CaribSea Eco Complete Black Planted Aquarium Substrate
Description
Please note that the product information displayed is provided by manufacturers, suppliers and other third parties and is not independently verified by Petco.
20 lbs. Black. Natural substrate is ideal for most freshwater and saltwater aquaria. Stays cleaner than gravel. No dyes, paints or coatings.
- - With no added dyes, paints or chemical coatings unlike most synthetic aquarium rocks
- - Enhances the vibrant colors of aquarium plants
- - Natural looking fish tank rock substrate that is long-lasting
- - Contains essential live bacteria
Specifications
SKU | 1245848 |
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Primary Brand | CaribSea |
Days to Ship | Ships Next Business Day |
Weight | 20 LBS |
Additional Features
Primary Color | Black |
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Personalized Item flag | No |
Reviews
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Most Helpful Favorable Review
Excellent Substrate!!
doyourfishthriveorsurvive
14 years ago
I bought this substrate because it was time to change out the old for new in my ...
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Most Helpful Critical Review
Poor Marketing - Misleading!!!
Larry11
10 years ago
CariSea Eco Complete Planted Gravel - PH went from 6.2-6.4 to 7.2. DOESN'T Chang...
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123 Ratings-Only Reviews
Cleans up nicely!
Yes, I recommend this product.
Buy this anywhere but Petco
Yes, I recommend this product.
Great stuff just don’t get it shipped
No, I do not recommend this product.
Non existant product a week and a half later
No, I do not recommend this product.
Great product
Yes, I recommend this product.
So far so good
Yes, I recommend this product.
Black Gravel?
No, I do not recommend this product.
Great quality
Yes, I recommend this product.
Questions
Do you need to rinse It before putting in your tank?
- No. That would be bad, actually, because this substrate has live denitrifying bacteria. Washing/rinsing would kill, or at the very least, wash off the beneficial bacteria, making what you bought more like plain aquarium gravel. Pour the substrate AND all the water into your aquarium first.
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Hi. I'm thinking about doing my first planted tank. Should I use this substrate? Also, do you need root tabs for it? Would adding sand on top of it be okay? I'm doing this because I'm planning on getting bottom dwelling fish/invertebrates.
- Eco Complete is and inert shale grave designed to pull nutrients and store the nutrients. It has a high CEC rating and since it is basically inert, you WILL need to add nutrients so it can store it and feed your plants. You can add root tabs along with dosing the water column. Eco complete will last a long time. You can mix Eco Complete with other aqua soils to boost the longevity and boost CEC capacity. This is how I use it. I use Seachem Flourite red for my base, ADA Amazonia regular, and Eco Complete as a substrate lasagna. You can use Eco Complete by itself, or you can cap it with sand. If you are capping, do not go more than a inch.
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Will this lower aquarium PH?
- ECO-Complete is considered "inert" substrate and is volcanic in nature. Inert will NOT alter your pH, in either direction. Lower (acidic) or most report higher (basic) should not be the case in a volcanic rock. Most likely causes of reported pH changes when using this inert substrate are due to the other geo, rocks, decor, wood, or excess waste breaking down can also cause a lower - more acidic pH in a fully-stocked or overstocked tank and can cause root rot in anaerobic compaction of this substrate + mulm waste. If plants are yellowing and also breaking down this converts into acids and tannins which may appear as a lower pH, but the truth is this is an inert substrate, made up of volcanic crush. The water in the bag is basic... is probably why many reviews say it "raises pH" however this is only the water the factory used and you should use your own water and not chase pH in either direction.
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Would Cory catfishes be able to safely live with this substrate? Is it too sharp? Will it hurt their little whiskers?
- No it won't hurt the Cory's whiskers.... Catfish are tough bottom-feeder fish It is difficult to kill a Cory, they're very hardy.
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How many bags would I need for 125 gal. Tank?
- General Rule of thumb 1lb per size in gallons... in your case 120lbs = 6 bags! Excessive, but plants need room to root and not compact. If going pure eco... Do your own research before filling a 125 gal. You may find that you only use Eco-Complete as a base gravel, to be topped in some other... I.e river rock, volcanic rock, whatever you like... Diamonds lol! Point being... The general rule of thumb doesn't necessarily apply when considering a tank of such size you should also weigh in your other rock and decor going into the end result.
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I bought a bag of this stuff but didn’t need to use the entire thing. What do I do with the rest? Am I able to save it for a later time? Or would it need to be air tight again?
- I also had quite a lot left over. I put it in a large zip top (self locking) plastic bag we had lying around and it has been fine for over a year now. I would think that if stored in a fashion where air can come in, it will dry out.
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Is this safe for tadpoles?
If I buy this, do I need like potting mix underneath of this product or do I need a substrate above this product for the plants?
- You don't need to add anything else. It already has all the nutrients plants will need.
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How much pounds will I need for a 100 gallon tank?
- Depends on how deep you want your substrate to be. Usually 1# per gallon. If you are doing heavy planted instead of just decorating, 1.5# per gallon.
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I’ve read it’s a rough substrate. Has anyone used this with betta fish?
- You can add sand over the gravel to smooth it out
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