Red sea flora - how deep?

[KLKelly]

I am finally getting to setting up my betta with a planted tank.  Thank you Dan : )  Starting with water sprite I believe, red ludwigia, javafern (tied to drift wood) and elodea/anacharis a friend picked up from BigAls Montreal.

Questions on Red sea Flora base that I picked up - any hints?  I'd hate to mess it up or trust that the instructions on the package are accurate.

How deep should it be?
Also - will it mess with the water parameters in any way?
How long should I wait before adding plants - no time at all or wait for the water to settle?

Merci Beaucoup!

[KLKelly]

Just rereading the package.  It said not to use it for fish that need water with a ph above 7.0.  Uh oh.

Have to go reading up on Betta's.

[dan2x38]

If a Betta's tank is clean & well heated it will be OK. The biggest issues with Bettas are bad water conditions and low flucuating water temps. The substrate settles very quickly I was surprised. Plant right away. This stuff is great. If your worried about to soft a water or low pH add some crushed sea shells in your filter.

[KLKelly]

I was trying to find more info on the web.  Badmans profile has bettas for 6.0 to 7.5ph.
Someone posted on a forum about their tank ph being 5.0 and used red sea flora.  I am not planting it tonight until I know more about Betta's ph requirements.  If I use a mix of my water and my moms the kh would be 7ish.  I assume that would be eaten up quickly by the plants and substrate and crushed coral in a small filter not so helpful.  I would be looking at monitoring the ph or water changes.

Does the other stuff you use - the black stuff with the gravel on top - affect ph?  What is the name of it?

[dan2x38]

Eco-complete is the black stuff... it does not affect the pH. The Flora Base buffers the pH between 6.5-7.0. Mine is still 6.6 and i am very pleased.