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Re: Re: Re: ADA system: my speculations (very long msg.) Again?



>I know that, thanks Ryan! :-)
We know that, but most people on the APD do not. That's all. No disrespect
to you. The problem is the misinformation on ADA in America.

>Aqua Soil is a kinda of akadama soil, which rich in iron and maybe in some
>micronutrients and I experimented that it can make the pH, GH and Kh going
>down pretty fast. But it doesn't contain any N-P-K ... in this sense we can
>consider it incert (it's not, it can bound a lot of mirneals... but for a
>while we can consider it that way).

True that Aqua Soil is kind of an Akadama, but it is different in a few
ways. For one it does not cloud the water as much and it does not buffer for
very long. I have heard about using this, so I tried it a couple years ago.
My report was it buffered for 6 months below pH 7 and the Total Hardness
(TH) and General Hardness (GH) stayed low: ~ 20-30mgl. After 6 months the pH
rose to the pH of my tap, otherwise neutral, but the water did stay soft
though. Aqua Soil we can considerate inert in your definition, but it does
change the composition of the water, so therefore it is not inert. True, it
does not contain any NPK ratio by default. It does contain iron, but
micronutrients I am not so sure of. Like I said in the APD List Amazonia
contains more iron than the other Soils. This comes from Do! Aqua vol. 1.
This is ADA's more product orientated publication.

>Power Sand is rich in organic nutrients (I experienced even up to 100ppm
>NO3 in the 1st days of setup!), I think it's the MAIN way of supplying N
>and P in NA ADA concept.

I think you are wrong here. If this way the case every tank the ADA Lab sets
up would be overrun with algae. A newly set up tank itself with contain more
than enough N and P. This is of course if you are using straight tap water.
ADA uses Niigata well water. I am not sure of the parameters of the water
though. My latest tank is a 20 gallon wonder with a 2 inch layer of Power
Sand Special (6 liters) and a 1 and a half of fine gravel. This tank has
been running for 3 weeks now. I would consider it lightly planted too. Some
tall Malaysian driftwood covered with moss and a few ferns, about 12 6~8
inch sprigs of C. balansae,  a small stand of Rotala sp. (Mayaca), and 3
small offspring of E. 'Ozelot'. My NO3 never reached over 20 ppm. Add my tap
water contains 15 ppm of that. I guess results may vary, huh?

>MUST help in removing organic compounds coming from
>Power Sand. There is really no other reason for it to be in the canister,
>at least to my eyes. It's _not_ the problem of bacteria... there is no fish
>in a NA setup for the 1st 4 weeks... so it's for that reason!... it's for
>removing organic matters leeching in column water by the way of Power Sand.

Try changing the water. Not only will this help rid the tank of excess
nutrients, but it will also bring the pH up to acceptable ranges for some
plants.

>STEP I, I know is poor in micronutrients and _almost_ no iron, but the
>point is WHY??? For the 3 months of setup as ADA declare? with a 2w/liter
>of light power - Ryan - in the 1st 3 months plants will grow SO MUCH that
>you will need much more than that

Like I said Aqua Soil is rich in iron. If you test the aquarium water and
your feel you need it add a few drops of ECA. I have seen many step-by-step
how to's by ADA. Most of them just add Brighty K (Potassium) and ECA (Iron).
Why? Good question. Maybe their tap water contains a lot of micronutrients.
Like I said, results may vary. It is hard to market a one bottle solution
for planted aquarium around the world.

>And that takes us directly
>to ECA ... it's again organic -> activated carbon (and bacteria) will eat
>it quickly... and it's _NOT_ so strongly chelated as STEP series, just
>complexed with some compound... I suspect is gluconate. So it won't last
>longer ... it's a matter of hours, not days. It will refurbish plants of
>the iron that they couldn't find in STEP I and then it will gone.

The faster the plants are able to use it the better. I use it everyday in my
40-gallon tank. I have a slight BBA problem area. That is mostly due to low
flow and my laziness to change water.

>Of course those are only ideas... I cross-posted all my thread to ADA but -
>as usual - they haven't answered. But the crucial point is : if I used half
>the suggested dose of Power Sand for my layout, why do I have algae????
>The answer blows in the wind!!!

Like I said in my second paragraph, I am using 6 liter in a 20-gallon tank.
ADA recommends using this much for a 40-gallon tank. You use half as much
and have a problem, and I use twice as much with no problems. It does seem
strange. Maybe you got a bad batch of Power Sand.

>BTW how ADA can claim in virtually _all_ their tank to have <=0.2ppm PO4
>??? and a COD < 6ppm almost in all the tanks???

They don't. True that the value are always pretty ideal, but this is with
dedicated water changes by the NA staff and rigorous water monitoring to
maintain those ideal values. Mind you this is their job.

Ryan Stover
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