Substrate Reviews

[bbrown]

I was not able to find any reviews on this website re Seachem Onyx Sand or Carib Sea's Tahitian Moon Sand. I am taking down two tanks to combine them into one bigger tank and I would like a good substrate (black) for plants. My first choice is Eco-complete but it seems hard to get in Calgary. My concern with Onyx Sand is the buffering capacity. Living in Calgary, Alberta, the PH is already high. Does anyone have any opinions/reviews on this product or the Tahitian Moon Sand. Could I mix the two substrates together to cut down on cost??
Any thoughts welcome. Thanks,

 

[aqh88]

http://www.aquariumplants.com/cgi-bin/cart/SS695.html Here's where I got my Eco complete and there's no other substrate I'd rather use. The tahitian moon sand looked good for awhile but got dirty easy and has all the problems of normal sand. Eco complete doesn't compact or get anaerobic spots as easy.

 

[gheitman]

I just set up a tank with Onxy Sand. While I like it, the color is definitely grey, not black. I plan to use Eco-Complete for my next planted tank.

 

[malkore]

1. Onyx Sand is not black..it's lighter than eco complete, which is a dark charcoal.
Tahitian sand is the blackest of the three, but contains little white adn off white pebbles.

If you aren't going with plants, I wouldn't spend the cash for eco complete, though around here, tahitiian sand isn't much cheaper, about $20 for 20 lbs.

tahitian sand:

eco complete: