# caribsea eco-complete planting substrate



## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

hi there

i have a slight worry about my planted tank, which may be nothing but just wanna check.
i have a 80 litre tank, which used to have sand as a substrate because of its natural look. its been cycled for 3 weeks which i finished cycling about a month ago before adding fish.
now ive changed over to using a proper planting substrate "eco-complete"
its black in colour which makes my fish look fantastic 
it also makes my water crystal clear.
i have a few plants in the tank such as, spiralis, echinodorus parviflorus,(sword plant) java moss, (on wood) anubias marble nana, cabomba, african water fern and a java fern.

this "eco-complete" says it already contains the essential nutrients and things for healthy plants...but my plants are starting to go yellow in the leaves and also my sword plants have turned brown in the tips... 
and some roots are going a browny colour!
whats causing this?
i also use fert tabs and liquid ferts occasionally.

my water stats are:
PH 7.5
nitrite 0.0
nitrate 2.0
my water is slightly acidic
temp between 24c - 28c
the light i use came with the tank and is a juwel standard daylight bulb
which is pretty bright considering.

my fish are: 
1) 8 inch common pleco
2) crib cichlids (breeding pair)
3) neon tetra's
3) red eye tetra's
1) dwarf african frog

all help will be much appreciated 
thanks.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Its not the substrate. Your lighting looks to be too low.


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

i dont use another substrate over my "eco-complete"...could this also be a reason?

any sugestions on what kind of light to buy for my planted tank as i have no idea when it comes to light bulbs lol.

my lfs guy said that the plants i have are "easy to grow and keep" and thats with the light which i have...

the leaves going yellow you say is due to weak lighting...
but what about the browning of the roots?
is this due to the lighting aswell?


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## MrMoneybags (Apr 13, 2010)

how much and what type of lighting are you running??

watts (easy)...type (T5, T8 etc)....color (5000K 6500k 10000k etc)?

also...could just be your plants adjusting to the new tank...in which case they will spring back with A LOT of vigor


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

tbh, i have no idea on my lighting. it came with my tank
all i kno is its a single white bulb (often goes a little green from algea), i think either 15 or 20 watts, and its a T5 i beileive...not 100% possitive tho. sorry


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

tadpole2 said:


> hi there
> fert tabs and liquid ferts occasionally.
> my water stats are:
> PH 7.5
> ...


Nitrate seems to be test REALLY low. In ppm readings I keep mine between 10-30 doing partial water changes at 30ppm.
Swords are fert hogs and heavy root feeders I don't know how often your adding new tabs. 
Lighting; My 55g low techs have way less light than folks say is required but plants grow :icon_mrgr just slower. One of my breeder 55's has slightly more than 1wpg Allglass aquarium bulbs. (60 watts total) and I trim twice a month so the fish have room to swim. Maybe change the bulb if it's old but I'd look at the whole picture with more info before ditching the light.

Also just a FYI anything above 7pH is alkaline not acidic.

Edit; WELCOME aboard!


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The standard light for that tank is a single T8, 18 watt bulb. If that's what you have, and the tank is 41 cm high (16 inches) you have too little light to grow anything at all well except moss. You could retrofit an AH Supply 55 watt bright light kit into the strip light, and then you would have medium light. That kit is available for international use, with the appropriate voltage connector and ballast. http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

Eco Complete is a "stand alone" substrate that doesn't need any other layer. But, it only supplies trace elements, if that, for the plants, so fertilizing tabs, or fertilizers for the water are needed.


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## tadpole2 (Nov 7, 2010)

thanks for the posts guys, im going to look into my lighting.
and "wkndracer" im adding fert tabs every 2 weeks.
and liquid ferts every week with a partial water change.

"hoppy" on the bag of substrate it says it provides plants with everything they need P except lighting) to grow strong and healthy...surely that wouldnt be possible with just "trace elements"
it must contain more than just trace elements. especially for its price too :O
what substrate do you use? how good is "aqua clay?"


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## Morainy (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi, Tadpole. I'm not an expert with planted tanks, but I do have a few easy care planted tanks, all fairly low light and heavily planted. 

I have Eco-Complete in some of my tanks and the plants clearly love it. Shrimp seem happy, too. I often add Seachem Flourish Comprehensive to my tanks, and sometimes even Seachem Trace, but not on a regular schedule. Some plants need more nutrients from the water column than others, it seems. As well, some plants are big nitrate sponges (hornwort, for example) and can really deplete your nitrates quickly. I have found that adding these very basic fertilizers (and Equilibrium, because water in Vancouver BC is very soft) keeps plants growing well. I do the same whether the tank has Eco-Complete or gravel.

Eco-Complete seems to grip the roots of stem plants quite well, I've noticed.


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