# Dirt vs eco complete



## gillman (Aug 18, 2012)

Which is beter for plants dirt or eco complete


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## Fuzz (Jan 27, 2012)

probably eco complete, but dirt is super cheap...6 bucks for the dirt and another 6ish for PFS to cap a 55 gallon tank...there's do's and don'ts to dirt, too...

you don't HAVE to, but you should set up the tank with just dirt and let it change from terrestrial to aquatic. do some water changes like you normally would, and you can even have the plants in the tank at this time(just no fish)...I don't know the whole scientific mumbo jumbo...if you put it in your tank fill it with water and immediately plant and put fish in, your dirt will release gases over time and you'll see the bubbles. those gases are harmful to fish and if your fish is in the wrong place at the wrong time, it'll take in a big mouthful. I didn't wait and didn't have any problems, but I did my research and knew the possible consequences.

if you move plants around a lot, you can make a mess of your pretty cap(probably why people use black gravel/sand to cap). If you are careful, however, you won't have any problems. I recently did a massive rescape and kicked up some dirt, but not too bad. my siphon will fix that when I do my next WC.

I still suggest using root tabs with the dirt to increase the nutrients, but they aren't really necessary. 

I have had great success with dirt and I know that it just doesn't seem right at first, but with patience and research, you can make it work. its cheap and efficient. I have had a few problem plants that I couldn't get to grow, but it didn't have anything to do with the dirt because they were stem plants(which absorb most of their nutrients from the water column).


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

One thing I wouldn't do is cap with pool filter sand. It would mix with the earth over time as it has a smaller grain size and leave you with an ugly mess. Don't cap at all or go with gravel.


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## gillman (Aug 18, 2012)

going with eco because i already have fish in my 20 gallon tall so it would be easier to change from playsand to the eco complete and not as stressful on the fish.


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