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Tested NAPA, APS, Aquasoil with U. graminifolia

Thanks to the kinda efforts of another TF member I recieved some APS and NAPA mediums so I figured I'd run a test and see if I should get more. These have been COMPLETELY ignored, expect for checking the water level since Sept 09.

I started out with 4 same sized containers with the same drainage holes and the same level of medium. All 4 were kept in the same water at the same level under the same humidy/temps/lights.

The test plant was U. graminifolia since I have tons of it. I did my best to ensure the initial portion size was equal.

Top left - NAPA medium - Kinda grew, kinda dies. Some algae. Complete failure.
Top right - ADA aquasoil - Always grew well, ended up getting moss growing near the end :censor:. No algae
Bottom left - APS medium - This one had to be reseeded 3 times, it finally took after the 3rd go and I had to raise the water level to allow it to grow in this stuff, and starting the algae blooms on some of the soil surfaces. Lots of algae. Not too useful.
Bottom right - Peat/Sand contol medium - some UG growing out of the bottom of the pot (the only one of the 4 doing that). Lots of algae and some moss. Before the algae bloom this one looked ok, it did not handle the algae well.

To sum things up, I am still looking for the magic medium :jester:.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/4550857111/" title="007 by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4550857111_173816db71_b.jpg" width="1024" height="685" alt="007" /></a>

---------- Post added at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 AM ----------

Here is a photo from Dec 09 when I reseeded the APS and then raised the water level. The reasoning behind raising the water level was simply that UG will grow in just plain water and maybe that will help. Well it did kinda of.

The containers are in a different order so:

Top left - ADA aquasoil
Top right - Peat/Sand
Bottom left - APS medium
Bottom right - NAPA medium

Ignore the 2 pots of U. sandersonii, I do:-O.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39807474@N07/4551521740/" title="019 by randallsimpson, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4551521740_b88d4c2392_b.jpg" width="685" height="1024" alt="019" /></a>
 
i think the key is to nip the moss while it's in it's infant stages---that or partially submerge the moss. the utric can take it but the moss wont be able to unless it's aquatic.

here's mine in flora-base (a poor man's ADA soil)
DSCN2951.jpg
 
i think the key is to nip the moss while it's in it's infant stages---that or partially submerge the moss. the utric can take it but the moss wont be able to unless it's aquatic.

here's mine in flora-base (a poor man's ADA soil)

Nice setup there.

I checked out flora-base real quick and it seemed about the same price of the ADA stuff. 11 pound bags vs 9 liter bags. The 11 pound bag says its enough for a 10g tank, while the 9 liter says its enough for a 15g tank. The 9 liter bag is about 20% more.

Am I missing something? I've never seen the 2 together so unless 11 pounds covers more area than 9 liters :crazy:???
 
Has anyone tried to compare how plants grow in the various types of aquasoil? I’m noticing that there are 4 different types and 2 different sizes.
 
Has anyone tried to compare how plants grow in the various types of aquasoil? I’m noticing that there are 4 different types and 2 different sizes.

I have not, I've just been using the last of the bag I had left over from the fish tank.
 
I am in the process of placing an order :) I was considering the Amazon II in both normal and powder forms?
 
I am in the process of placing an order :) I was considering the Amazon II in both normal and powder forms?

Unless you have very fine screens in your pots I would not order the powder, with the normal I had some falling out the holes. If you happen to have a soil shifter you can get enough fine material to use as top dressing for the smaller CPs.

Please share you results with it. Just because I've managed to "get away" with something doesn't mean anything.
 
I was thinking of using the powder as a top dressing. I ended up ordering the amazonia II (normal and powder) and the african ADA aquasoil.

I will definetly share my results but it may take a little time as I am just now trying to rebuild my collection so I have had nearly all of my plants less than a month. However, I do have 28 species and I am trying hard to aquire more!
 
I was considering the Amazon II in both normal and powder forms?
Several weeks (or months) ago, I was planning to purchase some aquasoil so I did some reading and iirc, some people had issues with the Amazonian II stuff. I don't recall what the issues were but my reminder has a note not to get the II - only get the I.
 
  • #10
Ok, so I did a little more looking and came across this site,

Amazonia
This is an Aqua Soil made from black dirt rich in organic elements and various nutrients. Organic elements contained in the soil are made up of mainly accumulated dead plant matter that was broken down by decomposers such as soil microbes. Therefore, the soil is rich in ammonia nitrogen that is produced in the process of the decomposition of organic substances, and organic acids such as humic acid and acetic acid that result from the decomposition of plant materials. Aquatic plants grow well in this substrate since these elements encourage the growth of the roots of aquatic plants and at the same time produce an environment in the substrate in which nutrients can be absorbed easily by the roots.

Amazonia II
This is the newest Aqua Soil that is equipped with the excellent characteristics of other Aqua Soils. The raw material is black dirt, but the composition ratio of its constituents such as organic elements and clay is different from Amazonia. Therefore, its color is somewhat browner. Some reddish brown elements inside granules may be exposed occasionally, but it doesn't affect the growth of roots because the softness and air permeability of the substrate still remain the same. Although it is not superior to Amazonia for its ability to grow aquatic plants, it contains organic acids and nitrogen in a good balance that encourages the growth of the roots of aquatic plants, and aquatic plants grow well in it. This is a substrate material that does not lead to the discoloration of water caused by humic acid, which will be explained later.

Africana
This Aqua Soil is made from reddish soil. Although its organic elements and nitrogen content are not as high as Amazonia, it is far superior to marine sand in its ability to grow aquatic plants. It lowers the pH of water easily and has an excellent ability to adjust water quality.

Malaya
This Aqua Soil is made from somewhat yellowish brown soil. It contains the least amount of organic elements and nitrogen among the Aqua Soil series. Its ability to lower pH is the highest and it enables you to maintain acidic water quality easily.

So.... I sent an email and requested my order to be changed to one of each of the 4 types, normal type... I will try the powder form later if the Amazonia stuff proves to be the best!
 
  • #11
So.... I sent an email and requested my order to be changed to one of each of the 4 types, normal type... I will try the powder form later if the Amazonia stuff proves to be the best!

Its nice to hear I'm not the only one with problems :-)). We shipped back a ton of the ADA stuff when we left Japan. I have so much of the Nature Aquarium Goods pond mud it is silly, but I just love the stuff. I'm hoarding it :banana2:.

I'll have to spend some time and read all that info, thanks for the link.
 
  • #12
IMG_0016.jpg


Just sand and peat.... and wet conditions.
 
  • #13
I just received Amazonia, Amazonia II, and Africana APS in the normal size. I have Malaya APS coming from another source in normal and powder size. I’m curious as to not only how Utrics grow in this material, but also how it holds up long term. It seems to be common knowledge that some Utrics grow better when they are divided but I am wondering if this is not only due to being divided but due to the effects of the substrate aging as new substrate is commonly added after a plant is divided. I have had my U. graminifolia less than a month so it may be a little bit before I can set up a test, but I am really curious!
 
  • #14
I just received Amazonia, Amazonia II, and Africana APS in the normal size. I have Malaya APS coming from another source in normal and powder size. I’m curious as to not only how Utrics grow in this material, but also how it holds up long term. It seems to be common knowledge that some Utrics grow better when they are divided but I am wondering if this is not only due to being divided but due to the effects of the substrate aging as new substrate is commonly added after a plant is divided. I have had my U. graminifolia less than a month so it may be a little bit before I can set up a test, but I am really curious!

The ADA mediums should hold up for years, the longest I've personally had some set-up was 3-4 years. Its was aquatic, the medium is soft so it will crush and compact if your mean to your pots/plants.

You could easily make an arguement for the dividing helping growth speed because of increasing the airflow, removing alot of the decomposing materials and in my case sometimes I ignore plants and dividing refocuses me on them for a few months. Also the influx of natural/actifical ferts in the new medium.

All of these could be address with the ADA mediums, they have really good airflow, decay really slowly, and release low levels of ferts over years.

Without lab equipment who knows, I'm using it since it retards moss growth in my setups and looks nicer, the increase growth I think I have is just a perk.
 
  • #15
After looking at my U. sandersonii that I have had growing in the same medium for several years I do think that the drawback of peat based mediums is that they do compact. I have noticed that even though I occasionally rip out the older parts of the plant, that the growth seems to be more and more limited to the surface of the soil. In fact, I took a bit out a couple weeks ago and the growth doesnt seem to go down more than 1cm.
 
  • #16
I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm all out of Amazonia AquaSoil and Amazon.com no longer carries it. I settled on a (smelly) bag of Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate from Amazon.com thinking it would be "soft" like the Amazonia..but it's not.
So....what's out there that's "soft" and comparable to Amazonia AquaSoil?
 
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