Aquario Neo Shrimp Soil

The shrimp-tuned version of the Neo Soil range — the same two-layer volcanic base, formulated to pull pH and KH down into the soft, acidic range.

A substrate is the material covering the tank floor — an “active” soil like this one deliberately changes water chemistry rather than sitting inert. pH is the acidity scale (below 7 is acidic, above 7 is alkaline), and KH — carbonate hardness — is the water's buffer against pH swings: the lower the KH, the more easily pH moves.

Aquario Neo Shrimp Soil shares the two-layer volcanic construction of Neo Soil for Plants: a lighter brown core under a dark, micro-porous outer shell that keeps adsorbing pollutants (making them stick to its surface, rather than adding anything in) and hosting beneficial bacteria — the helpful microbes that break down waste — for the life of the substrate. The difference is the tuning — this version is formulated to pull pH and carbonate hardness down harder, rather than settling at general community-tank conditions.

What that does in a tank: the substrate does the buffering itself (buffering means actively holding water chemistry at a set point), so pH and KH drift downward and hold there without acid buffers dosed on top. How far and how fast depends on your source water, how much soil you've used and how heavily you change water — Aquario doesn't publish figures for this specific soil, so treat your own test kit as the source of truth rather than a number on the bag. Expect the buffering to weaken as the soil ages.

Aquario also markets this soil as releasing humic acid (a natural acid from broken-down plant matter, the family that tints wild blackwater streams) and trace elements (minerals living things need in tiny amounts) that support shell formation and colouration in shrimp — that's manufacturer language we haven't independently confirmed, so we're not repeating it as established fact.

As with the Plants version, it comes in Normal (~3–4mm) or Powder (~1mm) grain, in 3L or 8L bags.

• Two-layer volcanic aquasoil, tuned to pull pH and KH down harder than the Plants version
• Effect in a tank: buffers toward soft, acidic water from the substrate itself — strength varies with source water, soil volume and water-change routine, and fades as the soil ages
• Continuously adsorbs pollutants and hosts beneficial bacteria, not just an initial buffer
• Manufacturer claims humic acid and microelements aid shell formation and colouration — not independently confirmed by us
• Aquario publishes no target pH/KH figures for this soil — test your own water
• Normal (~3–4mm) or Powder (~1mm) grain; 3L or 8L bags