# Activ-Flora = Flourite?



## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

Flourite 
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Flourite.html

Aluminum	10210

Barium	124

Calcium	195

Cobalt	6

Chromium	13

Copper	17

Iron	18500

Potassium	2195

Magnesium	2281

Manganese	64

Sodium	223

Nickel 12

Vanadium	15

Zinc 29



Activ-Flora
http://www.activflora.com/
* Elemental Analysis: * 
 Aluminum ..................10210
  Magnesium ................ 2281
  Barium ..........................124
  Manganese .....................64
  Calcium..........................195
  Sodium.........................223
  Cobalt...............................6
  Nickel............................12
  Chromium........................13
  Vanadium.......................15
  Copper ............................17
  Zinc...............................29
  Iron.............................18500
  Units=mg/kg
 Potassium .................... 2195


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

wOw! That's a little too exact...

How's the price difference?


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

about the same I think, but I've only seen it for sale online and shipping is crazy.


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## bradac56 (Feb 18, 2008)

Active Floria comes wet in about 12lb bags at Petco so it's in a nutrient bath similar to what Eco-Complete has at the factory. I've found that all three are very similar over the long run you just have to watch for early spikes in water chemistry with Eco and Active Floria as with anything I wouldn't just dump fish into the tank the same day you put it together.

- Brad


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

I sent seachem an email


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

FSM said:


> I sent seachem an email


Stating what?

This could easily be a third party manufacturer that makes both, or simply activ flora just took those numbers and made theirs match to copy a successful brand.


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## stpeteplanter (Dec 30, 2009)

I bought to bags of active flora from petco (maybe petsmart? I don't remember) a few weeks ago. I think the only difference was that the active flora comes in 'nutrient enriched liquid' and is a little finer with chunks of rock in it.


Heres a few photos I took a min ago of it in my 15g desk tank (not planted or stocked, yet)... I don't know what all you can really see, but you can see a few of the rocks that come in it, and those where the ones that just happened to be on the surface when I dumped it all in, I'm sure there's a lot more down in the substrate too.

edit; Oh, and see this http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/substrate/99132-active-flora-makes-cloudy-tank.html thread for all the trouble I've gone through with this substrate. I know all of this could've been avoided had I washed it good, or at all even, but the bag really does say not to. Meh.


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## FSM (Jan 13, 2009)

That looks more like eco-complete, while the "floracore" looks like flourite.


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## stpeteplanter (Dec 30, 2009)

That's what that is, is floracore. Or atleast it came in a floracore bag. Their website shows it to have actual gravel in it, and looks more like flourite. But when it comes out of the bag it is entirely sand with a few rocks and twigs in it, or atleast the two bags I got where.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

That is very fine in texture compared to Flourite.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

I have both the black (sand) active flora and the red colored stuff in my 36 gal. The Black sand is very fine grain. And the red is larger chunks of rock. Looks pretty good. Petco had Both brands in the store when I was in there.


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## Damian (Jun 17, 2009)

My goodness this substrate is a PITA when it comes to planting, water changes and such. It is very fine and kicks dust everywhere in the tank. I purchased two bags and took awhile to get it to clear but for the most part its been a decent substrate that has been able to grow most of what I have put into it. I did mix in some black gravel with the top layer to kinda keep that "dusting" from happening too much. Overall decent experience but I went amazonia on a nano and will never look back.


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## killacross (Oct 15, 2009)

I remember when I bought my first bag of Activ Flora ( from a Petco)...because I was having problems with Flourite (from a Petsmart)

its about the same price...$20 for a 15lb bag (flourite) or $20 for 16-20lb (AF) depending on the color

I have Activ Flora Floralite...which is extremely macroporous with (sem-rounded) coarse grains...and Activ Flora black which is more like a 1:3 sand/gravel mixture...

I remember looking at the make ups of both brands and deciding that they were close enough..but I dont remember them being the same. The only true difference tho is that the Activ Flora is supposed to come with the live bacteria to instantly cycle a tank (which is obviously not tru), so its wet inside the bag...but no need to prewash it...so I guess AF changed their formula bcuz if I remember correctly, it had less Fe and Ca, but significantly more Al.

personally, I love the Activ Flora over the flourite...and I have never had any lasting problems with initial cloudiness either (like i did w/ fluorite)...roud:


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