cichlids and eco complete by caribSea

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biancaj

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Sep 4, 2006
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i'm wanting to try to grow my first live plants. nothing fancy, just some stuff that will grow in lower lighting and without all the stuff you have to do to them (co2, bubble counting - have no idea how all that works).
i do want some good substrate for my plants and looking around on the net i got the impression that the eco complete by caribSea is the best out there.

what i'm wondering about is if that substrate is ok with cichlids, especially those that dig a lot and like to scoop the sand into their mouth. i'm on the caribSea webpage and under planted aquarium it lists this and flora max. flora max is much larger in gravel size yet they state that eco complete is soft belly safe but NOT burrower friendly but flora max is NOT soft belly safe BUT IS burrower friendly.

how could that be and does anyone have experience with eco complete and diggers? my fish used to have sand and would really like something for plants that is similar to sand since it's our favourite.

thanks :)
 
If you want a very good plant substrate that is also good for diggers and burrowers, I'd recommend ADA Aquasoil. Aquasoil is lighter and smoother than Eco-complete and it comes in two forms, regular and powder. The powder version is very fine, not quite sand grain but much finer than any plant substrate out there. You can find Aquasoil at www.adgshop.com.
 
thanks for that link. that stuff looks pretty neat.

was wondering if you could answer a couple more questions for me in regard to this?

is it really significantly smaller (grain size) than the eco - complete?

from what i understand i would have to put sand on the bottom and then put that aquasoil on top of the sand?

when i clicked on the powder it states a small layer could be put on top of the normal size - does that mean i would still have to have mostly normal sized soil?

that's getting a bit pricey .... :o

or would regular cichlid sand do ok for the plants? would they grow?

sorry.... i know i'm a bit needy. big fan of the planted tanks but worried about messing it up (attempting to start small :)
 
Eco-complete has varying size grain, from small sandlike particles to larger gravel slightly smaller than pea size. Over time, the small grains will sift to the bottom leaving you with the larger gravel on top.

Aquasoil is more uniform than Eco-Complete and tends to be a little smaller. The powder form is very small. ADA recommends using their "powersand" which isn't sand at all and are actually pretty big pumice stone bits. I don't recommend using powersand, as the planting and replanting process will uproot them and you'll have white rocks strewn across an otherwise nice uniform substrate. Aquasoil is perfectly capable of sustaining plants without the powersand.

For small tanks the Aquasoil powder can be used by itself. For larger tanks that require more depth, it's a good idea to use the larger grain substrate to improve oxygen levels in the substrate and prevent anaerobic pockets from forming.

Now whether you need a good plant substrate depends on the plant. Some plants are heavy root feeders which will benefit from them but others will do fine in just about any gravel. Most stem plants will do fine in just about anything, as are rhizome plants like anubias and java fern. Plants like amazon swords, crypts, and most carpeting plants will establish themselves much quicker with a good substrate.
 
thanks again for the replies :)

my cichlids are a pair of kribs in my 20g. they are the worst of my fish at rearanging the sand.

the 2 lightbulbs i bought are 25w each (little bulbs).

i do want a darker substrate anyway so am really considering that amazonia aqua soil. according to the list i would need 12 ltrs for my tank.

it also does not state anywhere on the site (that i could find) whether i would have to rinse the soil. i assume i would need to.

thanks again for your replies :)

hopefully i'll get to order tomorrow!! :)
 
Actually, you don't rinse the Aquasoil (they instruct against it). You have to slowly and carefully fill the tank so it doesn't kick up too much dirt, like using a plate to disperse the water pressure. There will be some discoloration like from tannin, using activated carbon will help remove it.
 
once again, thanks :)

phanmc, you've helped a lot getting me started here. i'm on the website right now about to order the fine powder amazonia soil.

as to the plants i was thinking of putting in there:

defenitly java fern because i really like the look and i've read on many websites that they are very hardy.
i also would like the amazon swordplants for the same reasons plus my lfs frequently carries these and i have these in plastic form atm.
then i've looked up the anubias and it's described as hard to kill and well suited in low light. i think that's the one that also comes in the form where the leaves have a bunch of holes in them (sorry, don't know the correct term) - i really like the look of that one.
and then there's a moss called christmas moss or amano moss which sounds very interesting and sounds like it would look very pretty on my driftwood :).

i know this is a small tank i'm starting with si i'm just gonna have to start with a couple, see how that goes and how much room i have left and then add as it works.

really excited about my new little project. i LOVE the look (and the benefits) of a well planted tank but right now the advanced ones seem quite complicated. i'll have to do more reading before taking the next step and i'll try my luck with this. hopefully i will be giving my fish a beautiful home soon :)

thanks so much :)
 
I would not advise using the powder form in a 20g. I have it in a 3g and regret it. It compacts like mud, is very light weight (hard to hold down some plants), and is really meant IMO to be a top layer. Every time I disturb it, it clouds the tank like crazy....because its like mud.

The regular Aquasoil should be fine for your Kribs and you'll like it alot more I think.

I hope its not too late.
 
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