Silly Question: Eco Complete Size

[coldmachineUK]

Hi, bit of a silly question perhaps but I wondered if anyone could tell me how large the granules of eco complete are? There is method to my madness: I don't want a sand-like substrate because I won't have fish stirring it up to avoid anaerobic patches forming and I don't want the hassle of having to do that myself.

I used to run coral sand in a puffer tank, and it was a nightmare. I moved to crushed coral in the end, much easier to maintain.

So, is eco complete 'gravel like' or 'sand like'? Will I be able to gravel vac it (this will only be for a low to medium tech planted solution, with fish inhabitants, so mulm will need to be removed every now and then at least) etc?

Also, is it possible to mix it with standard gravel? I'd like to bulk it up that way, and have the eco complete as a base.

Thanks in advance!

 

[R1ch13]

Hi, bit of a silly question perhaps but I wondered if anyone could tell me how large the granules of eco complete are? There is method to my madness: I don't want a sand-like substrate because I won't have fish stirring it up to avoid anaerobic patches forming and I don't want the hassle of having to do that myself.

I used to run coral sand in a puffer tank, and it was a nightmare. I moved to crushed coral in the end, much easier to maintain.

So, is eco complete 'gravel like' or 'sand like'? Will I be able to gravel vac it (this will only be for a low to medium tech planted solution, with fish inhabitants, so mulm will need to be removed every now and then at least) etc?

Also, is it possible to mix it with standard gravel? I'd like to bulk it up that way, and have the eco complete as a base.

Thanks in advance!

Erm im not entirely sure ...

Im pretty sure its more like a gravel size!

Its definately not the size of sand!

Hope that helps

Richie

 

[coldmachineUK]

Thanks! Ok, not sand size is a good thing
Any idea on the other questions (anyone?)? Can it be used as a base, mixed with plain gravel? And, does it need stirring periodically or can it just sit there without me worrying about aeration?
Won't get sucked up a gravel vac like sand?

 

[arif_93]

i have used it in my juwel rio some of it is grave size but most of it in between gravel and sand its not as compact as sand but its really god substarte if you can afford enough bags.looks good to i thing you can vac it but you wont need to.

 

[frozenbarb]

eco is mixed with large pebbles to marble sized to sand and small pebbles, how it works is that the sand goes too the bottom of the tank,

which they say its has the most nuttrients for the roots

all the big sized goes to top

 

[ICEEGRL]

It does have both sizes. You can mix in a little small gravel to make it go a little further.
If you vac... be very careful, and keep at the very top layer. It is much better to hover just above it. This way it doesn't pull out the sand part. It is sort of like having sand in the aspect of cleaning.

 

[coldmachineUK]

Thanks for all the replies and info, really appreciate it! Product pictures never go far enough for me (I'm fussy I guess!).

Ah, poop! Sounds like it'll be awkward to clean then. While I appreciate mulm is a good thing when it comes to heavily planted tanks, I don't know about stocking levels yet. It's a red tailed black shark in there for sure, that I'm rehousing. But, I would like the option of adding more fish. And extra mulm = extra risk of things like dropsy and so on.

Ok then, so my next question (sorry!) is: what about Seachem Flourite? I know these are clay granules that are gravel-like in hardness, but what about size? Is it the same as eco complete where there are sand-sized particles that go the bottom too?

 

[Themuleous]

I think flourite is a bigger size. It also needs lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of washing before you add it to the tank, and it'll cloud the water like there is no tomorrow. That said it gets good reviews from those who've used it.

Sam

 

[frozenbarb]

what he said lots of washing

 

[coldmachineUK]

Ah, crikey, it all sounds like so much work and if there's one thing I am it's generally lazy I have four tanks to look after so I want to make my life as easy as possible!

Hmmm...flourite sounds like it'd be better size to maintain later down the line, but there's the initial effort. Eco complete sounds like it might work if I added a top layer of gravel, and simply rooted the plants down through into the eco complete layer. If I added an inch of eco complete, and then an inch or two of plain bog standard gravel, then do people think that might work? Or, am I just better leaving it to a plain gravel substrate?

Here's a run down of what the whole thing is about:

Tank Size: 20G (30"x12"x15")
Lighting: 1x36W T5 PCF, Daylight Plus (=1.8W/G)
I will be dosing ferts using the EI, and using Excel for CO2 rather than injecting it (since light levels are too low). A low tech solution I think, all round.

The plants I'm planning on aren't anything complicated: Malayan Sword, Green Camboba, Yellowish Camboba, Echinodorus Latifolius, Red Ludwigia, Rotala Indica, Eleocharis Parvulus Miniature, Egeria Densa and Vallis Torta.

Will I benefit from this idea of mixing eco complete (1" depth -> one bag of 7kg will probably only provide 1" for the tank footprint) with a layer of 2" of plain gravel on top? The eco complete won't develop anaerobic patches, right?

Forgive the ignorance, I'm new to FW planted substrates!

 

[Themuleous]

Any substrate will develop anaerobic conditions if its deep enough, however as I understand it, its not such an issue in planted tanks due to the plant roots. You could top the EC but to be honest unless money is really really tight I wouldn't, its an excellent substrate that I think works best if not topped, however as I say if money it tight they it night not be 'bad' to top it.

Sam