Looking for some Beginner Pre-Setup Substrate advice

Thanks for the insight. From the sounds of it, and going back to my original question, is that there's no real obvious downside to going with something like Flourite Dark but there are varying degrees of better that may exist for planting specifically. Layering is something I've read about but I don't think I'm savvy enough yet to pull it off - I'd prefer something simpler, and something that would be alright if I gave up on planting as well (which I may do until I can put in better lighting for example). I think for me using a product to fertilize and grow plants would be easier to pull off than using something that may not get used initially like a layering strategy.

Also looking around for Aquasoil it seems that it'd be significantly more expensive than the Flourite Dark source I've found...so that's more funds available to replace those other parts sooner rather than later.

If my logic is off though I'm certainly willing to hear opposing ideas.

Thanks again for all the input.

I've had pretty good luck setting up tanks without excessive (or sometimes any) rinsing.

I'll get the substrate(moist, but not sopping wet) in place, and do my planting/arranging, periodically spraying it with a spray bottle full of treated water.

When I'm ready to fill, I'll heavily spray the substrate, using a good portion of the bottle, if not the entire thing.

Then I slowly pour the water onto a sponge or something similar. I've done a couple tanks this way, and get crystal-clear results. I'm not certain, but I think the heavy spraying/misting helps wash the fines down into the lower levels of the substrate.

It's certainly a lot easier then washing stuff in a bucket.

There are also some youtube vids where people stick a bunch of substrate in a water bottle, fill it with treated water, invert it in the tank and let the substrate tumble out (this works great for adding additional substrate to an established tank), and then right the bottle and remove it - all the dust/clouded water remains in the bottle.

I've used Eco Complete, Floramax and Flourite. I think I like Floramax the best, the black version is Eco Complete without the bacteria and costs a lot less. The Original version is very similar to original Flourite, looks like flower pot rubble, but has a light flake in it that looks better than Flourite IMO.

I quit using Eco Complete for Floramax when 3 bags of it arrived via UPS frozen solid revealing how much of it is water, then as it melted all the dead special bacteria gave off a huge sulfur smell which took forever to rinse out. Can't be too special if I got it frozen!

Flourite is really dusty, I've been filling a big wire colander with it and rinsing under a strong stream in a laundry tub, then pouring RO with some Prime through as a final rinse. It can be cleaned very well that way, the same thing is done with Floramax but it goes faster. Doesn't seem to cause the abrasion and even more dust that rinsing in a bucket does.

They all work well, I have 4 Floramax Tanks, One Flourite tank and 11 tanks with both mixed and some of the old gravel substrate still remaining. I think Flormax grows plants better just because it has a lot of small particles and it's rough so it holds stem plants better; but Flourite holds rooted plants better, the granules interlock more and are heavier. Tank appearance drove some of the choices, black fish kind of disappear over a black substrate.

Some of these were recently started, some have been running for a year or two. The new ones weren't really cycled, they were started with canisters with mature media and a small amount of substrate from mature tanks evenly mixed in. About a cup or two for a 40B. After a day or so to let the cloud dissipate, lots of plants were put in and a few days later a few fish. Toxins were never detected and subjectively Floramax tanks started plants better, though the initial algae flush was about the same as for Flourite. Daily moderate pwc's were done for a week or so, then spaced out. AquaFertz root tabs are used in all tanks. I still haven't come close to mastering liquids, seems one drop brings algae.

Next one to be renovated will be MTS. I doubt I'll ever use plain gravel again, maintenance in a substrate tank that has stabilized is very low. :icon_smil