Fluval 12693 Plant and Shrimp Stratum for Freshwater Fish Tanks, 4.4 lbs. – Aquarium Substrate for Strong Plant Growth, Supports Neutral to Slightly Acidic pH

Fluval Stratum has been amazing for my plant care routine. I use it for seedlings and to rehab plants, and it’s been working perfectly for both. The texture is ideal—it holds moisture well without getting waterlogged, which is great for delicate roots.My seedlings establish quickly in it, and plants I’m rehabbing bounce back faster than with other substrates I’ve tried. It’s easy to work with and feels like a premium product.If you’re looking for a versatile growing medium that’s great for starting new plants or giving struggling ones a second chance, Fluval Stratum is definitely worth it.

I use this as a medium for growing my Alocasia Corms , works perfect with starting plant growth, but remember not for long term use! I do rinse this stuff pretty thoroughly and let it soak for atleast a couple hours before using. I feel like this is the best bang for your buck especially if you’re not looking for a huge bag which seems to be what they sell in stores.

Worked well to start a shrimp breeding tank. The material is fine and fills where you need it without worry of damaging anything. The material goes with anything as far as color, and even worked to boost my nearby plants. Decent enough price here to buy if you want to try it.

Yes, it is expensive but I think it's one of the highest quality substrates I have ever bought. I have had aquariums on and off for 30 yrs I have also built vivariums... this has to be the best substrate I have ever seen straight out of the bag. You can tell it is high quality volcanic soil which is outstanding for any plant life. It is very smooth and silky when you touch it. Just give a quick rinse and then use for whatever project. If you are building a planted tank, the water will be cloudy for longer than most people would like. I put my tank filter on high and let it run for the whole day like that and kept rinsing off the filter every few hours. On day two it is much more clear but a little cloudy as the biolayers need to still build up. Can't wait to see how much this improves my new plants.

I would have given this 5 stars were it not so….mucky. I was prepared for a few hours of muck post-rinsing but didn’t think it would take over 24 hours to clear. Once it finally did, the tank looked gorgeous. My fish and plants are now happily homed, but it took a tick to get there. Wish I’d snapped a pic of the mud water.

love this! i use this aquasoil for most of my planted tanks, i cap it with sand so i can still get the desired look i am going for. you can add even more nutrients by placing root tabs under all your heavy root feeders like amazon swords. it’s my go to each time i start a tank & don’t want to use potting soil (i do potting soil capped with sand for my larger tanks because it’s way more cost effective and works the same).

Always good product

So far it works well. I’ve only had this aquarium set up for a few weeks and the plants I have are doing well and starting to spread. I enjoy the black especially since I capped most of it with white rock. It’s a little expensive but in the research I’ve done is the best value for the quality you get.