Activ-Flora Planted Aquarium Substrate, 20-lb bag

So far so good. Followed the instructions for the most part. Though I did it a little backwards, then let the filter do its thing for a day, and it's beautiful. The plants look great too. Will keep an eye on it and edit if need be. Just gotta let the sediments settle and/or filter out

So first off, I will say that even when you follow the instructions to a T, and pour your water in slowly, there is still a murky look for a day or two after "installation." But that doesn't really bother me, especially with how wonderful this product is. I have had an Anubias Barteri for about 3 years, and even with good lighting practices and water quality, it never really flourished. It would very occasionally pop out a tiny leaf that would take ages to grow larger, but overall it seemed like it was just "getting by." Within 1.5-2 weeks of this gravel being in my tank, the Barteri started growing a new leaf; even rolled up I could tell it would be as big as the old growth when unfurled. That So first off, I will say that even when you follow the instructions to a T, and pour your water in slowly, there is still a murky look for a day or two after "installation." But that doesn't really bother me, especially with how wonderful this product is. I have had an Anubias Barteri for about 3 years, and even with good lighting practices and water quality, it never really flourished. It would very occasionally pop out a tiny leaf that would take ages to grow larger, but overall it seemed like it was just "getting by." Within 1.5-2 weeks of this gravel being in my tank, the Barteri started growing a new leaf; even rolled up I could tell it would be as big as the old growth when unfurled. That aside, my Barteri just looks greener and deeper and more lush. My Marimo moss balls are a deeper, more vibrant green as well. I'm really pleased with the effects thus gravel has had and I will be purchasing it again in the future. Here's a pic of my tank for fun :) … more

Settles fairly quickly after addition of water and live plants. Water is still tinted slightly but it’s not a problem. My plants are growing well and my Betta fish is happy.

Beautiful nourishing little rocks with plenty of liquid to keep everything healthy. I did not rinse the rocks nor did I drain the liquid for reasons of loosing any good nutrients. My plants needed this so badly. I have another 5 gallon tank that I will do today. So happy with how it looks too! Thank you!

I drained my entire tank and put this gravel into a 5 gallon bucket. I should have ordered a second bag to make planting easier but meh. I did not rinse it at all.I used my fish net to remove the gravel from the bucket and strain it. No problems or anything fascinating there. Once I had the gravel in the tank I did as another customer and laid the bag chewy sent the gravel in over it in the tank. I then placed my betas floating log on the bag. I added water directly into the log. Some what slowly and some what impatiently. Kept the bag in until about half full. Then I pulled the bag and continued to use the floating log. Over all I'm happy. I did not give it a 5 star because I have no idea on I drained my entire tank and put this gravel into a 5 gallon bucket. I should have ordered a second bag to make planting easier but meh. I did not rinse it at all.I used my fish net to remove the gravel from the bucket and strain it. No problems or anything fascinating there. Once I had the gravel in the tank I did as another customer and laid the bag chewy sent the gravel in over it in the tank. I then placed my betas floating log on the bag. I added water directly into the log. Some what slowly and some what impatiently. Kept the bag in until about half full. Then I pulled the bag and continued to use the floating log. Over all I'm happy. I did not give it a 5 star because I have no idea on how it will be for my plants' growth. … more

I ordered this for a rescape of my 10 gallon betta tank. I rinsed half of the substrate and half I did not rinse. I added my substrate to the tank and added the water one cup at a time using my hand as a buffer. My tank did not cloud refilling the tank this way. I have ran 3 water test and have not seen any change in any of the perimeters. So far so good. I also have a planted tank so I added some root tabs before I put my plants in the substrate I bought the flora gems and it looks absolutely beautiful. Definitely worth the purchase! Oh and for 10 gallon tank I only needed one bag.I added a pic of my tank right after filling it.

After ruling everything else out, we tested this substrate in little jars. As in our planted tank, it raises the ph from our well water of 7.0 to 8.5 within 24 hours. Since the packaging says it doesn't do that, it's been disheartening to struggle so much over the course of three months. We had two mini-suckerfish who like a ph of 6 - 7.5 and we did lose one, which made my children very sad. First, we tried PH regular tests, but then had to order the High PH tests to get an accurate measurement. Even though it's pretty, I can't recommend if you're aiming for a slightly acidic planted tank. We also found an old fish-hook in amongst the rock when first rinsing it. A rare thing, I hope.

This product is awful and wont clear up at all . Now i get to take it all out and start all over :) thanks activ-flora YOU SUCK !

I am loving this gravel,looks great good for plants too,but I think you really have to watch out,the ph.

I read another review titled "Works great if you follow the directions". Thank you to whoever wrote that! This gravel comes soaked in a slurry that looks like chocolate milk. If you rinse it, you're losing all the bacteria and nutrients that they added. Kinda negates the purpose. I drained all the water out of my tank (except the inch I couldn't get), dumped the gravel into a colander over a bucket, scooped it out with a cup and careful placed it in the tank. Then I put the flat empty bag over the gravel, set a cup on it, and that's what I put my filling tube into. I turned the water on at about half the rate I usually would. So, the water I was adding was pouring into the cup, which overflowed I read another review titled "Works great if you follow the directions". Thank you to whoever wrote that! This gravel comes soaked in a slurry that looks like chocolate milk. If you rinse it, you're losing all the bacteria and nutrients that they added. Kinda negates the purpose. I drained all the water out of my tank (except the inch I couldn't get), dumped the gravel into a colander over a bucket, scooped it out with a cup and careful placed it in the tank. Then I put the flat empty bag over the gravel, set a cup on it, and that's what I put my filling tube into. I turned the water on at about half the rate I usually would. So, the water I was adding was pouring into the cup, which overflowed onto the flat bag, which ran off into the gravel. Make sense? When the water level was above the cup, I slowly slipped the empty bag out. I still held the cup over the end of the water tube until it was 80% full. Then I planted my plants. Filled it the rest of the way without the cup, but keeping the water rate at half. Is it more work? Yes. But unless you want your tank to look like a mud puddle like some of these reviews, you have to add the water very slowly and careful so you don't disturb the gravel. I finished at 5 last night, this morning my tank is clear. This gravel is stunning and I can't wait to see how my plants grow. … more