Fluorite options?!

[eklikewhoa]

You can always go with just straight Eco Complete... no cap. just treat it as if it were plain old gravel. I was in City Pets yesterday and they had eco complete on display and it was a wet blackish gravel of random shapes and sizes...

I've used eco in the past and if it was the gravel look one is going for then this would be the substrate to go with! Also it doesn't greatly effect the water params like aquasoil or other clay based substrates do (other than kH/gH for whatever reason). I am wanting to go with more of the old fluorite look... clay based but not soft pellet look like aquasoil/fluval stratum.

I'm torn between taking the plunge and ordering it to find out for myself or just going with aquasoil which is tried and true.

[eklikewhoa]

I think my CPOs are showimg me how pissed they are at my undecisiveness by killing each other off so I might go with what's tried and true.

Will be picking up the original fluorite later today. Always love the look of the original fluorite and my last CPO tank worked great with it so think I've settled it.

[Totenkampf]

Pretty nice link CRUSHER!

I would have to question the "capping" method though with most of these substrates as well as the depth at which the link suggest for most foreground and stem plants. When doing the layer method similar to NPT you don't want to disturb the substrate so stirring the sand used to cap the substrate would be difficult and like most have experienced sand compacts easily which would either kill off plants or not allow them to sprout new nodes. I've used eco-complete before and I think they actually suggest against the capping method with their substrates.

Also as it would be... lighter/smaller substrate will eventually work it's way to the bottom.

When you cap soil/substrate it forces you to be extra careful to not stir up the unsightly mess.

I agree with this. I have tried capping on a number of occasions after reading about DIY soils on The Krib. While it does have some use if you are using pure laterite (dusty) or organic soil (phosphates) and you want to keep these things out of the water column, i dont believe it is useful for a long term tank. Eventually, anaerobic bacteria formed under the cap and then toxic gases were produced. I introduced MTS into the tank to combat this but then I had a new problem lol. It also eventually stratifies if you have any soil mixing critters or good water movement. When in doubt, look to nature. How often have you walked across a lake or pond bottom and felt a hard cap over a softer substrate? I dont think that your substrate should be an area to skimp on since the premade soils are pretty good. Better to buy those and save money by mixing your own fertilizers.

[Mzungu]

From what I remember, it looks exactly like the old Flourite, it's just black. Doesn't look like EcoComplete or pea gravel at all.

[eklikewhoa]

Good to know MB but I went ahead and got the original fluorite.

[Mzungu]

That's cool. I just hate having unanswered questions. :)

[eklikewhoa]

I love the look of the original but wanted to try something new and now thinking about it I'm glad I didn't.

[Totenkampf]

how well did you rinse it EK? I went to petsmarts website to find phone numbers so that i can call around for fluorite and noticed EVERY review of the product was talking about how they had to rinse it clear. I have never rinsed this stuff, but then i usually put it on they very bottom and then put ecocomplete on top with tek sand mixed into them both. its not truly a cap since there is good water exchange but it does keep the dust down. it seems to me that rinsing it well just causes you to loose all the fine particulates that are the most bioavailable to plant roots. i found an interesting comparison on seachems website, the black stuff has FAR less iron. It also looks like a mix of flourite for trace minerals and onyx for kH buffers would be a very good combination, i will try that next time since I already bought ecocomplete for buffers.

http://www.seachem.com/support/GravelMineralComposition.pdf

[eklikewhoa]

I threw it into a cooler and stirred/flushed till the water was clear.

Its way too dusty otherwise.

The petsmart at 1960 and I45N had two bags.

[CRUSHER]

City Pets has Flourite and eco completer and fluval and some other substrates simular

[eklikewhoa]

Was there earlier, they have the different fluorite which I'm glad I chose the original fluorite.

Not impressed with the black or the black sand.

[Totenkampf]

The black has way less iron. Those two bags were still there at the petsmart so I'm gtg. I was gonna see if they would give me some snails but the girl working back there actually hid in the stock room til nine so she wouldn't have to wait on me lol.

[eklikewhoa]

I wasn't too worried about the workings, more about the cosmetics since most of the plants used in my tank are or could be column feeders.

Funny how the work ethics are but then again I'd probably be the same way if I ever worked on a hourly base.

[kwc1974]

ek You getting back into the planted?

[eklikewhoa]

I'm trying not too but I don't have a choice from what navarro says.