Customer Reviews

My only real issue with the product is the sediment that comes in the bag. The gravel itself is supposed to have at least some and I wasn't misunderstanding about that. The amount of sediment these had in them was crazy though. I already had 3 bags of black in my tank and adding 3 red clouded the water for a day easily and then there was so much that settled out, everything in the tank was brown. Took 3 days of intermittent vacuuming to clean it up. The bags also arrived damaged and leaking.

When I opened the package I noticed the bag was a little wet, but didn't think much of it. About an hour later I realized there was a small hole at the bottom of the bag, so I put it in a bucket. It's leaking a ton of water and its gonna have to sit for at least two weeks until I get all the supplies for the tank... Hope its still usable...

I ordered several bags, and they arrived in three shipments. Two arrived quickly, and while the bags were intact, they weren’t protected at all. They went into the aquarium easily, plants are thriving. The remaining bags arrived later and had ruptured. Didn’t have much luck with customer service, so I gave them a shot. The nutrients were probably a bust since the substrate had mostly dried, and it is behaving differently. I’d be cautious with a large order.

This substrate is heavy enough to root plants and is a vast improvement over others of its kind. Just make sure you get enough. I recommend two 20 pound bags for a 30 to 40 gallon aquarium if you intend to cover the entire bottom. My plants were visibly healthier with new growth after just one week. Some half-dead plants from a lesser tank came back to life! I will definitely be using this as I convert other tanks to planted. For scaping ideas, look up Serpa Designs if you find black substrate unappealing. I did a white sand "beach front" in my main planted tank and sloped it back to blend with the Eco-Complete substrate. Amazing stuff, and it has a minimal effect on the PH if you do everything This substrate is heavy enough to root plants and is a vast improvement over others of its kind. Just make sure you get enough. I recommend two 20 pound bags for a 30 to 40 gallon aquarium if you intend to cover the entire bottom. My plants were visibly healthier with new growth after just one week. Some half-dead plants from a lesser tank came back to life! I will definitely be using this as I convert other tanks to planted. For scaping ideas, look up Serpa Designs if you find black substrate unappealing. I did a white sand "beach front" in my main planted tank and sloped it back to blend with the Eco-Complete substrate. Amazing stuff, and it has a minimal effect on the PH if you do everything correctly. … more

This stuff clouds water something awful; I literally couldn't see 1/2 inch into the tank after adding it. I had some water clarifier on hand, add it and, by the next morning, perfectly clear. Fish and plants seem happy so far.

I've been in the hobbie for years now and I will always pick this for my planted tanks.

This looks really nice in my aquarium, and my plants are all doing well so far!

The product description neglects to include a piece of information on the back of the bag - this substrate "can raise pH", and in my case rocketed the pH up to 8.2 even mixed with other substrate. Be prepared to chemically adjust your pH, possibly substantially, for most environments. The gravel is also very rough, which may not be suitable for bottom dwelling fish, and very lightweight compared to some other substrates for live planting, which makes planting into it tricky as everything tries to float away. I won't base a tank with this again.

Highly Recommend this product. Not only looks great but is great for all plants and fish.

This substrate claims to be cycle free but i know better. About a week and a half in i had high nitrate and nitrite. So make sure you cycle you tank. It looks good though and I'm finally seeing plant growth about 3 weeks in