What substrate?

Hi, I'm setting up a community tank with a pair of African blockhead in a 55gallon tank. The other fish I have in the tank are a group of black ruby barbs and a group of snakeskin barbs. The ruby barbs and snakeskin barbs prefer a pH of 6.5 or so and the african block heads are more tolerant with a range of 6 to 8.
I would like to try and have some plants in the tank, even though the African blockhead is a digger. My water here in the UK is quite hard.
Does anyone know of a substrate that can lower the PH a little and is good for plants and at the same time would be suitable for a digging cichlid?
Thanks for any advice.
Dom
I would like to try and have some plants in the tank, even though the African blockhead is a digger. My water here in the UK is quite hard.
Does anyone know of a substrate that can lower the PH a little and is good for plants and at the same time would be suitable for a digging cichlid?
Thanks for any advice.
Dom
