Fluval 12693 Plant and Shrimp Stratum for Freshwater Fish Tanks, 4.4 lbs.

I knew this substrate was good because I had already seen many recommendations, so I decided to buy it for my 10-gallon aquarium. So far, it has been a great success with my plants. I like how it looks in the aquarium, and I have noticed that my plants have adapted well. I’m happy with this purchase and would choose it again.

This stuff is great, little pricey but you get what you pay for. I thought it would be messy but the small balls hold up well provided you don't crush them. Shrimp and fish health are not affected by it and boy does it look good in the tank. Plants love it and fish prefer it, especially when compared to bright gravels... The 1st picture was when I first started the tank with the soil and 2nd pic is 3 months later. I've had other tanks with sand/gravel...this soil makes a difference! Big tip: Place a small lid or use a paper towel to block water flow when initially filling up your tank. Minimize your splashing. Also I highly suggest you DO NOT pre-rinse this soil. I know the directions say so but don't do it. Big mess and unnecessary. As long as you don't pour big buckets of water on the soil your tank will clear up quickly. If you are going for a natural planted tank this is your soil.

*** Update Week 2. I wanted to share the progress of use of fluval shrimp stratum. As week by week went on water is crystal clear. You may want to add two bags if you want plants since the pellets are so light my plants wouldn’t stay in the stratum. They would float right up to surface of water. Any time you add landscape the pellets will give off a dust or float. Don’t be alarmed, the dust settles back down quickly. So instead of getting another bag, I used plant anchors. They seem to be happy with plant anchors thus far. My PH was a bit high so I had to correct that before adding any fish. So it’s ready to add fish now and I can’t wait. I think it looks great with the landscape. I’m not done with my landscaping I still have the other corner to work. I have a couple of itty bitty baby tetra neons in there you can’t see them. They’re hiding, but if you make a little well in the pellets they like to hide in it. They don’t seem bothered by the stratum at all. I highly recommend this stuff, but best I to get two bags of whatever size you get, to get about 3 inches so your roots to plants will take to it easier is very light weight. Or do plant anchors. I bought this with the anticipation to set my tank up as a planted fresh water aquarium. Live plants apparently love this stuff and that it’s a good substrate for shrimp if you want to have any. Many reviews have complaints about cloudiness of water. I did this as a whole new tank setting up. I don’t recommend if you have fish already in yours. You treat it like you’re setting up a new one laying your landscape in, Anyway, I didn’t pre rinse. I don’t feel it’s necessary it only just makes the pellets soggy. The first day yes water will appear black and muddy. Let your filter do the work!! You may have to change your bio max bag out to a new one it does work. I have to get a new bio max filter since it worked hard to get this water cleared up since set up. First day, dark, black cloud. I even thought did I mess it it up? I should have taken a picture to show comparison and I forgot. Don’t be impatient or think you did something wrong. Just be patient let your filter do the work!! 5 hours later, a light cloudiness. I Next day, crystal clear water. You need patience for this! It’s not immediate. It may take anywhere from 6 hours-48 hours. It took 48 hours for mine to clear up. I need to clean off outside of my tank glass. I didn’t use the lay the bag over the pellets with a small bowl to fill tank with water method. I did just straight in with water pouring very slowly and softly. Water will fizz at first and it’s normal. And then I added the necessary water treatments to make it safe for fish for tap water, since I used tap water. Now I can’t wait until I set up the rest of my landscaping and add fish. I’ll post updates on when it’s done being set up.

This substrate has been amazing for my shrimp tank. My shrimp are breeding like crazy and my aquatic plants are growing really well too. The tank looks healthy and stable, and the substrate gives it a nice natural appearance. It was easy to work with and didn’t cause any issues in my setup. Definitely worth it if you’re building a planted shrimp tank. Highly recommend!

Works greats, helps a bunch with plants rotting. Doesn’t look bad in tank even with not rinsing it off it wasn’t too dusty. I recommend buying!

I bought this freshwater substrate for my aquarium setup and I’m really happy with it so far. It instantly improved the look of my tank and gave it that natural, clean “riverbed” feel I was going for. It was easy to rinse and didn’t cloud the water too badly once I set it up properly. My plants also seem to be doing better since using it, and everything feels more stable and natural for the fish. The texture is nice not too sharp, not too fine and it spreads evenly across the tank, which made aquascaping a lot easier than I expected. It really upgraded the overall appearance of my aquarium and made it look more professional. Overall, I’m very satisfied with this substrate and would definitely recommend it to anyone setting up a freshwater tank or upgrading their aquascape.

So far my plants are thriving in this. Looks great, the plants like it, great price, no real oder, what's not to like? My plants are growing really well.

Fish happiness. water clarity. Great size. Safety. Stability. Versatility. Highly recommend it. Satisfied.

I have been using normal sand in my nano aquarium from about last 1yr or so but now the plant growth started to reduce. This is the reason why I thought to try a substrate. This fluval is good, plants looks healthy now but nothing very exceptional to say. This pack is too much for my nano tank, i have half of the contents left in the packet.

great product

Recouvert de gravier, ne trouble pas l'eau du tout. Il faut verser l'eau lentement. A voir après au niveau de la pousse des plantes.

Bon Sol technique pour les crevettes et également très bien pour la pousse des plantes d'aquarium

The Fluval 12697 Plant substrate has worked really well for my initial aquarium setup and has made a noticeable difference in plant growth. It provides a strong foundation for aquatic plants, helping them establish roots quickly and grow in a healthy, stable way. For the price, especially when it goes on sale around 35 dollars, it feels like a very good value for what you get. In my experience, it performs best during the early stages of a planted tank when nutrients are still abundant in the substrate. Plants take off nicely and the tank develops a healthy, natural look relatively quickly. One thing to keep in mind is that, like most aquasoils, the nutrients do get used up over time, usually within about a year. After that point, plant growth may slow down unless you supplement it. I found that using fertilizer root tabs helps maintain healthy plant growth and keeps everything looking vibrant once the initial nutrients are depleted. Overall, it is a solid choice for planted aquariums, especially for starting a new setup. It gives plants a great head start, looks natural in the tank, and performs reliably as long as you plan for long term nutrient supplementation.