When looking for a substrate for your planted tank, you may have run into the CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate and CaribSea Eco-Planted Aquarium Substrate. So, what are the main differences between these two fish tank products?
You can find out in this comparison guide at Aquarium Blueprints.
Quick Summary
The CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate and CaribSea Eco-Planted Aquarium Substrate should be the same exact product. The only real difference is the packaging as Eco-Planted is the re-branded version of Eco-Complete.
Therefore, you should expect both products to contain the same nutritional elements that will help your aquarium plants grow.
While both of these substrates contain beneficial bacteria, we recommend picking up Eco-Planted because it is newer. Since the Eco-Complete is an older product, there may not be as much beneficial bacteria living inside of it when compared to Eco-Planted.
Eco-Complete vs. Eco-Planted Comparison Chart
You can find a comparison table between the CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate and CaribSea Eco-Planted Aquarium Substrate below.
| CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate | CaribSea Eco-Planted Aquarium Substrate | |
|---|---|---|
| Packaging Portion | 20 lbs. | 20 lbs. |
| Color Options | Black Red | Black Red |
| Pebble Size | Black: 0.25 mm to 7.0 mm Red: 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm | Black: 0.25 mm to 7.0 mm Red: 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm |
| Pebble Density | 54 lbs. per cubic foot | 54 lbs. per cubic foot |
| Material | Volcanic Basalt | Volcanic Basalt |
| Nutrition | Aluminum - 43,152.08 ppm Barium - 336.91 ppm Boron - 2.26 ppm Cadmium - 1.61 ppm Calcium - 33,065.61 ppm Chromium - 49.76 ppm Cobalt - 33.41 ppm Iron - 41,625.02 ppm Lithium - 8.37 ppm Magnesium - 23,116.30 ppm Nickel - 32.80 ppm Potassium - 5,296.37 ppm Silicon - 4,498.92 ppm Sodium - 12,910.97 ppm Strontium - 278.09 ppm Sulfur - 360.84 ppm Titanium - 4,486.78 ppm Vanadium - 230.01 ppm Zinc - 77.78 ppm and more | Aluminum - 43,152.08 ppm Barium - 336.91 ppm Boron - 2.26 ppm Cadmium - 1.61 ppm Calcium - 33,065.61 ppm Chromium - 49.76 ppm Cobalt - 33.41 ppm Iron - 41,625.02 ppm Lithium - 8.37 ppm Magnesium - 23,116.30 ppm Nickel - 32.80 ppm Potassium - 5,296.37 ppm Silicon - 4,498.92 ppm Sodium - 12,910.97 ppm Strontium - 278.09 ppm Sulfur - 360.84 ppm Titanium - 4,486.78 ppm Vanadium - 230.01 ppm Zinc - 77.78 ppm and more |
| Biological Filtration | Heterotrophic | Heterotrophic |
Packaging Portion
Both the Eco-Complete and Eco-Planted can only be purchased in 20-pound bags. For best results, you should add at least 2 pounds of these substrate for every gallon of your fish tank.
Color Options
You can buy these two substrates in either black or red colorations. The red variant actually offers a mix of colors, including black, brown as well as various shades of red.
Size
The individual pebble size for the black coloration has wider ranges when compared to the red colorations.
For the black versions of these product, the size can be anywhere between 0.25 mm to 7.0 mm. For the red variants, the individual size is more consistent, ranging from 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm.
Density
The density of these pebbles should also be the same as it is approximately 54 pounds per cubic foot.
Material
Both the Eco-Complete and Eco-Planted are made of Volcanic Basalt, which is a high CEC material that will absorb and then release nutrients for both your rooted and free-floating plants.
Nutrition
These two substrates come with over 30 elements, which includes the following concentration:
- Aluminum – 43,152.08 ppm
- Barium – 336.91 ppm
- Boron – 2.26 ppm
- Cadmium – 1.61 ppm
- Calcium – 33,065.61 ppm
- Chromium – 49.76 ppm
- Cobalt – 33.41 ppm
- Iron – 41,625.02 ppm
- Lithium – 8.37 ppm
- Magnesium – 23,116.30 ppm
- Nickel – 32.80 ppm
- Potassium – 5,296.37 ppm
- Silicon – 4,498.92 ppm
- Sodium – 12,910.97 ppm
- Strontium – 278.09 ppm
- Sulfur – 360.84 ppm
- Titanium – 4,486.78 ppm
- Vanadium – 230.01 ppm
- Zinc – 77.78 ppm
Biological Filtration
One of the major benefits of using Eco-Complete or Eco-Planted substrates is that these come with beneficial bacteria already living on its surfaces. The Heterotrophic bacteria colonies from these products will help kick start the biological filtration in your fish tank.
For the uninformed, biological filtration is needed to remove the toxic compounds in the aquarium. Otherwise, your fish and other aquatic pets may be expose to potentially deadly levels of ammonia and/or nitrites.
The beneficial bacteria from these substrates should help speed up the cycling process if you have a brand-new tank or need to cycle it again if there is an issue with your biological filtration.
For this feature to work effectively, we recommend that you put the Eco-Complete or Eco-Planted directly from the bag into your tank. You need to avoid pre-washing it, especially with tap water as it may contain chlorine and/or chloramine, which will harm the Heterotrophic bacteria.
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