# Eco-Complete ,Flourite Dark, Safe T Sorb



## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

I have no experience with those other products, only STS. You will not beat the STS price. It looks natural, has a mix of colors but basically brown. Sometimes I cap it but the last couple of times I haven't and it looks great. Easy to plant in, has an incredible CEC. It will suck the carbonates out of your water for a while but I haven't had a problem and I've just ignored that little tidbit lol. I use it with root tabs and have some great growth going on.

It will affect snails shells because of the carbonate thing, they start to turn white, get holes and eventually the snail dies.


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

Yeah, people have had great success with Safe-T-Sorb. Creekbottom basically covered it all (all that I know of, atleast).
Look up Seattle_Aquarist. He uses or used STS and frequently posts pics of his tanks with i t. You can get a feel for the way the STS looks underwater and for the growth that is possible using it. 
Also, as far as I know, STS is the equivalent of Fluorite and EcoComplete. I believe they are all some type of baked clay. There could be some differences between them, and the type of clay might matter. But it seems like they are pretty equivalent.
One interesting though about STS, Fluorite, EcoComplete, gravel, and such. If you don't disturb it for a while and let the waste build up and fall in between the cracks, it makes a great plant growing substrate. I have some plan gravel that has been 'fertilized' by 1.5 years of snail waste. It essentially feels like a dirt tank now, and the plants do love it.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Does the STS need rinsed a lot? Say like compared to play sand and blasting sand?


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

Yes, I hear it really does need to be rinsed a lot.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

I don't know what I should do. Save the money and go with the safe t sorb for 5.99, spend 40 and get two bags of eco complete or 1 eco complete and 1 flourite

Another thing I do have to consider the Eco complete would give me a darker substrate, the safety absorb would give me a brown substrate. I had it in my mind for darker color. and I guess less rinsing compared to STS


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## Squrl888 (Oct 3, 2014)

I'm not sure about EcoComplete, but I do know that if you go for Fluorite you will need to rinse a whole lot, otherwise it will turn your water into something that looks like murky swamp water!


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Squrl888 said:


> I'm not sure about EcoComplete, but I do know that if you go for Fluorite you will need to rinse a whole lot, otherwise it will turn your water into something that looks like murky swamp water!


$6.00 vs $44 lol


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Androider4Life,

First, welcome to TPT! I think Squrl888 and creekbottom have covered the attributes and differences well and I don't really have much to add. I think we all want atheistically pleasing tanks where the fish and plants will thrive and that can be done with any number of substrates. 

I tried several substates before settling upon Safe-T-Sorb #7941 and was able to grow plants well in all of them, although the Montmorillonite clay substrates have worked the best for me. The good news is that it isn't that difficult (or expensive) to change substrates if you don't like what you are using.

Safe-T-Sorb #7941 in 10 gallon, no CO2, 2X10 watt CFL bulbs
8/7/13 (first planted)









9/12/13









10/17/13


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi Androider4Life,
> 
> First, welcome to TPT! I think Squrl888 and creekbottom have covered the attributes and differences well and I don't really have much to add. I think we all want atheistically pleasing tanks where the fish and plants will thrive and that can be done with any number of substrates.
> 
> ...


I think I have settled on the safe t sorb..only out $6 if I don't like it lol.

Did you sift yours and rinse it a lot first ?

Right now I have a bottle of osmocote plus. Should i sprinkle a little down put the safe T sorb on top of that and then dose my tank with flourish once a week to help with the plant grows? Or do you have any other DIY stuff compared to using flourish? Lol


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## Drewsplantednutz (Jan 25, 2012)

Ive been doing the same math for a couple weeks as I am setting up a 29g next week with the $1 gallon sale. I want a black substrate so I want to try out flourite black. Eco was my first sub I ever used and had good results for my first go at plants, even cheaping out and adding some regular gravel to it. I did a 40g breeder with STS just because it had such a big footprint to fill in, like $6 was too much for the tank but also spent like $15 or $20 on some bacter crystal additive for it. And yes, I think I rinsed it like 20 times in small batches in a 5g bucket and was still cloudy but went a way. Seatles last pic is more of the tone I got from it, greyish but still natural looking. The second pic must have very high light or just a good tank shot cuz it looks alot better in that pic than it actually does. i had similar plants in my STS tank, my taiwan lilys grew in laps around my tank like crazy, I couldnt give them away fast enough. Even my kribs breed like crazy within 2 weeks of having them, so it is a great option if your on a budget. But for now on I think I will stick with substrate suited for planted aquarium needs.

PS- when I first set up the STS tank, the first couple of gallons of water I put in I dosed with a bunch of ferts and let it sit for a few hours hoping the STS would maybe soak up some ferts for the long run. Not sure if this did anything.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Androider4Life,

I did a new 75 gallon in our family room last spring. I screened 2.5 bags (approx 100#) of Safe-T-Sorb #7941 using some 1/8" hardware cloth to remove the smaller particles and 'dust'. Doing this resulted in rejecting about 50% of the material leaving me with about 50# of larger grain substrate.

Then I I began the washing process. I put about 4# in a 4 gallon bucket and washed and rinsed the substrate about 4 times per batch. Then I dumped each batch in the 75 gallon and did a rough grade with it slightly deeper in back (about 2") and along the sides and more shallow in front (1.5"). Here is what it looked like immediately after filling, not too cloudy at all. The light is a Marineland 48" - 60" Double Bright which I will use for viewing but it is not the primary light for plant growth.









Then I added water; note the wax paper and dinner plant to avoid disturbing the substrate and creating extra cloudiness









This is what it looked like on 2/27/14 immediately after filling.









And this is what it look like on 6/27/14


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Thanks for your advice and the pictures guys. Really helps me out... I just left Tractor Supply with a bag


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Do know I feel about the color. I don't know if I want to spend the time and shift and clean the whole entire bag and put it in and I hate it lol but while I was at my Petco today I did see they have 2 bags of eco complete, pondering going back up and buying it. I thought I had my mind made up that I wanted to go with the brown but that safe t sorb isn't showing as tan as it looks in Seattle's pictures.. Petco has tan aquarium gravel but then I worry about planting in that


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Just got home with two bags of eco complete lol


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## Drewsplantednutz (Jan 25, 2012)

Androider4Life said:


> Do know I feel about the color. I don't know if I want to spend the time and shift and clean the whole entire bag and put it in and I hate it lol but while I was at my Petco today I did see they have 2 bags of eco complete, pondering going back up and buying it. I thought I had my mind made up that I wanted to go with the brown but that safe t sorb isn't showing as tan as it looks in Seattle's pictures.. Petco has tan aquarium gravel but then I worry about planting in that


Ya go back to petco and grab them. I knew Seatles pic was just too good to be true or they did some lighting tricks. I had 2 36" t5ho bulbs on mine and it never looked that tan.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Drewsplantednutz said:


> Ya go back to petco and grab them. I knew Seatles pic was just too good to be true or they did some lighting tricks. I had 2 36" t5ho bulbs on mine and it never looked that tan.


EcoComplete is settling in the tank now..Doing this process I learned my heater is not working


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

The color of the STS can vary. The company is not making it to be a consistent color, but to adsorb oil or other things. 

Your sample, and the pictures from other people look like the material I have. Close up, and looking straight down on it it does have that natural blended look. When it is in the tank, the angle of the light and glass sort of blur out the individual differences and it takes on a sort of tan look. Not entirely, though. I like that natural look. Turface is mono-colored. Not as natural looking. 

Rinsing:
Play Sand: You can waste half the bag rinsing and it still does not come clean. Or, use it without rinsing, and be VERY careful never to disturb it. 

Pool Filter Sand: So little rinsing I just dump it right in, then do a quick rinse right in the tank. The first fill is only 1/4 to 1/2 tank, stirring the sand, then drain that. 

EC: label says not to rinse, that the water has beneficial bacteria. I dunno about that, but the material is pretty clean. 

Flourite: Needs a lot of rinsing. 

Safe-T-Sorb: If I want to rinse it I will put about 2 gallons worth in a 5 gallon bucket. Swirl and dump several times. Put that much in the tank, then rinse some more. Then one final rinse in the tank. 
Alternate method: Put it all in the tank (damp- I do not want to breath the dust) then do about 2-3 rinse in the tank method. Last rinse in the tank: dig down into a corner and put the siphon right down to the bottom. This will pull out the water that is stuck in the substrate.


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