HDH wrote:

Hi,
I'm a relative newbie, soon to be setting up a new 55 gallon tank and plan
to have it light-medium planted. Been leaning toward the ubiquitous
Laterite/gravel combination, but I also know I'll be moving plants around a
lot until I'm happy with the look.

1. Will the Laterite make a mess of the tank when I do this?

Yes.


2. Will fluorite be better in this regard?

Yes. Keep in mind that all substrate, as it ages, gets filled with mulm, AKA
fish poop. This is normal, and it settles quickly. In planted tanks, we do not
vacuum this stuff out, as it forms a key component of the substrate with the
Flourite/gravel.

3. Is it possible to have plants do just fine with just plain gravel?

Plain gravel is inert and supplies no nutrients. Flourite supplies iron, and
some claim that it also allows far great bacterial colonization than rock,
especially epoxy coated gravel.

if you do decide to use gravel, the recommended size is larger than sand, but
smaller than the flourescent painted gravel in most stores. I believe the size
range is 2-3mm, but I could be mistaken.

Finally, many gravels contain shells or rocks that will raise the KH and thus
the pH of your water. If this is an issue, you must test it first. All these
details are available on the Krib and Google.