Ultum Nature Systems Controsoil - Planted Aquarium Substrate Soil for Fish Tank, Natural Freshwater Aquatic Plants, Shrimp, Aquascape - Black (Fine, 1 Liter)

This is great substrate for planted aquariums. I love that it is low ammonia because beneficial bacteria don’t need a lot to ramp up. I combine this with the APT S Starter Bacteria underneath and it cycles the tank in two to three weeks without fail. The small ammonia release from this substrate is perfect for the bacteria and results in zero ammonia and zero nitrite with low nitrate in a very short period of time. This isn’t nutrient rich like Amazonia but you can crush up root tabs and sprinkle them on top of the APT S before you pour in the Contrasoil for a boost. I usually do this and dark start the aquarium per the APT S instructions and the results are great. Low algae and great plant growth.Because this is partially made from volcanic ash it really soaks up things and keeps your tank clean as well. It’s strange but it does absorb a lot of impurities like advertised. This soil with Purigen makes a crystal clear aquarium. It’s definitely best for clarity.All in all, a great product. Thanks UNS!

Amazing substrate! Can’t go wrong with it! The substrate when rinsing it off is very dirty and messy so keep that in mine! It will also make your tank very cloudy but it clears up within around 4 hours (if you have your filter going, in this case I have a sponge filter) or overnight without a filter. The next morning the water was crystal clear, I’ll probably update within a couple of months to see if my plants are doing any better than the gravel they were in but I have high hopes for this soil.This soil does great for bottom feeders! I have cory catfish and a betta in a 10 gallon tank and my cory’s now love to lift their behinds up to dig into the soil because it’s so soft and light weight. I’d highly recommend this for any bottom feeders that aren’t rough with the soil because the pellets CAN break and turn into little crumbles of dust or dirt.UPDATE: Still a really good substrate! I added Ludwigia Repens to my tank and they grew so fast along with the hornwort which I added a couple of weeks ago. My betta fish loves resting on it and weaving through the overgrown plants BUT the only thing is that the darkest shade that it comes in is two or three shades light so black is brown and brown is tan. I got the black/brown and it’s a dirty brown-tan color. It’s perfectly fine because I’ll be topping it off with Fluval but this is a better bang for your buck if you wanted Fluval but wanted a big bag.Update 2023:It’s still going strong and continues to help my aquatic plants thrive! I did realize that you need to wash the soil out a lot and wait a good amount of time for the black to really set in. After a few months the color changed from brown/tan to black with spots of brown throughout. It’s been a minute since I’ve bought this soil and the price has gone down drastically (by $30) so I’ll definitely be buying myself another back to touch up on the old soil.

I’ve used a lot of substrates and this one was by far the cleanest. Required significantly less rinsing to get clean enough to put in my newest tank. Plant growth has been good and the overall appearance just shows what a good quality substrate this stuff really is. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a good planted tank substrate.

This substrate is really great. It was easy to incorporate, did not interfere with my tank’s cycle, required no rinsing, and is keeping my Amazon swords tall and healthy. I just got another bag for my nerite snails and will purchase again.

I bought a 3 liter bag to mix in with seachem flourite in my low light planted 29 gallon tank. So far I have been impressed with it.Pros:-Good plant growth so far-Doesn't cloud up the water too much-Looks very natural-Settles very quickly and doesn't stir up easilyCons:-Not a lot of product for the money-Not true black, actually dark brown-If you break it apart when first adding to the tank it will turn your water blackMy mistake when using it is that I decided to rinse it first and I stirred it while doing so. This broke up the substrate and turned my water opaque black. However, it settled very quickly and has been very clean since. I think it is a good option for an aquasoil.

I bought the Xfine Brown and very happy with the color. It appears darker brown, but under water and my ONF Light, the color takes on a lighter tone. This works extremely well with Dragon Stone. It is indeed very fine and so easy to work with. I did NOT rinse it. I placed my hardscape in, then planted into the substrate dry, misting the plants. When I filled the tank, there were floaters, but the moment you placed your fingers on them, they sunk. None of my microsword plants floated to the top, or other plants. The next day, the tank was completely clear, I was astonished actually. In fact, I'm ready to release my Betta as all my numbers are spot on and the temperature is perfect. I highly recommend for its fine texture, ease of planting, no rinsing and finally, it really looks amazing !

This bag was my first ever to use. I wish I had known about it sooner !!!!!! Easy to use, I planted aquatic plant seeds in it, It’s been a week and they have sprouted well and the roots are thriving in the substrate, No washing before use. Tiny tiny bit of cloudiness when I added water, Cleared very fast !

I was hoping these would be bigger in size but there is a decent mix of size in there. I just would prefer them to be larger in size. Nice replacement for Fluval Stratum.