# Which one should I use?



## played_by_deth (May 19, 2010)

Trying my hand at my first planted tank. Any help and suggestions will be much appreciated!

I found some substrate called CaribSea Eco-Complete, and Floramax Premium by the same brand.
What's the difference? Is one better than the other? Should I use something else entirely??


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## Izzy (Jun 4, 2006)

Everyone has their favorite. Each has it's place.

some insight to the options...

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/06_substrate.html


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Some substrate can soften the water. Especially remove the KH, and drop the pH. If your tap water is a bit too hard, then one of these might be part of the answer.


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## Shad0w (Nov 13, 2006)

I like ADA, in my experience using other substrate, ADA is the best compare to other brand that available locally. Unfortunately CaribSea Eco-Complete and Floramax Premium does not available at my place, can't really comment on those two.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

I'm into low-budget substrate (college student, here!), and personally I prefer using Turface pro league bought at a local John Deere Landscape Supply warehouse... it's meant for baseball infield drainage, but serves basically the same function as clay-based, high-CEC substrates like flourite and eco-complete... and has the added bonus of being a heck of a lot cheaper (about $12-$15 for a $50lb bag instead of over $1/lb. like the caribsea and flourish substrates. Also helps with my obscenely hard, 8.0pH tap water.

That said, I also use some native granite sand/gravel that I collected myself... it has to come from an area with no pollution trouble, and is a lot of work to rinse it clean for aquarium use, but it looks nice.  I have one tank with a little ADA aqua soil added to it for extra nutrition, but I don't like to use that for the bulk of any substrate due to the facts that a) it's expensive, and b) it tends to be messy if disturbed... I have some fish that like digging, lol. Another messy-but-fertile additive I use every now and again is laterite.

So really, I second those who say it's a matter of opinion. Depends on what you're trying to achieve, what your maintenance plan is, and what's readily available (or fits your budget).


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