Flourite.

[lucky777ca]

I was thinking about getting a 7kg bag of Flourite. I haven't had any luck with the vallisneria, as they are supposed to have a nutrient-rich substrate. The vallisneria in a pot is still doing great, it's producing many runners and daughter plants, while the ones either planted into the gravel (just the plain aquarium gravel) or left floating aren't growing at all.

Would I be able to put only Flourite in the tank and would this raise any concerns on the a breeding pair of kribs and their offsprings? I will be dosing with fertilizer (enriched with iron) and/or injecting with carbon dioxide, if it is necessary.

Also, what other types of substrates would work for a planted tank?

Thank you very much.

[djlen]

There are a number of clay based substrates that will do a nice job in a planted tank.
Flourite and Eco-Complete are two of the most popular. I have used Flourite or a generic version of it for years with good success and no complaints.
I have two or three pair of Kribensis breed in various tanks while using Flourite, so I'd have to say that you should not experience any issues from that perspective.
Vallisneria is a slow starter but once established has generally taken off like a rocket in the one tank I've got it in currently. Patience is required for this plant initially.
I have started dosing Excel in that tank and the Val. has suffered a bit because of that addition, but seems to be acclimating to a regular dosage of it and I'm thinking that once it adapts it will be OK.

Len

[lucky777ca]

Thank you very much for the input, Len.

I'll be getting a bag of Flourite once the pair is chasing the frys away, then I'll be able to renovate the breeding tank.