# eco complete white cichlid sand



## fast93accord (Nov 14, 2010)

I noticed Caribsea has a whole bunch of different eco completes... I'm setting up a 20 long in my computer room and was thinking of doing this tank with a light colored sand type substrate.
I was gonna do Mineralized top soil, and cap it, but on this 20 long its just not worth it to me...
I found Eco Complete White Cichlid Sand, and a whole bunch of other eco complete cichlid...substrates.
Ive also seen caribsea super naturals in the store. It looks nice and on their website it says ok for plants, but is it as good as eco complete or floramax? Or could i put down a bag of normal eco complete and cap it with super naturals? I'm just concerned about vacuuming and accidently mixing them up...
Anyone every use any of these with plants? The only thing i'm unsure of is that they say there buffered to raise the pH for african cichlids... 
I do plan to a pair of small cichlids, poss apistos... a few tetras and 1 bristlenose pleco.
I cant find a single person, or any info on anyone using any of these "cichlid" media's and would greatly appreciate any feedback!!!


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## Franco (Jun 13, 2010)

I don't think they are intended as a plant substrate and your fish choices probably wouldn't enjoy Rift Lake water hardness.


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## fast93accord (Nov 14, 2010)

thats what i was thinking... i dont know why they call it eco complete though...
would putting a bag of normal eco complete down, and covering it with supernatural sand be ok? I only plan on putting a few large stones and a few small plants in this tank, with an open layout, due to the shallow depth... 20 long...


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Plant substrates do several things, and not all substrates are equally good at all these things. 

While some are enhanced with fertilizers, this is not the main reason to buy a specific substrate. 
Over time, the original fertilizers will get used up. 

A substrate might be very good at holding the fertilizers in a way that plants can use them. This is called Cationic Exchange Capacity. I would look first for high CEC in any substrate. This stabilizes the available fertilizers so that if the supply is not regular, the plants do not suffer. 

A substrate should be fine enough that the roots are willing to cling to it to get some stability. Some substrates are better than others at this. I would look at this as perhaps the third most important factor. 

The second most important factor is how it looks to the fish. Many fish prefer a dark substrate. They feel safer, hidden from predators when they are in the shade of a planted stream bank, overhanging roots and so on. A white or light substrate makes the fish think they are out in the open, exposed to birds or other predators. They will often go hide in such a tank. 

Other things that might make a substrate acceptable or not would be the sharpness of the particles, especially if you are keeping bottom oriented fish such as Loaches or most Catfish, or fish that dig nests for their babies, like many Cichlids. 
Substrate that alters the water chemistry is another item that is very important. 

So:
1) High CEC (never mind what fertilizers come with the substrate)
2) Dark (Unless you are keeping fish that prefer light substrate)
3) Proper texture for roots (Of course Java Fern, Anubias and similar plants do not care about this)
4) Other (What is most important for the fish?)

Direct answer:
Do not use a substrate intended for Rift Lake fish in a tank where you want to keep soft water fish. Most often the Rift Lake substrates include lime based sands and gravels that will make the water hard and alkaline. 

If you still want a white substrate that is neutral in reaction, then look into pool filter sand. This may vary in color, but is a quartz sand, not lime based.


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