Shrimps are great for planted tanks as they will help keep the live plants clean of algae and more. A popular substrate for these types of aquariums is Eco Complete or Eco Planted (which has been recently renamed to Eco Planted).
So, is this substrate safe for shrimps? You can find out in this article from Aquarium Blueprints.
Benefits
Eco Complete/Eco Planted offer several benefits for a plated shrimp tank. The biggest of which is that the substrate provides plenty of nutrients to help your live plants grow. In our aquarium, we have a mix of Java Fern and Java Moss, both of which look very lush with this product.
Even if the initial nutrients eventually run out, the high CEC structure of these volcanic rocks will absorb nutrients from the water column before releasing it back to the tank water over time. Therefore, you can easily recharge the substrate with root tabs and/or liquid fertilizer.
If you get the black color variant of the Eco Complete or Eco Planted, then any dark colored algae and mulm will blend in well, giving your tank a clean look.
If you are keeping dark-colored shrimps, such as Red Cherry Shrimps, then your pet inverts should color up nicely as they try to blend into the darker substrate.
This product also features a beneficial bacteria species called Heterotrophic, which helps keep your planted tank clean as they will break down any organic waste.
Drawbacks
The only potential drawback with using Eco Complete or Eco Planted in a shrimp tank is that these rocks have sharp edges. Therefore, it may damage the whiskers, legs and other parts of the shrimp body.
Based on our experience, however, our Red Cherry Shrimps do just fine without any issues. They only really hang out on top of the substrate and will carefully pick at the rocks. We never see them dig into Eco Complete/Eco Planted, which can result in injury.
Recap
The CaribSea Eco Complete or Eco Planted should be safe for your planted shrimp tank. The substrate provides benefits such nutrients for live plants and beneficial bacteria to keep your aquarium clean. If you have the black version of this product, then it will help your shrimps color up nicely as well.
Although the sharp edges of this substrate can damage the shrimps, our Red Cherry Shrimps do just fine as they usually stay on top of the rocks and will only carefully pick at the surfaces.
So, if you are looking for a shrimp-safe substrate, then the CaribSea Eco Complete/Eco Planted should work well.
