Eco Complete + Chlorinated Water?

[FishyDan]

Hi all

I understand that Eco complete substrate has live bacteria in it

Now i am just about to set up my tank with Eco complete substrate, but when ever i have set it up before i have just filled her up using a hose pipe directly from the tap, then added de-chlorinator afterwards

Will this method destroy all the benficial baceria in the substrate therefore making it pointless???

Thanks for your help as i dont really want to spend hours filling it up with buckets of water!

 

[aaronnorth]

The live bacteria i thnk you are on about is the nutrients, tap water will be ok.

 

[FishyDan]

its says on the bag that it contains live bacteria that help to break down fish waste products

 

[Tetraking]

Tap water will be fine, nothing really alive in there, its good for providing nutriant to your plants but live bacteria and all that stuff just sounds good and makes it sell more, i am sure its not that sensitive.

I have a layer of it under my sand in my planted tank and it does do the trick, tap water will not be a problem

 

[Wolfenrook]

I have to disagree. Using chlorinated tap water with it will kill the filter bacteria that eco-complete comes ready seeded with, meaning that you have to cycle your substrate as well as the filter. Hardly worth it when it only takes a tiny bit longer to put dechlorinator in there. You wouldn't wash your biological filter media under the tap, so why do the same to your substrate? It wont make it pointless as it will still contain added nutrients etc, but it will mean you have to spend longer cycling your tank.

Ade

 

[aaronnorth]

how would the bacteria survive without water?

 

[Wolfenrook]

how would the bacteria survive without water?

You've never had eco-complete have you? lol. It's bagged in 'black' water, which in new tanks you put in the tank, in exisiting tanks you drain it off first. It's not a dry substrate. I know of at least one other person who has used it to help accelerate the maturation of an aquarium, even better if used alongside filter seeding with existing mature media.

I shortened the maturation of my invert tank from months to a few weeks using eco-complete, sintered glass media from my existing matured filter, plants from my large planted tank and a small quantity of the water from this. Probably works in a similar fashion to putting a layer of mulm from an external filter on the base of the aquarium before adding the substrate, only without the mess.

Ade