ADA Amazonia vs. Eco Complete-shrimpies

Now that our plants our flourishing in our 40L (got rid of the non-submergable plants, got CO2 going and 2 HOT5s), I'm going to be making a high tech 10 gallon planted tank. I'm planning on stocking it with Tiger Shrimps, and have a pretty simple list of plants that I'm sure they will love (variety of mosses and grass like plants, plus anubias nana). It will be a small forest inspired tank, in which I'm hoping to create depth with trees with Fissidens Fontanus attached to driftwood, willow moss force growed on stones, a small creek made from sand/gravel, and a grassy area on the left side of the tank. I have most of my plants planned out, but substrate is where I'm stuck.

I know a lot of people recommend the ADA Amazonia, especially for shrimp due to it's ability to buffer PH without raising kh, but won't injecting CO2 lower the PH already? Part of me thinks I can probably get away with not dosing CO2 though it would be nice if I could do so with the shrimp. I know that Eco Complete won't lower the PH, but is the ADA Amazonia stuff really worth the price to keep the PH steady? Or will I be fine with the Eco Complete and keeping a watch on my water parameters? It's a huge price difference $70 dollars vs $18 dollars for about 15 pounds of substrate.

I was thinking of a probably an LED setup, as I think that using the majority of the T5 systems on the market are going to be WAY too much light for a 10 gallon tank. Or maybe using CFL, with two bulbs in one of Tetra's standard hoods. I do know most of my plants will be fine with medium light, as none are really all that demanding, though I want to get the most of amount of growth out of all of them. The other option I was looking at was a two bulb 20" Aquatic Life HOt5 set-up. I love Catalina's products but you are limited on 20" fixtures. http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_76&products_id=1228 I do think maybe that one might be able to do that option. They have the matching 36 watt 6500K full spectrum bulb I can tell them to install in the hood. Do you think that would be enough? It's not a T5 but I don't think it would have too much trouble penetrating a 12" aquarium that will have at least 2.5 inches of substrate.

I have a full test kit for our pond that I'm thinking I'll use for the shrimp tank as well. I was told to use RO water and remineralize it for the shrimp, but I worry that with CO2 and the Amazonia, it might drop the pH too low. I do like the fact I won't have to have a high kH amount to stabilize the pH, as I know the shrimp are pretty sensitive when it comes to water parameters. I forget our current pH level, though I know we have two water softeners and a filter for the water coming in to the house. I was planning on taking the water for the tank out of the 40L when we do a water change, as I know the tank has been running non stop for about 6-7 years.


Unrated... I was looking at some of the reviews and it says that after a certain period of time the substrate turns mud like, have you experienced any of that? I do know about the ammonia spikes at the get go, though I plan on cycling the tank for 2-3 months until it stops, and also to give my plants a head start before the inhabitants are added.

xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx said:

It's true that ADA aqua soil eventually turns into a muddy mess, but it actually takes 3 years to do so. If you're like me after a year of the same substrate in a tank I move to replace it, which is why I tend to go with the "cheaper" alternatives like flourite, eco complete, floramax...

Also I prefer to go with T5HO light fixtures for my tanks because it allows me to use different types of T5 bulbs in the fixture, like for my 45 gallon long tank (48"x12"x19") I'm using a quad 4x54w fixture with 2x6500k bulbs, and 2xWavePoint Ultra Growth Wave bulbs. Now the reason for the Ultra Growth bulbs is because they're made to generate both wavelengths that plant chlorophyll a & chlorophyll b respond to, which is chlorophyll a responds to 420nm & 660nm, and chlorophyll b responds to 460nm & 630nm and the Ultra Growth bulbs hit all of these wavelengths.

Click to expand...

Do you think a 2 bulb t5 setup is going to be too much for a 10g? Our 48 inch long tank has them but wont it be overkill for a 10g? Only T5HO fixtures I've found are the Odyssea and AquaticLife. Any of them good?

They are pretty cheap right now at Petsmart, $50 for the 20".