I have been looking at the black sand/gravel version of these. Could someone please tell me pros and cons of each?
They are both pretty similar in terms of how they function in a planted tank. (You could also add Flora-Max to the discussion here too.) They all provide trace nutrients to plant roots as well as ion exchange capacity. They are all pH neutral (as long as you avoid the Eco-Complete Cichlid varieties.) I don't think Eco-Complete comes in a sand version; rather Eco-Complete is a mix of sizes from sand-sized to gravel-sized all mixed together, though back when I had it (years ago) it always "seemed" more gravel-like than sand-like to me. Whereas something like Flourite Black Sand is definitely a sand. And the regular Flourite is clearly a gravel, as is Flora-Max. There are Eco-Complete
Cichlid Sands but those are going to buffer your pH way, way up to a much higher value than you would want in a standard tropical tank, so I'm not really going to be discussing the Cichlid sands the rest of the way.
In terms of being safe for something like catfish, you would probably want Flourite Black Sand or else Eco-Complete. Regular Flourite and Flora-Max are too jagged to safely keep with soft-bellied fish like cory catfish, loaches, etc. And if they fish (like corys and loaches) that like rooting around in the substrate, then really a sand substrate is best, which really narrows the discussion down to one substrate, Flourite Black Sand. The Eco-Complete won't hur them, but they won't be able to really "dig" in it like they could in a sand.
As for other pros/cons, any of the flourites are going to take a LOT of rinsing. Which is mostly just a pain-in-the-butt at setup. Eco needs no rinsing at all. I've never used Flora-max so I can't say about that one.
Another pro/con would be weight. Flourite (whether in sand or gravel form) is very light; this makes transporting it easy and helps keep the weight of your aquarium down some (only a factor if you envision needing to move the aquarium while it is setup, or if you have concerns about the stability of the stand). The negative side of its lighter weight is that sometimes really bouyant (did I spell that right?) plants can be tougher to get rooted in flourite than in a heavier substrate like Eco-complete.
The final thing I'll say, and I don't know whether there is a cause-effect relationship here or not, but whenever I've set up a new tank with a flourite-based substrate, I've never had any issues at all with diatoms (brown "algae"). Whereas the one tank I set up with Eco-Complete, I had huge issues initially with diatoms. I've heard plenty of anecdotal evidence from others who have noticed the same thing. And it makes sense; diatoms are a result of silica in the water. Flourite is not a silica-based substrate like most gravels but is actually a fractalized clay with minimal (or no) silica content at all. Whereas Eco seems to me much closer to a standard silica-based substrate. So I'm not saying for sure you will have diatoms with Eco and/or you won't have them with Flourite, but just sharing my own experience and what I have heard from others. (Keep in mind that even in tanks that do have a problem with diatoms, that is a short-term issue that usually simply works itself out after a few months, and that some fish like ottos love to eat the stuff and so controlling it is relatively easy.)
Also, on average how much a bag would cover.
There is a
substrate calculator for all the various Flourite substrates on Seachem's product pages. In general, one bag (of whatever) is going to e enough for a 10g tank. That's a good general estimation to get you started.
I haven't fully decided on fish yet, so if that would make a difference (eg. too rough for catfish) I'd like to know that too.
This is going to be a low-med light, low tech setup (eg. anubias, vals, swords, etc.) if that makes a difference.
Already discussed the fish issue. And as for plants, any of the substrates we've been talking about will be great for the plants you mention (especially swords, which are heavy root-feeders and thus really benefit from using a planted tank substrate rather than regular sand or gravel).
oh, and of course if there's something else I should be looking at, please let me know!
Official product pages:
CaribSea Planted Tank Substrates (Eco-Complete and Flora-Max)
Seachem Substrates (Flourite and Flourite Black Sand)
As for your color choices:
- Flourite (gravel) comes in Black, Red, Original (Black/Red mix), and "Dark" (basically brown).
- Flourite Sand comes in Black.
- Eco-Complete comes in Black and Red.
- Flora-Max comes in Black, Red, and Original (Black/Red mix)
Please let us know what you decide!
