Fluorite substrate? - New to Planted Aquariums

ferris89 · 07-30-2008, 11:34 PM

I've seen it and heard of it, but is it safe for fish (I mean do I really have to watch out for anything?)
Also I'm trying to get my tank as natural as possible (habitat-wise) and is a substrate the way to go? I have white aquarium gravel that I hate the look of

so just wondering if a substrate would work better to grow live plants in

oregon aqua · 07-31-2008, 12:55 AM

Hello ferris89

here is some links that could help you.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...-aquarium.html
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...nted-tank.html

trenac · 07-31-2008, 08:17 AM

Flourite is fish safe. It is very dusty, so before using it must be washed...
http://aquaden.com/phpBB2/articles2....e=washfluorite

If you want to go a more natural route then look into our "El Natural" forum. Check out the sticky's in that forum for setup info.

ferris89 · 07-31-2008, 09:23 PM

thank you all! I just got everything back in my tank... even after washing it, the fluorite still made my tank cloudy lol! it will clear soon so I'll take pictures when everything comes to.

totally_vacant · 08-07-2008, 05:10 AM

As you now know, you need to clean it very, very well or it gets cloudy. However, the dust will soon settle and won't bother you much unless you really disturb the surface.

I find Flourite quite a good substrate and think it looks reasonably natural. Of course you can put some kind of ground cover on it and before long you won't see much of it again anyways!

ferris89 · 08-07-2008, 09:15 AM

Yeah, It does get cloudy if I move too much of it, but it settles remarkably well. I'm getting some taiwan moss as a groundcover so it won't be totally visible, but I do like it's natural look!