Caribsea Eco-Complete - Planted Aquarium - Inert my Butt!

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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 13:56

So I've been cycling a 20 long with Caribsea Eco-Complete - Planted Aquarium about 2 inches deep. This thing is suppose to be inert meaning it doesn't affect PH. I have a target PH of between 6.8-7.0 because I want to keep my yellows and fire reds in there. (divided of course)

So since our tap water comes out at nearly 7.4ph I've mixed it with 50% RO water
I've mixed several cups of Shrimp Sand upqua which has 6.4Ph buffering capacity to help lower the PH a bit. I checked the PH several days later and it still reads over 7.4

So I took a bag of peat granules and placed it in my HOB filter to help lower the PH a bit.

A couple days later I've check the PH again. Still over 7.4!! However the KH is reduced down to less than 2. GH is about a 6 since this substrate has so many different minerals in it. (So it claims anyways)

I immediate checked the PH with the same test kit in my other tanks and the PH readings come out as expected. 6.2 (amazonia) and 6.4 (Fluval shrimp sand)

Did I get a bunk bag or does anyone else have this issue?

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binbin9
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Post  Seattle_Aquarist 2013-01-15, 14:06

Hi binbin9,

Regrettably you did not get a 'bunk bag'; this has been a known issue with Eco-Complete and other Caribsea substrates going back several years.

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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 14:15

I'm ready to dig this damn thing out and dump it into my garden! Any suggestions on true inert substrates? Does flourite have the same issue?
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Post  Seattle_Aquarist 2013-01-15, 14:39

Hi binbin9,

What are you planning on keeping in your tank? There are only a few inert substrates that do not effect the water parameters; even the Monterrey Sand natural gravel has bits is shell in it.

I don't necessarily worry about a substrate being inert, for example the heat treated Montmorillonite clay substrates that I use will initially lower the PH/dKH and dGH of my aquarium due to their high CEC. That effect on water parameters continues for several, several months until such time as the substrate becomes fully saturated and the CEC effect is reduced.

Hope this helps!
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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 15:09

Just shrimps and moss, I've noticed at 7.4 even cherries will sometimes dump their eggs, I've got africana and some more amazonia on the way.

but where do you get Montmorillonite clay
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Post  Seattle_Aquarist 2013-01-15, 18:52

Hi binbin9,

Currently I have been using Safe-T-Sorb #7941 in my planted tanks. It has a nice natural color, a variety of grain sizes, and plants root well in it. It is dusty and requires a good cleaning prior to first using it. It is available online at Drillspot for $9.29 per 40# bag with free shipping included.
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Here is a picture of my 10 gallon, with Safe-T-Sorb substrate. This tank has no CO2, just Flourish Comprehensive and Flourish Excel. The baby Corys have been in there for over 3 months and have doubled in size.
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Last edited by Seattle_Aquarist on 2013-01-16, 11:12; edited 1 time in total
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Post  pbmax 2013-01-15, 19:30

binbin9 wrote:Just shrimps and moss, I've noticed at 7.4 even cherries will sometimes dump their eggs, I've got africana and some more amazonia on the way.

but where do you get Montmorillonite clay

My RCS tanks are teeming with berried females and babies and my PH is those tanks is around 7.8 with a pretty high TA - I buffer it there with seachem alkalinity. In my experience Neocaridina can tolerate anything in the 7s (even low 8s) and become unhappy below 7.
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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 19:47

Yeah RCS are tanks! that's great news that you have such great success at high PHs. Why are you buffering it up more though with akalinity? I've had RCS dump eggs at 7.4 but it could be other reasons. The RCS are at work in a 3gallon. Its a bit harder to control the water parameters at work but since they RCS I'm alittle less finicky.

I have yellows and fires at home sharing a tank with some of my crystals but I'm looking to move them into my 20L to house them in water parameters more appropriate to their liking.

The africana is for my future BKK and More Amazonia for my Macrostoma fries. =)

Thanks Roy. I'll look up the subtrate (pretty tank BTW)
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Post  pbmax 2013-01-15, 19:58

binbin9 wrote:Yeah RCS are tanks! that's great news that you have such great success at high PHs. Why are you buffering it up more though with akalinity? I've had RCS dump eggs at 7.4 but it could be other reasons. The RCS are at work in a 3gallon. Its a bit harder to control the water parameters at work but since they RCS I'm alittle less finicky.

Hehe, mostly because it's an easy fix to a bigger problem - my water is too soft to keep the PH up when combined with a soil substrate in my 20g walstad and how much I feed and how often I clean sponge filters in a 10g. I'm breeding panda corys in the 10g and as such I've been feeding a bit more than normal in that tank. I had some terrible PH crashes in the past that nearly wiped them out and this prevents them with no ill effects thus far (lots of panda cory babies and tons of RCS babies). My TA is about 60 out of the tap.

I have RCS in a 3g with amazonia 2 and I have to buffer that one too. Lately it's a huge mess of green water, which is a shame because it's gorgeous when the water's clear (whole bottom is covered with marsilea minuta). I don't fertilize that tank at all and I only feed the RCS in there about once a week. It seems to go through cycles - clear for a while, then crazy cloudy, then back.
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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 20:04

I just got some marsilea minuta as well from another member here. It's a great little foreground plant. You have to post some photos.

Are you going heavy water changes in the cloudy tank?
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Post  pbmax 2013-01-15, 20:07

Hehehe, right now you can barely see the stuff... it's pretty bad. I agree - it's a fantastic plant. Grows slow, but not too slow, and doesn't require any fancy equipment to do well.

Heavy water changes don't seem to help - I did 3 or 4 in one day a while back and the stuff just came back. It seems to get worse in the winter, but that could just be my mind grasping at straws. The heater in there works pretty well and keeps the temperature pretty constant. I guess it could be time for a new bulb... I might try that.

I'll see if I have any photos from earlier in the year.

Edit: According to my aperture library I have zero photos of this tank. Shocked Not sure how that happened...
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Post  binbin9 2013-01-15, 20:17

maybe try the green killing machine. I have it in my 35
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Post  pbmax 2013-01-15, 20:24

I thought about it the last time this happened. The problem is the sterilizers are pretty big for a 3g tank and I wanted solve the problem, rather than treat the symptoms.

I was able to nip it in the bud last time using Aquabella bio-enzyme water treatment. The product tagline is no water changes for a year, but I just wanted to process out the algae. And it did work, interestingly enough. Apparently the year is up Wink
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