Ultum Nature Systems Controsoil – Aquarium Substrate Soil Porous Gravel for Natural Aquatic Freshwater Planted Fish Tank, Brown (Fine, 1 Liter)
$23.99
Price: $23.99
(as of Apr 18, 2025 17:55:01 UTC – Details)
From the brand
Variety of Ultra Clear Tanks
Prism
Inside the System
Dual All-In-One
Foresta Integrated Paludarium
Everything for your hobby
Plant Food
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
Package Dimensions : 8.94 x 4.96 x 3.19 inches; 2 Pounds
Date First Available : April 4, 2017
Manufacturer : Marfied
ASIN : B07L4ZXL3M
Designed For Planted Aquariums – Granule composition and sizes provide optimal oxygen exchange and rich nutrients for aquatic plants
Optimal For Fish And Shrimp – Suitable for all freshwater inhabitants such as tropical fish and shrimp that prefer slightly acidic aquarium water
Fast Cycling – Controsoil does not contain additional nutrients, resulting in quicker new tank cycles so you can add your livestock!
No Rinsing Required – Add as much substrate as you need, while aquascaping, straight from the bag! Please fill properly to achieve clear water.
pH & kH buffering – Buffers water to slightly acidic pH and lowers total water hardness for better aquatic plant nutrient consumption environment
Customers say
Customers find this aquarium substrate excellent for planted tanks and report that their plants flourish with it. The appearance receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it pairs well with white sand. While some customers say it doesn’t cloud the water, others report cloudy water, and many mention it’s not as black as advertised. The value for money receives mixed reviews, with some praising the price while others feel it’s not worth the cost.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
8 reviews for Ultum Nature Systems Controsoil – Aquarium Substrate Soil Porous Gravel for Natural Aquatic Freshwater Planted Fish Tank, Brown (Fine, 1 Liter)
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$23.99
SlimChiLion –
Great Substrate for Planted Aquariums
This is great substrate for planted aquariums. I love that it is low ammonia because beneficial bacteria donât 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 isnât 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. Itâs strange but it does absorb a lot of impurities like advertised. This soil with Purigen makes a crystal clear aquarium. Itâs definitely best for clarity.All in all, a great product. Thanks UNS!
Unknown –
Great for Cory Catfish! Amazing Substrate!!!
Amazing substrate! Canât 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, Iâll 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 coryâs now love to lift their behinds up to dig into the soil because itâs so soft and light weight. Iâd highly recommend this for any bottom feeders that arenât 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 itâs a dirty brown-tan color. Itâs perfectly fine because Iâll 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:Itâs 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. Itâs been a minute since Iâve bought this soil and the price has gone down drastically (by $30) so Iâll definitely be buying myself another back to touch up on the old soil.
Andrew E. –
Great Substrate
Iâve 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.
Richard A Pallas –
Very good substrate
This substrate is really great. It was easy to incorporate, did not interfere with my tankâs 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.
obl-wan –
A good option for planted tanks
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.
DirtDiva –
Beautiful substrate for a planted tank.
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 !
Teresa Boyer –
Great Buy !
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, Itâs 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 !
BayGirl –
Thought theyâd be bigger
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.