Fluval Plant and Shrimp Stratum Aquarium Planting Substrate, Dark Brown, 2 kg (Pack of 1)

This is the only brand I trust when it comes to setting up a planted tank. My plants have been growing really well, even after a few months submerged—the nutrients are clearly still there and doing their job. I’m currently running three planted tanks using this, and the results have been consistently great across all of them. Perfect for both plants and shrimp, and overall very reliable. Highly recommended for anyone serious about planted tanks!

While I am still fairly new to the aquarium hobby, I have become somewhat addicted, as appears to be common among our community! Something to note in advance that although you may have read that this Substrate does not leech ammonia, it does appear leech a small amount; enough to stress Shrimp, but probably not enough to bother most fish. I was recording about 0.5 on my Test kit, and I had not added any Ammonia myself at that point just yet. You must cycle your aquarium properly with this substrate. I have used a few types of substrate in my tanks, including cheap potting soil in a "Walstad" style tank. The Fluval Stratum Substrate is my favourite insofar for planted aquariums. This substrate is very light and my plants rooted through it quickly with apparent ease. I would recommend using some aqua-scaping tweezers to plant with, as I feel you would struggle using your fingertips due to how light it is; though, most hobbyists will have already invested in these sorts of tools. I was able to plant dwarf hairgrass in blades of 6-12 across the entire tank without any uprooting. It is nutrient dense are all growing healthily at a rate I am pleased with, even without the use of liquid Co2, or any fertilisers. I did not wash the soil as some other substrates recommend, but my water is still crystal clear! Though, I recommend covering the floor of the aquarium a plastic bag and filling the tank slowly to prevent disturbance, which helps prevent any initial cloudiness and reduces the chance of your newly-planted plants uprooting. This substrate is quite pricey but in my opinion for a hobbyist looking to create a densely planted tank it is worth every penny. Note: I would not recommend using this substrate for fish that like to poke around the substrate, such as goldfish; nor would I recommend it for snails, as they may uproot your plants. It's perfect for shrimp aquariums, and excellent for other fish which don't dig as much, such as Bettas.

Really great quality stuff, light enough for the bottom dwellers to have a bit of a dig though but also hold plants in nicely too without needing weights. Does still murk up the waters even after rinsing first but clears after a day or so.

Great for plants, be careful with shrimp. This soil works wonderfully for growing plants and is advertised for shrimp, but I find in my smaller set up it absolutely strips the KH out of the water making it too acidic for Neocaridina shrimp. Use with caution or keep Caridina species only. It is easy to use, and goes well under a capping layer of sand to lock down plant roots.

My plants are growing like crazy. Looks good, easy to use, my fish seems to love it

Really good one. Must purchase. Just a reminder, after adding the substrate just add the water slowly, like really slow without disturbing the substrate, else it gets really black like a pot of coffee.

Recently I decided to buy a 300l tank and desperately needed new substrate to fill it. Being a live plant girly, I knew I was going to buy this for the bottom. Pros: •This substrate is literally the best one you can get for plant health/growth. Plants will thrive in this and form the most intricate roots all around it so you know it’s doing its job! •Helps keep my slightly higher water pH neutral which keeps my tank and its inhabitants happy. •Safe for all delicate invertebrates and fish! Cons: •Don’t ever try washing this because it will just form mud! It’s impossible to wash which in turn causes some unfavorable stuff in your tank (but a good filter will fix it no problem!) •Adding to above, putting in without washing causes your tank to go a horribly cloudy color with some bits floating on top that need to be removed with a net. Rather unsightly but easily fixed. Overall, I wouldn’t ever buy another substrate for my tank because it doesn’t get much better than this. My plants all thrive and it keeps my tank healthy. Would definitely recommend!

I use instead of soil for my baby/young plants before transitioning in to Pon. Can be used to revive plants that have experienced root rot. Fluval is valuable for money, make a small opening as the tiny balls will go everywhere. I have experienced positive plant recovery and growth.

I have been using normal sand in my nano aquarium from about last 1yr or so but now the plant growth started to reduce. This is the reason why I thought to try a substrate. This fluval is good, plants looks healthy now but nothing very exceptional to say. This pack is too much for my nano tank, i have half of the contents left in the packet.

Recouvert de gravier, ne trouble pas l'eau du tout. Il faut verser l'eau lentement. A voir après au niveau de la pousse des plantes.

Enfin un substrat de qualité, maintient de PH, les crevettes le supportent bien, bonne assimilation des engrais, diffuse dans le temps

acheter il y a longtemps maintenant fait très bien son travaille j'ai de très belle plantes

This has become a standard in my substrates, I blend it in with gravel, sand, whatever type I'm setting up. Planted tanks are the only way I roll, fully bioactive, and (virtually) changeless system set-up; soil is vital to plants and plants are vital to the chemistry. I've 2 products from this brand and I'm not inclined to change unless a real good reason manifests to do so. Neither product is what one may call 'cheap,' but it's certainly worth the money, my aquatic plants are so healthy that some specimens are abnormally big and have been a challenge to identify. (some of my seed stock didn't have anything but Chinese on the labels, so I had to wait until they grew to get them identified correctly.) The success I'm having with my tanks seems almost uncanny given I'm still something of a "newbie," these are my first tanks, all are less than a year old, and to have nailed it on the complete and healthy ecosystem model like a pro is testament to how great the science is developed and disseminated - and to the quality of products. Soil is everything, whether in my garden beds, potted plants, or aquatics - same rules apply. As I've said many times already, my water quality tests are always so spot on that it looks like I'm 'cheating,' and this stuff is one of the ingredients achieving all that.