Fluval Plant and Shrimp Stratum, 8.8 lbs.

Fluval Plant and Shrimp Stratum, 8.8 lbs. removed from the wishlist

DETAILS

Description

Collected from the mineral-rich foothills of Mount Aso Volcano in Japan, Fluval Stratum makes an ideal alternative substrate for planted aquariums and those featuring shrimp.

- Encourages strong plant growth - roots easily penetrate and spread throughout substrate to obtain key nutrients
- Porous structure allows for rapid colonization of beneficial nitrifying bacteria
- Helps support neutral to slightly acidic pH - ideal for most plants, tropical fish and shrimp normally kept in planted aquariums
- Provides newborn shrimp with a refuge from predators until they are large enough to emerge
- Will not discolor water and helps control organic discoloration when natural driftwood is present
- For use in freshwater aquariums

Please note that the product information displayed is provided by manufacturers, suppliers and other third parties and is not independently verified by Petco.

Specifications

SKU	2769446
Primary Brand	Hagen
Days to Ship	Ships Next Business Day
Weight	8.8 LB

Description

Collected from the mineral-rich foothills of Mount Aso Volcano in Japan, Fluval Stratum makes an ideal alternative substrate for planted aquariums and those featuring shrimp.

- Encourages strong plant growth - roots easily penetrate and spread throughout substrate to obtain key nutrients
- Porous structure allows for rapid colonization of beneficial nitrifying bacteria
- Helps support neutral to slightly acidic pH - ideal for most plants, tropical fish and shrimp normally kept in planted aquariums
- Provides newborn shrimp with a refuge from predators until they are large enough to emerge
- Will not discolor water and helps control organic discoloration when natural driftwood is present
- For use in freshwater aquariums

Please note that the product information displayed is provided by manufacturers, suppliers and other third parties and is not independently verified by Petco.

Specifications

SKU	2769446
Primary Brand	Hagen
Days to Ship	Ships Next Business Day
Weight	8.8 LB

Reviews

Rating Snapshot

Select a row below to filter reviews.

5 stars

176

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 stars

Overall Rating

4.6

120 out of 129 (93%) reviewers recommend this product

Review this Product

Adding a review will require a valid email for verification

Customers say

Customers overwhelmingly praise this substrate for exceptional plant growth and shrimp compatibility. Most report dramatic improvements in plant health, with even struggling species flourishing after switching. Reviewers consistently highlight thriving shrimp and stable water parameters, particularly low pH and zero KH levels ideal for sensitive species. Many call it their go-to choice after trying alternatives. A few mention initial cloudiness that clears quickly, and some note the substrate's fragility during rearrangement. Overall, customers consider it a top-tier investment for planted and shrimp aquariums.

Most Helpful Favorable Review

Do not rinse it or youll be in a world of hurt

Daniieeell

7 years ago

Good media but i found out the hard way rinsing it isnt the way to go. If you lo...

Show Full Review

118 PEOPLE FOUND THIS HELPFUL

Show Reviews:

and

Most Helpful Critical Review

Nope nope nope

5 years ago

Followed all directions, yet still, a month later, I could flick a lead and ther...

Show Full Review

25 PEOPLE FOUND THIS HELPFUL

Show Reviews:

and

Customer Images

Filter Reviews

Search topics and reviews search region

1 - 8 of 157 Reviews

70 Ratings-Only Reviews

Excellent soft substrate. Rinse first, then add water onto a plate or plastic bag to reduce cloudiness. After running the filter overnight the water was crystal clear. Plants and tetras are added and prepared for my shrimp!

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

Response from petco.com:

1 month ago

Customer Care

Thank you for your feedback! We strive to provide quality substrates that create a safe, thriving aquatic environment, and we hope your plants, tetras, and new shrimp enjoy their wonderful setup!

I thought people were upselling this but it’s great! All my fish love this, plants too.

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

Response from petco.com:

1 month ago

Customer Care

Appreciate the shout! Glad it's working out.

Fluval Plant and Shrimp Stratum is a standard substrate for the aquarium hobbit.

No, I do not recommend this product.

Helpful?

Product came as described in good condition and quickly would buy from this company again.

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

This is great dirt for the plants. However when you first use it your water will turn black. Don't worry, it will not hurt the fish, and it will clear up in a day or so. Your plants will love it and the water will get really clear in a short time.

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

I bought this because I wanted a live plant take with Live bearing fish. I'm new to this but I just wasted money on this because it lowers the PH and KH to the point my fish couldn't breathe. I just tossed it all and have a huge project ahead of me and more money spent. Only get this if you know what your doing. It's probably only for shrimp.

No, I do not recommend this product.

Helpful?

Great product, home delivered. I can't expect better. Thanks!

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

This substrate seems great! smells like dirt, it will make ur aquarium cloudy even if you rinse it. Heres how I went from the first picture to the second picture. First I took everything out of my current aquarium, yes everything including the gravel- you need to start bare with no water. I took an extra metal dog bowl and poured the substrate in gradually and gently rinsed it three-four times with cold water. After this I put it at the bottom of my tank and gently flattened it out with my fingers. Do not press on them, it is dirt in a ball form, it will break, leading to cloudy water. Once I had all the substrate in, I capped it off with black gravel. capping it off will help keep your water clear. After this, I put the dog bowl in the tank to help displace pouring the water in. You don't want to pour it directly on the substrate because it will cause it to cloud up again. After this you should have a decent look, but when you put your plants in it will bring some of that dirt back out from you pushing your fingers into the dirt. What you want to do from this step is get some seachem purigen. It comes in a big bag, but you can cut it and put some of it in an organza bag, then put it in your filter. This stuff is a life saver and will clear up your water within a few hours. I put the substrate in last night, and this morning woke up to a clear tank because of this stuff! Happy aquascaping, I will try to update in the future with plant growth.

Yes, I recommend this product.

Helpful?

1 - 8 of 157 Reviews

Questions

1 - 10 of 16 Questions

1 year ago

Is this ok for betta fish tank? I wanted to do a live plants aquarium to lessen algae. To use this for plants and betta. Saw a youtube said it was ok.

1 year ago
It should be ok.

Helpful?

2 years ago

Does this substrate leach Phosphates like CaribSea Eco Complete Black Planted Substrate? That stuff created a nightmare of green slime algae in my new FW 75g.

6 years ago

How many bags would I need for a 50 gallon tank?

6 years ago
Depends on Length x Width x Height your substrate and your plants. You can use cubic calculation to estimate. My tank is using 10 Fluval Plant bags (8.8lb) for 3/4"

Helpful?

6 years ago

Has anyone used this for planting outside the aquarium. I'm looking at starting a garden and I've been having troubles finding volcanic soil to grow it in.

6 years ago
You can use Fluval substrate and Clay Pebbles to replace volcanic soil. I guess you're looking for aquaponic system. You can refer to this model on youtube or google.

Helpful?

6 years ago

Will one 8.8lbs bag be enough for my 36 gallon tank?

5 years ago
It depends on the bottom surface area of your tank, but I used full 4kg (8.8lb) to my 60P tank. And I believe 60P is 17 gal or so of volume, the dimension should be 60cmx30cm or something. Assume your 36gal isn't tall cylinder or odd shaped but boring rectangular, if thin one bag, if heavy 1.5in or more then two?

Helpful?

6 years ago

How many square inches does this cover and to what depth?

6 years ago
Used for 10 gallons around 2inch depth, for planted tank you must need atleast 2 inch from your tank bottom glass level. Many people doing 2.5 inches too for better roots health for plants. I mixed it with some soil as well upto 3 inch. I hope this helps. I used 17.5lbs bag for 10 gallon max. People says you can use for 15 gallons but I don’t recommended as you plan for planter tank.

Helpful?

6 years ago

Does it grow algae? Also looking for other algae growing plants for Amano Shrimps. Thanks.

6 years ago
My tank definitely grew algae. I don't know if it was because of this though.

Helpful?

6 years ago

How large a tank does one tank fill on average? Will one bag be enough for a 20 gallon long?

6 years ago
I've use one bag to cover my 29 gallon tank. Though, I mounded most of the soil in the center of my tank, but it does cover the entire bottom from 1/2 inch to 1 inch. I then covered the soil with about gravel to keep it down.

Helpful?

7 years ago

I've heard of complaints in actually placing the plants in the substrate as it doesn't hold them down very well, does anyone else have these problems?

7 years ago
I have had no problem placing pants in the substrate. I use aquascaping tools to place the plant in deeply, I also have no bottom feeders like cory fish that would disrupt the plants. If you have bottom feeders then this substrate won't work for you.

Helpful?

7 years ago

has anybody mixed this with any other substrate? would it be ok to do so?

2 years ago
Pea gravel from box hardware store. Wash pea gravel first put layer of pea gravel on bottom of tank. Then put aquarium substrate. It holds down plants better as well.

Helpful?