Seachem Fluorite Red Clay Gravel, 7.7 lb

I've been using this substrate for over 30yrs. for all aquariums where heavy root feeding plants are grown -- Amazon Swords, Vals, Sagittaria Subulata (Sags.), etc. It has never failed to disappoint. It is messy on initial setup. true, but it's worth the additional hours of work to rinse the product in small portions to get rid of the clay dust before adding to aquariums. While not an absolute necessity to rinse the medium in terms of efficacy, it is necessary for any filtered aquarium because any water movement (generated by planting or filtration) causes the very fine particles to scatter into the water column & clouding the water.... But beyond the clouding, the very fine particles will clog filters or, at the very least, completely coat the media in filters in a coat of mud which renders said media useless. I have tried to just use filtration setup specifically to remove the fine particulate and, even with heavy duty filtration, it actually took longer to get the water to clear than simply rinsing the medium prior to adding to the aquarium.Plants love this stuff, though..... So it's definitely worth the extra work. That said, it's not necessary for all plants species.... If your setup doesn't have heavy root feeding plants like those mentioned above, you can skip it. Plants that feed from the water column regardless of substrate being geared toward plant growth won't benefit much --- plants like Anubias, Ferns, Guppy Grass, floating plants....This seasoned aquarist happily recommends this substrate for aquatic plants without reservation.

I've tried most of the Flourite varieties in a handful of different setups. Most recently I've re-scaped my 55-gallon planted tank and used 3 different Fluorite colors. I laid a base layer of Flourite Dark and then topped it with a two-tone of Flourite Black Sand and this Flourite Red. I think it's a really attractive and eye-catching contrast between both the color and granule sizes. Flourite Red is a burgundy red fracted clay gravel. The granule size is not consistent like a sand; it's very irregular but visually interesting. The red coloration is very natural appearing, exactly like a red clay that it's made from. It's similar to a red clay pot and appears much brighter under high light (obviously).One word of caution if you plan on using this, or any Flourite product, is that it absolutely, positively must be rinsed thoroughly unless you want your aquarium to look like a glass box of dirt. The bag claims it's pre-rinsed, and I'm sure it was once, but during transit all those pieces of clay knock around against each other and create a nice layer of dust inside the bag. The easiest way I've found to deal with this is to rinse it a pound or so at a time through a fine mesh sieve or colander. Some people rinse it in a bucket, which I've also done, but my experience there is that the 'muck' just settles to the bottom of the bucket rather than being washed away. When it comes to filling the tank afterward, add water slowly and pour over a bowl, plate, or rocks/wood/decorations in your tank to avoid kicking up any unwashed sediment.In terms of performance, it seems to work as well as any of the other Fluorite substrates I've used. My plants root in it easily and after an adjustment period of a few weeks they'll start sending runners/leaves/propagate. I've never run any high-tech setups but I do dose Green Leaf Aquariums micro and macro nutrients daily and use glutaraldehyde (Flourish) on a semi-weekly schedule. My plants seem happy and Flourite seems as though it's a healthy compromise between plain sand and a dirt substrate (which seems messy and problem-prone, but an overall superior solution).

In spite of many reviews here that criticize Flourite Red, I bought it to see for myself. I've been a Freshwater hobbyist for 57 years and a Reef hobbyist for 31 years here in Utah. The 10 gal tank this substrate went into has gone from red water to practically clear in two days! I did NO RINSING and I even spread out a cup or so of river mud/sand underneath the Flourite in the back. Desiring bacteria to populate the tank, besides mud, some waterlogged driftwood, red rocks and water from a local mountain stream have also been added. (I've had success with this before.) My experience tells me that the bacterial film, though unseen on the driftwood on the rocks and in the mud, is sticky. Waterborne dust adheres to the film and thus gets filtered out of the water. Admittedly, an Aquaclear 30 HOB sponge filter has captured a lot of red dust as well. The plants I plan to use, to be added in a day, will likewise help keep the water clear. The key to success is all in how any tank, whether fresh or salt, is set up with Live Sand/mud, Live Rock and Live Plants. Fish will be added within about 7 days. :-)

I have this in my already established aquarium and am setting up a new one so bought more. The color is great and the plants love it. However, I forgot how terrible it is to rinse this. I could have provided water to a small village or a hundred camels with the amount of water you have to use to rinse this and even then the water is cloudy. I rinsed and thought I was good only to put it in my tank and add water and just have total instant cloudy water. Took all 30 something gallons of water out, removed gravel, and rinsed again...still have cloudy water but it is what it is and hopefully it will settle after a couple of days.

I bought it for my 20 gallon tall tank. One 7.7lbs bag is almost enough but not enough. I wish I got two bags. However, this substrate needs a thorough wash before being added to the tank. And even after three good washes, it will still color your tank's water and filter. My water was blurry for a day after three good washes, and I had to change the filter by the end of the week. But now that all is clean, my lucky bamboo loves the substrate. It's growing and thriving. I suppose my fish like it as well.