Newbie's attempt at a nano tank. (dry start?)

**pyxis** · 29th Dec 2013, 13:51

Hi guys, I initially started out 2 days ago, filling the tank with water. However, due to the pellet soil + short roots of the sp mini, many of them uprooted and floated up, leaving me with only 2-3 bundles to work with at the end of the day.

Unhappy with the results, I rescaped the tank and made introduced more plants. I bought these plants from my LFS, and hence have no ID on them. Would be greatly appreciated if anyone could help with the ID.

1. Will I be able to achieve a carpet effect with the plants that I have in the tank as of now?
2. Is a dry start method suitable for the plants in the tank?
3. What tips do you have and what do I have to look out for if I do try a dry start method?
4. When can I fill the tank up, and are there any special things I have to take note after I fill my tank?

I have co2 ready btw.

Album: http://imgur.com/a/gUSkN

**pyxis** · 29th Dec 2013, 14:30

Sorry, just to add, the plant at the back originally looked like this: I cut the top off as it was drooping quite badly due to the weight.

**furyprix** · 29th Dec 2013, 15:21

from your pictures, they should be glosso and hairgrass species.
For DSM, its all about waiting for the plants to root firmly before flooding, so as to solve your issue of uprooted and floating plants. Furthermore, you can wait for the plants to grow and spread over a wider area before flooding to achieve a nice carpeting effect

Try your best not to disturb the plants (rescape etc.), melting is to be expected as your plants acclimatise to the DSM environment. Lastly, its important to keep the DSM environment moist so your plants do not dry out and die.
You can refer to one of George Farmer's DSM journal that I have found during my research, he used hairgrass in his DSM too.
http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/g....25103/page-17
FYI, I'm in my 4th week of DSM for my scape too

Good luck!

**wongce** · 29th Dec 2013, 15:50

1)glosso can achieve carpet effect if your light+ fert regime+ co2 + temperature is suitable and optimum
2) glosso ok
3)how thick is your soil? minimum 2 inches is recommended..of course, thicker is better
3a)you need a set of forceps or pincer to plant the plants deep and release + slide out while vibrate/shake abit to allow the soil to collapse and cover the roots
3b) a lot of patience, do not cover the tank, spray water/mist the tank few times a day
4) blast co2, be prepared for melting....to me dsm is not neccessary, plant + flood normally is good enough

my comments on your scape
1) try to get all the rocks which are same pattern n colour... looks more natural
2) do not touch the tank when the plants are growing..no itchy hand can help you a long way
3) the hairgrass you have is long and tall type, high maintenance type..but looks nice
4) search AQ forum for tips shared by others

**pyxis** · 29th Dec 2013, 16:46

Originally Posted by wongce

1)glosso can achieve carpet effect if your light+ fert regime+ co2 + temperature is suitable and optimum
2) glosso ok
3)how thick is your soil? minimum 2 inches is recommended..of course, thicker is better
3a)you need a set of forceps or pincer to plant the plants deep and release + slide out while vibrate/shake abit to allow the soil to collapse and cover the roots
3b) a lot of patience, do not cover the tank, spray water/mist the tank few times a day
4) blast co2, be prepared for melting....to me dsm is not neccessary, plant + flood normally is good enough

my comments on your scape
1) try to get all the rocks which are same pattern n colour... looks more natural
2) do not touch the tank when the plants are growing..no itchy hand can help you a long way
3) the hairgrass you have is long and tall type, high maintenance type..but looks nice
4) search AQ forum for tips shared by others

My thoughts now are that I'll let the tank go like this for maybe a few days (3-4 days) for the plants to root properly, then I'll flood it. Is that fine? My main worry is the floaters.

Should I get water from LFS? Or tap water + anti chlorine is good enough to start the cycling?

**wongce** · 29th Dec 2013, 17:06

Originally Posted by pyxis

My thoughts now are that I'll let the tank go like this for maybe a few days (3-4 days) for the plants to root properly, then I'll flood it. Is that fine? My main worry is the floaters.

Should I get water from LFS? Or tap water + anti chlorine is good enough to start the cycling?

I do not think LFS sells water leh...lol, tap water + anti chlorine + age it for few days is enough...

**Urban Aquaria** · 29th Dec 2013, 17:06

3-4 days DSM might be too short for the plants to root sufficiently, from my experience, you may need up to 2 weeks for the plants to root properly. You can also test pull some of the plants abit to check if the roots already established.

Our local tropical climate is much more humid than compared to overseas temperate climates (ie. DSM guides posted in USA or UK forums are based on climates with much lower humidity), so its actually not necessary to cover the tank during DSM for local tanks, just lightly mist the soil daily to ensure its moist (but not over saturated) and the plants will grow well. Too much water and humidity in DSM setups usually result in mold/fungus growing due to our local climate.

There is very little beneficial bacterial in tank water, majority of it are on bio-media, substrate and tank surfaces... using water from LFS isn't recommended as you might end up transferring algae and parasites/pathogens from their water into your tank.

Just cycle your tank with declorinated tap water, beneficial bacteria will naturally grow in your tank and filter bio-media over time.

**pyxis** · 29th Dec 2013, 17:13

Originally Posted by wongce

I do not think LFS sells water leh...lol, tap water + anti chlorine + age it for few days is enough...

Haha, my friend works in Rainbow so got some lobang there.

Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria

3-4 days DSM might be too short for the plants to root sufficiently, from my experience, you may need up to 2 weeks for the plants to root properly, or when you test pull some of the plants and see roots already established.

Our local tropical climate is much more humid than comparex to overseas temperate climates, so its actually not necessary to cover the tank during DSM, just lightly mist the soil daily to ensure its moist (but not submerged) and the plants will grow well. Too much water and humidity in DSM setups usually result in mold/fungus growing due to our local climate.

There is very little beneficial bacterial in tank water, majority of it are on bio-media, substrate and tank surfaces... using water from LFS isn't recommended as you might end up transferring algae and parasites/pathogens from their water into your tank.

Just cycle your tank with declorinated tap water, beneficial bacteria will naturally grow in your tank and filter bio-media over time.

I see.. But at the moment lower part of my tank is submerged cause I rescaped from the previous and was unable to drain al of the water out.. Should I continue with DSM in such a case? Or just flood it?

**Urban Aquaria** · 29th Dec 2013, 17:22

Originally Posted by pyxis

I see.. But at the moment lower part of my tank is submerged cause I rescaped from the previous and was unable to drain al of the water out.. Should I continue with DSM in such a case? Or just flood it?

You can remove the excess water by scooping it out with a small plastic cup, or using a pipette or a length of silicone air tubing to just siphon it out... then can continue the DSM with just moist soil.