help me grow vals

[GodFan]

Dont know why but I have always wanted to grow vals. Never had luck. Well I am starting a dirted tank soon and plan on trying vals again.
What I need to know is which species and what I need to do to make my water good. Tank isnt decided yet but it will likely be 2 foot tall. My water is very soft out of tap. I was considering adding a pound or so of crushed coral to the dirt to harden water. The tank will be no more than 30 gallons.
Thoughts? I am open to val look alikes if they are easier to grow. I just want that grassy look growing from bottom to top.
Thanks and God bless!

 

[Rivercats]

I've always found Corkscrew Vals grow best in my tanks. They also don't melt in my tanks when I use liquid carbon. They are slow to establish and usually sit 3 or so months before taking off so you just have to be patient with them. I had a huge group of them in the dirted 220g but once they took off I couldn't keep up with all the runners they were producing.

My kh is around 3 and gh is around 4 to 5. How soft is your water? Some plants like Bolbitus don't do well in hard water. If you put CC in the dirt you'll have no way of knowing how high it's going to raise your gh and kh levels.

 

[GodFan]

I've always found Corkscrew Vals grow best in my tanks. They also don't melt in my tanks when I use liquid carbon. They are slow to establish and usually sit 3 or so months before taking off so you just have to be patient with them. I had a huge group of them in the dirted 220g but once they took off I couldn't keep up with all the runners they were producing.

My kh is around 3 and gh is around 4 to 5. How soft is your water? Some plants like Bolbitus don't do well in hard water. If you put CC in the dirt you'll have no way of knowing how high it's going to raise your gh and kh levels.

I havent had it tested with a liquid kit in a while but last time it was tested it was like 0 kh lol or wasnit gh... whichever one means calcium I cant remember. My rcs were dying because it was so low.