# stupid question about fluorite



## ewok (Feb 28, 2006)

i recently got a couple of bags of fluorite, and made the mistake of dumping them into a tank that already had water inside :doh: . i of course drained the tank and have since then made a few attempts to wash the fluorite. that appears to be a lost cause because despite rinsing more than half a dozen times, it refuses to clean itself. 
i only made that attempt with around 1/5 of the fluorite i had. but it seems to be the case that washing fluorite doesn't work? and it's probably better to aquascape with the fluorite and then gently add water? let me know if that's how it's done.
sorry it's such a stupid question - i've never used this stuff before...


----------



## legomaniac89 (Mar 19, 2008)

I used Flourite in my tanks and it does cloud the water, there's just no way around it. Add the Flourite, do your aquascaping, then gently add the water like you said. The water will still be cloudy, but with good filtration it should clear up after a day or so.

Washing Flourite is a pain because it never seems to run out of powder and sediment. I'd just not worry about washing it at all.


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

You can do a lot of good by washing just the top 1/2 inch of flourite well. Put the lower layers of flourite in without washing, then wash the last layer very well, which does take some time. Add it on top, and if you don't really stir up the substrate in planting or adding water you get very little cloudiness.


----------



## StrungOut (Nov 8, 2004)

You gotta keep on washing and rinsing it, its a long task but it can be done where it won't cloud the water, maybe a bit of resin stuff at the top.


----------



## ewok (Feb 28, 2006)

is it advisable to wash it out...?
i don't want to be washing out all the nutrients that are supposed to be in there?


----------



## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Flourite does not contain much nutrients. It is basically an inert substrate, with a good CEC. There is iron in it but I'm not sure how available the iron is to the plants. So, don't worry about washing the nutrients away.


----------



## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

hoppycalif said:


> Flourite does not contain much nutrients. It is basically an inert substrate, with a good CEC. There is iron in it but I'm not sure how available the iron is to the plants. So, don't worry about washing the nutrients away.


I agree is basically a more expensive version of SMS its got little more CEC and Iron also magnesium. However the MG isn't available for consumption until the stuff has been submerged for over a year. Tom Barr Tested this awhile back. honestly if you use SMS and just done adequate CSM+B, Id be surprised if you noticed any difference between the two.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

If you take out the top layer and let it completely dry out (you could use a hairdryer if you wanted to hurry things along), then put it back in the tank that should really make a difference. You'll still get some cloudiness when you plant and disturb the lower layer, though. If you're willing to let it all dry out- that would really help the most.


----------



## tjc (Jan 17, 2006)

My last set-up I put in the Fluorite, I filled my aquarium up with my Python water changer, used the vacuum to clean out the Fluorite, filled it up again, and vacuumed again. I had used this Fluorite in a pervious tank where I had washed it in buckets. Guess what? Everytime I disturb the substrate it still clouds the water. I don't think you can get it clean, but for some reason, I still think it's better to attempt to clean it than to just dump it in the tank even though evidence suggest otherwise.


----------



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I have always washed my flourite. I didn't have it cloud the water. Yes it took a long time but it was worth it. I kept rinsing until the water only had little chunks I could see, not dust. If it was me I would want to fix the issue and not have to deal with it anymore.


----------



## ruki (Jul 4, 2006)

I got so tired of this problem that I started getting the next generation of substrates (Eco Complete, ...)


----------



## ewok (Feb 28, 2006)

is there any way to filter out the cloudiness? is there a substrate that is fine enough to sift that clay dust out of the water?


----------



## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

The first time I ever used Fluorite I didn't know to wash it first, either- it took more than a week to settle down out of the water, but it finally did. I had to change the filter pad a few times b/c it got totally clogged.


----------



## Homer_Simpson (Apr 2, 2007)

I found that I got equivalent plant growth, with all other things being equal, using fluorite as using Schultz Aquatic Soil. The difference: After 100+ rinses and with water slowly being added to the tank, the water was still cloudy for the longest time with the Fluorite. With the Schultz Aquatic Soil, 10 rinses and the water was 100% clear. Cost wise: A bag of Fluorite costed me $34.99 and the same size bag of Schultz Aquatic Soil costed me $7.99. I set up a tank using ADA Aquasoil,again with all other things being equal, the Aquasoil beat the Fluorite and SAS hands down, so personally I would gladly pay more for the ADA Aquasoil given the magnitude of plant growth and the fact that the plants grown in it were just healthier overall with zero algae issues. I know other people have had issues with water cloudiness and ADA Aquasoil, but I never experienced this. Just my experience and two cents. Go with whatever works best for you.


----------

