How much Eco Complete?

[meviva]

How many pounds of Eco Complete should I get for a 125 gal half round tank? If I've figured correctly the tank footprint is 905 sq. inches. Also when cleaning the tank, do I put the vacuum into the Eco Complete or just vacuum the surface? I've never used it before so any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[93MSB]

as far as the vacuum question goes there's two different grain sizes in the Eco complete. I have the fine grain which is about 2-3x the size of PFS, it does get sucked up by the gravel vac if you stir it up. I have no experience with the regular ecocomplete

 

[Rivercats]

I don't gravel vac my planted tanks and all of them have Eco-complete in them.

I usually go with 1 pound of substrate to 1 gallon of water as a loose estimate of what I need to get an 1" or so thickness of substrate. So a 125 would need about 12-13 bags for a 2" thick substrate. You could mix 1/2 Eco and 1/2 black sand and use it to cut down on the cost of Eco since it only comes in 20 pound bags. I did organic dirt with an Eco cap in my 220g but don't remember how many bags I used of Eco anymore.

 

[meviva]

93MSB....I'm not sure what size the Eco Complete is that I'm thinking of ordering. It just says that it's large and small gravel. Thanks for the vacuuming info.

Rivercats....The sq. inches is close to a 90 gal tank. I was thinking about using black sand in addition to the Eco Complete also. What do you think about 100 lbs of Eco and 40-50 lbs of black sand on top? I want the top of the substrate to be cory friendly. How thick should the sand be for the cories and will it stay on top of the Eco if it's not vacuumed? Thanks again.

 

[Fresh2o]

@meviva Not sure if there are any Petco stores near you but I believe they are having some type of clearance sale going on. I just picked up (in store) a 20 lb bag of black Eco-Complete for $9. Of course, quantities vary from store to store but worth checking out. Not sure what the online price is.

 

[meviva]

Thanks Fresh2o...I just called the 2 Petcos that are near me and they don't carry it in the store. That is an awesome price though.

 

[Rivercats]

93MSB....
Rivercats....The sq. inches is close to a 90 gal tank. I was thinking about using black sand in addition to the Eco Complete also. What do you think about 100 lbs of Eco and 40-50 lbs of black sand on top? I want the top of the substrate to be cory friendly. How thick should the sand be for the cories and will it stay on top of the Eco if it's not vacuumed? Thanks again.

You can start with the the sand onto but because it has a smaller grain size it will eventually work itself down into the Eco. I have Eco in all my tanks and in the 220g I have 25 cories and they do just fine. Not sure if that will be enough but you can always add more sand if you need a deeper substrate.

 

[Jconner3]

Aquariumplants.com has a substrate called aquadurt that's supposed to work just as good as Eco complete. Most of the reviews are favourable and its way cheaper.

 

[Rivercats]

There is a difference between it and Eco. The Aquadurt is very fine and very light. It can be hard to get plants to stay in. I had a friend use it and they ended up mixing it with another substrate. Other than that they liked it.

 

[meviva]

Ok I just ordered 9 bags of Eco Complete from Petco.com. It says it will take 1-2 weeks for delivery...I really hope it's faster than that. I was able to find 7 bags between 2 local fish stores but they wanted $35 a bag so I will just have to be patient.

Thanks Jconner....I did look at the site you recommended but my mind is stuck on the Eco Complete.