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What’s the difference between Eco-Complete and Eco-Planted?

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 SubstrateCaribSea Eco-Planted Aquarium Substrate
Packaging Portion20 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 Density54 lbs. per cubic foot54 lbs. per cubic foot
Material Volcanic BasaltVolcanic 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 HeterotrophicHeterotrophic

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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