I dunno if you like this.. but my tank has blue rocks... although I wish I could change them to black... I've had this blue for like 14 years lol..
But here is my 27g tank
The blue rocks actually look ok in that tank. Nice!
I dunno if you like this.. but my tank has blue rocks... although I wish I could change them to black... I've had this blue for like 14 years lol..
But here is my 27g tank
EcoComplete and FloraMax are only crushed lava rock. The reason people use it for plants is because of how porous it is. It doesn't have any fertilizers in it as far as I know. When you add ferts to the tank (either through the water or the substrate) it eventually makes it a little easier for the plants to access the ferts because it can kinda 'hold' the ferts in the substrate. But honestly you would be just fine with black blasting sand. Or if you want, you could get Miracle Grow ORGANIC Potting MIX and cap it with a layer of sand. Cheap and good for the plants. Just a thought.
Eco Complete is $20~ for 20lbs - free shipping with certain amount $$ of purchase on certain sites like Petco and Amazon. No rinsing which is great!
PFS with root tabs is just as good as .Ecocomplete with root tabs...
On Drfostersmith.com the Malaysian DW comes in four sizes: Small, Medium, Medium/Large, and Large. Which would be best for my 20 gal? I was thinking Medium/Large.
Depends. If you want it as a centerpiece. Than yes. If not than two small pieces would be great.
There are some incredible books out there that will help you learn about a planted tank. There is much to learn! Good luck with your new tank. I switched over from plastic plants and black gravel to black Eco-Complete and live plants, but that also meant a change in lighting. I do not have CO2 injection, but do use Flourish Excel every day. Here is my 20 gallon with all natural materials. It is about four months old now.
Are you going to boil it and soak in a bucket to help leech out the tannins?
It doesn't hurt the fish at all to have tannins, but makes the water yellow/brown tinted.
It will float too if it doesn't get water logged!
Nice setup. Hope you did not mug the delivery person "I want my EcoComplete now!"
What are you planning on stocking in this tank?
You'll probably hear folks suggest "black background".
Are those rubber bands around the DW? If you are tying down plants, try black or brown thread or very lightweight fishing line (none of the neon stuff!).