# Eco-complete



## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Cheapest prices will be online, via Drsfosterandsmith.com or Thatpetplace.com or some other site. However, shipping for heavy substrate is not cheap.

And yes, eco is an all-inclusive substrate, although you might still want to put a root tab under heavy root feeders like swordplants.


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## chevybow (Feb 10, 2009)

*eco- complete*

I have 8 bags of Eco-Complete Black that I got from them this week and it was suppose to be red, I will sell it for $125.00 plus shipping.. Donny


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Nevermind, I stand corrected, they make a red. Well I'll be...


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## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

I paid $19.99 Black ECO at a LFS and got 6 boxes for my 110g tank. Shipping and Handling I bought a 6-pack of 16oz Bud! 

:biggrin:


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## moogoo (Dec 7, 2007)

if you are to purchase large amounts of substrate online, it's better to order from foster and smith because they do NOT charge extra for heavy shipping. They have flat rates determined by the amount of your purchase and NOT the weight.

BigAls goes by weight and even if they are cheaper per bag of substrate, you will end up paying more after shipping costs. Get quotes for both and do the cheaper route. 

I saved about $30 by ordering 5 bags of flourite from foster&smith even though each bag was priced about $5 more than the same bag at BigAls'.


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## Basketballas (Feb 24, 2009)

Do you ever have to replace the Eco-complete, will it lose its nutrience?


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## skratikans (May 23, 2008)

Over time..yes it will, depending on how often you do wc and how fast the plants grow..I would say by the end of the 2yr mark I could definately tell that my soil had lost much of its nutrients...I wonder thought, what most people do when that happens


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## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

skratikans said:


> Over time..yes it will, depending on how often you do wc and how fast the plants grow..I would say by the end of the 2yr mark I could definately tell that my soil had lost much of its nutrients...I wonder thought, what most people do when that happens


You dose the water column and use root tabs.


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

skratikans said:


> Over time..yes it will, depending on how often you do wc and how fast the plants grow..I would say by the end of the 2yr mark I could definately tell that my soil had lost much of its nutrients...I wonder thought, what most people do when that happens


That's all the more reason to dose water column fertilizers; to extend the life of the sediment beyond what it would normally last. You could always add root tabs when you reach nutrient exhaustion if you choose not to dose the water column. Keep in mind to that fish waste and mulm built up over time will also add to the nutrient value of the sediment, so by the time the sediment is close to nutrient exhaustion the effects of the built up mulm will already have kicked into gear.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I don't believe Eco Complete is a nutrient rich substrate. It does come with a liquid component mixed in, which, as far as I know, is just a "replacement" for the mulm that we usually use under new substrate when starting a tank. If you want a nutrient rich substrate, you should use ADA Aquasoil, or try a layered substrate with mineralilzed topsoil on the bottom.


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## Samarasa (Jan 31, 2009)

From the caribsea catalog:

Eco-Complete™ Planted - Mineralogically complete! Contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! Iron rich Eco-Complete™ eliminates the need for laterite. No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Highly porous spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance. Eco-Complete™ contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance; which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer.


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Hoppy is right. What you are reading is a bunch of BS and marketing ploy. The only true substrate with immediate bioavailable nutients is ADA Aquasoil. That is why you pay an arm and a leg for it. Otherwise, with Eco-Complete and Fluorite, the nutrients are really locked in, although they may slowly be released as the roots penetrates the substrate and the substrate begins breaking down. This takes a long....time though. It is also not a plug and play solution. Most people still find that they have to dose the water column and ensure appropriate c02 and light levels if going high tech. I also question how, they can make a claim to having active Heterotrophic bacteria. Many of the bags of Eco-Complete sometimes stay in air tight bags for long periods of time. I am no expert on bacteria, but how any bacteria can indefinitely stay alive in an airtight bag without any oxygen exchange is beyond me. 



Samarasa said:


> From the caribsea catalog:
> 
> Eco-Complete™ Planted - Mineralogically complete! Contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! Iron rich Eco-Complete™ eliminates the need for laterite. No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Highly porous spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance. Eco-Complete™ contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance; which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer.


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