eco complete substrate

Anyone have any personal experience with this type of substrate?
Does it work for planted tanks. Whats everybody using?

ive used it in my tanks before. gf didnt like the look so we dumped it. works well tho IME

I always go with flourite as a base layer for planted.... or soil if you want to go that way... its a whole seperate ball game though.

i use it in my planted 55 gal, high light, co2 works well for my needs. if you have any questions feel free to pm me

sandnuka wrote:I always go with flourite as a base layer for planted.... or soil if you want to go that way... its a whole seperate ball game though.

When you say base layer
Do you mean you use a different substrate on top of the flourite or is it all mix in?

sidekicking wrote:
When you say base layer
Do you mean you use a different substrate on top of the flourite or is it all mix in?

I actually use layers... never mix it all together.... for my fourite tanks I used to dump in the bag with the mud and all, I dont pre-wash cause the mud is filled with all sorts of good nutrients and stuff for the plants.... Then i put a inch, or a little less than an inch of gravel on top.... Then I dry plant the tank with the plants.... get it all exactly where I want it... and fill the tank.... SUPER SLOWLY! thats the key really... (explaining the caps).... its really important because if you just dump in buckets of water, or fill it super fast with a hose, it will get so cloudy and gross and take weeks to settle....

with my soil tanks I do a very similar process, just add a layer between the gravel and soil of carbonate sands... A biologist explained to me the reason behind carbonate sand and soil, but I cant for the life of me remember why... think it was something to do with creating c02 naturally.. or neutrilizing it.... something like that.

Here is what my flourite tank looked liked after just 11 weeks.

before
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after
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Look how much the little plant behind the heater on the right side grew... WOW! Seriously, 11 weeks

I've used Eco-complete and overall I was satisfied with the results. I like the black colour and the fact that it has different grain size which will naturally separate, with the smaller size at the bottom. In the first weeks after I set-up the tank I noticed an increase in pH and phosphate level(however I'm not 100% sure if it was the Eco). As preferences I'll place Eco and Black flourite at same level. The purchasing price will be an important factor in what substrate I'll choose. I've found Eco on sale at Petco for $20 2 years ago. I wouldn't buy used substrate.

I have eco complete in my 2 heavily planted display tanks - black in a 20g and red in the 29g. The idea with this and flourite is that the porous nature of it gives you more surface area for collecting and holding nutrients and the gaps between the granules are good for minimizing anaerobic conditions (keeps the roots happy).

It doesn't have substantial nutrient value in and of itself, so you should have some other source of nutrients for root-feeders like root tabs and such. I only use liquid fertz in my tanks for the most part and root-feeder growth has still been pretty good so you could probably get away without it. My 29g has been up for 2.5 years and my 20g about 1.5 years.

29g (red):
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20g: (black):
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What kind of grass do you have there?

Both tanks have pygmy chain sword (Helanthium tenellum) along the front, though it grows longer in the 29g due to shadowing from the L. repens.

pbmax wrote:I have eco complete in my 2 heavily planted display tanks - black in a 20g and red in the 29g. The idea with this and flourite is that the porous nature of it gives you more surface area for collecting and holding nutrients and the gaps between the granules are good for minimizing anaerobic conditions (keeps the roots happy).

It doesn't have substantial nutrient value in and of itself, so you should have some other source of nutrients for root-feeders like root tabs and such. I only use liquid fertz in my tanks for the most part and root-feeder growth has still been pretty good so you could probably get away without it. My 29g has been up for 2.5 years and my 20g about 1.5 years.

29g (red):
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20g: (black):
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Great looking tanks man, I really like the 20g
What liquid fertz are using if you dont mind me asking?

Thanks The 20g is much nicer than the 29g, but I'm pretty proud of both of them.

I use 6 products in the Seachem Flourish line - comprehensive, excel, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and iron - twice a week. I don't use CO2... I used to, but I'm pretty sure my regulator broke a while back and drained the tank. Someday maybe I'll buy new system...

Also, the white rocks in the 29g are quartz gravel mixed in - I didn't want to buy a 2nd bag of eco complete and I wanted a couple of inches worth of substrate.

sidekicking wrote:



Great looking tanks man, I really like the 20g
What liquid fertz are using if you dont mind me asking?

Pretty sure he uses the seachem flourish prodects if I remember correctly.

pbmax wrote:Thanks The 20g is much nicer than the 29g, but I'm pretty proud of both of them.

I use 6 products in the Seachem Flourish line - comprehensive, excel, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and iron - twice a week. I don't use CO2... I used to, but I'm pretty sure my regulator broke a while back and drained the tank. Someday maybe I'll buy new system...

Also, the white rocks in the 29g are quartz gravel mixed in - I didn't want to buy a 2nd bag of eco complete and I wanted a couple of inches worth of substrate.

Thanks for the info man
I just pick up two bags of eco complete but i dont think thats gonna be enough for my 55g lol

If memory serves, the rule on the bag is 1lb per gallon. I think you can get away with less... just fill till you're happy with the depth.

How long has your tank been up and growing?

im new to plants what is the grassy looking one and where would i buy alot of it

pbmax wrote:Both tanks have pygmy chain sword (Helanthium tenellum) along the front, though it grows longer in the 29g due to shadowing from the L. repens.

Please read early posts... cause most likely your question had been asked and answered. You can buy it online or any aquarium plant store.

i have 40lbs that needs to go to somebody soon. been eatting up my buckets for far too long. only asking 20$ or trade for it. if interested plz PM. its flourite substrate but practically the same thing

sandnuka wrote:How long has your tank been up and growing?

pbmax wrote:My 29g has been up for 2.5 years and my 20g about 1.5 years.

man, I wish I had the patience to leave a tank alone that long.... I always gut it and start again.... looks very good, super healthy and definatly mature planted tank!

Thanks! It's been a long and iterative process... I failed with many of the plants I tried (especially after my co2 broke), but the plants I have now are simple, hardy, attractive, and I know how to trim and maintain them. Gutting tanks filled with dwarf shrimp is extremely difficult, or deadly (for the shrimp). That kind of limits my ability to gut and start over.

Another big bonus of eco complete (and flourite) is that plants tend to stay planted on account of its weight and rough texture. It stays put and you really have to work to disturb it during water changes.

Im the same i cant never keep my hands out of the tank hopefully this time I can be more patient

There's an easy solution to that problem: get more tanks. That's one of the reasons I keep nano fish, dwarf shrimp, and small tanks. I can try more stuff out with less space.