Wanting to go back to eco complete

Hey guys. I've had trouble with my planted tanks ever since I've switched to pfs. I made the change as I thought it looked better and would be better for the discus and their coloration. My red turq always had his bars with the eco complete but they disappeared after I moved to a lighter sand.

I dont mind his bars that much, but I'm wondering how it would affect my silver pigeon, if any? Dont want it getting peppered of course.

I had explosive plant growth with eco. While the plants aren't the focus of the tank, they sure do make it look that much better. Thanks!

Discus will adapt to their surroundings. Dark background/dark substrate and they will tend to be darker. Pepper is always there but pigeons tend to show more in darker surroundings or when stressed/breeding.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Parker

Hey guys. I've had trouble with my planted tanks ever since I've switched to pfs. I made the change as I thought it looked better and would be better for the discus and their coloration. My red turq always had his bars with the eco complete but they disappeared after I moved to a lighter sand.

I dont mind his bars that much, but I'm wondering how it would affect my silver pigeon, if any? Dont want it getting peppered of course.

I had explosive plant growth with eco. While the plants aren't the focus of the tank, they sure do make it look that much better. Thanks!

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I had eco to begin with. It will definitely make your pigeons pepper and the rest of your fish darker. The bigger issue is all the debris the eco harbors. I too switched to pfs but also removed my plants.

What do you have for your planted tank? CO2/ferts?

Currently pfs, metricide, and thrive all in one. Also have the ei pack of dry ferts from gla but haven't used them lately.

My wisteria and water sprite isn't doing much of anything in this tank.

Lights are 2 36" finnex planted plus 24/7 SE lights on the 24/7 mode. Also a 72" beamworks. 5w led light on a 6 hour timer.

You may want to look into pressurized Co2. I've found that plants don't do as well without it. Its a pricey investment initially but cheap to keep. $15 every 4-6 months for refills after initial setup. You wont be able to grow any substantial plants without it.