CaribSea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate, 20-lb bag

Showing 1-10 of 28 Questions

Sort by:

how long can I store in original bags I am not planning on setting up my tank until spring but this is to good a price to pass up also how much will I need for a least a 2" bed in a 55 gal tank

Eco complete has no shelf date on the product itself because it is good for many months into years if stored at room temperature. The bacteria in it are spored and do not become active unless they are exposed to a food source. To fill a tank 1 inch thick with substrate, it is roughly equivalent to 1...more pound of substrate per gallon. To fill a tank 2 inches thick with substrate, it is roughly equivalent to 2 pounds of substrate per gallon.

By on Nov 10, 2018 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
Is this used as a base layer with other substrate layered on top of it?

This substrate is biologically complete, with beneficial microorganisms that help cycle new aquariums faster. However, it may also serve as a bottom layer with your choice of non-carbonate substrate.

By on Dec 20, 2018 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
I have a 180 gallon tank. I plan to use tap water and treat it with a water conditioner to remove chlorine and heavy metals. Should I put the substrate in after the water has been treated?

For new aquarium setups it's recommended to pour in the substrate and then fill the aquarium with de-chlorinated tap water.

By on Feb 5, 2019 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
Is there a difference between the red and black version? I don't want to harm my fish by choosing the wrong one.

The only difference is the color. Please note, this may elevate pH above neutral and may not be suitable for Discus sp., P. alta and sensitive freshwater shrimp.

By on Aug 5, 2019 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

The black has more minerals. Chewy doesn't know what they're talking about but it won't harm fish nonetheless.

By Correction on Jul 31, 2021 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

+ Show More Answers Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
How often does this need to be changed

Most plant substrates do not require regular replacement. Some pet parents elect to change their substrates every 6 months, however this substrate helps cultivate healthy nutrients and bacteria.

By on Dec 30, 2018 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
How big are the grains of gravel that sit on top? I have fine sand (for the plants) and my catfish kick it up, but I don't like the typical (old fashion, I guess) gravel. This seems to be best of both.
This substrate is more of a granule texture. Please see the attached image for size reference.

By on Jun 13, 2021 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.
Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
is this safe for copper sensitive invertebrates and fish?

This substrate is safe for copper sensitive invertebrates and fish.

By on Oct 17, 2019 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
would this be okay for hermitcrab?

This substrate is safe for hermit crabs.

By on Aug 31, 2019 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

It depends on the species, though I would have to assume you mean "Land Hermit Crabs"? If so, this is NOT suitable. Hermit Crabs must be in a group of three or more in 20 gallons or larger (but much larger is highly recommended and suggested), need at least 3 *proper* shells per Crab, require both f...more reshwater for drinking and saltwater for bathing, should have a varied diet of many powdered diets and fresh veggies, herbs, fruits, cooked egg or animal protein, and others, and need a high-humidity substrate with about 5 parts children's play sand (do NOT use reptile or hermit crab calcium sand!) and 1 part Coconut fibre. Hermit Crabs require VERY sophisticated care, and you should do as much research as possible before considering to purchase, adopt, or rescue Hermit Crabs. For me, I have a 50 gallon Breeder aquarium with a hinged glass top for 3 adult Hermit Crabs. It has 10" of my tropical substrate mix (I use 4 parts play sand, 1 part coconut fibre, 1 part sphagnum moss (for humidity), 1 part very small pea gravel (for drainage), and a few sprinkles of Activated Carbon (to prevent mold, mildew, etc). It also has Springtails AND Woodlice (aka "Roly Polies") to eat any mold, feces, and dead plant matter the Hermies may leave behind. And that's only covering about 1/6 of what their habitat includes! I highly suggest and recommend you do the proper research before getting any pet. Hope this helps

By MattTheHamsterGuy on Dec 6, 2019 top50 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

+ Show More Answers Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
Is this good for turtels

This substrate can be used for reptiles, but it's meant to be an aquatic substrate. It would work fine for reptiles requiring an aquatic environment.

By on Jan 15, 2019 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions
Do I rinse this substrate before putting it into a new aquarium?

This substrate does not need to be rinsed. For new aquarium setups, simply pour in the entire contents of this bag and fill aquarium with de-chlorinated tap water or for best results, de-ionized or distilled water.

By on Oct 26, 2018 Report

You liked it! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Answer This Question
Answer this question

Choose a nickname

6 images max, 5MB max per image

Cancel
Terms and Conditions

Customer Reviews and Q&A Terms and Conditions

Last Updated Sept 21, 2021

These Customer Reviews and Q&A Terms and Conditions ("Terms and Conditions") and Chewy, Inc.'s ("Chewy") Terms of Use found here govern your conduct associated with the Customer Review and Q&A service offered by Chewy.

You agree to not submit the following types of content or any content that violates these Terms and Conditions. Chewy reserves the right not to post any content, and the right to edit or delete any content, if it contains any of the following types of content or otherwise violates these Terms and Conditions:

Adverse Effect: Content that mentions negative physiological effects from using the product.
Advertising: Content that includes any advertising or promotion for any other companies, products, or services.
Badging / Disclosure: Content that fails to include proper disclosures or badges indicating that the user has a material connection to Chewy.
Competitor References: Content that mentions any Chewy competitors.
Customer Service: Content concerning an interaction with a Customer Service agent or Chewy's return/exchange policy.
Directing Business Away: Content that encourages customers to purchase the product elsewhere, whether or not specifically naming a competitor.
Duplicate Content: Multiple reviews on a single product by a unique user.
Foreign Language: Content that is not in English.
Fraudulent Content: Content that appears not to be a genuine customer review.
Import: Content that appears to have been imported from another platform.
Inappropriate Content: Any inappropriate content of any kind, including, without limitation, aggressive, threatening, non-genuine, trolling, lewd, drug-related, or sexually explicit comments, defamatory statements, personal attacks, discriminatory statements, hate speech, profanity, or mentions of animal cruelty.
Inappropriate Images: Content that includes inappropriate images of any kind, including, without limitation, nudity or partial nudity of humans, violence to children, or child pornography.
Infringing Content: Any content that appears to infringe any third party rights, including, without limitation, any content that incorporates any music.
Medical Advice: Content that appears to solicit or provide medical advice.
Off Label Use: Content that mentions that a product is being used in a way that is contrary to label instructions.
Personally Identifiable Information: Content that contains an individual's personal information, such as, for example: full name, phone number, physical address, e-mail address, credit card information, government-issued ID number, social security number, or bank account number.
Price References: Any references to price or comparative pricing.
Product Not Purchased: Content that indicates that the product was not purchased at all (unless received as a gift) or that the product was purchased from a different retailer, or that does not indicate that the user actually used the product.
Restricted Content: Content that refers to injuries, death, or losses related to a product, that suggests that something about a product or its use is unsafe, that calls for legal action against Chewy, that claims that Chewy is breaking the law, or that mentions counterfeit or pirated goods.
Shipping: Content that is primarily about the shipping experience.
Test: Content is a test submission.
Underage: Content indicates that the reviewer is under the age of 13.
Unknown Product: Content that does not appear to be about a product.
URLs: Content contains hyperlinks or URLs (other than âchewy.comâ).
Vacuous: Content that contains no specific, useful details about the product or primarily focuses on a topic outside the product, that includes no characters in the review, that contains excessive random characters or meaningless words, or that is so poorly written to be unintelligible.
Wrong Product: Content does not pertain to the product being reviewed.

By submitting any content to Chewy, you represent and warrant that:

You agree to indemnify and hold Chewy (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, liabilities, damages (actual and consequential), and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, arising out of a breach or alleged breach of any of your representations and warranties set forth above, your violation of any law or the rights of a third party, or any use of any content submitted by you.

For any content that you submit, you grant Chewy and its licensees, successors, and assigns a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, sell, distribute, and exploit such content (including, without limitation, your name, user name, picture, likeness, voice, and biographical information), and any material based thereon or derived therefrom, together with any other material, edited or altered as Chewy sees fit, in any manner, in any and all media (whether now known or hereafter devised), throughout the world, for any purposes whatsoever (including, without limitation, for purposes of advertising or trade), without compensation to you.

All content that you submit may be used at Chewy's sole discretion. Chewy reserves the right to change, condense or delete any content on Chewy's website. Chewy does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Chewy to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Chewy reserves the right to remove and content or to refuse to post any content for any reason, including, without limitation, for the reasons stated herein. You acknowledge that you, and not Chewy, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Chewy, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers and their respective directors, officers and employees.

By submitting your email address in connection with any content you submit, you agree that Chewy and its third party service providers may use your email address to contact you about the status of your review and for other administrative purposes.