Fluval Stratum?

[LobsterParty000]

Hey im gonna be starting a planted aquarium soon, and i want to get live plants, i read awesome reviews on the fluval stratum, because it is easy to set up and and its very clean looking, but is it good for live plants? Also i want corey cats, but i dont know how they would do. Does anyone with experience with this gravel have an answer to my questions? If so, it would be much apreciated

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[Mattfinn]

I have fluval strat (red bag with shrimp on it I think) it's great I've grown plants successfully. Make sure you wash it though I didn't and it was really cloudy. Also I find waste gets caught in it easily but you've just got to vac it close and it looks fine. You can't rely on it to solely provide nutrients though so you have to provide tabs or dose ferts after the initial nutrients in the substrate run out.
That's my tank a few weeks ago. You can see down the front where I need to vac it more and around the plants.

 

[LobsterParty000]

Oh thank you, your tank looks really nice, do i still have to use tabs even if my lighting is very good?

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[Mattfinn]

Well you have to dose ferts of some sort still. The greater the light the more the plant is going to want to grow but if it doesn't have enough nutrients to grow at the same time. You'll just have large amounts of algae...instead of plants. Higher light also means more co2.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I've used Fluval stratum before as well, but for the money and similar looks, there are much better substrates like ADA AquaSoil and Brightwell Aquatic new stuff (look on dr. Foster & Smith). They have more nutrients and are more durable than Fluval stratum.

And, I recommend to NOT pre-rinse Fluval Stratum if you get it (or the other two substrates I motioned). You'll just end up with very cloudy water. The key to avoiding/reducing cloudy water after your scape the tank is to fill it with water VERY slowly and gently, taking great care to not disturb the substrate. Use a bowl or something to deflect the water so it slowly fills up. You can also use a water pump and hose.

Edit:

Here's a technique we used (my gf and I) filling our shallow rimless tank after scaping it. We used one of those plastic breeder boxes to catch the water and gently disperse the water so it doesn't disturb the substrate. There's other methods (hint: YouTube) that do something similar.

 

[Mattfinn]

I've used Fluval stratum before as well, but for the money and similar looks, there are much better substrates like ADA AquaSoil and Brightwell Aquatic new stuff (look on dr. Foster & Smith). They have more nutrients and are more durable than Fluval stratum.

And, I recommend to NOT pre-rinse Fluval Stratum if you get it (or the other two substrates I motioned). You'll just end up with very cloudy water. The key to avoiding/reducing cloudy water after your scape the tank is to fill it with water VERY slowly and gently, taking great care to not disturb the substrate. Use a bowl or something to deflect the water so it slowly fills up. You can also use a water pump and hose.

Edit:

Here's a technique we used (my gf and I) filling our shallow rimless tank after scaping it. We used one of those plastic breeder boxes to catch the water and gently disperse the water so it doesn't disturb the substrate. There's other methods (hint: YouTube) that do something similar.

That's what I thought and the reason why I didn't wash it...I poured it really slowly with a plate on the substrate and it turned my water black for a few days. Maybe I didnt do it right...

Recently I set up a 5gal with river sand and when I filled it I cupped my hand and poured it into my hand. That seemed to work

 

[LobsterParty000]

Ok thanks, this is giving me ideas, because ive never had a live planted tank before. Nice shallow tank btw, i really like the look of that large rock jutting out from the surface.

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[Brian_Nano12g]

Fluval stratum is still a nice substrate IMO, but it's not as nutrient infused as Amazonia.. still can't go wrong with it.

Look how similar they look:

It's also normal to have a little bit of cloudiness after filling the tank, despite how careful you are.. Look up "timelapse Aquascape" in YouTube for other ways.

Here's a couple:

Battle of the Twigs - Aquascape timelapse: http://youtu.be/oRw0nANVLBA

ShrimpCity Timelapse Aquascaping: http://youtu.be/PDh-LzpCB24

Notice one guy uses some angled plastic piece, while the other uses the side of the tank with his hand and sometimes the DW to pour water in.

These methods are just examples with these types of substrates. Whereas, some like Floramax (not Eco-Complete) and Sand do need to be pre-rinsed.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Nice shallow tank btw, i really like the look of that large rock jutting out from the surface.

Thank you