# does eco complete cloud?



## Nick16 (12 Aug 2009)

hi, as in the title, does it cloud badly?

i have JBL aquabasis and this stuff is a monster at clouding.

im thinking about getting some ADA Amazonia (i or ii?) as i believe that doesnt cloud as much?


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## baron von bubba (12 Aug 2009)

not an issue with eco complete in my limited exp of it


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## Themuleous (12 Aug 2009)

Nope not at all 

Sam


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## Nick16 (12 Aug 2009)

thanks guys, i might have a go with that, i hope its better than jbl aqua basis


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## Themuleous (12 Aug 2009)

For bulk buying, this is the cheapest place I found to get it, free postage too 

http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalo ... strate.asp

Sam


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## Nick16 (12 Aug 2009)

its 9.95 on ebay, but its the delivery that gets you if you want to order 5 bags. 

ive emailed them asking if they will do me a deal, i know for a fact that a courier will deliver them all for about Â£20


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## JamesM (12 Aug 2009)

Troo Nick, but you're looking at nearly 50kg, which will mean at least 2 boxes. Some courier companies charge twice in that case


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## Nick16 (12 Aug 2009)

here mate.   http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Caribsea-Eco-...Fish?hash=item23026aaa13&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
i will let you know the results of my question regarding delivery.


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## ceg4048 (13 Aug 2009)

Price being the same one should always choose Amazonia over Eco Complete. Amazonia is NPK enriched while Eco is not. This is especially significant for those who don't like fertilizing the  water column. Amazonia is also a nicer substrate to work with as it's easier on the hands.

Cheers,


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## Nick16 (13 Aug 2009)

thing is its not the same price though, i can get a bag of eco complete for about Â£18 inc delivery, 
the ADA stuff is about Â£35 inc delivery.   Thats a monumental difference and on a 240L tank i cant justify that, its alright for you guys with tiny 60cm things but when you have double that (and being im only 17) i cant afford it. 

if there was a better alternative that covers both grounds id be happy to investigate but sadly i dont think there is.


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## Themuleous (13 Aug 2009)

That's the reason I went with EC in my 4ft, just could bring myself to spend the money needed to get AS, unfortunately.

Sam


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## Nick16 (13 Aug 2009)

i use osmocote, which is NPK enriched plant food, surely if i put some EC down (very thin layer) then some Osmo and then a lot more EC, this will work,  will be dosing the water column as well!

john starkey and themuleous have had great results from it, so im going to give it a shot, i just cant justify ADA prices, maybe if i had a 60cm but not a 4ft


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## ceg4048 (14 Aug 2009)

Hmm, that's odd. I distinctly recall some time ago that these were comparable in price. In any case if you plan to do the self-enrichment then there is no point in buying EC. Why not just use Akadama as JamesC has demonstrated?  If color is an issue then you can use any similarly colored inert gravel. EC does have a high CEC though, but every thing else about it is marketing hype. As another poster pointed out, it's heavy (not the least of which is due to the fact that there is water in the bag) so shipping charges will be an issue. I don't see the point really, especially if you plan on dosing the water column.

One has to be careful to avoid "mind-set" on a product. Just because someone else reports success using a product, it does not mean that the success was a direct result of using that product, unless that product was specifically tested by isolating it's effects from the effects of other factors in the tank. Growth performance is a result of many factors, principally CO2 and often in concert with water column dosing. So if someone states that they had success using EC, it could easily be that their success was in spite of using EC as opposed to because of it. Something to consider.  

Cheers,


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## Themuleous (14 Aug 2009)

Good point Ceg, at the end of the day, you can growth pretty much anything in inert sand if you dose the water column sufficiently. A decent substrate just gives you a margin for error 

Sam

EDIT - I think that price comparison, didn't look at having the same substrate depth, which made it look the same price, but pound for pound AS is more expensive as far as I know.


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## Nick16 (14 Aug 2009)

yeah ,good points guys, i like the margin for error   being that im am on a learning curve, i like the idea of room for error. plus im not always totally regular with my dosing. 

i have got about 50Kg of EC for about Â£80 inc delivery


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