# Eco Complete?



## jschwabe5 (Nov 29, 2011)

I have Ecco complete in a 180 gallon and 20 gal both are planted. The good: Ecco is a mixed size substrate of both small and very fine size granules It is very easy to plant and settles quickly. The bad: it does seem to starve plants. I have a 30 gallon with Seachem Flourite and plants root faster and show better growth with less Fert use.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Will seachem root tabs solve the problem though?


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## Minor Threat (Oct 6, 2012)

save some $ and go for STS and EI dosing.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Sorry of I sound ignorant, but what does STS stand
for? Never heard of it.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Congrats on the hobby 'koopins' for Christmas. 

I believe STS is Safe-T-Sorb the use of clay based absorbents as opposed to buying off the shelf more expensive aquarium products. 
Pretty good thread on the topic with a lot of good input.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=149589

Fertilizer use and alternative substrate materials can save a ton of money but it's best to read a LOT first! Look at threads that include a timeline and details,,, look for several and compare. 

Everybody tanks a little differently and results can vary from "OMG what did I do?!?" to "Oh WOW this stuff is awesome~!"

Seachem root tabs add mineral support (micro (plants need a little)) but very little NPK (macro (plants need a lot)).


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Avoid the Eco-Complete and get a cheaper substrate, as others have suggested.

That way you have $100 to spend on other tank goodies.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Well on Amazon, the STS is 30$, but on Tractor supply it's 5$.
If I do get this, I would just need to wash it and put it in the
tank and I'll be good right? No root tabs or anything? I'm just
planting DHG, Jungle vals, and moss etc.


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## Minor Threat (Oct 6, 2012)

STS is $5 at tractor supply, but it may be far from you. you can find it at drill spot for under $10 shipped too. you will need ferts as all plants do. get some dry ferts from aquariumfertilizer.com. you can sprinkle a little (i mean very little) osmocote plus too if you want instead of root tabs as its much cheaper.


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## junglefowl (Oct 30, 2012)

I heard that you will need 2 20-lb bags of EC to get to 2inches in a 30gal tank, I would suggest you to get 3 inches at least. 
I'm using EC right now, I also use Flourish tabs and my plants grow really good. I like it compare to the price.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Jungle, you sure? Because I remember
when I bought a 20lb bag of black gravel
from petsmart for my 30 gal a couple
of years ago, I had 2 inches. o.o
Also, will DHG grow good in Eco-complete
with root tabs?


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

if you are revamping the tank, just do dirt with a cap of whatever you like.
honestly, I feel like its the best bang for the buck, and hell, you can even mineralize it if you want to

I have a tank that is just eco-complete, and its not the worst but its not the best either. I couldn't drain the tank though which is why I just used eco and not soil, but everything other tank I have is now dirted.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Would a layer of dirt under eco be good as root tabs with eco?
That would be much cheaper. If I use the dirt, can I still put my
shrimp in right after?


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## junglefowl (Oct 30, 2012)

AquaticStory said:


> Jungle, you sure? Because I remember
> when I bought a 20lb bag of black gravel
> from petsmart for my 30 gal a couple
> of years ago, I had 2 inches. o.o
> ...


Thats what I heard, I have EC in my 10gal tank now with flourish tabs. Only one bag and it creates a slope from 2 to 3 inches, and I plant DHG in there also, its growing. My tank is set up in 5 weeks. You can see the pictures


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

AquaticStory said:


> Would a layer of dirt under eco be good as root tabs with eco?
> That would be much cheaper. If I use the dirt, can I still put my
> shrimp in right after?


It would be better, and heck, you could STILL add root tabs if you wanted too.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Ok! I'm going for the overkill 
Although... can I still add my shrimp right
after I put the layer of eco over the dirt?
That's the only thing I'm not so sure about.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

No, you'll need to cycle your tank completely before adding any shrimp.

Ideally, your tank would cycle for 4-6 weeks before shrimp move in.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

I don't want to cycle my tank again since it's been
running for 8 months already. I thought eco-complete
was plug-and-play? My shrimp really wouldn't survive being
in a bucket for a day.


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## HybridHerp (May 24, 2012)

ooohhhhh, didn't notice that you had shrimp in the tank already......
well, theoretically, if you keep the water in your filters, then dirt the tank and cap it with eco-complete, you still will have a lot of beneficial bacteria in your filters......

its difficult when doing a re-scape with a tank that is already somewhat set up. The shrimp could go a day in the bucket, if not a little more, especially if you have your filter running in the bucket as well. That would help. No matter what you do though, a substrate change will cause a mini-cycle in your tank, or just full on restart the cycle.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Shrimp are sensitive enough that going with dirt and a cap will likely kill them. Primarily due to the mini-cycle that will take place.

Do you have a friend with a tank who could host them for a while? Or do you have a sponge filter you could put into a bucket with them?


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