waterfaller1

I have a tank that I am thinking of capping with an inert substrate. Has anyone ever tried this? What did you use? My fear is that most heavier substrates would just fall through. I am trying to eliminate excessive 'dust'. This tank has bottom dwellers that are always keeping it stirred up. My nano with the same Aquasoil does not have this problem.

Tex Gal

Aquasoil is weird. My plant grow out 29g tank has 1/2 Amazonia II (the bad cloudy batch) and flourite. It doesn't seem to have the cloudy issues. I don't have big bottom dwellers in there to stir things up but I do plant and unplant in there all the time. It does fine. In my 125g I had to change out the substrate because it was disintegrating. I don't know what makes the difference in weather it clouds up or not. Maybe it the water pressure in big tanks?

I do think whatever you cap it with will mix in. It will have to be bigger so that it will stay on top by gravity. Since Aquasoil is a good size to begin with you'll have to be careful not to get something to big for small rooted plants.

How big is the tank? It might be better to just change out to a good batch. Some of the batches were bad and just broke down. Would the store stand behind your tank?

edwardn

Hi, I'm using gravel 3/16 x 3/32, as pictured here: http://www.redflint.com/filter_gravel.htm

You can buy it in Orlando at 'Coast Pump'. It cost me $10 for a 50# sack ( I have one sack spare, but I'm in Deltona).

Quetzalcoatl

ADA sells some decorative sands that you can use on top of Aquasoil. Personally, I wouldn't recommend keeping a bottom dweller in a tank with Aquasoil, but if you must...
It will be extremely important to NOT unplant or be VERY VERY careful when unplanting if you are layering substrate. Otherwise, they will all just mix up.
How deep is your top layer going to be?
If it is going to be deep enough, you can buy a fiber mesh from places like home depot to put in between Aquasoil and top layer. This will help prevent subtrates from mixing up.

waterfaller1

I like the sand idea. How would you plant if the mesh was there? I don't know how deep to make it, but whatever will work. I am not giving up my c. habrosus, sids, and gobys.
Drinda the tank is a 20 long. I am not sure if they would refund, I bought it from AFA.
Thanks for everyone's input.

balik

I used TURFACE RED (INERT , used for sports field), it works fine.
I have it my 75G with bottom layer of Laterite, next with Flourite and final layer has 40% Flourite and TURFACE.
Turface costs around $10 for 50 lbs bag.

Keep in mind these kind of stuff leave a reddish powdery residue on everything, you need to run a nice powerful FILTER in order to remove this powder continusly.

Also you need to have two power head to keep the water flow moving in opposite directions.
This will help you when you are putting plants or doing anything with the substrate that powder is going to come up if you don't have the powder heads, it would stick to the stuff in the tank,

My 2 cents

Presently I am also thinking to put 20G Long Aquasoil with sand on top for my Hill stream loaches, any feed back regarding this type setup are welcomed too ?

Brilliant

When you say bottom dweller are we talking something like a Geophagus or more like a plec0?

I mixed some AquaSoil in with substrate similar to what you have linked and I have no issues with my plec0s.

waterfaller1

LOL..why would I want something even more powdery?
My bottom dwellers are loaches, gobys, and corydoras. There are also a couple moth catfish, but they just glide around.

Tex Gal

In my 125g, I have 7 or so plecos, 2 clown loaches (new), 2 flying foxes, an handful of kuhli loaches, 2 sand loaches and about 5 corys. I have no idea why you wouldn't keep bottom dwellers in ADA A.S. Everybody thrives in my tank.

balik

Its not powdery, it just has powdery residue for while.
I have plecos in this 75G setup and they are doing great.