How should I handle the ammonia release when using the aquasoil?Updated a month ago

There are two ways to go around using the aquasoil.

The fast start:

This is for people who need to plant as soon as they submerge the soil. >70% water changes every other day for the first 2 weeks. This intensive water change schedule removes excess ammonia, algae spores and volatile organics emitted by freshly submerged soil. The removal of algae spores and organic matter allows plants to begin growing without being smothered by algae.

Additional steps that will speed up tank maturation include seeding the tank/filter with mulm from older filters or starter bacteria and maintaining a well oxygenated environment with 6x-10x water turnover.

Planting a large number of plants at the start will stabilise the tank more quickly, but you should still avoid planting species that are sensitive to biologically immature tanks, such as Bucephalandra and Utricularia gramminifolia. Delicate tissue culture species such as Hygrophila sp. Chai and Eriocaulon species should not be added until the tank is mature. For most tanks this will normally take at least 3 weeks.

A comprehensive guide with more details on how to stabilize a new tank fast can be found here.

Full dark start (recommended):

This is for people who prefer to skip the intensive water change schedule above. A dark start allows the tank to mature biologically without exposing the plants/livestock to the volatile conditions of a freshly submerged substrate. 

The steps to a dark start are simple: add the substrate and hard scape to the tank, set up the filter system and run the filter without plants/livestock/lights for 2 weeks. Adding starter bacteria or mulm from mature filters will help the maturation process. 

After 2 weeks, do a 100% water change to remove excess organic waste and ammonia. Do not worry about removing beneficial microbes as most microbes will be attached to surfaces. The tank is now ready for planting. We still recommend a couple of large water changes for the first week as the plants settle in. Allowing the tank to become biologically mature for at least 2 weeks will provide a more stable environment for plants to settle into. This will avoid the algae and melting problems associated with new tank setups.

For a comprehensive guide on how to do a full dark start head here: