ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia Ver.2 9 L – Planted Aquarium Soil

The best soil for the aquarium you can find in the market.

The best aqua soil there is. I bought 3 bags for my OASE scaperline 90cm tank. Used all 3 to create a slope to the back for depth in my aquascape. Having the rest of the ADA substrate system would be nice but I just used crushed lava rock in media bags and then put Amazonia over it. Having the root tabs is nice because it still gives lots of nutrients but its a smaller release of nutrients all at once. Compared to the previous version of Amazonia I would say this has less nutrients but also causes way less issues with algae and if needed can be recharged with root tabs. I definitely prefer V2 vs V1 Amazonia. It is a little pricey but compared to other products it is much better and substrate is the foundation of your aquascape so I think it is worth spending the extra $$

First, this is the product is amazing. However:
A WORD OF WARNING TO NEWER HOBBYISTS: this aquasoil does two things you may not have expected. First, it will temporarily cause an ammonia spike in your water column for the first couple weeks to a month. During this temporary period, it will not be safe to house fish or shrimp in the aquarium. Do test your water frequently when first setting up an aquarium with this product. This is not a flaw in the product, it is helping cycle your aquarium which is necessary to safely keep fish and other aquatic animal life. It will eventually cycle, be patient.
The second thing this aquasoil does is pull down your KH and PH significantly. Aquasoil is often used in combination with CO2 injection which will further pull down your PH. This is fine, but please be aware that you may have a significantly lower KH content and PH level then if you used an inert substrate and you should either stock the tank with animals that thrive in lower KH/PH or have a plan to raise the PH/KH content.
With that out of the way, here's my review: I have some of the more finnicky plants in my aquarium (Utricularia graminifolia, dwarf baby tears, monte carlo, and half a dozen species of bucephalandra) and they are all thriving due to a combination of this aquasoil, CO2 injection, and liquid fertilizer. It is definitely a pricier aquasoil but it is absolutely a quality product. I have made the mistake in the past of buying cheap substrate and it showed in my plant growth. I would recommend this to anyone who is committed to the planted tank hobby.