I know it's been a while since this was posted, but I've never had any luck with soil in any planted tank (I also have some where there are just plants), or even pots for that matter. It becomes a compacted swamp every time. I use the standard recipe for ABG mix you can find on Google, order the stuff and mix it up yourself, it's much cheaper in the long run. Also, for false bottom, I just use expanded clay balls and weedblock for the barrier. I tried river rock once but seems you get more space in the drainage layer by using something with a more uniform shape, hence expanded clay balls.I even use this in my pots for my plants and it works wonders if you also keep a variety of plants around the house. Just don't dump them into your tank all at once, the weight can crack the glass, I broke a 40g breeder once that way.

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