# Best Substrate??



## Balashark76 (Mar 24, 2009)

what is the best substrate??

Right now im just using Gravel but what else can i get?

Im going to be getting a bigger tank soon and want to know whats the best??


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Eco complete hands down for me for med to high light though Iam finding in low light that sand works really well . I just redone my 10 gal sand for little plecos and the roots were crazy long,I only planted that tank 1 month ago or so.  I dont really like the flourite as I find it to messy though it works well.


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## Balashark76 (Mar 24, 2009)

Hmm so something like this

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...ch__20lb?&query=substrate&queryType=0&offset=

Or is this what you have

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...e_20_lbs?&query=substrate&queryType=0&offset=

Oh and can i still clean it like i clean gravel


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

having had both fluorite and ecocomplete, I have seen minor differences.
ecocomplete seems to be easier to plant in. 
fluorite seems to be hard to keep from getting dust on everything when you move in the tank.
but, for a small tank, I am not really seeing the huge difference everyone talks about. I find my ecocomplete rather dusty as well.
though, Ive not had the ecocomplete long.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Balashark76 said:


> Hmm so something like this
> 
> http://www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCat...ch__20lb?&query=substrate&queryType=0&offset=
> 
> ...


Ive never used the first one just the second also I like the black color, once you have a planted tank you really dont need to vacum the bottom to much just kind of hover over any bare spots, suck up the odd dead leaf and of course after you trim your plants though I just use a net for that.


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## Balashark76 (Mar 24, 2009)

Okie Dokie thanks pat and ksim


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

I'll just throw in my 0.02 cents. I've used eco-complete in a 15 gal, it has worked quite well. I'm not sure if the substrate was at fault but I really had to watch that tank. Green water was the penalty for letting my guard down.


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## redclove (Feb 26, 2008)

I also prefer the EC but Flourite is great too you really can't go wrong with either.

They both have mild advantages over each other, the EC is easy to plant in and in my mind the most pleasing substrate to look at, and great for the bacteria growth. Also it is mixed in granule sizes, a bonus. Flourite is a tad sharp, so some livestock like puffers or Dwarf frogs might not appreciate that as it can cut their skin. On the other hand it has a fantastic mineral content (hence the dusty water) rich in iron etc that the plants love.

I've heard someone here mention the idea of having a layer of flourite on the bottom, and eco-complete on the top. I haven't tried it but I can see this being a great idea, the ultimate best of both worlds. The EC will hold the dust down when doing water changes.

$.02


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

redclove said:


> The EC will hold the dust down when doing water changes.


That's true, I just replanted my EC tank and the dust was minimal and died down pretty quick.


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