Aquasoil/Akadama and RO/DI

[Caleb19]

Hi all,

New to the forum and this wonderful little hobby. A question I have is concerning the use of RO/DI water and a soil/substrate that lowers PH. (i.e. Aquasoil/Akadama)
The RO/DI I have has a PH of 6.4, GH 1 ,KH 1 ,TDS 5ppm. My question is, if I use one of the above mentioned substrates, will this cause the PH to fall below optimal levels for breeding/keeping CRS, etc..? If so, any suggestions on what I can do to counteract this?

My tap water is PH 7.5, GH 5-6, KH 2-3, TDS 107ppm if this also helps.

Thanks in advance!

CJ

[dxiong5]

Hi CJ, welcome to ShrimpNow!

From my experiences with ADA Amazonia, using 100% RO water along with the active substrate did not significantly drop my pH below "optimal" levels for CRS or the pH of my RO water. A characteristic of the ADA Aqua Soils is that it also buffers the water within certain parameters, and depending on which Aqua Soil type you use (Africana, Amazonia, or Malaya), the buffering parameters vary slightly. Additionally, I believe ADA recommends the use of RO/DI water with Aqua Soil, as using harder tap water may deplete the buffering capability quicker. My experience with Akadama is that it did not alter the parameters of the water that I filled the tank with.

Since Aqua Soil generally takes 3-4 weeks to cycle, you could start with 100% RO, monitor the effects the soil has on the water parameters, and adjust accordingly. Alternatively, with the exceptions of your TDS which I would aim for 150-200ppm and GH, your RO water is ideal for CRS; you could use products such as Mosura Mineral Plus/TDS Up to adjust those parameters - with either Aqua Soil or Akadama. And alternatively, your tap water isn't bad either; you could use that with Aqua Soil, monitor, and adjust accordingly if needed, though I have read successful stories of folks keeping CRS in pH~7.6.