# Was Eco-Complete enough?



## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

JohnsTank said:


> One last question about Eco-Complete. Is this product more of a, "beginner hobbyist" substrate? I saw this on a youtube video and he mentioned that the product is okay but after a year, it will need to be changed out. I believe he called it re-mineralizing. Just wanting to know if I went the wrong way here. Eco-Complete was not cheap either. I think I bought 5 bags and it cost over $100. Btw, I posted a few pics of the tank on my tank thread here.


It's overpriced crushed up lava rock, it will never need replacing. It does have a higher CEC value which means it has the ability to soak up nutrients. Some people swear by it, I've used it and to me it's nothing to write home about. I dislike it most due to the fact it's such a pain to plant in.

Oh and there's nothing you need to do to the Eco, you'll notice a big difference once you get the co2 and ferts going.


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## torque6 (Jun 7, 2008)

I was looking for the ECO-complete but we didn't have it in my country. So I am using this, GEX Best Bio Sand. It's basically volcanic ash in gradular form. It is inert so it should be CEC value over time. It is indicated in the packet that you do not need to replace it at all, however it may not be a good substrate for rooting plants. My planned tank is going to have ferns, bucep and anubias only.

GEX - Best Bio Sand - Arofanatics Fish Talk Forums


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## JohnsTank (Jul 16, 2016)

Nlewis said:


> It's overpriced crushed up lava rock, it will never need replacing. It does have a higher CEC value which means it has the ability to soak up nutrients. Some people swear by it, I've used it and to me it's nothing to write home about. I dislike it most due to the fact it's such a pain to plant in.
> 
> Oh and there's nothing you need to do to the Eco, you'll notice a big difference once you get the co2 and ferts going.


You are so right about it being difficult to plant with. I broke off several stems before realizing that there is no way to just poke the stem down into this substrate. I literally have to use my finger and bore a hole out. Then while holding the stem with one hand, use my other hand to fill in the hole around the stem.

I am seriously amazed that anything can root well in this stuff. That is why I wondered if it becomes more dense over time.


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## GUPPYGANKER (Oct 6, 2016)

With eco complete I like the look, the ability to gravel vac (if that's ur thing), the high cec and the fact that it never breaks down. But god damn, its annoying to plant in. I recently setup a 37g using some leftover eco complete and topped it with 2 inches of black diamond blasting grit. I love it, super easy to push stems in and they hold em like a vice. Now my daughters 10g low tech with petco black gravel and osmocote is pretty damn easy to plant in and all the plants ive pulled have had fantastic root systems. I haven't had enough time with the other two tanks to notice a difference in root growth.

My thoughts are eco complete has been around long enough and enough of us have used it that if it wasn't good for roots we would know about it.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

I don't care for the way it's difficult to plant in.Mine never really grew plants well until lately.no co2,ocote root tabs and adding ferts.Not sure what happened,but lately (after a year and half,everything is just clicking in the first tank I set up using it.Maybe it's just ageing ,I don't know,but I'm getting great growth out of the plants that had been struggling in that tank,and very little algae.

I actually really like the way plants are growing in the stuff now.they seem to be rooting in well.


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## CrookSkee (Oct 12, 2016)

Nlewis said:


> It's overpriced crushed up lava rock, it will never need replacing. It does have a higher CEC value which means it has the ability to soak up nutrients. Some people swear by it, I've used it and to me it's nothing to write home about. I dislike it most due to the fact it's such a pain to plant in.
> 
> Oh and there's nothing you need to do to the Eco, you'll notice a big difference once you get the co2 and ferts going.


yes eco complete is the stuff to get only if they had it a bit finer it would be perfect.. my plants with co2 and ei 2x a week are doing phenomenal i bought some baby rotala wallichii and damn how theyve grown. all my plants seem happy right now since they sprout roots wayyy on top of the water !!


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

CrookSkee said:


> yes eco complete is the stuff to get only if they had it a bit finer it would be perfect.. my plants with co2 and ei 2x a week are doing phenomenal i bought some baby rotala wallichii and damn how theyve grown. all my plants seem happy right now since they sprout roots wayyy on top of the water !!


Your plants are doing well due to the addition of co2 and fert, it's not because of the Eco.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

Eco/flourite doesn't grow plants. It holds them in place.

For planting, trim the roots. Sandwich the plant between the tines of a long pair of tweezers so the stem extends along the length of the tweezers and the tip of the tweezers extends slightly past the bottom of the plant. This works like a splint to protect the plant while you insert it in the substrate. Insert the tip of the tweezers into the substrate. Try to remove the tweezers without uprooting the plant. Cuss a little, retrieve the plant and try again. This is the best method I have found and it's not too bad after a little practice. Bent tip tweezers might work better.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

In addition to what @Kubla stated if your having trouble with a particular stem, try pushing it into the substrate deeper than it should be and then gently pulling it back up a bit into position. This will allow the substrate to crumble in around the base. This works with all substrates including Eco.


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