# Eco Complete vs Fluorite Sand vs Activ-Flora?



## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

I don't care if one dusts up the tank, but I really want to have carpet plants and want to have a rich substrate... so which would be the one that best fits my need? I am also on a budget so sadly I cant fit in AS.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

Anyone....?


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## The Trigger (May 9, 2012)

It's really a matter of preference. People that use eco like me will swear by it. People that use aqua soil will swear by that, dirt, floramax, flourite etc. it's really what best fits your budget and what you find to work best for you overall. I like eco complete. It's always yielded great results for me and it's readily available. Dirts probably the cheapest option although I've never used it.


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

A few people have PM-ed me similar questions. I made a video for one of them comparing ActivFlora and Eco-Complete. Hope it helps:

http://youtu.be/wq_JhL-96Wk


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

I'm sold on activ flora!


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

Haha, glad I could help. The member that PM-ed me said they were going to pick up a few bags as well. Post your pics and responses to how you like it. I personally wash all substrate once or twice but if you have patience you can just let your tank run for a day or so with a little water clarifyer and it'll all settle in.


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## Soulmanure (Jul 31, 2005)

Sold here, too. Just ordered up 5 bags for a quite decent price. In part, I prefer the darker uniform black of Activ Flora--I think it will really make the plants pop. Thanks, NanoDave!


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

*Activ-Flora Availability*

Where are you getting this? I'm interested in getting some of the Lake Gems color but can't find any LFS that carry it.


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## Soulmanure (Jul 31, 2005)

Got it from That Pet Place, but they only had the black in stock. You might want to check, though--maybe they have some on the way.


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

I'm glad some of you are finding it. It took me several months to find a LFS that could get it in. Was afraid I might post about it and no one be able to find it. If and when you do find it, it would be great to know where and how much as its a question I've been getting asked a lot. Also leme know your feedback on it as I'm curious on what other people think of it vs Eco-Complete


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I live not too far from the State capital of Ohio, Columbus, with a population of over 800,000 and you would think of all the pet stores there that one would have this or could order it for me but not a single one! Hard to believe. Amazon has it but awfully steep at over $40 a bag.


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

Ouch $40 is a lot. Ill do some searching tonight online but from my experience the smaller the town is the better the LFS's are at ordering things. Less people means they pay attention to detail and customer request more... Usually.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

Well, I searched the net and couldn't find the color I wanted, Lake Gems, for any less so I bit the bullet and placed my order with Amazon. I just hope 40 lbs. is enough.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

NanoDave said:


> Ouch $40 is a lot. Ill do some searching tonight online but from my experience the smaller the town is the better the LFS's are at ordering things. Less people means they pay attention to detail and customer request more... Usually.


Nope, already tried the small town fish stores, of which there are only a handful left and they didn't carry it either. Of the ones I checked only one offered to order it for me but they couldn't get the color I wanted.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

When did that pet place go out of stock for this?


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

Coldwater King said:


> When did that pet place go out of stock for this?


They only have one color in stock and it wasn't the one I wanted. Correction, they're out of all of it now.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I also found some here: https://www.naturesocean.com/fantasy/script/shop.php?id=27&p=1&cat=8 and here: http://www.dogfoodetc.com/Activ-Flora-Lake-Gems-20lb-Premium-Planted-Aquarium-Substrates-90481241/


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## Lynrem (Jan 13, 2014)

That Pet Place went out of stock sometime today (1/15) between 11 am Eastern and 2:30 PM Eastern. I checked price with shipping this morning then went around to to see what was available locally. Came home and went to order it and was out of stock.

I sen them an email asking when it would be available again and got the following reply.

"Thank you for your email. It looks like we will not have the Substrate available until sometime early March. I apologize for the delay."

Should have just ordered it this morning :icon_roll


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

:icon_neut
Sorry to hear, I did have a friend asking about it in CT and he said he bought the "last" of a few bags the site had on stock and said he was still short 2 bags. He might have bought the last few from that site. :icon_sad:


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

I'll be sure to ask my LFS that just got in a few boxes on where he found it and if the public can purchase from them.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

March!? Thank God the other website has it. How is the glosso doing?


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## NanoDave (Feb 25, 2013)

Still both 2 single stems in each jar. I'll be sure to post an update this Sunday on them.


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

Tagged, just in case someone stumbles across a source of ActivFlora.  I don't dislike Eco completely, but (a) I do like the more uniform black color, and (b) it's annoying that Eco is just large enough and light enough that it's hard to keep plants well-rooted. (Especially small ones like Glosso)

I'll start making calls to all LFS within a reasonable distance tomorrow...


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

*Complete Tank Teardown, Will Use Activ-Flora as new Substrate*

I just did a complete tank tear down today. Removed my MTS capped with Azoo Plant Grower Bed and will replace this with new MTS capped with Activ-Flora "Lake Gems" this weekend. I found that after 3 years the Azoo disintegrated and compacted creating an anaerobic layer in the MTS which started leading to my problems with cyanobacteria. 
I originally got the Azoo because it was supposed to remove tannins from the water caused by driftwood which it did and it was supposed to maintain the water's pH between 6.5 and 7.0 which it also did. 
I've since invested in an RO/DI system for my water so I'm not worried about this any more. I'm going to use some Seiryu stones so the water isn't too soft. The Activ-Flora won't disintegrate or compact like the Azoo did so hopefully I won't have to go through this again. 
I figured I'd remove my one large piece of driftwood and two large plants to make catching my fish easier. What a mess, as soon as I started removing my mature plants, a huge Aponogeton madagascariensis, and a large Crinum calamistratum the MTS turned the water into mud. I waited for it to settle but after several hours there was no change so I got some Caribsea Biomagnet and Seachem Clarity from the LFS. Of the two the Clarity worked and the Biomagnet didn't seem to do anything. But as soon as I started chasing fish the tank just got stirred up again and I was back to the same muddy water and couldn't see a thing. So I ended up removing all the substrate and siphoned off most of the water through a net in case I accidentally sucked any fish up until the tank only had about 6" of water left in the bottom so that I could actually see the fish to catch them. Took me all day to do this. What a nightmare!


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