# Flourite . . how long does this substrate last ??



## takechanmanus

This is a stupid question.

Flourite is rich in iron, but does that mean i do not need any additional iron like Flourish Iron ?? I think he amount of iron in Flourite is eventually gone by water change, plants absorption and so on. What do you think ??

Also, Flourite is porous clay. I wonder how long this porosity lasts ?? 

I just came up with this question because i hear people do lots of water changes, but no one says substrate changes due to the age of substrates . . 

:sorry: Sorry for this stupid question. Does anyone have any thought for that ? :help:


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## trenac

I think no one really knows exactly how long these planted subtrates last. I personally would use it as long as you are happy with it. I've had the same substrates for around 4 years. You will still need to add liquid ferts to the water column, since most plants asborb their nutrients through their leaves.


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## xcooperx

Check this out --- http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...8-flourite-about-iron.html?highlight=flourite


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## Justintoxicated

it's good stuff I prefer over Eco myself, I don't see how it would "wear out" really...not for a long long time.

No experience with ADA though...


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## Newt

Post this question in the Seachem sectiona nd see what they say. I have had it in my tank for 5 years and the plants are still growing strong. 

Some plants are root feeders and others absorb thru the leaves. So iron addition to the water would be necessary to the latter type plants. he nutrients in flourite do not leach into the water column, they are only available to the plant's roots.


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## Cavan Allen

> This is a stupid question.


I don't think so.



> Flourite is rich in iron, but does that mean i do not need any additional iron like Flourish Iron ??


That depends. If you have a really low tech, low light tank, you might be able to get away with not adding extra. Otherwise, you definitely will have to. Even in a low tech setup, adding more iron helps.

As long as you add ferts in sufficient quantities, it matters little if at all what substrate you have. I have a ton of _C. parva_ and they grow in a substrate that's half plain sand. I don't even bother with Flourish Tabs any more.


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## jude_uc

I think the biggest appeal of flourite is that it holds the plants down nicely and has a good grain size. For all intents and purposes, it is inert, so I don't think I would really count on it to give you too much iron. You may see some marginal benefit of some iron that plants can suck out of it, but they have to work pretty hard to get it out. I don't think the substrate really 'wears out' at all if you dose fertilizer, though you may need to vacuum it now and then to freshen it.

-Adam


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## takechanmanus

thanks for the info. Newt, I am going to post this question in the Seachem section. Hope they gonna give us some useful info


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## bristles

I have used flourite for years, I dose all my ferts micro & macro, I find that one of the main benefits of a clay based substrate is that it aids in the cation exchange. And this capability is not affected by age of substrate.


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## yxberia

Liquid fertilizer + trace are still needed even you have the most nutrient rich substrate. I have Deponit Mix + ADA Amazonia + GEX Plant Soil in one tank, but my rotala macrandra green is not doing good, until I dose liquid fertilizer.

I would say most stem plants absorpe liquid fertilizer via leaves better than their roots.


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## MatPat

bristles said:


> I find that one of the main benefits of a clay based substrate is that it aids in the cation exchange. And this capability is not affected by age of substrate.


While it seems that *most* clay based substrates have a decent cation exchange capacity (CEC), you should take a look at this article  Substrates for the Planted Tank  to make a better decision based on CEC and/or Iron content. It shows Flourite being right near the bottom on the CEC test with almost every other substrate performing better in CEC.

If you are using it for the iron content, you can also see from the article, there are quite a few other substrates that also have more iron in them, especially the clay based ones and I believe most are cheaper also. Whether or not the iron in any of the substrates is easily available to plants is another question 

However, Flourite is heavier than the most of the other "clay based" substrates in the article and people do have good luck with it. The "weight" of Flourite is the main reason I added a bag along with a couple of bags of Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil (Profile) in some of my old tanks. I am in agreement with Cavan, as long as you properly fertilize the water column, the substrate probably plays an insignificant role in a high tech tank.


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## takechanmanus

I posted this question in the Seachem section, and here is what I received from Seachem:

Despite some theoretical arguments to the contrary, in reality Flourite never needs to be replaced. Unlike some other substrates that are "charged" with nutrients before packaging, the iron, calcium, and magnesium in Flourite are integral to its structure. They are considered entirely insoluble, chemically speaking, and can only be acquired by plants through enzymatic action in the root zone. They absolutely do not leach into the water column to be removed through water changes, and there is enough in the structure of the substrate that it would be centuries before plants could utilize it all.

The porosity of the substrate can be considered the same way. It is integral to the physical structure of the compound. It doesn't collapse or break down, anymore than cement (which is also porous) will dissolve away when submerged. It simply doesn't happen in the real world.

Since the nutrients in Flourite are only available to the plant roots and do not leach into the water, supplementation with liquid products is still recommended. Flourite feeds the roots, while the liquids are available to the stems and leaves of the plants. Taking that one step further, the liquid products are generally not available to the roots of the plants, so if you want the root zone to have a full complement of nutrients outside the mineral composition of Flourite, you will need to use some root feeding products, such as Flourish Tabs.

Hope this helps!
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http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/seachem/32690-question-about-flourite-substrate.html


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