PFS plus something else?

[majolo]

I'm thinking of possibly changing out the substrate in my planted tank from icky Walmart gravel to pool filter sand. Main reasons are, I think my loaches and cories would like it, and I think planting would be a bit easier.

If I do this, would it be a good idea to add some "substrate enhancer" like Flourite/laterite/etc? If so, which one? Would I put a layer down under the sand, or try to mix it in? How much should I add? Tank is 55 gal, 2x65W daylight cf lighting, dosing 2x weekly with Flourish comprehensive and once a day with Flourish Excel.

Oh, and as I was looking at these various products, I came across Flora Root. Has anyone used this? If the picture there is not misleading, it looks like that would match sand better in terms of grain size. Plus,

Flora Root contains ActiFlora substrate bacteria, which becomes active only after introduction to a moist substrate. ActiFlora helps your plants' roots uptake the minerals contained in Flora Root resulting in healthy plant growth.

Does that sound bogus?

 

[Purrbox]

I would recommend using root tabs. Much easier to deal with when you need to add more. The Seachem brand ones are really good, or if you happen to have dry ferts on hand you could make your own.