CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate - 20 lbs - Black Nutrient-Rich Soil for Freshwater Planted Tanks - Promotes Healthy Plant Growth & Water Stability

I love this product! Bought 4 bags and the color is consistent between them. There is a few off color pieces in the mix but not many and to me it wasn't a problem to just press them in and bury them. I have never used this. It comes with a tad bit of water in the bag. It claims that it has nutrients. I used it as a surface layer but under that I did dirt mixed with sand, followed by 1 inch of sand and about 3 inches of this stuff. It worked out well and now I have a very deep substrate. This is basically gravel but is not painted and I am sure my plants will love this. Very nice to look at. I didn't bother checking the PH since it is in a new tank and you really should wait a while before adding fish. I expected it to make the water decently cloudy but it didn't hardly change the water color at all. Maybe just a little bit. Nothing to worry about. And I did not rinse it at all. Much better than your standard gravel which for sure you need to rinse. I spent a lot of time searching for the right gravel and I am glad I bought this. Well packaged too. No leaks in the bag. It is kind of pricey though. That is why I used play sand under it and packed it down. It of course needed to be rinsed first. This product sets nicely on top of the sand under it and doesn't sink in much. You can easily save some money by just using this to cap off some sand. If you use lava rock under it then the heavier rocks will eventually work it's way to the surface so you probably don't want to do that.

Good product made easy by Amazon delivery.

Not so sure how it grows plants yet, but it was super easy to plant them in this stuff. just to let you know, it is just tiny crushed lava rocks, not soil. its inert substrate. its definitely a cheaper option, but you will have to use root tabs if you don't use a layer of aqua soil. it didn't cloud my water, which is nice, don't rinse it, because it comes with a liquid that's apparently full of beneficial bacteria. the color is nice, i got the black.you can get the 18lb for a 20 gallon long. i have about half an inch to an inch layer in the front and about 4 inches in some places near the back with left over. unless you want evenly 3 inches or something, 18 lb. should be enough.i will mention that i used a sand cap, and some of the sand has sifted through the gravel, but only time will tell how it holds up.

This product is terrific! It arrives ready-to-use, eliminating the dreaded chore of rinsing before use. It is a clean and safe gravel/substrate. It is exactly what I wanted while preparing to set up my new 40-gallon aquarium. I could not possibly be happier. My 40-gallon looks amazing and it is a wonderful substrate for my live plants.

Was expecting an actual aqua soil, didn't realize this was a rough edge gravel like material which is apparently volcanic rock soil with lots of minerals according to research which is fine, I like the black gravel look just concerned it might be rough on certain bottom dwelling fish like cories, or loaches. One bag was plenty enough for my 10gal long rimless bookshelf tank & deep enough for live plants

What I ordered and shipped quickly

Looks very good and had my 75gal tank cycled very fast.

I use about two inches of it beneath soil and a cap of sand and have experienced excellent plant growth with this setup.It’s an inert substrate so no nutrients like soil but over time it does absorb nutrients from the water column, which gets redistributed to plant roots as nutrients.Unlike other plants substrates, it doesn’t need to be replaced over time. It retains the ability to feed plants for years, which is a plus, imo.It’s packed in water with vital bacteria in it so it tends to cloud water during the first week or two. It’s a good idea to do several 50% water changes during this time to balance out your tank. After a few weeks, the cloudiness will clearPackaged arrived quickly and in good condition