# Eco Complete Info



## JCoxRocks (Mar 22, 2005)

I am about to tear down and completely redo my 125g and I just ordered 16 bags of Eco Ecomplete (per the substrate calculator). That may be too much, and if so, not a big deal as I will use the extra in another tank. I have a few questions before I start with the tear down:

1) Do I need to pre-rinse before putting in the tank to prevent cloudiness?
2) Is there any ammonia release I should be worried about like with Aquasoil?
3) I have a canister filter already running on the tank that will stay on the tank, do I still need a cycling period with the Eco Complete?

4) Any tips, advice, thoughts, comments, ideas?

J


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## barbarossa4122 (Jan 16, 2010)

Hi,

I did not rinse mine. No ammonia spike in my case just a little rise in pH levels which lasted about a week. I experienced some cloudiness but, it did clear up in a couple of hrs.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Keep the current filter. Most of the beneficial bacteria are in there. The live plants are also part of the biofilter. Keep the plants thriving and they will remove extra ammonia, too. 

Put a plate or plastic bag over the substrate and fill by pouring the water in slowly over this. Allow it to seep over the edges. This will minimize clouding. Start with about 1 gallon per minute. When the water is deep enough you can run it faster. Aim it across the tank so it does not plow into the substrate and stir it up. 

Keep the fish in a bucket with a cover. Angels can be pretty aggressive, so have several buckets. 
Do not add this water back to the tank. Stressed fish produce more ammonia, and some species produce stress hormones. You do not want to add these to the new set up. 

If you are still concerned about the beneficial bacteria then get a product that contains _Nitrospiros_ species of bacteria. Read the label, and do not let them sell you anything else. Add that to the filter just before you turn it back on.


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

eco-complete, does not need rinsing before use.
its a single use substrate.
it will not cloud the water.
your tank should'nt need a cycle after adding the substrate.
it does not cause any ammonia but it does increase the ph a little, just for a couple of weeks before turning neutral.

i have this stuff myself and its bloody good stuff!
well worth the money.
16 bags of the stuff must have set you back a small fotune though! :O
with this substrate there's not alot of plants that cant be grown, depending on your lighting.


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## GT3 (Nov 5, 2010)

this substrate is no different than fluorite except for the price which seems to tell people they are higher quality. I can tell you unless the substrate can lower PH and hardness such as ADA, they are regular gravel.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

GT3 said:


> this substrate is no different than fluorite except for the price which seems to tell people they are higher quality. I can tell you unless the substrate can lower PH and hardness such as ADA, they are regular gravel.


I think both Flourite and Eco Complete are well proven to be good substrates, but not nutrient filled substrates. With both of them you need to dose the water to feed the plants, or use a sublayer of something like MTS, Osmocote, or root tabs, and dose the water.

ADA Aquasoil is also well proven, but it is a nutrient rich substrate, capable of growing plants for perhaps a year or so, without dosing the water, except for potassium (I think ADA recommends Brighty K, which is potassium, be used with Aquasoil). Amano is on record in at least one magazine article saying that Aquasoil "wears out" in about a year, and should be replaced or replenished. But, if you dose the water when using Aquasoil, it should last a lot longer.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

IMO Flourite and Eco are vastly superior to gravel or sand due to their high CEC.

I personally don't want a substrate that will mess with my water parameters. But that may be a useful characteristic for others with different needs/goals for their tanks.

JCox- No, you don't need to pre-rinse Eco, but yes, you should keep a close eye on your tank's cycle for at least a week or two after the substrate swap. Definitely don't rely on the claims that Eco comes prepackaged with enough N-bacteria to cycle your tank, especially if you're planning on putting a full bioload of fish right back into the tank. 

If you haven't already done the substrate swap, I strongly recommend that you save as much mulm as possible from the old substrate when you break down your tank, and spread it down on the tank bottom before laying down the new Eco. That mulm IS full of good N-bacteria and will help the new Eco cycle much more quickly.

Eco shouldn't release ammonia, but it CAN sometimes increase your water hardness temporarily, so that's something also to keep an eye on. Depends on how hard/buffered your water is to begin with. If your water is naturally very soft and unbuffered, I'd be a little more concerned than if your water is naturally hard and buffered.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

barbarossa4122 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I did not rinse mine. No ammonia spike in my case just a little rise in pH levels which lasted about a week. I experienced some cloudiness but, it did clear up in a couple of hrs.


Exact same here.


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## MrMoneybags (Apr 13, 2010)

lauraleellbp said:


> *IMO Flourite and Eco are vastly superior to gravel or sand due to their high CEC.
> 
> I personally don't want a substrate that will mess with my water parameters. But that may be a useful characteristic for others with different needs/goals for their tanks.*
> 
> ...


wouldnt a high CEC MEAN that it will mess with your water parameters? CEC is the ability to pull ions from solution...so if you put something with a high CEC, itll pull the Ca, Fe and Mg and a whole slew of other things out of your water...without those ions in the water...pH and hardness will decrease...

peat has one of the higher CEC values and thats why its used to lower pH by being put in a filter

I think that the saving grace of a high CEC value is that it has the potential to become a BETTER substrate with time...excess fish food, fish waste, organics, mulm and ferts in the water column can "recharge" the substrate after the plants remove the adsorbed nutrients

...correct me if Im wrong though


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Depends on the water parameters you start off with, but IME usually not.

Peat doesn't lower pH and hardness due to its CEC, rather, due to the release of tannic acids.


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## MrMoneybags (Apr 13, 2010)

ahhhh I see
...so I guess the CEC is why peat softens water then?


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

I have eco complete and its really nice to plant in it and it doesn't cloud your water either, but i wish i would have gone with aquasoil. 9L bag is way more susbtrate then a 20lb of eco complete. If you want black sand look into 3M colorquartz because eco really doesn't give your plants a boost.


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## MrMoneybags (Apr 13, 2010)

...3M colorquartz is a discontinued product (or so Ive been told)


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

MrMoneybags said:


> ahhhh I see
> ...so I guess the CEC is why peat softens water then?


My understanding is that the tannic acid breaks down carbonates.


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## justin182 (Aug 19, 2009)

Does anyone preload their Eco-complete with nutrients beforehand, like potassium and iron?

I read the sticky thread on MTS the other day, and I am wondering whether it is also a good idea to put some clay, dolomite and potash underneath Eco-complete. Will these additives leak to the water column more easily through the Eco-complete than it would through the muddy MTS, and cause problems?

Thanks!


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

I just put up a new tank with Eco. Boy was it easy to work with. No complications, very easy to plant in. Ifnyou need to soften water, then AS is the way to go. If not, Eco is great, just add root tabs.


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