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

*** 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.

I’ve been using the Fluval Stratum to grow my alocasia corms, and it has worked really well! The light, porous texture makes it easy for roots to grow and develop, and it holds moisture without getting too soggy. My corms have been sprouting quickly and healthily, with strong root growth.Another plus is that it doesn’t compact over time like some other substrates, which helps keep good aeration around the roots. It also drains well, reducing the risk of rot. The only thing to note is that it’s very lightweight, so if you’re bottom-watering, it can shift around a bit.If you plan to use this medium for growing corms, please take my advice and use very little water in your container. A little goes a long way.Overall, this is a great option for growing alocasia corms, especially if you want a soil alternative that promotes strong roots and healthy growth. Would definitely recommend it!

It's an excellent aquarium substrate. I am replacing the sand covered dirt tanks with this aqua soil. The plant growth is amazing. All plants are thriving on this substrate even some of the picky ones.

Very nice looking aquasoil. It's a deep black color when wet, as seen in the pic of my 46 gallon bowfront.It has not fallen apart so far in the year that I've had it in my 75 gallon. Plants seem to be doing well. It is okay to plant in but I wish I'd capped with sand, the soil is very lightweight and it can be easy for rambunctious fish to uproot the plants on occasion.It was not difficult to wash. I gave it two rinses, the slightly cloudy water when I filled the tank cleared up quickly (within a day).It does drop the pH a little which i easily buffer with aragonite sand or crushed coral in the filter.I've bought this soil multiple times and find it is usually the best deal in terms of quantity and quality vs. price.

Hard to plant in...Keeps water clear, got foggy at the start but it was easy to take care of with a filter and when it settled.For plant performance idk yet... ill be keeping watch before I update that.For the price and size and amount I got is an awesome deal!Overall currently happy with it for now till I test it out with more plants.Update: I have to say it's doing fantastic for my plants! Water still so clear, shrimp love it also, they do pull out my dwarf hairgrass from the substrate though.Plants are growing like crazy in it! Can recommend if you can deal with the trouble of replanting. After it settles it is so clear of water after months also sometimes. Absolutely love it and will purchase again!

We use this to propagate alocasia corms. There’s no smell and it looks clean and neat in the pots. We keep them damp in the pots and they last around 6 months before breaking down. The texture is grainy little black beads. The price is good for what we need it for. A bag lasts us months as we don’t need too much for each plant.

i love this for acclimating my tissue culture plantlets and rooting cuttings of hoyas and aroids

Using this at first I was scared, the water was getting dark and I get a phobia of water I can’t see. I let the filter run and it cleared overnight. Makes it perfect for decor but it helps your plants thrive and is easy to clean with a water vacuum. Comes in a big bag, definitely worth the price. It’s a nice blown/black color type, doesn’t have a smell. It’s super easy to use, just follow the instructions, I read the bag, and I also ready some reviews online to see what others do for this type of gravel/soil. Makes the tank look so nice, I mixed it with white gravel and it just adds a lovely touch. Let it sit and adjust, have the filter run, I have 3 sponge filters in this tank so it definitely helped a lot and clears, even when cleaning