# How Many Bags of Eco Complete for 29 Gallon Tank



## LindaC

I'm seriously thinking of changing my subtrate over from Flourite to Eco Complete, only because the Flourite is over 2 years old now and my subtrate line is much too low. I guess I never did add enough Flourite to my tank in the beginning, but now, it appears even lower and with a 29 gallon tank, which is a little higher then the other tanks, it looks like it's about an inch to an inch and a half deep at the most in most areas. I'm sure this is causing my plants to not receive as much light as they would be if the subtrate was a 3 inches.

I can either add more Flourite, but hate the mess it makes and the cloudiness in the tank, or I can add Eco Complete, which I'd like to add for looks, I like the dark color versus the red of the Flourite. The bags are 20 lbs each, can anyone tell me how many bags I would need? Would 2 be enough?

One more thing, will my tank cycle with the Eco Complete? It's a well established tank, as I've stated above, it's been up and running for almost 3 years now.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Linda


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## NoSvOrAx

Need atleast 2 bags for a bare 29. 3 if you want it deep. Eco will make a mess of the water too. It is "Bi-modal" which is a silly word for chunks and sand.  It also comes packed with blackwater (nutrients) which also haze up the tank a bit. Just do not clean or change your filters for a few days after the substrate change so you don't lose your cycle. Depending on your bio-load you may go through a mini-cycle so check your parameters and PWC if needed.


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## Mr. Fish

Ok I can relate well with this becuase I just did my Substrate switch to Eco Complete last week.
I also have a 29 gallon and added 2 bags (40 LBS total) and got about 3 inches of substate for my plants.

First when buying the substate whatever you do dont add that liquid from the bag.
If your tank is already established then drain the water out of the bag before adding it..
The best way to not cause cloudyness or disturb your bacteria bed is to take a handful
at a time and add it manually intill finished.

The reason I say dont add that liquid from the bag is its becuase its intended for new aquairum
use only..adding will only cause problems as instructed on the back of the bag


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## Left C

I usually use 350 cubic inches per bag of E-C and 400 cubic inches per bag of Flourite to figure the amount of substrate needed.

For your 29g aquarium that has dimensions of 30" x 12" and a substrate depth of 3". That's 1080 cubic inches. Then 1080 cubic inches divided by 350 cubic inches per bag = 3.0 bags

I've found that bags of E-C can be very different. Some are very sandy and some are more like gravel. Some are like a mixture of both. This makes a difference in the amount of E-C needed to reach a certain substrate depth.

Anyway, here's a substrate calculator that may be helpful: http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html

Notice that it says that you need 60 pounds or 3 bags of E-C in an area of 30" x 12" x 3".


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## Mr. Fish

Left C said:


> I usually use 350 cubic inches per bag of E-C and 400 cubic inches per bag of Flourite to figure the amount of substrate needed.
> 
> For your 29g aquarium that has dimensions of 30" x 12" and a substrate depth of 3". That's 1080 cubic inches. Then 1080 cubic inches divided by 350 cubic inches per bag = 3.0 bags
> 
> I've found that bags of E-C can be very different. Some are very sandy and some are more like gravel. Some are like a mixture of both. This makes a difference in the amount of E-C needed to reach a certain substrate depth.
> 
> Anyway, here's a substrate calculator that may be helpful: http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html
> 
> Notice that it says that you need 60 pounds or 3 bags of E-C in an area of 30" x 12" x 3".


Actually your right, I shoulda stated i have a small bottom layer of white plain gravel I
tend to forget about becuase I can no longer see it.... And as you know 3 bags can get
expensive at 35 bucks a bag, I suggest keeping a small layer of the substrate your using now and
laying EC over the top with 2 bags if your on a budget....


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## longhornxtreme

I initially used 2 bags in my 29g, I think the right amount would be 2.5 bags.


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## Mr. Fish

^ only if they sold 10 lb bags huh long horn haha


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## LindaC

Thank you all, I really appreciate all your responses. I am on a tight budget and if I was smart, I'd just purchase another bag of Seachem Flourite and add it to what I already have, but I'm not crazy about the color of Flourite.


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## Mr. Fish

Yea I like the color of the Eco Complete...nice addition to every planted tank...


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## JustOneMore21

If you want 3", I suggest 3 bags. I have 2.5 bags in my 29g and that gave me about 2" in the front and 3" in the back.....so obviously I had to buy 3 bags.  Used the leftover half in my 5.5g.


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## Adragontattoo

The size of the gravel really does vary between bags. I have a few small boulders in my one 20g and my 15h has much smaller pieces.


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## TortoiseBoy

35 dollars for a bag of Eco-Complete?!? It must have gone up since I bought mine. When I bought it, I paid more to have it shipped than the price of the item  It was more like 25-30 last I looked around here at fish stores, so you might look around online to see if you can get it cheaper even including shipping. Another option is to mix it with Tahitian Moon Sand. My memory is that it is only about 20 dollars and even PetSmart and Petco seem to carry it some of the time. It may have gone up since I looked last, too, but it may be worth a try. It is also black, so it would mix ok from an aesthetic point of view. It may be a bit finer than the EC, though.

I agree with other posters that it can vary in grain size and variability. I have gotten two shipments of about 9 bags and the first was much coarser and more varied in texture. The second was much finer and more similar in size. 

Finally, there is one thing I should probably say about my EC. I think it affects my kH by releasing some form of calcium into the water column over time. That is the reason that I got two batches. The EC folks sent me a replacement batch because I had this problem to begin with (FANTASTIC customer service) and the replacement batch seems to do the same thing. My tap water is about 0 in kH, but over time, I get up closer to 5 degrees. I suppose there could be other causes, but I don't think I add anything to cause this change and the other rocks in the tank are inert to the best of my knowledge. Overall, I love the EC and wouldn't change it. 5 degrees is fine with me as long as I keep an eye on it and set my pH controller accordingly. It doesn't seem to go over 5 degrees even after long (a couple of months) periods without a water change, either. So, I still recommend it, but be aware that this has been an issue for some folks. 

Good luck!

TB


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