again.


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