Growing monte carlo and LED question

[erikokelf]

Hi Gurus firstly i have a question on growing monte carlo without using co2 and chiller.
Will it be feasible if i just run some basic filters, plant the mc onto amazonian soil only with maybe few to zero lifestock inside?
As i would love to have carpet mc on my tank which i plan to setup in a month or so after i convert my marine tank to fresh water tank.
So was thinking of using my spare 2 feet tank to start growing some mc for future planting on my existing marine tank.

Second question i have is currently my razer led is 120k with 16k light but from what i read online usually people will go for 8k light. So would like to ask for your advice if that's feasible for plants?

Gam xia gam xia!

[Urban Aquaria]

The MC can grow under low-tech conditions, just that it's growth rate will tend to be much slower than if there was Co2 injection. You'll just have to be more patient while waiting for it to grow out.

Since you are not planning to keep any livestock in the tank, maybe can consider doing a dry-start method (DSM), plant the MC in the soil but without filling up the aquarium with water. It'll be sort of like an indoor garden/terrarium style setup. Simply mist the plants and soil daily to keep them hydrated and provide 12-14 hours of good intensity light. The MC will get ample Co2 direct from the air and grow much faster, there will be no algae issues and no need to run a filter.

You can check out an example of the DSM technique in a thread i posted a while back: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...Method-Journal!

As for your LED lights, it's better to use 8,000K color temps for growing plants. Firstly, the plants can utilise more of those specific light spectrums to grow better (rather than growing algae) and secondly, the tank looks more realistic in color tone to suit a freshwater environment, rather than the strong bluish hue like in a marine tank.

[erikokelf]

The MC can grow under low-tech conditions, just that it's growth rate will tend to be much slower than if there was Co2 injection. You'll just have to be more patient while waiting for it to grow out.

Since you are not planning to keep any livestock in the tank, maybe can consider doing a dry-start method (DSM), plant the MC in the soil but without filling up the aquarium with water. It'll be sort of like an indoor garden/terrarium style setup. Simply mist the plants and soil daily to keep them hydrated and provide 12-14 hours of good intensity light. The MC will get ample Co2 direct from the air and grow much faster, there will be no algae issues and no need to run a filter.

You can check out an example of the DSM technique in a thread i posted a while back: http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...Method-Journal!

As for your LED lights, it's better to use 8,000K color temps for growing plants. Firstly, the plants can utilise more of those specific light spectrums to grow better (rather than growing algae) and secondly, the tank looks more realistic in color tone to suit a freshwater environment, rather than the strong bluish hue like in a marine tank.

Once again thanks a lot UA for your valuable advice.

Guess i'll try the DSM so i can have a taste of growing plants before i start the actual scape and also to save some money on carpeting grass if i do succeed.