Eco Complete Substrate (100%)

[FishyDan]

Hi All

I am just about to set up a planted tank and am going to use Eco complete as the substrate

I have never used it before so wondered if it is ok to use it on its own or if people prefer to cover it with a layer of gravel

I want a dark substrate so the colour of it is nt worrying me, i just wondered if it would leak anything into the water if it was on its own

Also i have heard that it is light weight and difficult to vac, has anyone found this to be the case?

Thanks for your input

 

[Amunet]

Eco Complete is a great substrate to use all by itself. The color is nice and dark and it's small. There is a bit of sand in the substrate that will get sucked up while doing gravel vacs, but it's really nothing to get worried about.
I use a small not so strong siphon so never had a problem w/ sucking up too much of the substrate. I'm not sure how it would fair against a stronger one though.

 

[fozziebear]

in a planted tank your not supposed to draw the gravel into the siphon you just hoover the ditritis on the surface by swaying the gravel vac across the plants to stir up the mulm, which you then vac away.


it wont leak anything harmful into the water, the only thing that you have to do is if your adding it to an established tank (with water and fish) you have to drain off the black water it comes packed in.

you can cap it with gravel, but whats the point when the eco complete is beautiful on its own, also my fish are far less easily spooked than when i had multi colored and lighter gravel.

 

[FishyDan]

cool thanks guys

im setting up from scratch again so i ll just plonk it in there!

 

[SJ2K]

I always read that covering it was pointless as the bacteria within the eco substrate needs to be in direct contant with the water column or somthing somthing.

 

[fozziebear]

i think that refers to the fact that eco complete converts fish waste and rotting matter into new nutrients for the substrate, if you cap it it will just act as a dormant nutrient rich base layer.