Seachem black flourite sand.

[edmcq198]

Making a planted tank, looking for substrate, anybody tried and would be willing I review seachems black flourite sand ??


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[Eggheadfish]

Haven't used it but posting so I can also see the replies

 

[Brookster123]

I used it, kind of makes a mess, I'd recommend Eco complete, if you do you use the sand make sure to scoop all the floaters and don't bother rinsing in bag, just fill the tank and do a water change.

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[edmcq198]

Yeah it seems abit dead in my post ://


Aquarium Advice

 

[edmcq198]

I'll have a look at the Eco complete now thanks

 

[Fishfur]

Bear in mind the types of fish you may want to keep. Smooth, sandy substrates are best for fish with barbels, like the Cories and other catfishes and loaches.

Now I think about it, Eco Complete may be available in a fairly sandy texture now.. I think I saw some in the store not long ago. But it used to be relatively coarsely textured, which was fine for plants but a bit hard on the barbels of the bottom dwelling fish.

If you won't be keeping fish with barbels, then it won't matter aside from your own preferences.

 

[edmcq198]

It appears everything has it's own advantages and disadvantages no matter what you go for

 

[Fishfur]

Truer words were never spoken !

 

[Cthulhu]

I absolutely love it. It is very easy to put plants in it and have them stay in place, and they grow very well.

The only drawback is that it is very messy at first, it requires heavy rinsing, this is quite a pain. But after this initial war against the sand it is as clean as any other substrat. But it really is messy at first, really really, like...

but now

 

[Eggheadfish]

Does it make sense to use the Eco complete for low tech planted tanks? Or is this kind of substrate really more for tanks with special lighting and co2 setups?

 

[Fishfur]

It's better than ordinary gravel.. no question, regardless of whether you go hi or low tech, you'll likely have happier plants in Eco than in ordinary gravel.

 

[Fresh2o]

I'm using EcoComplete (black, regular grain) in a low light, low tech shrimp tank and the crypts are doing fine. These plants have extensive roots so they take advantage of EC's benefits. However, in a low light tank full of moss, java fern, and anubias, EC would be overkill. I guess it depends on the plants one uses. Tbh I have not tried crypts in regular gravel.


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[Cthulhu]

Flourite black sand and Ecocomplete are substrates of comparably good quality. It is really a question of personnal preference.

I think that in any planted tank it is worth it to invest in good quality substrat.

 

[Eggheadfish]

Hi fresh,
The three plants you mentioned are the only ones I'm planning to put in the tank for now and had originally decided on sand so if you think it's overkill I guess I won't change my mind then
I've never kept plants before so I'm going to see if I can keep some java moss alive for now

 

[Fresh2o]

Hi fresh,
The three plants you mentioned are the only ones I'm planning to put in the tank for now and had originally decided on sand so if you think it's overkill I guess I won't change my mind then
I've never kept plants before so I'm going to see if I can keep some java moss alive for now

Don't mean to dissuade you from using EC. It's just those plants are not going to take advantage of the substrate like swords and crypts, for instance. You have a quite selection of colors if you go with sand and can always swap out the substrate at a later time.


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