# netlea soil question



## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

Quick question for netlea users. I don't plan to breed and keep crystal shrimps. mostly i like netlea/ada soil for aesthetic reasons. I didn't want to get R/O system or anything special just normal tap water. when the ph buffer of the soil disappears does that mean my plants would die too or if i keep adding fertz i can keep using the substrate as is? I understand that given time they both turn to mush but would tap water hasten that process and once it turns to mush i am guessing that the soil has to be changed out or it would effect water clarity? any help or advice would be great thanks


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

I found that after about a year and a half or so, the netlea soil was pretty much mush, so I ended up just changing it all out.


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## aniroc (Aug 23, 2012)

Wow. I was reading something about losing CEC. Is that the same as pH buffer? How? I have ADA Amazonia soil in one of my tank. It's not for the look. It does not look any different that Fluval stratum (that I actually have it mixed with) but its much more expensive. Its only 10 months old but it holds shape, no issue yet.


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## hendy8888 (Sep 10, 2010)

I have had the brown version for about the same time. It's definitely not mush but not hard either. It keeps its shape and I can plant in it just fine. If you dare move any of it you will have the worst dust cloud you have ever seen. It will loose it's nutrients and buffering capabilities over time so fertilize the water column accordingly. I don't plan on changing it out as long as my current scape is running. Water clarity is not affected, only if you disturb the substrate and it will clear up after a couple days. Be aware it leeches ammonia at the beginning too. 

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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

I was just about to say wouldn't it be crappy that once it's mush you had to change it. It's like once your scape turns into what you like you have to rescape and redo your whole tank.

So I have to make sure I like what I've done with my scape to avoid disturbing the substrate after it in solidifies. Has anyone on the forum used it for longer than a year?


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## Bullet (Apr 19, 2014)

I used netlea as a test on a 10 g planted set up and the plants did well but I found that cleaning this substrate was challenging 
I took it out and replaced with small size black gravel and this wax much easier to clean and the plants still seemed to be fine - except that I didn't have tiny small ground plants so I can't comment on that.
The netlea holds its shape but as others have mentioned, it does create a cloud and when I did replace it (after 8 months) I found that portions of it had turned to a mud consistency
I wouldn't recommend it personally


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

I wonder does ada soil break down the same way too?


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## hendy8888 (Sep 10, 2010)

I have not used it but assume it will be similar to Netlea. It's the nature of the type of substrate. Mine is not mush, I can vacuum it into a bucket from the front of the tank and let it dry out then add it back into the tank to build the slope back up. Once dried out it feels like new. You do have to get creative if you want to move it around. It is messy if disturbed, there's no getting around it. 

To add this type of substrate to an existing tank with water, fill a empty juice jug with a wide mouth with the Ada or Netlea then submerge the bottle filling it with water, once full turn the bottle upside down under water and poor the new substrate out where you want it. All the dust will be left over caught inside the bottle, remove from tank and discard. Repeat the process. 

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## aniroc (Aug 23, 2012)

For me, ADA New Amazonia performed as it was supposed to: it leached ammonia for a month (nothing spectacular, about 1ppm), lowered the KH (kind of serious, close to zero), and the pH from 7.8 (tap) to less than 7..
It also released a lot of nutrients in the water column for quite a while. I had a long battle with algae.
Everything seems more balanced now, as it ages. I do not fertilize but I inject CO2. Plants (mostly swords) are doing fine. Althernanthera is not growing to my liking (leggy and lots of nodes roots).
It is holding the granular shape. 
Now my question: why do I need to change it if its turning into mush? What is shape loss indicate?


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## lovevc (Nov 24, 2010)

i used netlea lambo. it worked perfectly fine in the first 8 month, then i have to move into a new place, so i rescaped the tank. 
boy, the water just turned into pee colour and never went clear again. it still lowers the ph below 6 though
i wont ever use it, cant stand the yellow hue


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## bettakid (Apr 6, 2014)

How does everyone deal with netlea and tap water?

I just finished my cycling process with netlea lambo shrimp soil and after performing a few water changes the ph isn't buffering low any more. I thought the buffering should atleast last me a year

Ph during cycle - 6.6
Ph after water changes - 7.2
Ph tap water - 7.6


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