Re: [APD] eco-complete???

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

I used it once -- still am. I set up 2 20 gal tanks, one
with Onyx and one with Ecocomplete.  About the same amount
of african driftwood and the same initial amount of plants.
 I do 50% water changes every two to three weeks.  Add fish
food daily, but after a few months, ended up feeding more
in the Onyx tank than the Ecocomplete one.

Ecocomplete definitely does not need rinsing!  Put it in
the aquarium, add water, plant, fill aquarium -- voila!  It
does settle out and tend to stratify the way the it says on
the bag, although this takes months and months and months. 
When the smaller particles settle down toward the bottom,
it's a little hard to get plants to stay planted  when you
first plant them, before new roots develop.

The Ecocomplete tank has 55 watts PC to compensate for
darker brown water -- due to driftwood -- than the other
tank, which has 36 watts PC.  They have the same amount by
weight of driftwood but due to shape, I couldn't boil out
as much of the tannins from one of the pieces in  the
Ecocomplete aquarium.  NO CO2 added to either tank.  A 
little Excel every week along with TMG.  Only other fert is
food, mostly frozen blood worms.  The Onyx tanks grows
plants like crazy -- the Ecocomplete tank not as well BUT
there is the lighting issue and it gets less food, so
slower growth is to be expected.

The onyx is much easier to plant in because the plants tend
more to stuck when you put them in.  There is the dust
issue with Onyx but, as with Flourite, I don't over rinse
or go nuts about it.  It settles and it works it's way down
into the sand after a few months.

If I had a choice, other things being equal, I'd go with
Onyx based in the above.  But the Ecocomplete is a bit
cheaper.  If I wanted that dark grey/black substrate look
and I couldn't get Onyx at a reasonable price, I'd not have
a problem goong with the other the other.

The Ecocomplete is backer looking in the water than is the
Onyx.

Hope that helps,
Scott H.

--- Joanne Damon <Joanne000 at webtv_net> wrote:
>   This will be my first planted tank!!!   Only 10 gal,
> but I hope to
> learn... 
>    I was looking at this product and liked the fact that
> it did not have
> to be rinsed.  
>   Has anyone used it?  How does it compare to other
> substates. I didn't
> find to much info in the archives...  It is packed in
> Liquid Amazon
> buffered "Black Water"  Any comments on this??
>    I want some thing easy to use.. I know i will be
> moving plants
> alot... and I do not want to have a hard time getting the
> plants to stay
> in place...   would the onyx sand be a better choice or
> is it to
> dusty???
> 
> joanne damon
> joanne000 at webtv_net
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants


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