Caribsea Flora-Max Sand

I'm giving it 4 stars because it does exactly what it advertises, but it comes with several warnings. I purchased this substrate from a local pet store about 5 months ago so I've had some time to play with it. My plants look awesome. Lots of new growth and big, green leaves with little fertilization thus far and the dark color really enhances the fish and plant color. See photo.Warnings: It is very dirty, so give it a rinse before putting in tank and place a plate in the tank when filling to prevent agitating the grains. It may also raise the PH of the water so it is wise to monitor PH before placing livestock in the tank. It is also very sharp and may not be the best substrate for gravel diggers like corys or goldfish. All of my corys are suffering from shortened barbels (water quality is closely monitored). I have 5 corys and I am concerned for their long term health so, it is for this reason that I am switching to sand.

Like:Maybe it's actually good for plants. I haven't added anything yet since my tank looks terrible now.Dislike:Nowhere close to being sand. The grains are at least 3 mm each. It does not mix well with my current sand.The color is not "Midnight" black. In the picture, it can be seen as somewhat black, but once in the water, it is just brown. This is another reason it does not mix well with my black substrate.Very dusty. I used the included BioMagnet Clarifier and it was still cloudy for a while. It took me 3 full water changes to get it clear. Once I run my hand across the substrate, it gets cloudy again. So, I had to repeatedly mix the substrate up and change water.There are a lot of random grains that are not dark colored at all. I had to pick them out one by one.I already have hard water with higher pH so this might not be the best for it, but at least this info was labeled on the packaging rather than then being misleading like the other things I've noted.

This is most definitely not sand. However, I like it. It does what the product information states it will do. I have it exposed in my tank and in some areas covered with gravel. I dropped some small lilly pads into the tank that I got from a local pond and my koi ate the leaves right off the get. But the root bases sunk to the bottom and rooted in this substrate and started to grow. Other plants took to it right away as well. Fish and negrate snails (can't reproduce in fresh water) are doing great with it. This tank: 3 cori cats. 4 negrate snails and 2 wintering goldfish and 2 wintering smaller koi.

So this is my first time doing a planted aquarium so I'll probably update this review as time passes.I just wanted to note that this stuff does need to be washed before putting it into your aquarium. It clouded up my aquarium really badly, and I've been running my filter for a day now and things are not quite clear yet. So if you purchase this stuff, be sure to put it in a bucket and run it through some water a few times so that your aquarium does not get cloudy.

This is shale not sand. It's the perfect size for plant roots. Yes as with most substrates it needs rinsed. No there is no oil in it as suggested by some. It is the extremely tiny particles clinging together and floating. Can be removed with a paper towel or just run filter it will go away. The reddish hue looks great with plants. Great substrate but remember lighting, water parameters, and Co2 are all important for success.

If you buy this - which I suggest you avoid - hose it off. 25% of the bag is a fine silt - if you don't believe me, drop it into a cup of water before you put it in your aquarium. The crap takes 72hrs to clear, and can be stirred to with just tidal currents at the top.It's almost like its broken charcoal - not even Walmart grade.

Great plant growth.

Working well for me..plants are doing great...

Este producto se aprecia muy bien en el acuario pero no satisface los requisitos de plantas exigentes!Lo recomiendo solo para plantas simples que no sean tan difíciles de mantener.

It seems better to stop selling if there seems to be problems with products of this degree.

exacto lo que compre