Aqua Soil Over Time

[Lin]

Hi all,  I setup my tanks using aqua soil capped by gravel.  It did have an effect on the gh,kh and ph in my tanks.  Through my reading, it seems that the aqua soil loses nutrients over time and replacing it after a year or two is recommended.  I really hate the thought of tearing apart the tanks to change substrates since I don’t plan on using aqua soil again.  Is there any reason why I can’t just leave the aqua soil in the tanks for years and continue feeding the plants with Root Tabs and Easy Green?  Will it eventually stop effecting the gh, kh & ph?
Thank you for your thoughts.

[Scapexghost]

I imagine the effects on ph and kh and gh will last longer than the nutrients. You can just add root tabs and leave it. Soil has a high cec, which basically means its nutrients can be recharged with liguid ferts and poop, although it wont recharge fast enough, but it is still beneficial even once its sucked dry.

[nabokovfan87]

You'd want to replace it when it turns to basically compacted mush and doesn't benefit the plants anymore.  There is a shelf life, but it's normally going to be a pretty long time.  Every year I'd say see how things are going and decide if it's this bad.
 

 

Also, welcome to the forums! 🙂

Edited April 15, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[Lin]

Thank you Nabokovfan87.  Now I understand why the aqua soil should be eventually removed.  Also, thanks for the welcome.