#fluval

@ollietherottweiler​ Please forgive the quality of the photos, bad time of day for lighting where the tank is! Our tank is not as nice and big as yours is, ours is just an old 10 gallon that I keep mostly so I can have a Betta. This is its current incarnation.

These are both front shots of the tank, from slightly different angles. The population consists of the Fffabulous Mr Ffffish and his companions, a few Endlers, some shrimp, and snails.

So I had tried my first attempt of “aquascaping” a couple of weeks ago. I was trying to create a healthy environment for my betta and my plants alike, so I decided to try the flourite substrate. Not only was it beyond messy, I felt like it was rough on the plants while planting them. Here’s a pic of the first attempt using flourite.

I couldn’t even begin to see to the back of the tank. I made sure to fill the tank slowly and using a plate to help not disturb the substrate. This is what it looked like about 4 or 5 days later. I was still very unimpressed.

I could never seem to get it any clearer than that. I finally gave up and decided to dip into the funds some more and try a more professional substrate. I chose fluval stratum. I did a lot more research and decided it was time to try again. Also, I was never really happy with the way my first “aquascaping” turned out.

I’m sure my plants are very mad at me, but hopefully they will make it.

And this is my final attempt that I am actually pretty proud of. The substrate was amazing. The sand was the hardest part to work with. The plants held better and I didn’t feel like I was hurting them when I planted them. I’m sure flourite works fine for more experienced keepers, but I’d never buy it again. I give fluval stratum 5 stars and a thumbs up :)