Aquasoil vs BDBS (Inert Blasting Sand) Cost

[Naturescapes_Rocco 15]

Just wanted to share this info,

I'm looking to get my new 120C tank setup (120x60x50cm), and for a moment I thought "Why not? Why shouldn't I go back to using aquasoil?".

To reach an aquasoil depth of ~3" across the entire tank (pretty thin for aquasoil), the cost would be about $420 at the standard $7-per-Liter of aquasoil (most brands charge this value, some more!).

On the other end of the spectrum, it would cost about $24 to get a depth of 4" with BDBS (inert blasting sand, the substrate I've been trying in my tanks for the last two years) from my local supplier.

I think I'll be putting that other $400 towards something else!

 

[Unexpected 1]

Exactly! And if you could see a growth difference across a vast amount of plants, what percentage difference would you assign? A few percent?

 

[Mr.Shenanagins 453]

For large tanks I agree if you’re looking at it from a cost perspective. Would you consider the use of MTS underneath? Cheap, and topped with the black sand will keep the aesthetic look.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco 15]

For large tanks I agree if you’re looking at it from a cost perspective. Would you consider the use of MTS underneath? Cheap, and topped with the black sand will keep the aesthetic look.

Remind me what MTS is?

 

[Mr.Shenanagins 453]

Mineralized Top Soil, or pond soil works too if you can source it.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco 15]

Ah! I prefer just BDBS , honestly. Especially for how much I uproot, replant, experiment, etc.

I've kept my Experiment tank running with the same reusable sand substrate for almost 2 years because I can just rough up the sand, do a water change to remove the detritus, and it's good to plant again. Over and over again, nothing changes! So nothing against aquasoil or rich substrates underneath for others, but I think I like just inert, never-changing substrate for my style of scaping. Plus, no big explosion of soil/detritus when I uproot a plant has been awesome.

 

[Wet Elbows 2]

Mineralized Top Soil, or pond soil works too if you can source it.

Whew! I was hoping it didn't stand for Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

 

[Aquajack]

Agree and one of the other big advantages is you are in control of ferts etc from day 1 and stay in control. So when aquasoil starts to lose its lustre after 6-9 months, you have to adapt and fine tune/reset your fert regime. Not with inert sand you don't.

 

[Pepere 1]

I played around with aquasoil once and was rather unimpressed with it.

Just rather underwhelmed with the limited performance advantage it provided over WC ferts with BDBS …

I have injected boluses of aquasoil around the base of Pink Flamingo Crypts and did notice some improvement there, but nothing earth shattering.

If I ever decide to do a planted tank rather light on plants and heavy on hardscape, I would consider it again to try nitrate limiting the water column to minimize algae formation on the hardscape, but I have serious doubts if I could exercise the control to avoid filling all of that negative space….

 

[Mr.Shenanagins 453]

I played around with aquasoil once and was rather unimpressed with it.

Which one(s) specifically?

 

[Pepere 1]

ADA Amazonia 2

 

[Pepere 1]

Duplicate

 

[Capraquaria 186]

Ok, so I'm not crazy. Since I came back to the hobby, every aquascaping tutorial is all about the aquasoil. My 150 almost bankrupted me, and the soil isn't even that deep I keep saying it was so much easier way back in the last millenium with just basic, boring, fine inert gravel. That's really all we had. I used the same substrate in that tank for seven years. It is part of why I purchased the black lava soil for the 60F. It's not that soils are bad, but if you're looking to keep a tank for more than 8 months I'm not sure it really makes that much sense. Besides, you can buy some lovely plants with that 'extra' $400 you're saving!

I do have one question. Do you have to be concerned with compaction with BDBS if the layer is too deep, or is the grain size large enough that it is not a concern?

 

[JayP 434]

I do have one question. Do you have to be concerned with compaction with BDBS if the layer is too deep, or is the grain size large enough that it is not a concern?

I'm about to find this out. I've got a 3 to just over 4 inch layer of the medium grain BDBS. There's a number of very experienced people here using it with beautiful results so I'm confident it will be alright.

 

[Unexpected 1]

Ok, so I'm not crazy. Since I came back to the hobby, every aquascaping tutorial is all about the aquasoil. My 150 almost bankrupted me, and the soil isn't even that deep I keep saying it was so much easier way back in the last millenium with just basic, boring, fine inert gravel. That's really all we had. I used the same substrate in that tank for seven years. It is part of why I purchased the black lava soil for the 60F. It's not that soils are bad, but if you're looking to keep a tank for more than 8 months I'm not sure it really makes that much sense. Besides, you can buy some lovely plants with that 'extra' $400 you're saving!

I do have one question. Do you have to be concerned with compaction with BDBS if the layer is too deep, or is the grain size large enough that it is not a concern?

I've never had a problem. But I do weekly uprooting and replanting.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco 15]

Ok, so I'm not crazy. Since I came back to the hobby, every aquascaping tutorial is all about the aquasoil. My 150 almost bankrupted me, and the soil isn't even that deep I keep saying it was so much easier way back in the last millenium with just basic, boring, fine inert gravel. That's really all we had. I used the same substrate in that tank for seven years. It is part of why I purchased the black lava soil for the 60F. It's not that soils are bad, but if you're looking to keep a tank for more than 8 months I'm not sure it really makes that much sense. Besides, you can buy some lovely plants with that 'extra' $400 you're saving!

I do have one question. Do you have to be concerned with compaction with BDBS if the layer is too deep, or is the grain size large enough that it is not a concern?

I've run a few tanks now with 4-5" of BDBS at the deepest sections, no problems at all

 

[Dennis Wong 10]

I agree that the cost of aquasoil in the states is kinda ridiculous. Better to spend $$$ else where

But there is a reason the landscape out there is that way that it is:
In the states you guys have big houses, cheap large tanks but expensive aquasoil (as all aquasoils are produced far away and shipped there).
In most of modern asia and Europe, houses are smaller, tanks are much smaller and aquasoil is cheaper, so folks spend less on relative cost on the substrate. The most common tank sizes in most asia cities is 2 and 3ft. Even on company's budget and real estate, the largest planted tank I've own is only a 65 gallon, and I'm very well funded for where I am. I've only worked on larger tanks in commercial/zoos spaces.

On a relative cost basis, folks here complain about the costs of light and CO2 where planted aquariums are concerned. I.e. to replicate the 2ft tank below, the lights and CO2 stuff would cost around 700? while the substrate would just just 40 or 60 dollars.

 

[Unexpected 1]

I agree that the cost of aquasoil in the states is kinda ridiculous. Better to spend $$$ else where

But there is a reason the landscape out there is that way that it is:
In the states you guys have big houses, cheap large tanks but expensive aquasoil (as all aquasoils are produced far away and shipped there).
In most of modern asia and Europe, houses are smaller, tanks are much smaller and aquasoil is cheaper, so folks spend less on relative cost on the substrate. The most common tank sizes in most asia cities is 2 and 3ft. Even on company's budget and real estate, the largest planted tank I've own is only a 65 gallon, and I'm very well funded for where I am. I've only worked on larger tanks in commercial/zoos spaces.

On a relative cost basis, folks here complain about the costs of light and CO2 where planted aquariums are concerned. I.e. to replicate the 2ft tank below, the lights and CO2 stuff would cost around 700? while the substrate would just just 40 or 60 dollars.

View attachment 18502

Well said. Definitely not a perspective I thought about. What does a 20lb tank cost to fill in your area? I'm mad, the gas company just raised prices from 29 dollars to 39 dollars on food grade CO2.

 

[Pepere 1]

I'm mad, the gas company just raised prices from 29 dollars to 39 dollars on food grade CO2

It cost me $50.00 to fill a 20 pound tank here in Maine…

 

[Dennis Wong 10]

Well said. Definitely not a perspective I thought about. What does a 20lb tank cost to fill in your area? I'm mad, the gas company just raised prices from 29 dollars to 39 dollars on food grade CO2.

From what I understand, cost of CO2 gas everywhere is pretty low, but the service to get it topped up can be high depending on what type of customer you are.

For example, to refill a one Kg cylinder, the fixed handling cost maybe $18 + say $2 of cost of CO2 = $20.
virtually all of the money is in the servicing fee, not cost of CO2.
To refill a 10kg cylinder, using same example, will be $18 + $20 = $38



In Singapore, I've changed to using a bunch (5? 6?) of 10kg cylinders, I will exhaust them all before refilling all of them together once every couple of years. I pay the gas company to collect all of them at one go (costing around 30 dollars), who will then top up and refill and deliver them back to the office the next day or so. I find that doing it this way minimizes my cost, and I don't have to transport cylinders myself. The fee is something like $30 delivery/collection fee, then another 20+? dollars per cylinder.