The Filth of Flourite

Flourite is nasty stuff... when you fill the tank, do it very VERY slowly, or you'll have a repeat of your washing experience.

Very strange...
Didn't have any problems with Flourite I have in the 10 gallon tank.

Jamie, if you've rinsed it, put it in the tank, arrange it the way you like, and then put a small bowl in the tank on top of it and fill the bowl and let it over flow to fill the tank slowly. This will keep any agitation off the substrate and keep the cloudiness down.
I didn't wash my last batch for my ten gal. tank at all(15lbs) and I filled it like above and had no clouding at all.
Just fill it very slowly.
Len

The cloudiness will eventually settle out if you have it in your tank already. Just be very careful when washing the gravel!

(This sounds like a bad cotton commercial: "The clay, the filth of Fluorite, the substrate of our tanks...")

Originally posted by Jamie
I love how everything is turning out. I have a very nice slope of about 5in in the back to about 2in in the front. It is a very pleasant transition over the 24in from front to back.

Click to expand...

I hope you can keep it that way! I started out with a nice little slope too, but just over a year later I have about 2 inches in the front, and more like 1 inch in the back. I don't know how I managed it

."..it was like liquid clay."

Yes. On the one hand, it's hell to work with unwashed. On the other hand, those fines and clay particles are what give Flourite its high cation exchange capacity. Phosphate sticks to those particles, and other nutrients too.

I think it's tempting to overwash Flourite.

I use a section of tubing in the corner to make a temporary well, siphon out every drop I can get, spritz down the walls and and rocks and plants and all, and resiphon. That way all that good nasty claylike stuff gets down into the Flourite, where I want it. The top has been spritzed clean-ish. Then mature gravel makes a thin topcoat to kickstart the nitrogen cycle.

...and thair ya go!