# Fluorite Question



## larraho (Jul 16, 2014)

I'm doing a 10 gallon planted with the remainder of a bag of Fluorite that I have. It's very "dirty" and kicks up a LOT of crud whenever I mess with anything in the iother tanks that I have it in. 
The Amazon reviews fall two ways - 1. Yes, rinse it till all the water runs clear. And 2. Don't rinse it! You're paying for all the nutrients in it, why would you want to rinse that off?
So, what's the way to go? When I used it before, it was just for two little 3gallon tanks and I sort of split the difference and rinsed it a little. It still gets plenty dirty if I do a partial water change or fiddle with a plant. The directions on the bag do say to rinse, but not how thoroughly.
Thanks for your collective expertise.


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## BambooTikiBettaGirl84 (Jun 29, 2014)

This is from my own personal experience with the product but this doesn't mean my word is law. I actually rinsed mine out because I really didn't want my water to get muddy and clouded. I didn't use just Flourite though, I had a bag of Flourite mixed with a bag of Eco-Complete. So far I haven't had any issues with it in my tank but I did cap it off with sand and gravel. Sand and gravel will keep the product from kicking up any excess debris. If you have problems when changing water, what I would do is use a caulender or low rimmed bowl to pour the water back into the tank with. This keeps the water from making a big divit in your substrate and lessens the amount of stuff that will fly around.


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## givemethatfish (Feb 10, 2014)

I have Floramax, which I'm not sure is exactly the same thing as Fluorite or not. But I rinsed the bejeezus out of it before I put it into the tank. The water was running clear. But it ALWAYS gives off crud when I vacuum it. MUCH more so than sand or other gravel in same-sized tanks. I think the substrate itself must just break down as it sits in the water?


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## taquitos (Jun 27, 2013)

larraho said:


> I'm doing a 10 gallon planted with the remainder of a bag of Fluorite that I have. It's very "dirty" and kicks up a LOT of crud whenever I mess with anything in the iother tanks that I have it in.
> The Amazon reviews fall two ways - 1. Yes, rinse it till all the water runs clear. And 2. Don't rinse it! You're paying for all the nutrients in it, why would you want to rinse that off?
> So, what's the way to go? When I used it before, it was just for two little 3gallon tanks and I sort of split the difference and rinsed it a little. It still gets plenty dirty if I do a partial water change or fiddle with a plant. The directions on the bag do say to rinse, but not how thoroughly.
> Thanks for your collective expertise.


Fluorite is inert -- it's just fragmented clay pieces, and the minerals in the clay pieces provide the plants with nutrients  So you can wash it as much as you want.

I use Fluorite Black and I washed it for well over an hour and the first time I put it in my 10 gallon it made a HUGE mess!

This time when I used it in my 4 gallon I had much better luck. The key is to wash it, and then let it dry, and then add it in your tank (dry) and very very VERY slowly add water to the tank.

It's a little tricky, but plants grow very well in it 

Good luck!


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## mpooyan83 (Apr 12, 2014)

Eco-Completed > Flourite by far in my opinion.

Just tear the bag and dump it in. no rinsing. convenience and good looking.


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## larraho (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks all! I'm going to try that @taquitos... That seems to make sense to me to dry it. If the sun gets shining here in a little bit I'll try to set it out there. 
I haven't had too much other substrate experience other than Fluorite, but I like it okay. My plants are growing pretty well. I'm just not thrilled with all the dirt kicking up. Thanks!


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## taquitos (Jun 27, 2013)

larraho said:


> Thanks all! I'm going to try that @taquitos... That seems to make sense to me to dry it. If the sun gets shining here in a little bit I'll try to set it out there.
> I haven't had too much other substrate experience other than Fluorite, but I like it okay. My plants are growing pretty well. I'm just not thrilled with all the dirt kicking up. Thanks!


Good luck!

And just a note -- it will NEVER run clear haha  and I find once you have it in, it does kick up some grossness when you move it around, but clears up rather quickly.


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## larraho (Jul 16, 2014)

I rinsed it (fluorite in 5 gal bucket, cover with water, swish with hands, dump and repeat) about 2 dozen times. We ended with an acceptable shade of translucent brown. Now it's on an old beach towel in the sun on my sidewalk. Should probably check the forecast for rain. :/
I'm hopeful that it'll work a little better than my previous tries. But I might go another direction with substrate if I have to do this again! Haha
Thanks!


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## mpooyan83 (Apr 12, 2014)

lol, yea, almost every review I've read, people complain about the process of prepping it and end up never using it again. which is what made me choose Eco complete.


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## Islandgaliam (Jan 27, 2014)

I am currently using Eco-Complete with floraspore...in the last 6 months, I have used flourite, sand, gravel, and a mix of them all...and so far, I am doing the best with the Eco-Complete; I haven't had a problem with clouding the water whatsoever  I just open the bag, dump it in and slowly add the water. And when adding Eco-Complete to my water filled tank, I do put it in a 1-cup measuring cup, slowly lower it to the bottom and spread it...works like a charm


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## Pandanke (Jun 16, 2014)

I use Flourite (1 inch) capped by Eco Complete (1 inch) and *sometimes* capped by Pool Filter Sand (.5 inch) because my stem plants like to become floaters otherwise.

My secret is to not wash it. At all. I just fill up the tank slowly with a breeder box (any slotted container which lets the water flow out slower is fine, I've used my rice rinsing bowl before) - it'll puff up for about 1-5 minutes but the water is crystal clear after.

When messing with it, it can puff up but again, gone quick. The secret is definitely capping it. It is great because of the high CEC, it absorbs nutrients well, I use DIY O+ Root Tabs with it.


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## Pattysos1 (Oct 20, 2021)

larraho said:


> I'm doing a 10 gallon planted with the remainder of a bag of Fluorite that I have. It's very "dirty" and kicks up a LOT of crud whenever I mess with anything in the iother tanks that I have it in.
> The Amazon reviews fall two ways - 1. Yes, rinse it till all the water runs clear. And 2. Don't rinse it! You're paying for all the nutrients in it, why would you want to rinse that off?
> So, what's the way to go? When I used it before, it was just for two little 3gallon tanks and I sort of split the difference and rinsed it a little. It still gets plenty dirty if I do a partial water change or fiddle with a plant. The directions on the bag do say to rinse, but not how thoroughly.
> Thanks for your collective expertise.


Hi just wanted to ask if the betta had any issues with the change to this clay flourite because mine started turning white on the body like patchy weird so I took him out and put him in clean water and he is okay now. Has this ever happened to you?


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