Activ-Flora Planted Aquarium Substrate, 20-lb bag
Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again.
Grow healthier, more vibrant plant life in your freshwater aquarium with Activ-Flora Planted Aquarium Substrate. This Bio-Activ, nutrient-enriched gravel contains a wide variety of essential minerals to help your aquatic plants thrive and achieve optimum growth more quickly. It’s also rich in iron, so you won’t need to add laterite, and it contains no artificial dyes or additives. Thanks to its vast reserve of micronutrients that are slow-released over time, Activ-Flora substrate is indefinitely self-sustaining. As an added benefit, live heterotrophic bacteria provides instant cycling to help remove harmful nitrogenous waste immediately without altering your pH.
Key Benefits- Bio-Activ, nutrient-enriched gravel contains a wide variety of essential minerals including phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc and many more.
- Helps aquatic plants thrive and quickly achieve optimum growth; also contains iron, so you won’t need to add laterite.
- Micronutrients are slow-released over time, making Activ-Flora substrate indefinitely self-sustainable.
- Live heterotrophic bacteria provides instant nitrogen cycling without altering your pH.
- 100% natural with no artificial dyes or additives; grain size of the lake gems color blend is 3.1-6.3 mm.
-
Item Number135577
-
Weight20.0 pounds
-
Aquarium TypePond
-
BrandNature's Ocean
-
Fish TypeGoldfish, Koi & Pond Fish
-
MaterialStone
For new setups, empty contents of bag into aquarium and fill with de-chlorinated tap water or distilled water. Activ-Flora will automatically bi-segment into two layers with finer grade substrate on the bottom.
If adding to an existing system, drain liquid prior to introducing new substrate and add slowly, while mixing.
Activ-Flora Planted Aquarium Substrate is pre-washed by a nutri-stabilizing process to preserve abundant trace elements and reduce cloudiness when introduced to an aquarium. Cloudiness can be further minimized by filling tank at a slow rate so that the Activ-Flora base is not disturbed. Slight initial cloudiness is normal and will clear rapidly (1–6 hours).
Plants must be placed in substrate with roots as deep as possible. Stabilize with rocks, wood or other decorative medium. This bag is sufficient for about a 5 cm (2 inches) deep bed in a typical 40 L (10 gallon) tank.
Recommended use is 1 kg (2 lbs) for approximately each 200 cm (31 inches) of tank bottom at a depth of 5 cm (2 inches).
Customer Reviews
89% Recommend
89% of reviewersrecommend this product
You've Already Reviewed This Item
38 Reviews
Showing 1-10 of 38 Reviews
-
Plants love it
By TDwags on Apr 5, 2021
Ordered three bags for my 40 gal substrate arrive emptied and cleaned the aquarium. Installed the substrate and planted the the aquarium waiting for the tank to go through the cycle. Looks great and plants are doing great.
-
perfection
By ciji on Oct 8, 2020
If done correctly this substrate is amazing for your fishtank. However if you do it wrong, as in add it to your tank that already has water in it OR add water to an empty tank with this substrate to quickly the particles in the substrate will float and make the water murky. So drain your fish tank out, add the substrate, then slowly add water back in. Let settle for 2hrs before adding your fish in and your good to go! Love this stuff!!!
-
Looks nice
By Saya on Nov 13, 2020
I've asked people really into the hobby and they said this one helps their plants a lot as long as you use root tabs and fertilizer, which it does. I also like how nice and natural it looks.
-
Works Great -if you follow the directions!!
By 001paintabs on Oct 22, 2020
After reading the reviews and not being able to find the substrate I really wanted, I decided to give this a try for my smaller aquarium. I'm so glad I ignored the boneheads who didn't read the instructions and cried about the clouding being an issue. It's perfect for what I needed. It does cause clouding but as long as you follow the instructions on the bag(which also explain this) the clouding will resolve in 1-6 hours. DO NOT rinse this gravel!! It defeats the purpose of the bacteria and the plant nutrients!!... My mild clouding resolved in 2 hours. It would've been less if I didn't need to turn my filtration to the lowest setting to accommodate my fish. It's pretty, very natural looking and After reading the reviews and not being able to find the substrate I really wanted, I decided to give this a try for my smaller aquarium. I'm so glad I ignored the boneheads who didn't read the instructions and cried about the clouding being an issue. It's perfect for what I needed. It does cause clouding but as long as you follow the instructions on the bag(which also explain this) the clouding will resolve in 1-6 hours. DO NOT rinse this gravel!! It defeats the purpose of the bacteria and the plant nutrients!!... My mild clouding resolved in 2 hours. It would've been less if I didn't need to turn my filtration to the lowest setting to accommodate my fish. It's pretty, very natural looking and holds plants in place. I like heavily planted aquariums. A substrate that provides nutrients, allows for healthy rooting and looks natural is perfect! It instantly cycled my aquarium, but I never rely on that just in case the bacteria has died due to heat or time. Instead I buy pure amonium and add bacteria I trust to instantly cycle. You can buy Dr Tims Amonium on Chewy for 3$. A must have for any aquarist. If you don't have fish to add you have to keep feeding your bacteria or it dies. To add this gravel with minimum clouding and WITHOUT RINSING as directed, I laid a towel down next to the aquarium and the bag of gravel down flat on the towel, leaving it in the plastic bag chewy mailed it in as well. I cut a large flap in the middle, enlarging the flap as needed along the way. I took a mason jar and scooped out one section at a time. Using the flap to push the jar against and turn it upside down, draining the extra liquid between each scoop. I laid each scoop close to where it would eventually be flattened or shaped. Repeat process till the bag is empty. I only ended up with a few drops of the fluid on my floor. I took the bags of liquid to the sink(ig you don't you'll probably need more than one towel). Dumped it. Rinsed it a little. Shaped my gavel how I wanted it. Put the original bag over the top of the gavel and then added water(how the professional aqua-scapers add water). When I only needed about 10-20% water to fill it up I added my plants, wood & other items. Topped water off. Added my water treatments/nutrients for plants & animals. Waited for acceptable temperatures to be reached and then acclimated my fish, snails, shrimp etc. Added everyone and turned the lights off(reduces stress when moving aquatic life). In the morning it was gorgeous, everyone was happy and ready to eat! … more
-
Dirty dirty
By Rayb on Jul 27, 2020
This product has a great color and nice size. However you must rinse it many times to get the water clear. Put in your tank out of the bag causes muddy water and clogged filters. Just know you’ll be rinsing about an hour per bag. Thus the 4 stars
-
Made my aquarium dark and cloudy.
By Kittymomna on Jul 20, 2020
This product says it will make your aquarium cloudy when you add the stones, but that it will clear up in approximately six hours. Not so. I put the stones in my tank over a week ago, and it is still VERY cloudy. I would not dare to put live fish in that muck!
-
Plants look good, love the color!
By Midgie on Aug 29, 2020
This is a very pretty grey, and the plants seem to be doing quite well so far. I'd recommend it for sure
-
Very pretty
By Meemo on Jun 13, 2020
It's a nice substrate it is larger in circumference but I love the color I chose. my plants are still pretty tiny so I did do a pool filter sand about a half-inch deep underneath this just so when they have got something to help the roots around in. I thought it was a good value.
-
Great product !!!
By Post on Aug 5, 2020
As advertised, great texture and look. Fish love it. And it looks so natural. Should of started with it from the beginning.
-
Looks nice, but does not work for plants.
By Grubb on May 16, 2020
I have not have a single plant be able to root into this gravel. I've had it for two years and that whole time I've never had plants that are able to last. I have a 65 gal aquarium and I bought 6 bags of this gravel to have a thick layer for the plants. Still, no luck.