# Eco-Complete quality/ ADA Aquasoil?



## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

I was reading about the quality control issues, and so had a look at mine (just bought them last week)..

Indeed, the granules are quite large, like pea gravel, and there is some, but not very much silty soil-type granules at all.. And you will notice the red gravel..

Hmmmmm..

Maybe I SHOULD take it back, and spend a little more on some ADA Aquasoil?

Thoughts?

The Aquasoil is supposed to take the pH and hardness down, though, and if my water will ALREADY be acidic and soft being R/O and tap water..

Is this how the Eco-complete that everyone raves about supposed to look??

The layer underneath either the 2" of either Eco or the ADA Aquasoil will be laterite, then under THAT CaribSea Tahitian Moonsand (to cover the substrate cable heater and distribute the heat more evenly).

Thanks in advance for any and all comments!!


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## JeremyAZ (Feb 16, 2007)

That doesn't at all look like eco-complete, nor does that look like the same packaging. Looks shady to me. You may have been taken.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

I got it at Big Al's Canada.. Like i say, sounds like the new stuff is RADICALLY different from the old stuff that brought it the good reputation..

Here's the front..


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## icom (Feb 23, 2008)

WOW !! And I thought the 4 bags of eco I bought looked like crap..thats pretty bad,way worse than mine.The few bags I bought some years ago was as black as black can be and I would say most of it was a finer,sand-like material;nothing like the recent bags that are choked full of that junk like in yours,big chunks of white and red,heck I even found some blue stuff in a couple bags
I know I'll never buy any more of it...Flourite Black or Flourite Black Sand from now on


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

There IS some black silt-type stuff.. But from the looks of it it's less than 20% of the bag..

I'm hearing that Aquasoil is clay-based..

So would putting it on top of laterite be overkill?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Laterite provides some iron, and being clay, it has a good CEC. Aquasoil is soaked with nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. They are different things entirely. The only problem I can see with topping the Laterite with Aquasoil is that the black and red colors will eventually mix, but that might be a minor problem.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

They'd mix??

The Aquasoil would sink into the laterite?

Well, I don't want that, as as soon as the laterite is exposed to the tank water the whole tank will turn pink..


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

It is very difficult to keep a layered substrate from eventually mixing. The bigger particles migrate to the surface, everytime you pull up a plant you drag a bit of the bottom layer with it, fish dig down close to the bottom layer unless the top layer is very deep, water currents can move a lot of the top layer away, etc. I have had reddish silt under dark gray SMS for over a year now, and the reddish stuff is still not visible, so this doesn't happen overnight. I am helped by the fact that the SMS particles are much bigger than the silt particles.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

Well, both Aquasoil and Eco are bigger particles than the laterite, of course..

_Should_ be ok...


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

I talked to an Eco-Complete rep, and he said he would replace the bags with the "good" stuff..

He explained that a bad batch went out, and that Big Al's, for one, had no business keeping that stuff on the shelves..

So this is good news, and I'll let you all know if and how they actually do go about replacing the bags.


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## Shurik (Mar 22, 2008)

I am just about to get some eco-complete for my new 50 gal and it would be great if someone would update this info about WHERE to get normal quality good old stuff.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

I don't know about the where, but just make sure it doesn't look like what I got!

Should be smaller granules, and almost all black. Make sure, too, that the bags aren't leaking..

You could try phoning Carib Sea and asking about this issue, and where to go: 1 888 461 1113


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

We have black Eco in stock. And its all black..


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

I was going to ask the rep what happened to this bad batch, but he sounded pretty exasperated and pissed off, so I thought better not..


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## Adragontattoo (Jun 3, 2007)

dougz said:


> I was going to ask the rep what happened to this bad batch, but he sounded pretty exasperated and pissed off, so I thought better not..


IIRC isnt this the second "bad" batch of EC to be released?

There was one were the EC was releasing a lot of the nutrients into the water column IIRC.

now this.

I have EC and like it (excluding the golfball sized rock of EC I have)


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## Shurik (Mar 22, 2008)

I just received my two bags of Eco from Green Leaf Aquariums.

YESSSS!!!  It is all as black as it can be, nice, fine substrate, with no suspicious particles, both bags are not leaking, granules are 3-6 mm and some of it is almost like sand. Just like Orlando says - all good.

The package came in really fast too, and the shipping is flat rate "dirt"  cheap.

I wanted to know where to get a "good" eco because I would hate to deal with returning it, carry all 40 lb back to the post office, talk to exhausted reps, be in a bad mood myself and all that. Basically, just like all of us don't like to go through that upsetting process.

So I am very happy about ordering it from *Green Leaf*.


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Glad you like it Thanks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

I just clicked orlando's logo above. Wow! That is a well stocked place for planted tank enthusiasts. I can't remember seeing as complete a stock of all of the goodies we need. It is a long way from me, so I will likely continue to use more local internet stores, but I wish they all would duplicate that stocking.


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Thanks Hoppy
Our substrates ship flat rate Large box, 2 bags per box. About $14.
We are trying our best at stocking and building every week. If you see something we should have please let us know. Most likely I can get, and get it fast. Thanks


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## Shurik (Mar 22, 2008)

This is what I was going to say – I got eco-complete much faster from Orlando then I got some stuff ordered locally, the shipping price is great and all pretty much the same across the country. 

I live quite far away from Green Leaf Aquariums, (can't figure out exactly how far, I am in MA), but they ship purchases like the next second they get your order! :-D

I got my eco-complete before I even though I should track the shipment on line – it was sitting at my door already. \\/
Plus the benefit of excellent quality and such a pleasurable communication – well, I was really impressed. :clap2:

THANK YOU!!!


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

Wish you had a distributor in Canada..


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## star rider (Feb 27, 2006)

wow..checked out the site.

my next order will be going there.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Great Site. Makes me want to start another tank. Good thing I'm broke already.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

Just got notice from the CaribSea Rep..

The _good_ stuff is on the way to me from their warehouse!


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## PRJCT92EH2 (Mar 7, 2008)

I got some similar looking stuff and e-mailed a rep from an old thread on here and they sent me new stuff that looks good no questions asked, even sent one more than i bought originally. Definately top notch customer service!


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## aquamancanada (Apr 19, 2008)

Wow this makes alot of sense, I had bought a bag of EC a couple months ago and i too noticed it wasn't nearly what it looked like on all the pics ive seen. I had no idea about a bad batch until now, I guess I will need to call somebody.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

Got my "good" Eco-Complete today from Head Office in Florida...

Compare..


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## cyber_ecco (Dec 4, 2006)

Looks like it has larger grain size.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

MUCH larger.. And there's red, white, and grey particles..

That's the BAD stuff...

Whereas the GOOD stuff is a uniform black, and finer-grained..


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## aquamancanada (Apr 19, 2008)

I will be calling them tomorrow about this, what happened to the bad stuff anyways?


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

The official word is quality-control issues..

But I'm thinking they tried to go down a new road, ala "new coke", with similar results (massive consumer backlash)..

Don't quote me on that, though..


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## aquamancanada (Apr 19, 2008)

Hmmm interesting i wonder what effect it has on the quality of the product.


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## dougz (Apr 4, 2008)

> Hmmm interesting i wonder what effect it has on the quality of the product.


1) The fact that it's hardly black at all means it won't set off the colours of the plants and fish as it would if it WERE black..

2) Bigger particles means more surface area for food, etc to accumulate and cause water quality issues.


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