changing from gravel to flourite

[joejeff]

I have a lame white gravel in my planted 29. Switching to a mix of black and natural colored flourite. More black.



Gonna keep fish and plants in here till I am done





Flourite mix I am using.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Just be prepared for cloudy water any time you do anything. That's my one gripe about flourite. While it's a great substrate, it clouds like crazy any time you do anything, no matter how much you rinse it.

 

[zach_1_6]

Just be prepared for cloudy water any time you do anything. That's my one gripe about flourite. While it's a great substrate, it clouds like crazy any time you do anything, no matter how much you rinse it.

IME flourite clouds like crazy right off the beginning, but after enough time (about 6 months in my tank) the dust and sand pieces sifted to the bottom and made a hard clay like layer, and did not cloud the water very bad at all if i moved the substrate around. I do agree with rookie ^ it is a great substrate, but be ready for the water to cloud a lot.
By the way mfdrookie, did this happen to your tank with flourite at all? (the "clay like layer" forming at the bottom) i am just curious.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yeah, but it still clouded real bad any time I did anything to disturb it

 

[zach_1_6]

Yeah, but it still clouded real bad any time I did anything to disturb it

Interesting, mine did not cloud haha

 

[skywhitney]

Interesting, mine did not cloud haha

Mine doesn't cloud at all either.

 

[joejeff]

Far beyond cloudy...

 

[zach_1_6]

yea i just filled up a tank today with flourite, looks more like chocolate milk then water....

 

[joejeff]

Fish are sleeping in a rubbermade w heater and airstones.. fifter is running on my browned out tank. Did a couple water changes. No luck... Guess have to wait till tomorrow. Don't even know how the plants look... Lol.

 

[joejeff]

Ya about choc milk...

 

[joejeff]

Oh ya in the process of putting plants in tank. With about an inch if water... My driftwood carried a fish over. Had a rescue mission... My upside down cat made it back to container fine

 

[zach_1_6]

Fish are sleeping in a rubbermade w heater and airstones.. fifter is running on my browned out tank. Did a couple water changes. No luck... Guess have to wait till tomorrow. Don't even know how the plants look... Lol.

just give it time, it will all settle and your uh... choc milk will look like clear water again

 

[joejeff]

I know have used it in these tanks... But it didn't ever look this bad... And this is the first time I had fish involved...

 

[jetajockey]

Yeah fluorite and other similar fired clay type substrates tend to be cloudy from lots of fine particles. I have the same issue with using oil-dri, but a bunch of rinsing prior to adding it usually resolves most of the cloudiness. Another thing you can do is add a flocculant like seachem's clarity, it'll clear it up pretty quickly, but may leave some gunk on the top of the substrate if your tank doesn't have good circulation.

 

[joejeff]

I rinsed... And rinsed... And rinsed... And rinsed... And... U get the idea. I spent the nite before last rinseing ..

 

[joejeff]

We are clearing.... The filter has a 350 gpg flow rate... So that should speed it up.

 

[joejeff]

It's at least visible after an hour... May be able to return fish tonite. Idk... Wat yall think would be less stress. Cloudy water or a nite in a rubbermade with 25 gallons approx of tank water and airstones..

 

[joejeff]

Also. I have an extra unused filter... Winter if running it w a sponge media piece would help... Catch those fine particles... Gonna try it...

 

[joejeff]

Tanks up and running. A little cloudy. But not too bad.

 

[Galligak]

Looks really good! The fish look good in there, and your layout looks great too!