Description: Flourite™ is a specially fracted stable porous clay gravel for the natural planted aquarium. Its appearance is best suited to planted aquaria, but may be used in any aquarium environment. Flourite™ is most effective when used alone as an integral substrate bed, but it may be mixed with other gravels. Gravel modifiers such as laterite are not necessary. Flourite™ is not chemically coated or treated and will not alter the pH of the water. Although pre-washed, it should be rinsed before use to remove residual dust. Dust can also be minimized by filling tank slowly and dispersing water so that the Flourite™ bed is not disturbed. Slight initial cloudiness is normal and will clear rapidly (2-12 hours). This bag is sufficient for about a 5 cm (2 inch) deep bed in a typical 40 L (10 gallon) tank. Recommended use is 1 kg (2 lbs) for approximately each 200 cm2 (31 in2) of tank bottom at a depth of 5 cm (2 in).
With everything else being good, it\'s just the messy factor that made me given this product a 9. It is wise to add the water slowly and preferably on top of a plate to avoid stirring up the sediment. It could take days to clear up the cloud. Other than that, I like this product. Red plants grow especially well.
I recommend Flourite to most everyone for its ease of use and plant growing capabilities. If you plant dry when setting up and use a spray bottle to keep plants moist while doing so you can fill the aquarium without too much of the dust getting in the water column. I just wish it came in a nicer color.
The regular Flourite is dusty, but not terrible. The Flourite Red took hours to rinse and I still get a lot of red dust in my tank whenever I have to disturb the gravel bed. The Flourite Red is very similar in color to regular Flourite once it is thoroughly rinsed. I didn\'t like the color in my tank at all, but this is purely up to ones own taste.
My flourite was a nightmare to rinse and still clouds up quite a bit whenever I make any changes in tank. Seachem is a great company and it may be I just got a bad batch - lots of clay - but I wouldn\'t risk it again especially because their Onyx sand is so great to work with.
Flourite is a good substrate, that grows and holds down plants well. Most people including me, hate the fact that you have to rinse the stuff after a few hours. The cloudy that occurs after you stick it in usually last a few hours to a few days. But once its in, its usually never clouds up too much unless you undergo intense replanting. I prefer eco-complete, because of the color, and fact that its dump bag in and set it and forget it. Both work well.
I spent a good hour washing this substrate, and it did cloud my water. That's not my major problem with Flourite. The fine particles attach to other particles in the water and leave messy gray clumps in dead areas in the tank. This gray stuff shows up very well on my red slate rockwork and gives a dirty appearance to the tank. I vacuum up as much as I can of it, but it always reappears, I assume it's the super-fine particles from the Flourite that originally cloud the water that attach to rotting organics and form the clumps.
Other than that, I appreciate the look of the Flourite. I have had many compliments from friends and family who are not into planted aquaria, as well as from other aquarists. It holds plants quite well and they send their roots deep into it and establish good holds. Replanting is easy as well, the particles are small enough to be able to loosen from the roots if needed. The reddish-brown colour can be a compliment to many different aquascapes and is an alternative to the dark grey and black of Onyx Gravel and Eco-Complete.
I wouldn't recommend it if you are just starting out and are looking for something super easy, but only because of the washing and clouding factor. If you don't mind a bit of hard work, this is a lovely substrate.
Rating
9
Pros
Holds plants well, good particle size, natural looking, plants grow very well in it.
I rinsed this briefly through a net and then placed directly into my tank. It was mixed with Laterite and small gravel and my results have been better than expected. There was no clouding of the tank, except for very briefly after the initial filling.
Tank (16gal bow) has been up and running for approximately two months and the plants are doing fabulous.
If you use this be prepared to change out your filter floss a few times. Despite what the package says you really need to rinse this stuff down. Otherwise I find it beautiful to work with and nice to look at.
I like use this stuff. It helps grow my plants nice. You should rinse it out before you put it in your aquarium.
Pros
Array
Cons
Array
Would you recommend?
yes
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Aquatic Plant Forum
730.4K posts
52.4K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to aquatic plant owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, displays, tanks, styles, troubleshooting, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!