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

I was a bit skeptical of buying this substrate for my FIRST planted aquarium (10 gallons). I decided to go with it because I trust the brand, and it was fairly cheap. I've made a list of questions and answers I would've wanted someone to cover before I bought this. For context, I've also provided a photo of my aquarium now, after months of the ecosystem holding strong with the right balance of water and fertilizer.How's the color? The color looks like natural dark brown dirt, exactly what I was looking for.Is it worth the money? In my opinion, yes. It's not like buying ADA Amazonia, but it gets the job done, and that's all that matters.Does it strongly affect pH levels? Not that I've noticed, not even when I first started cycling.Does it provide enough nutrients for the plants? I started using fertilizer the moment I filled up my tank with the majority of the plants (before that, it was only a few plants, and they were still thriving). I add fertilizer twice a week now.Is it easy to plant in? Depends. It was fairly easy to plant small plants & my carpet plants, but not heavy, large plants. I used small river rocks to hold them down until they established a strong root system.Is it overall easy to work with? I would say so. It doesn't turn my whole aquarium brown, and does its job once the root system is established.I overall think it's a great product, especially for the price!

The product has proven to be quite effective, creating a natural environment that both plants and fish seem to thrive in. The plants adapt well, flourishing beautifully, and the fish seem to appreciate the ecosystem as well. However, I've noticed that when the plants are still small, a strong water flow can easily displace them, causing them to float on the surface of the tank. This issue may stem from not allowing enough time for the plants to establish strong root systems before introducing them to the water flow.Despite this minor setback, I have found this product to exceed my expectations. It doesn’t cloud the water as much as I initially feared, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that any murkiness clears up within a day after the water is added. Overall, this setup creates a very harmonious ecosystem ideal for keeping fish alongside live plants, which really enhance the tank’s appeal. I’ve observed remarkable growth in the plants just four days after introduction, indicating a vibrant and healthy environment.

Great buy, only used half of the bag in my 20gal tank. I also used gravel and bio substrate. With root tabs. Other than that it works as intended.

Always good stuff for planted aquariums. This tank is cycling now so no live plants yet, but it still looks nice.

It will cloud your tank up very badly at first, but if you put poly-fil in a hob filter it will be cleared in a day. My plants are thriving in it and have taken off after only a few days of being planted

The plants love this stuff and it helps them grow bigger and healthier.

Item as described in pictures. Nice large bag good packaging and excellent shipping timing. Very very happy. Thank you 🙏

Wow... Works great for my plants and my fish tanks 🙂👍