EcoSystem for FW Setups

P

PikeLee

AC Members
Dec 19, 2002
104
0
0
NY
www.freewebs.com
Has anyone ever used this system for there Planted Discus tank? Or even their FW setup at the least.

I have a friend that’s using this for there Saltwater setup and they love it. I went to their site, www.ecosystemaquarium.com, and noticed that they have a system for FW. Has anyone used it?

I sent something to the company asking for some information. But I’m looking for more first hand experiences

Thanks.
 
website?

PikeLee, perhaps it's a problem on my end, but the website did not work..
 
Hopefully this link works.

http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/index.html

Yeah. I’m hoping to get a reply with some sort of knowledgeable sales person that can help me out. I have a good amount of questions for him. The LFS around my way has it setup, but only for SW.

Once I get some feedback I’ll definitely let you all know.

Thanks for the link. I see you’ve been researching this for quite sometime. I’m surprised that you haven’t found someone with first hand experience by now for the FW setups. I’m curious to see how caulerpa works in FW (if that’s the application…who knows:confused: ).

And like you RTR, I’m hoping this is a really low maintenance system. I like being a hobbyist and all, but having multiple tanks can be a chore sometimes.:o
 
From the email exchanges with the company, I gather that they have not had a lot of feedback from FW users - that is my impression and not their statement, so I could be wrong. I have not yet had ANY response from a real user. Individuals have said that they have used the system, but then it turns out they have a veggie filter -"which is the same thing"...Duh! I know what veggie filters do, and yes this a specialized application of that general case, but that is what I want to hear about. Miracle Mud is an unknown substrate to me, and I know better than to think that it is the same as sand, or backyard soil, or Flourite or Onyx, or whatever. The suggested flow rates are much higher than I have used on veggie filters, and while that may well be appropriate to SW, I'm hesitant about FW. But it may be for the DSB-type function of the substrate, and if that is the case, it is likely valid. I would sure like to hear some hands-on FW aquarist experience.
 
Well, it’s been a couple of days and after a couple of emails to Ecosystem…Still no response. I went to my LFS and they never even heard of it for a FW setup. So I couldn’t ask them anything.

They took down my number and were able to give me a quote for my 90g, which were 399.99. Yikes!!!:eek: But they still weren’t able to answer any of the questions that I had. She took them down and told me that she would ask her sales rep and see what happens. Hopefully I can get some answers soon. I’ll let all know.

The 399.99 included the following:
24 x 8 x 8 Refugium (Sump I guess)
Light pump 18w PC
Ready to run plumbing. (I told her that my 90g isn’t pre-plumbed)
Miracle Mud

I forgot to mention that the only thing that is different is the Miracle Mud. But other than that she’s not sure. They have 2 kinds of Miracle Mud. One for SW, $80 for 10lbs (buying fluorite isn’t so bad now, huh), and there’s one for FW. I’m not sure how much that goes for.

Until then…
 
Just so you are aware the $399 model is a hang on model so you would not need a sump or an overflow. $399. is rather spendy, you could get the saltwater version online and buy the freshwater miracle mud and still be cheaper.
 
Thanks for the info. I didn’t get too detailed with the lady on the phone. She left me a message with some info. When I called back it was some other worker that wasn’t too familiar with the product. But from the message that was left on my voicemail, she mentioned that that is all I would need. When I originally asked for a quote I had asked that I do not want a HOB version. I’ll see when I hear from her again.

If you have a link to the website that has the ecosystem for the sale with some prices, it would help. I just started my research on this system. So I haven’t shopped around that much.

But before I spend my money on anything. I want some information on how the thing works, maintenance, etc. Plus personal experiences would help as well.

RTR has been looking some of this information up for a while and he was not able get substantial feedback at all. I’m hoping something comes back. But it’s not a good sign when the manufacturer doesn’t return you emails. I’m thinking that they’re just going off of their SW reputation and hoping people would buy into their FW setups.

It’s only been a few days. I’ll stay positive for now.
 
Well, it’s been more than just a few days. And I still haven’t received any substantial information in regards to this product.

My LFS basically didn’t have that much information. It kind of seemed like they were just trying to sell me one.

The Sales team at Eco-System was quite disappointing, because not even they were able to answer my questions. My impression after a couple of emails and conversations via phone was that they are experimenting with the FW system. And they are hoping to get sales off of their SW reputation. So therefore, I will not be purchasing this product.

Things I did find are below:

- Flow rates posted on the website are not really necessary since it is a FW setup

- Experiments were only done on CO2 injected systems. They kind of implied that the system would not work on non-CO2 injected systems. This is do to the constant water movement resulting in high surface agitation.

- I was trying to find out more detailed information about the FW Miracle Mud. But they didn’t have such information nor did they have any documentation based on FW setups. They kept referring to the SW.

- The only difference in the FW and SW is the mud, flow rates, and plants in the mud. They just suggest using any fast growing bunch plants. That’s about it.

If anyone has any further information, please post. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to stick with a regular planted tank and reap the benefits. Sounds like the same thing to me.

Cheers.
 
The company's HOBs & sumps are quite pricey, as is the MM. Do a Google search and you will get a few US companies.

My email exchanges were mostly on the plants best used, and I did not get the impression they knew.

Per their site, there are 3 MMs SW, FW, and Koi - I don't know what the the difference would be in the last two.

The bioballs before and after in their setups could play hob with the CO2, even if the tank itself is fed pressurized gas. They did not feed me that factoid. If that is the case they should publicize it.

You see why I'm not rushing into the purchase either - I'm willing to do the investment for the initial test, but I will not without more data.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom