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Your cart is empty.Why does Eco-Planted aquarium substrate outperform other products? For the same reason that Hawaii, Bali and Costa Rica are famous for lush, exuberant plant growth. The secret lies in rich basaltic volcanic soil which contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate is mineralogically and biologically complete, giving you luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae. Iron rich Eco-Complete eliminates the need for laterite. No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Eco-Complete has highly porous spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance and contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer. Directions: Add Eco-Complete to empty aquarium, then add water, plants, start all filters and pumps. If adding to an existing tank, mix in a few pounds a day over a period of a week or more. Maintains optimum mineralogy, never needs replacement. Will not soften or disintegrate.
Daniel Sherman
2025-08-13 11:09:07
Great product, color was just as described and did not need any rinsing as described. Used to add more depth for plant growth so look forward to seeing them take off!
Elaine Bell
2025-07-14 16:53:32
I am new to planted tanks. This is my very first attempt. I had a goldfish (Gunsmoke) as a dorm pet in college and then some guppies. I recently got a betta (Rupert Pad Kee Mao) for my desk at work, but he will need a home in my home when I need to be out of the office for extended periods. So I started research to make him a vaca home that rules. I spotted , just because I wanted black/natural substrate and started to read reviews. Honestly, they almost scared me away from this, but so happy I went with my gut. This stuff is amazing. Mind you I have a 5 gallon and it was daunting getting 20 lbs. of substrate. I worried that only using part would be a total mess. But guess what, it is fantastic. You are going to make a mess with any substrate, just head to your tub and work there.Placing into the tank it was NASTY! So nasty that I thought about all the reviews to rinse it, second guessing and extremely worried about double work. No worries though, seriously DO NOT RINSE this substrate and read the directions especially when adding to an established tank. My little tank was almost clear an hour after running the filter. By the next day the tank was crystal clear. Planting day (Red Cabomba, Water Sprite, Banana Plant, Bacopa and Java Moss) it was so clean (with a few floaties). Planting did kick up a bit, but not as much as I would have thought.It is now day four and the plants, even after all the stress I put them through, are thriving. I have not run chemistry on this tank yet, but will in a few days once it balances itself out (I don't want to freak myself into a tizzy looking at readings). I will probably get another tank (do not tell my husband) to use what is left. It looks fantastic, very natural with bits of rose and tan. I'll try to get back and update when Rupert moves into his penthouse in the next month.Update:It has been over a year and I still love this substrate. I did have a large die-off of plants due to being lazy and not caring for my plants as I should. But both Rupert (he never did return to my office) and an Anubias that was added after the original review was posted are thriving. The other plants (micro-sword, Bacopa and Wisteria) after the initial die-off are also doing really well Yeah, I have had a Petco Betta for over a year and he looks great swimming over .
Anthony Carabello
2025-07-01 11:42:53
I use about two inches of it beneath soil and a cap of sand and have experienced excellent plant growth with this setup.It’s an inert substrate so no nutrients like soil but over time it does absorb nutrients from the water column, which gets redistributed to plant roots as nutrients.Unlike other plants substrates, it doesn’t need to be replaced over time. It retains the ability to feed plants for years, which is a plus, imo.It’s packed in water with vital bacteria in it so it tends to cloud water during the first week or two. It’s a good idea to do several 50% water changes during this time to balance out your tank. After a few weeks, the cloudiness will clearPackaged arrived quickly and in good condition
Michelle Castleberry
2025-06-18 15:10:47
Not so sure how it grows plants yet, but it was super easy to plant them in this stuff. just to let you know, it is just tiny crushed lava rocks, not soil. its inert substrate. its definitely a cheaper option, but you will have to use root tabs if you don't use a layer of aqua soil. it didn't cloud my water, which is nice, don't rinse it, because it comes with a liquid that's apparently full of beneficial bacteria. the color is nice, i got the black.you can get the 18lb for a 20 gallon long. i have about half an inch to an inch layer in the front and about 4 inches in some places near the back with left over. unless you want evenly 3 inches or something, 18 lb. should be enough.i will mention that i used a sand cap, and some of the sand has sifted through the gravel, but only time will tell how it holds up.
your local caveman
2025-06-15 13:25:42
Color’s nice, makes the greens pop. But the top layer needs vacuuming often. Grows stem plants ok since they feed from the water column, but heavy root feeders are going to suffer because they can’t root super well in this and can’t get any nutrients from it either.I personally just want less-maintenance and more plant friendly substrate now. The Snurds (snail turds) are the bane of my existence, since if you don’t have any bottom dweller cleanup crew to eat it, and it can’t be tilled under, the snurds and detritus just sit on top and become mulm (which is great if you have shrimp and houseplants but still have to manually remove it).I’d personally recommend sand as a top layer, it’s much easier to clean and the cleanup crew can easily till the turds under for your plants. Gravel isn’t the best for plants nor easy maintenance.
Archie M. Matthews
2025-06-04 15:33:31
Does a fantastic job with plants and shrimp !!
Shane R. Glover
2025-05-30 13:37:40
Wow. What a great product. I had some plants that were just hanging on so I decided to buy this because it never goes bad and keeps actual live bacteria colonies in the substrate. This stuff brought my plants back and some they now have new sprouts and are so beautiful and the fact that this stuff lasts forever due to the nutrients its gathers and disperses ill never need another substrate. I mixed this with my colored gravel and its looks amazing. The black with the colored gravel makes my tank look like a huge Cosmic Brownie hahahaa but seriously don't buy no other bullcrap this stuff is amazing. Oh and pour the water in the bag in the tank too cause it has the bacteria in it.
Ol
2025-05-13 12:28:43
Good product the plants in my aquarium are growing well in it
FRANK G.
2025-04-23 18:09:04
The best I've found for plants. I've tried numerous substrates ,I never vacuum, detritus,and uneaten food works its way down for biological fertilizer for roots. I've only ever used the black type. Keep and utilize the extra biological liquid in the bag. No rinse required. Draw back it's very expensive but it's an exceptional product.
Orhan
2025-04-04 10:25:42
Ürün çok yıpranmış ve neredeyse kum olmuş.Ayrıca ambalaj gorseldeki ile aynı değil.Ürünü henüz kullanmadım ama kullandıktan sonra tekrar yorum yazacağım.
david davies
2025-02-15 10:32:31
Very good
Cheryl-Anne Miller
2025-01-27 10:37:24
Pretty good value for the money. I used two bags for the bottom of a 33x12 footprint, 38 gallon tank shown. Banked high at one end shallow at the other. Plants are doing well so far.
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