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Fluval bio-stratum vs Tropica vs Neo soil


Vítor
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Hey guys i don't know if this is in the right topic but anyone have tried fluval bio stratum,neo soil , tropica soil. Which is the best? I jus have some red root floaters,probably will have Montecarlo, Ludwigia repens,elodeas,foxtail,java moss, and probably will get some more i don't knoe which ones yet. I won't have Co2. I did like the bio stratum because of some reviews saying that it doesn't leech that much of nutrients,but what do you guys think would be more apropriate for me?

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I've done a 20 long planted tank with Fluval stratum and another with UNS controsoil. I haven't tried neo soil or tropica yet, but I strongly recommend controsoil. Similar to fluval stratum it does not leach ammonia into water column. In addition, controsoil makes planting easy as compared to stratum where my plants would constantly be uprooted a few days after planting. I see that Fluval now has bio stratum with a smaller granule size. That could help for planting but that will not be ideal for long term root development. I'm using the largest size granules from the controsoil lineup and planting was still a breeze. Plus you can choose between the black or brown substrate color. I greatly prefer the brown substrate because it looks natural and hides fish poop extremely well. 

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On 4/30/2023 at 11:34 PM, pauldhein said:

I've done a 20 long planted tank with Fluval stratum and another with UNS controsoil. I haven't tried neo soil or tropica yet, but I strongly recommend controsoil. Similar to fluval stratum it does not leach ammonia into water column. In addition, controsoil makes planting easy as compared to stratum where my plants would constantly be uprooted a few days after planting. I see that Fluval now has bio stratum with a smaller granule size. That could help for planting but that will not be ideal for long term root development. I'm using the largest size granules from the controsoil lineup and planting was still a breeze. Plus you can choose between the black or brown substrate color. I greatly prefer the brown substrate because it looks natural and hides fish poop extremely well. 

In my zone,i don't have that substrate,the one i mentioned before are the ones that are available here. When i said stratum i was referring to the bio-stratum, do you guys think for Ludwigia repens, Montecarlo would go well in this one?

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On 5/1/2023 at 1:14 AM, Vítor said:

In my zone,i don't have that substrate,the one i mentioned before are the ones that are available here. When i said stratum i was referring to the bio-stratum, do you guys think for Ludwigia repens, Montecarlo would go well in this one?

When I had the stratum it was very light. I am using contrasoil now, this is similar to the tropica one you mentioned, and it is ever so slightly more dense (more user friendly in my view.  I would recommend either tropica or the contrasoil based on my own experience.  That being said, they all are very similar and it is often recommended to go with the one where the price makes sense for you.  The neo soil is a bit different than all of the other soils and I do not know if it works well.  I haven't heard about how well it works.  I do know @Lennie is trying it out in his tank and can report his experiences!

 

Edited by nabokovfan87
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On 5/5/2023 at 9:22 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

I do know @Lennie is trying it out in his tank and can report his experiences!

I have tropica aquasoil in 3 tanks.

I tried lots of different plants and easy red plants like alternanthera and ludwigia varieties, all did well and got their red color easily with good light and aquasoil.

Tropica does leech. I keep up with big water changes once every two days for 3 weeks with established filter media introduced. Then it balances itself out in my opinion. Also it generally depends on how much aquasoil you have used in what tank size.

In my 10g betta tank, It took much longer to clear out ammonia as I covered all bottom size in a 10g tank size. But for example, in my 42g tank, I partially have aquasoil and a lot of sand based on the aquascape. It cleared much easier.

All you have to do is lots of water changes and I understand it can be annoying to do once every two days. But in terms of plant growth and health, I am really happy about it.

 

Idk about other options, never tried them. I was gonna give neo soil a chance, but I've been sent a shrimp soil instead of plant. So I refunded and got tropica again.

Edited by Lennie
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