Austin {Aquarist}

I have a 25 gallon tank and I want to change the substrate to eco complete. I used an online substrate calculator and it said that if i want a 2 inch deep substrate bed i will need 4 0lbs of eco complete. Is 2 inches a good substrate depth?

sirdarksol

2" would be great for plants, in my opinion. I think I've got around 1.5" and my plants are doing very well.

Austin {Aquarist}

so do you think the more substrate the better? I've always wondered how aquatic plants root themselves in 1.5 inches of gravel 0_o

sirdarksol

It depends on the plant. Some plants put down pretty shallow roots. Others will anchor themselves more deeply.
I think that, to a point, deeper is better. Eventually, though, you'll have such a deep substrate that it will just be creating anaerobic pockets.

Red1313

I don't know ir MTS will dig through eco-complete the way they do through sand but for a deep substrate they may be the answer.

sirdarksol

They do, but there will be a point where they won't dig any deeper.

ewolfe315

My substrate goes to 4 inches deep in spots,mainly the rear of the tank. Eco complete and topped off with gravel.

I already had gravel in the tank when I added the Eco-Complete. All I did was add a cup of Eco and used a yard stick to tap the gravel and the eco went right to the bottom. And I did this with 80 pounds of it for a few days,when ever I got a chance.

I still need more of it.