Hey guys, i saw these two types of substrates and i wanted to know what the differences were? Can they both be used for a planted aquarium with fish? I liked the "sandyness" and the coloration of each. i also liked the price of the Moon sand. Do they both provide nutrients for plants though. Any input is appreciated!!!
Eco-Complete Vs Tahitian Moon Sand
- Thread starter bladeruner143
- Start date
Eco-Complete is the plant substrate while tahitian moon is just black sand and isn't good for plants by itself. You can mix the two, the eco-complete will benefit rooted plants and the tahitian moon will help hold the plants down since its denser. You won't be able to keep the tahitian moon on the top layer though, eventually the smaller particles will sink to the bottom and the eco-complete will remain ontop.
Check out Onyx sand if you want a plant friendly, fine grained dark substrate. It's not quite black like eco or moon sand but more like a dull gray.
hhhmmm, that onyx thing i havent done too much research on. im thinking of doing a gravel/eco mix. what do u guys think about that?
Well here's what I done with my 20g low tech tank which originally had white play sand which I disliked because it was so compact and fine.....
I had two bags of the eco laying around for months because I got it for a price too good to pass up. So, on the bottom layer I used some gunk from my main 75g tank and put a layer of eco on top, just enough to cover it. Then I sifted out the finer grains of eco and mixed it in with half the moon sand and made another layer. The rest of the moon sand was the topmost layer with a few sprinkles of eco just for a bit variety. In all, only about 15% or less is actually the eco complete.
Granted, this is not an economic way to do this but I had the stuff lying around so what the heck, plus I've still got more than enough eco left for at least another 20g. I have to admit that the moon sand is one of the nicest looking substrates I've seen and I'd really have no problem using it on it's own, even in a planted tank.
I had two bags of the eco laying around for months because I got it for a price too good to pass up. So, on the bottom layer I used some gunk from my main 75g tank and put a layer of eco on top, just enough to cover it. Then I sifted out the finer grains of eco and mixed it in with half the moon sand and made another layer. The rest of the moon sand was the topmost layer with a few sprinkles of eco just for a bit variety. In all, only about 15% or less is actually the eco complete.
Granted, this is not an economic way to do this but I had the stuff lying around so what the heck, plus I've still got more than enough eco left for at least another 20g. I have to admit that the moon sand is one of the nicest looking substrates I've seen and I'd really have no problem using it on it's own, even in a planted tank.
Seachem's Onyx Sand is the same thing as their Gray Coast Calcite and usually it's cheaper on a per lb basis. Onyx is in 15.4 lb bags and Gray Coast is in 22 lb bags.
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Onyx Sand.html
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/GrayCoast.html
Avaliable at:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20631;category_id=2429
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8119&N=2004+113554
Using these prices but not including shipping:
Onyx Sand-$0.81/lb
Gray Coast-$0.58/lb
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Onyx Sand.html
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/GrayCoast.html
Avaliable at:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20631;category_id=2429
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=8119&N=2004+113554
Using these prices but not including shipping:
Onyx Sand-$0.81/lb
Gray Coast-$0.58/lb
If i went with moon sand and eco mix, what should the ratios be? 50/50? the onle problem with the moon sand like someone above mentioned is that it is just sand which mean not too many nutrient. if i blend it with something like say eco, then moon sand will just go to the bottom layer!!! Unless i can do something like a 75 moon/25 eco ratio, will that be enough nutrients for my plants though?!
hey phan, that looked pretty good, but how do you actually do it? i dunno if mabey i missed it but all i saw were pictures. i guess the best way would probably be just to use the eco/gravel mixture. but that moon sand looks soooo nice!!! :sad:
You divide the tank using something like cardboard. Fill the back area with eco-complete and the front area with tahitian moon until they are about even at the border, and then remove the divider. Place rocks or driftwood at the border, dig them in, to create a wall that will help prevent the two from mixing. Planting heavily around the boarder will also help prevent the substrates from mixing as the plants take root.