# Mixing eco complete with another black substrate?



## DirtDevilDTOM (Nov 10, 2014)

Personally, I would get more bags of the eco complete. I made the mistake of mixing with some larger black gravel and it has been a pain ever since.

If you add the eco complete over the larger gravel, the eco tends to fall through the cracks to the bottom and the larger gravel rises up to the top. So I tried to scoop out some of the larger gravel and put more eco complete in. Inevitably, more larger gravel rose to the top and I can't seem to get rid of it. 

Not sure if anyone else has had the same experience, but it has been bothering me and I would never mix substrates again.


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

Black diamond blasting sand. Smaller than eco.


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## tanaka (Jan 22, 2015)

I'd get more eco complete. Just because I think it's ideal maintenance wise. I used pure eco complete in my low tech 40G with 2 plecos that poop a ton and I never see any waste on the substrate surface because their waste easily falls inbetween, which in turn supplies nutrients for plant roots.

Recently I capped eco complete with some finer grains of Activ Flora in the foreground for the newly introduced Marsilea to have an easier time carpetting. Few days later, that Activ Flora capped area pretty much covered in fish waste. So yeah, more Eco Complete if you can afford it.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks guys..eco is $24 a bag and black petco gravel is $18. So not worth the hassle of mixing I guess.

Was looking at the tahitian moon sand and it looks really nice. Love how black it is. but I know it will all be under the eco complete later. 

Used sand blasting sand before and it was a lot of rinsing and I'm very impatient. And if it gets under ur magna float it scratches the glass.


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## DirtDevilDTOM (Nov 10, 2014)

I have seen the eco-complete scratch as well - there are small pieces that the magnet will pick up.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

DirtDevilDTOM said:


> I have seen the eco-complete scratch as well - there are small pieces that the magnet will pick up.



Came across that a few weeks ago

Bump: decided not to mix the Eco complete. Will post pictures when the water settles


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