# Does eco-complete ever need replacement?



## bluecat (Sep 24, 2011)

Hello,

I have a 90 gallon tank planted with about 8 fish. 
For about the last 6-8 weeks i have been dealing with a green algae bloom that nothing I try to do seems to eradicate.
Things I have done:
30% water changes daily for the last three weeks.
Used a diatom filter, which did work for about three days
vacuumed the gravel every other day for the past three weeks
cut lighting back 50%
cut feeding back 50%
tried seachem water clarity (no help at all)
I put 5 octo catfish in and they have eliminated about 80% of the brown algae on the plants so they are all now green again. I know that octos will have no effect on the green algae bloom but they did a great job on the brown algae that was covering my plants.
removed my fluvial 405 and replaced it with an eheim 2217

I am out of ideas except that maybe the eco-complete substrate has started to break down and is releasing the additional organic material the green algae is feeding on?

Thank you for any suggestions.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

i doubt is the eco complete...is itt heavily planted?? you might need some plants that can soak up excess nutrients.....


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## bluecat (Sep 24, 2011)

I wouldn't say heavily planted, its probably moderately planted.
Can you share some ideas about which sort of plants would soak up excess nutrients?

Thanks for your time.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

floaters defenitly, stems like hygros (H. c. angustifolia is a big sucker lol) egeria densa, there are others they just don't come up into my brains at this moment ha! any fast growers are very helpful. ..
lets see what others have to say about it..


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## bluecat (Sep 24, 2011)

I tried the keep the tank covered for 72 hours advice which I found in another thread. 
The only affect it had was to make the green algae worse.

Any one have anything else that I can try before I drain the tank and move on to a different hobby?

Thanks in advance for you r time


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