Eco Complete or Flourite?

[Pearl2011]

Which is better and easier to use? I heard Aquasoil turns to mush and dont want this to happen. I'm leaving in a couple minute to get it.

Thanks!

[xmas_one]

If you put a gun to my head, I guess I'd have to go with eco complete.

[Pearl2011]

Thanks xmas. I was thinking of getting that one anyway. Now lets see if the pet store has it :p

[Gooberfish]

I like the look of eco complete better. It's darker

[In.a.Box]

Petco.com ^^ not sure if you guys have petco there.

[Pearl2011]

Originally Posted by In.a.Box

Petco.com ^^ not sure if you guys have petco there.

No, we dont have Petco. We have Mr Pets, Petcetera (I HATE THEM!!), Pet Food n' More (not really any fish stuff). Theres another Mr Pets 20min away and a Petland (not a big fan of the way they treat the small animals).
Getting sand from Ronas tomorow. Will test it in Pearls or Bubbles tank first.

[Pearl2011]

And its okay if the Eco-Complete goes under the sand, right?

[scapegoat]

eco. flourite is way too dusty. it's so bad i stopped taking care of the tank b/c every time i did something i'd have brown water

[Pearl2011]

You guys have convinced me not to get Flourite (lol). Byron on tropicalfishkeeping.com said it did nothing.
Mr Pets has no Eco-Complete so I am just going to get sand and use root tabs.

[flight50]

They are one in the same. Neither one is really any better than the other. Now there are pros and cons to them both just like anything else. The only real negative with flourite is it needs thorough cleaning, cleaning that most aren't up for. If you clean it, its just as good. I can deal with flourite not coming with bacteria, a tank will eventually cycle. Some like the look of eco better. This is the visual aspect of the two. I find flourite more natural and more attractive. Eco for me has a few negatives, it cost more for less. Eco comes in a 20lb bag in which some of that is liquid. Flourite comes in a 15.7lb bag, all floruite. Eco is lighter. Can be a pain to plant in. Flourite holds plants fairly well. Unless you get eco from petco, it can be more expensive from what I have seen. Eco also has inconsistent grain sizes. Flourite is all the same grain size. I have also heard complaints about eco lately that not all of it is what its suppose to be.

You can't go wrong with either. If you set up two identical tanks with only the substrate being different, you won't see major differences more than likely.

[isellcars]

Go with the Flourite. I have it in my 90g and love it. Yes it did take a very long time to clean but I did figure out a way to clean it pretty fast and I have never had any cloudy water.

[ZLogic]

Go with the Eco Complete. Easy, aesthetically pleasing, and i just ordered 5 bags @$18 per bag with free shipping from Dr. Fosters and Smith and they were delivered in 3 business days. Just got it today and i was pretty impressed.

[Aquaticfan]

Originally Posted by flight50

They are one in the same. Neither one is really any better than the other. Now there are pros and cons to them both just like anything else. The only real negative with flourite is it needs thorough cleaning, cleaning that most aren't up for. If you clean it, its just as good. I can deal with flourite not coming with bacteria, a tank will eventually cycle. Some like the look of eco better. This is the visual aspect of the two. I find flourite more natural and more attractive. Eco for me has a few negatives, it cost more for less. Eco comes in a 20lb bag in which some of that is liquid. Flourite comes in a 15.7lb bag, all floruite. Eco is lighter. Can be a pain to plant in. Flourite holds plants fairly well. Unless you get eco from petco, it can be more expensive from what I have seen. Eco also has inconsistent grain sizes. Flourite is all the same grain size. I have also heard complaints about eco lately that not all of it is what its suppose to be.

You can't go wrong with either. If you set up two identical tanks with only the substrate being different, you won't see major differences more than likely.

This is a pretty good post about both.. Technically they are the same. Basically a fired clay product I believe. They both have high Cec rate so they can absorb and release nutrients.

Flourite does need a good rinsing or you have dust issues..

[Pearl2011]

I got play sand yesterday
The flourite is soo expensive (40$ for a small bag) so ill just get root tabs. Going to try out the sand today in Bubbles tank.

[Pooky125]

Rather then root tabs, why don't you try dirt? MTS or miracle grow organics choice potting mix are both excellent ideas and have LOTS of available nutrients for your plants.