Thoughts on Flourite/Flourite Red

[sly2kusa]

Am making preparations to go from plastics to live plants, and in the process of getting of my ducks in a row - sotospeak - I am researching substrates right now, and have been told that Seachem's Flourite and Flourite Red are probably some of the best out there.

Anyone currently using this? If so - what are your impressions of it, and specifically can you tell me:

- How much more do you need than your current gravel in the tank (by pounds I guess)

- Is it truly the best substrate out there? Or does it just depend on the plants going in?

I'm going to be going with things like Java Moss, Java Fern, and various Anabius plants. I will eventually be putting a CO2 combo system in place (not a DIY CO2 setup). My desire here is for not only healthy plants, but awesome water quality for my fish and plants.

Any insites would be appreciated!

 

[bongkoy]

Am making preparations to go from plastics to live plants, and in the process of getting of my ducks in a row - sotospeak - I am researching substrates right now, and have been told that Seachem's Flourite and Flourite Red are probably some of the best out there.

Anyone currently using this? If so - what are your impressions of it, and specifically can you tell me:
Any insites would be appreciated!

I ve been using Seachems Flourite red for 4 mos now and so far its been doing great for my live plants that grow on my current lighting setup.

Rinse it well before you lay it down in the tank.I used 2 bags for my 20G tank and planning to get 1 more for my 10G.

 

[sly2kusa]

Yes I have heard to make sure and rinse it good, and then dry it out in the Sun. Do you have it as a 50/50 combo with your gravel? I'm going to try and find the best price for it so that Petsmart will match the pricing (it's a bit much for a small bag - like 23/25 bucks).

 

[twig]

i have heard of some people using soil from their gardens but as RC stated there might be chemicals.I wouldn't use it on mine. This is a new house with a field of rock under the grass and the soil ontop is fairly organic.

Organic matter will rot in water so I think a planted tanks substrate uses clay.

I'm not sure what's in flourite. You can't get it anywhere here but big als and its pretty friggin expensive. I have a ton of Akadama sitting around that I use in horticulture and its basically japanese soil thats been fireburned and is very volcanic.

It retains water well but does not rot. Excellent for a long-living plant that has very important root growth.

I have no idea if it holds the same iron, etc contents as flourite but for me it's everywhere and would be a cheap substrate.

Personally right now I use Geosystem. It's a pretty strange gravel that, I think, is only available in Canada. Hagen makes it and when you buy it the thing is full of dust and it takes forever to clean it and even if you do your tank still gets cloudy for the first day. It's strange stuff and I haven't heard anything good about it from aquarium enthuasiasts but I have some in my 20 long with mostly stem plants and anubias and the plants grow OK. The Vals aren't as healthy as i'd like right now but its got a lot of runners i should prune and replant.

 

[loaches r cool]

I used flourite red on my 75g plant tank. I would suggest not using the 'red' variety, it has a powdery coating on it that made my tank look like a dust storm on mars. I had to build a custom rinsing device to rinse the 6 bags (if memory serves) that I used on my 75. Once rinsed it looked the same as the regular flourite anyhow.

BTW, if you are going to primarily have java moss, java fern, and anubias, then I wouldnt worry to much about substrate since none of those need rooted in the substrate, so it wont make any difference. If you plan on eventually having lots of other plants then maybe, otherwise I wouldnt worry about it and go with what you like the look of best, imho.

 

[hughitt1]

- How much more do you need than your current gravel in the tank (by pounds I guess)

For most planted tanks you ideally wanna have around 3 inches of substrate depending on the size of the aquarium, for smaller tanks you would probably wanna just use 2 or so.

- Is it truly the best substrate out there? Or does it just depend on the plants going in?

I use Flourite in one tank, and Aqua Soil in another, and i have to say, the aqua soil is much more enjoyable to work with, and seems to be doing better. Flourite is kinda tough, and sometimes planting things with small roots can be difficult. Aqua soil on the other hand has a soft texture which makes planting very easy. Its expensive (around $30 for a large bag), but if you can't find a better price for flourite, than that price is not bad.

I'm going to be going with things like Java Moss, Java Fern, and various Anabius plants.

None of those root in the soil- they all cling on to wood, rocks, plants,etc. So if that is all you want to grow, then you can use any soil really and it won't matter. If you think you may want to try other plants later down the line then it wouldn't hurt to have the right substrate already in place.

I will eventually be putting a CO2 combo system in place (not a DIY CO2 setup). My desire here is for not only healthy plants, but awesome water quality for my fish and plants.

If you go with flourite, CLEAN that sucker really well.. I made the mistake of not rinsing it thoroughly and i ended up with a cloudy tank for a couple weeks even after multiple water changes.

Sounds like a good plan though Flourite is not a bad bang for the buck, but you should be able to find it cheap- i think i paid $15 for a 10lb bag. Try calling up different fish stores in your area. Consider lighting too, that will make a big difference along with substrate and co2. For good water quality just be sure to do regular water changes, and try not to overstock. And last but not least, best advice i'd say is to take your time and plan out how you want to set everything up before you start doing it (i always get too excited and start before i know what i'm doing), it will save you alot of trouble..

Goodluck!
Keith

 

[sly2kusa]

Thank you all very much! I will look into this Aqua Soil as well, but I think I will be able to get the Seachem stuff cheaper from Petsmart through price matching stuff on-line.

Yes I do eventually plan on going with other plants, and have a new ballast on order which will take my total wattage to 160watts (still low to medium range for my tank which is a pretty deep 90g setup).


Thanks!

 

[pugwash]

I used a 50:50 mix with flourite and river sand to a 3" depth for a 240l - the plants and fish love it as it's easy to root around for the fish.

And it is a real sod to clean - each bag took 15 buckets to rinse! No joke! But it was worth it, as it then didn't cloud when added to the tank.

Good luck

 

[DevonBlaine]

I'm also going to be using flourite. I am glad you guys said to rinse it b/c i would have thought not to (i wouldnt want to rinse good parts of it away). If I would have found it sooner I probably would have gotten eco complete:
Contains all the necessary mineral nutrients for luxuriant aquarium plant growth PLUS beneficial bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=9087&N=2004+113223

This site should also help you quite a bit.

http://www.plantedtank.net/

I believe aquasoil is used in crops. I'm not sure if it would hold to gether in an aquarium or not.

 

[bongkoy]

Yes I have heard to make sure and rinse it good, and then dry it out in the Sun. Do you have it as a 50/50 combo with your gravel? I'm going to try and find the best price for it so that Petsmart will match the pricing (it's a bit much for a small bag - like 23/25 bucks).

I use this substrate alone. F&S have this for I think $19+. Try to poke the bag with small holes first and then run water into it to removed the dust. I like this substrate. I ve been looking this before in a nerby local dealer but I couldnt find one. Until I convinced one shop to get it for me. I bought 2 bags for around $32-$36. Not a bad deal. Online shop charges so much for the shipping so it is a good idea to combine shipping if you need anything else to complete your set up.