Sand + Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate ?

[candyraver]

Currently i'm just using sand in my aquarium (which is a 20 gallon).
All live plants,& a total of 6 fish. (one girl betta,3 platies,2 corydoras).
My plants are growing ok (lighting is an "Eclipse Natural Daylight" florescent light. )

I'm not using anything except the sand& light,& as I mentioned,things are growing "ok".
Anywho,I been looking into Caribsea Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate ...been seeing it on eBay& I was hoping someone had experience with this type of substrate.The description on eBay was as follows:
Contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! Iron rich Eco-Complete eliminates the need for laterite. Nitrate and carbonate free - will not increase pH or carbonate hardness. It's real! No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Natural black substrate encourages the most vibrant coloration in fishes and reduces fish stress. Spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance. Supplies calcium without raising pH. Lead free. contains live heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. Creates a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer. Packed in Liquid Amazon buffered Black Water solution for immediate organic water conditioning. Unsurpassed MacroPorosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficiency. You would have to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface area of this one bag of Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate!

I want to try it,should I get rid of my sand?...should I just use the Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium Substrate just on the bottom,with the sand on top...?
I don't want to mess up & lose plants.
They don't seem to be rooted well in JUST the sand...so I'd consider getting rid of it if it's not going to be much use.Although I admit I love the look of sand So if I could combine the two...that'll be awesome
Thanks.

[Sorry long post]

[Skratikans]

if i went with the eco substrate i would put it into the bottom and the reg sand on top, so its less likely to leach into the water as much, although it still will, for the plants to successfully grow, its best to not do water changes for at least two weeks as to not disturb the roots, but of course you have fish so thats probably not going to happen, is the tank already cycled? What you could do is to put the fish in a smaller tank or an old one so you can allow your plants to grow undisturbed (2-3 weeks)...but the most important factor if you had to chose btw substrate and anything else is your lighting...what the tank comes with is not enough

also i would watch how much you fertilize in the future bc it is extremely easy to overdo it and cause an algae boom (personally i dont fertilize an established tank, the fish poop and mineral substrate does the trick)

hope this helps

[candyraver]

Thanks =D
The light that came with the tank..is useless
Didn't last long,didn't really serve much purpose.
It'll get replaced this week,definately. (2 days time to be honest).

Would flourite be a much better choice than the substrate I want to try?

My tank is cycled& I have quite a few empty 10gals& a 15 gal at the moment,so the fish will be ok for a little bit while I wait for the plants to root etc that won't be a problem at all

[Skratikans]

your substrate sounds fine to me, its more of a matter of personal choice really...i have found that flourite works for me, but what you want to use sounds really good too

yeah, i would let the plants settle in for at least two weeks, make sure their roots are well settled into the gravel so they wont be disturbed with water changes...plus you can finally get some growth and balance in the aquarium and then add the fish when you know you ve got it

i have a 33 gal tank that im cycling and soon i will add some plants and continue my cycling

[candyraver]

Thanks for all the help =D

Any idea what you want to house in the 33gal?

[Skratikans]

i am going to move my two plecos there and maybe add a few gouramis...so my 20 gal can house just female bettas and maybe a weather loach

[Sasami]

I haven't tried that particular substrate yet but was planning on getting a bag eventually...I've heard nothing but good things about it . I would just put it under the sand.

Make sure to rinse it well so it doesn't cloud your water .

[Skratikans]

i actually just got some of the eco complete last night to add into my new 33 gal long tank, it definitely clouded the water, but thats no biggy for me since im just waiting around till it fully cycles...i am going to add some plants soon...im soo excited