# Need help picking a substrate



## AcidFear (Aug 19, 2012)

So ive decided to redo my 33gal community tank because the play sand im using doesnt work very well for plants im not sure what to use as a substrate ive looked around town at the different fish stores and ive found the following red sea flora base, eco-complete, seachem florite (comes in sand or gravel) and fluval stratum what one should i use? I have plecos and cory cats in the tank not sure if that makes a difference on what substrate i use


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

for the price, I used the Seachem Flourite gravel in my 33 and had great results. Maybe not the best choice if you have cories, but I have 2 clown plecos in there that don't seem to mind it


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

I have the Fluval Stratum in 2 of my tanks and the plants have done very well with it. Did not effect any fish. 1 downfall is I have to clean my filters more often. To make the bags go further I mixed it with fine aquarium gravel. (pic is the gravel I mixed it with). They are all good choices just comes down to your preference. Good luck.


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## jkcichlid (Apr 21, 2010)

Not an option above but I love ADA Amazonia


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## dssv (Jan 1, 2012)

I have seachem florite gravel in 2 of my tanks. When i get around it i will swap out the blue gravel in one tank an sand out another with seachem florite gravel.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I have flourite in one of my tanks and fluval stratum in another. Both have their pros and cons. Con for flourite is its a pain to rinse when you first open the bags. Took forever I ended up putting it in a bucket with a hose and let the water run while I worked on setting up the tank. I would go stir it up every 5 minutes. Pro Flourite doesnt break down over time and doesnt make a mess when you stir it up. Fluval stratum. Pro the cories like it because its soft, Plants roots seem to grow well. Cons My filter sponges are always very dirty from it and as far as I know it breaks down over time. Apparently you can add more to balance it out

As far as I have heard the ADA stuff is the best. Im not sure how much it is. I know a few people that have used the Red sea florabase and really like it.


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## Scherb (Feb 10, 2011)

I have Fluval stratum in my shrimp tank and it works good with plants, but i have to siphon very carefully or it will be fog city. and i have Eco-complete in a few tanks and it works good two but has no cloudy affect. i have corries and plecos in 2 of the tanks and they seem to like it. the other brands i have not tried but i would go with the Eco-complete. also Eco has good bacteria in it, works great for starting a new tank.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

On the topic of substrates, for those who have used ADA, I've heard that it leeches ammonia when first put in tanks, does that mean I should avoid putting fish in right away?

I have Eco Complete in one tank and it's like gravel so different to plant than with a clay based substrate like florabase (which I have in my 10gal). I like planting with Florabase better and it seems almost like plants are sucked in and held better by clay based substrates. Eco Complete seems to be more alkaline so I notice I have a harder time buffering my ph lower. Any of you guys notice this with Eco Complete? Love the look of Eco Complete though.

I hope Bien Lim chimes in on Eco Complete. He seems to use it a lot and he's an aquascape beast.


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## AcidFear (Aug 19, 2012)

Thank you all for your input I ended up going with the seachem flourite it was a bit of a pain to rinse but am pretty happy with the look of it


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

nice nice , learn how to not kill plants and then teach me lol


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## aqua59 (Nov 9, 2011)

I always end up with the Fuval Strata on top, (about 2 inches), of my gravel. It'll mix in time but I just payer more on top .Poking holes in the strata now and again helps too. I use a chop stick. The Fuval product is good because of the nice ph balance it provides. that in itself eliminates any ph down phosphates.


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