# substrate suggestions?



## tapscrew (Jul 1, 2006)

Hi,

I'm just about to set up my first true planted tank and i'm having a big dilema over substrate. Browsing through the site I get the feeling that most popular are ada stuff and ecocomplete. I thought I would go with ecocomplete as being easy-peasy good all-roundy-planty stuff . 

The tank I have is a Rekord 120 so I think I need about 52lb to get 2inches across the bottom. Having searched for a price the cheapest I can get it is £69.99 including carriage (I live in UK!) 

I'm thinking WOW! do people really pay that much for substrate???!!!

I guess what I'm really asking is, is ecocomplete really worth it? and /or is there a cheaper alternative - if so what?

Thanks in advance.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I think ADA's soil is cheaper than EC, because a bag of ADA doesn't contain water. You get more substrate per pound than you do with EC. Of course, it is also harder to find. The cheapest is ordinary pool filter sand, which works fine, but requires water column fertilizing, whether you want to do so or not. The advantage of the ADA substrate is that it contains some nutrients, enough that if you are lazy about water column fertilizing it still lets the plants grow. To a lesser extent that is true of EC too.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You can also use a mix of pool filter sand with Eco. I did it in my 20 gallon and it looks pretty nice. This would also cut down on the cost a great deal.


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## tapscrew (Jul 1, 2006)

Mixing sand with the eco sounds a cheaper option. I have heard that you can get anaerobic spots in sand though - would this happen with a mix? I suppose it depends on how much sand you use. (Have I just answered my own question or what??!!

Would it be ok to use playsand?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

You can use playsand but some brands (don't know which ones) can alter your water parameters. This is why I use pool filter sand because it has no effects on water parameters. 

I've never had a problem with pool filter sand becoming compact. Pool filter sand is also a larger grain then playsand which makes it less likely to become compacted. Also the use of MT snails will help keep the stand stirred up. 

In type of substrate that is to deep can become compacted. So I always keep the depth at between 2-3", but never over 4".


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I just tore down my 75g tank and replaced the mix of Eco Complete and Tahitian Moon Sand with 3M's Color Quartz Sand. I don't think substrate (other than the grain size) is really that much of an issue if you plan on dosing the water column. Take a look at any of Edward's plant pics. I believe everything he grows is grown in an inert sand substrate.

If you decide to mix Eco Complete and sand, the sand will eventually settle to the bottom of the tank so save yourself the trouble and put the sand in first and then the Eco


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