i found a bit of hair algae as well. im not too worried though. i have mollies, amano shrimp, and red cherry shrimp in other tanks if i need their services
same here, i really don't want to setup a co2 diy. too much work.in reality, any substrate is fine. but it takes more work (root tabs, ferts, etc). i like the fluorite because it is created with a ton of nutrients in it, which means i get to be lazier