Fluval 12694 Plant and Shrimp Stratum for Freshwater Fish Tanks, 8.8 lbs. – Aquarium Substrate for Strong Plant Growth, Supports Neutral to Slightly Acidic pH

I was a bit skeptical of buying this substrate for my FIRST planted aquarium (10 gallons). I decided to go with it because I trust the brand, and it was fairly cheap. I've made a list of questions and answers I would've wanted someone to cover before I bought this. For context, I've also provided a photo of my aquarium now, after months of the ecosystem holding strong with the right balance of water and fertilizer.How's the color? The color looks like natural dark brown dirt, exactly what I was looking for.Is it worth the money? In my opinion, yes. It's not like buying ADA Amazonia, but it gets the job done, and that's all that matters.Does it strongly affect pH levels? Not that I've noticed, not even when I first started cycling.Does it provide enough nutrients for the plants? I started using fertilizer the moment I filled up my tank with the majority of the plants (before that, it was only a few plants, and they were still thriving). I add fertilizer twice a week now.Is it easy to plant in? Depends. It was fairly easy to plant small plants & my carpet plants, but not heavy, large plants. I used small river rocks to hold them down until they established a strong root system.Is it overall easy to work with? I would say so. It doesn't turn my whole aquarium brown, and does its job once the root system is established.I overall think it's a great product, especially for the price!

The product has proven to be quite effective, creating a natural environment that both plants and fish seem to thrive in. The plants adapt well, flourishing beautifully, and the fish seem to appreciate the ecosystem as well. However, I've noticed that when the plants are still small, a strong water flow can easily displace them, causing them to float on the surface of the tank. This issue may stem from not allowing enough time for the plants to establish strong root systems before introducing them to the water flow.Despite this minor setback, I have found this product to exceed my expectations. It doesn’t cloud the water as much as I initially feared, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that any murkiness clears up within a day after the water is added. Overall, this setup creates a very harmonious ecosystem ideal for keeping fish alongside live plants, which really enhance the tank’s appeal. I’ve observed remarkable growth in the plants just four days after introduction, indicating a vibrant and healthy environment.

*** UpdateWeek 2. I wanted to share the progress of use of fluval shrimp stratum. As week by week went on water is crystal clear. You may want to add two bags if you want plants since the pellets are so light my plants wouldn’t stay in the stratum. They would float right up to surface of water. Any time you add landscape the pellets will give off a dust or float. Don’t be alarmed, the dust settles back down quickly.So instead of getting another bag, I used plant anchors. They seem to be happy with plant anchors thus far. My PH was a bit high so I had to correct that before adding any fish. So it’s ready to add fish now and I can’t wait. I think it looks great with the landscape. I’m not done with my landscaping I still have the other corner to work. I have a couple of itty bitty baby tetra neons in there you can’t see them. They’re hiding, but if you make a little well in the pellets they like to hide in it. They don’t seem bothered by the stratum at all. I highly recommend this stuff, but best I to get two bags of whatever size you get, to get about 3 inches so your roots to plants will take to it easier is very light weight. Or do plant anchors.I bought this with the anticipation to set my tank up as a planted fresh water aquarium. Live plants apparently love this stuff and that it’s a good substrate for shrimp if you want to have any. Many reviews have complaints about cloudiness of water. I did this as a whole new tank setting up. I don’t recommend if you have fish already in yours.You treat it like you’re setting up a new one laying your landscape in,Anyway, I didn’t pre rinse. I don’t feel it’s necessary it only just makes the pellets soggy. The first day yes water will appear black and muddy. Let your filter do the work!! You may have to change your bio max bag out to a new one it does work.I have to get a new bio max filter since it worked hard to get this water cleared up since set up.First day, dark, black cloud. I even thought did I mess it it up? I should have taken a picture to show comparison and I forgot. Don’t be impatient or think you did something wrong.Just be patient let your filter do the work!!5 hours later, a light cloudiness. INext day, crystal clear water.You need patience for this! It’s not immediate. It may take anywhere from 6 hours-48 hours. It took 48 hours for mine to clear up.I need to clean off outside of my tank glass.I didn’t use the lay the bag over the pellets with a small bowl to fill tank with water method. I did just straight in with water pouring very slowly and softly.Water will fizz at first and it’s normal. And then I added the necessary water treatmentsto make it safe for fish for tap water, since I used tap water.Now I can’t wait until I set up the rest of my landscaping and add fish. I’ll post updates on when it’s done being set up.

This aquarium soil does help plants get going better, faster and healthier. Very good quality, I would require cleansing with water prior to placing it into the tank directly

The media could not be loaded. Love this brand and their products the only issue I have with this is their PRICE. It’s extremely expensive even for a very small package you’re luck if you can find one under $30. I got a good deal on these but good Lord these are pricey. It’s probably because of the quality because this stuff is great for what it’s worth. It’s basically pebbles of lava dirt so if you put it in and don’t rinse it, it will cloud up the water like nobody’s business. What you need to do is rinse it first, put it into the tank and then add water. I did this and it still caused a lot of cloudiness from the dust but it’s okay because I used it as a bottom layer underneath sand which is how it works best in my opinion. The plants are able to take root well and creep down to the bottom to get to this soil which is really good. Doing with with a cap of sand over it makes for a tank that can naturally “filter” waste down into the soil over the years, eventually breaking it down and leading to less of a need for frequent water change like you would with gravel. Buy this instead of gravel if you have a small tank and put a layer of sand over it, your fish will live long happy lives and adding aquatic plants will be perfect for a natural ecosystem that doesn’t hold ammonia but rather creates a space for beneficial bacteria similar to a pond.