substrate question

LMarts

LMarts

Large Fish
#1
Feb 24, 2008
144
0
0
Georgia
#1
I am about to buy substrate for my 75G. Looking at either Eco-complete or AquariumPlants.com's own: Freshwater Planted Aquarium Substrate. Has anyone used the AquariumPlants.com's own: Freshwater Planted Aquarium Substrate? I will be having plants, and I want a black substrate. I have heard that the Eco-complete is "mineralogically and biologically complete substrate is for planted aquariums and comes in live water that contains purifying bacteria". Is this true in working experience? is the Aquarium guys substrate completely black? Any info and experience on either substrate would be helpful. Thanks
 

alter40

alter40

Superstar Fish
#3
Nov 26, 2007
1,293
0
0
40
Charlotte, NC
#3
I have the Eco in my 10g and it did come in water and seemed to cycle faster then I expected. It seems like its working great for my plants too. I think they say you should get 2 pounds/gallon so that could get pretty expensive. The Eco is easy to work with though because you don't have to rinse it before putting it in the tank and you don't have to vacuum it either.
 

I

iapetus

Large Fish
#4
Jan 15, 2008
572
0
0
34:09:39N, 118:08:19W
#4
I also have Eco-Complete in my 29G and can only second what alter wrote. My tank didn't cycle quite as quickly as I'd hoped, but I think I was mis-managing my ammonia dosing. Even still, it did cycle pretty fast.

I laid black gravel atop my Eco-Complete. It looks good (IMHO), but I have found that I need to keep "patching up" areas where I laid the gravel down too thin.
 

Avalon

Avalon

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
2,846
10
0
Ft. Worth, TX
www.davidressel.com
#5
Either will work. If you plant enough plants from the start, you can avoid a cycle altogether since the plants will use all forms of N as food. Usually any cycle seen during this period (like if you don't have enough plants) is over in about a week.
 

Sticky Fish

Sticky Fish

Medium Fish
#7
Mar 7, 2008
99
0
0
#7
i am using eco in an eclipse 12. with the low light and only flourish, the plants are loving it. they are rooting nivcely and quickly. i would recommend it to anyone. it also contrasts with my fish very well. albeit only a swordtail and 3 danios.
 

pwrmacG4

pwrmacG4

Superstar Fish
#8
Jan 16, 2008
1,086
0
0
My LFS!
#8
I bought 2 of the buckets of aquariumplants.com's own substrate... awesome stuff.. and the shipping was crazy.. I ordered it and it was on my door step 2 days later! Look at MikeS 210gal planted journal in the general forum.. he used it and swears by it. it is basically the same as eco complete.. but much cheaper! I am not knocking eco.. I just decided to go with this because it looks really nice and the price is right. I recommend it
 

pwrmacG4

pwrmacG4

Superstar Fish
#9
Jan 16, 2008
1,086
0
0
My LFS!
#9
Avalon said:
Either will work. If you plant enough plants from the start, you can avoid a cycle altogether since the plants will use all forms of N as food. Usually any cycle seen during this period (like if you don't have enough plants) is over in about a week.
Click to expand...
so with me switching over to a 75gal this weekend.. and I am planting extremely heavily.. I shouldn't have to go through a long cycle then.. excellent!
 

MikeS

MikeS

Large Fish
#13
Oct 5, 2006
328
0
0
Nor Cal
#13
I have the aquariumplants.com substrate. I personally love it, yet never used eco-complete though, so a comparison I cannot give. I took a chance seeing I have a 210 gallon tank, and the cost to use eco-complete was through the roof. I only needed 3 buckets of aquariumplants.com stuff. Another reason I bought it was that it says it wouldn't break down like eco-complete. So far, so good.

When I rinsed it, it was black. Since, it is more gray, no brown. I actually like it better than the pure black, what I originally was shooting for. It gives it a more natural look.

Here is a link to my journal. I have some other small bits of stuff in the substrate, since my puffers destroy crabs, crayfish, snails etc.

http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/freshwater-general-discussion/50813-mikess-210-gallon-journal.html
 

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