# Best long term substrate



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Only substrate I've used that long is Flourite. No issues other than it needs to be rinsed really well before using it.

I've heard promising reports of Mineralized Soil, however- and I hope to never have to replace it in my tanks where I'm currently setting it up!


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## chuukus (Jun 17, 2008)

Yes Laura is right Flourite will last 5 years+ and you cant go wrong with flourite it comes in a good variety of colors and sand. Eco Complete will last but from my experiences it doesnt look like what the website shows. The eco I bought had lots of tiny peices of crushed coral mixed in the bag. I wanted an all black substrate not black with random peices of all different colors. If you buy flourite prepare yourself for lots of rinsing.


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## jackpot21n (Jan 5, 2009)

Thanks for the replies.

What actually is mineralized top soil. I know that it is soil that is washed and rinsed and dried a bunch of times. Is it just like sand when it is ready? Does the flourite wear away the barbles of cories? I thought I read that somewhere. And what about akadama or turface?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Check out the sticky at the top of the forum for more info on Mineralized Soil- sounds like you've got the basic gist, though.

IMO that flourite and Cory barbel issue is a myth- IMO that was more likely from a bacterial infection unrelated to Flourite, I've kept cories on flourite for years and years with no issues at all.

I've never used akadama and don't know much about it other than I think it's high in organics so needs to be treated similarly to ADA Aquasoil.

Turface is a comparable product to Soil Master Select (SMS).


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## DarioDario (Nov 8, 2008)

Ya bump for Flourite Black Sand, I wish I went with it before I chose Normal FLourite and I got really sick of the red dust clouds.


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## jackpot21n (Jan 5, 2009)

Thanks again.

I read the sticky on mineralized topsoil. Sounds like mineralized topsoil works great but I dont want to layer a substrate. I also think it would be to powdery. Just one simple substrate that can be stirred up and cleaned once in a while.

I did have a thought about the mineralized topsoil. Say after you made the slurry with the clay, you laid it out on a cookie sheet ant let it dry and harden, or bake it for that matter, Then broke it up with a hammer or something into gravel. Would that stuff just turn into the slurry again when left in the tank for a while? Would the plants get the nutrients out of it still?

Does the flourite black sand compact a lot? When you clean it do you siphon it like normal gravel? What about the onyx sand? Is it just as sandy as the black sand or bigger grains?

What is the difference between EC and Flourite?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I've never used EC, so someone else will have to chime in on that one.

Flourite can easily vacuum right out of a tank- I don't ever clean the substrate on my planted tanks (I let the plant roots take care of debris that falls down to their level, and I don't want to damage their root systems by trying to push a vacuum down there).

No compaction issues with either Flourite black sand or the regular Flourite black.

I think that baking mineralized soil would destroy the whole point- you'll kill the bacteria colony that mineralized the soil.


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## jackpot21n (Jan 5, 2009)

Maybie I just dont understand. I know that bacteria takes a part in making the MTS, but once there is nothing left but minerals there would also be no bacteria left either. Hence no smell? The bacteria eats the organics, right?


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## Fat Man (Nov 2, 2006)

Thats close Jackpot. Basically when you mineralize the soil you are composting the small pieces of organic matter that you didn't sift out. Compost doesn't necessarily smell either, especially if it's done aerobically, it depends on what is composting. There would still be bacteria there just at a reduced level.


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## jackpot21n (Jan 5, 2009)

Thanks Fatman

So is the bacteria that remains on the MTS beneficial to the aquarium, or can we do without it? If I baked the slurry till it hardened and then broke it into small gravel pieces, do you think it will just soften in the water? I like the benifets of the MTS but I do not want to layer the substrate and I want to be able to deep clean the gravel every once and a while.


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