Closer to the sky - dry start method

[AquamaniacUK]

Hi

I'd like to share a new project i have been working on for a few months now.
I've always wanted to give a try to the dry start method so this is a dry start method project.
The scape is nothing special, i just wanted to try it dry, i did a couple of tries with the hardscape but none of them was that great.
To give a bit of background at that time i had been busy with setting up a TMC tank i had bought, it was my first aquascaping dedicated system, kind of like of a crowning achievement so this dry start was just a side project and i really wasn't putting thinking much of it.
Finally i settled for this.

Bad scape design

In the last minute i kind of realized of how horrible that scape looked, and in an effort to do some damage control because the plants were already on the way did some changes using the same rocks and substrate.
Now this was done in about 10 minutes so i don't expect to win any prizes.

Final Hardscape

Tank details
Tank: 43 (L) x 22 (H) x 26 (D) cm aprox. 25 litres.
Light during dry start: Boyu 3x 8 watts T5 for 12 hours
Light after flooding: Wavepoint 16 watts LED clamp unit 6 hours a day.
Filter : All pond solutions Hang on back filter
Heater: 25 watts cheap heater
Co2: Pressurized co2 with solenoid controlled by a timer and bubble counter
Substrate: ADA aquasoil amazonia plus cosmetic sand from pets at home
Hardscape: Mini landscape rocks
Plants: Eleocharis sp. mini
Hemianthus callithricoides "Cuba"
Echinodorus tennellus
Alternanthera reneckii mini

I planned to plant this tank on the same day of the TMC tank with any left over plants.
After all it was only a test.
Planting was done in mid-july, i misted the substrate.The idea was to get it moist but not drenched. But has the pictures show i think i overdid it a bit.
Tank was then covered the tank in cling film.
Light was on for 12 hours a day and for the first few days i misted the tank everyday.

Dry start day 1

Dry start Day 8

Dry start 16 days

Dry start day 52

I had no problems with fungus, melting or mould during this dry start and has plants seemed to adapt themselves to being emersed i stopped misting the tank everyday.
The Hemianthus cuba was the plant that faired better with this dry start and spread quite easily taking and forming a light densed carpet, on the other hand echinodorus tenellus although it survided the dry fase did not grow at all and some leaves just turned brown.
The eleocharis sp. mini did not grow at all during the first month but then slowly started spreading and finally the surprise, the reneckii grew amazingly considering it was a stem plant it formed a nice red bush.
The dry start was mostly ready to flood after two months but because i was going on holidays for 3 weeks i decided to keep it dry during that time.
I really thought that it would melt and die without any misting for 3 weeks, but it survived when i came back.
The plants were not looking very good but by then i just flooded the tank.

Tank flooded 25th of september

I flooded the tank and during the first weeks dosed great amounts of co2 24/7.
The plants had an easy transition from emersed to submersed, they grew well and were pearling most of the time.
I feel that i benefited of most of good things that come with a dry start.
The tank grew algae free, no plants were uprooted as by the time i flooded there was a strong root system already in place and by the time i managed to cut down the co2 i was able to add fish straight away and they've been doing fine.
The tank has been fertilized using EI.
The only thing i had to do so far was prunning plants and regular maintenance.
Tank day 3

Tank 2 months

Tank flooded today

Some videos of the tank

 

[fleetEWD]

this has allayed some of my fears. Im day 14 of a dry start HC carpet and the larger leaves are yellowing a bit but lots of new shoots. at day 52 you have some yellow patches but it really pulled back when you flooded it. Did you find the yellowing was just old growth falling off?
thanks.

 

[AquamaniacUK]

this has allayed some of my fears. Im day 14 of a dry start HC carpet and the larger leaves are yellowing a bit but lots of new shoots. at day 52 you have some yellow patches but it really pulled back when you flooded it. Did you find the yellowing was just old growth falling off?
thanks.

No. The yellowing was present at day 52 suggesting already then that i was pushing the dry phase to its limits i guess, but the tank was still able to hold three weeks more as i went on holidays.
Meaning no spraying the plants with water regularly.
Before i left i added more water to the substrate to try and maintain humidity while i was away, still when i came back it was almost completely dry.
I can say i was lucky, but at the same time i must have done something right for the plants to hang on for 3 weeks without any care.
The yellowing was not a problem or fear i faced when flooding.
The fear was the passing from emersed to submersed state.
To get that properly done i dosed loads of co2 into this tank. In the end it turn out right as the plants quickly started growing and were always pearling like crazy.

 

[REDSTEVEO]

You certainly have some patience my friend, waiting 52 days before flooding it took some doing, but it looks like your patience was rewarded, that HC looks the business.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[AquamaniacUK]

You certainly have some patience my friend, waiting 52 days before flooding it took some doing, but it looks like your patience was rewarded, that HC looks the business.

Cheers,

Steve

Thanks.
Actually it was way more than 52 days, day 52 was before i left for my three weeks holidays in Portugal.
The tank was only flooded when i got back.
Patience was easy though because i was busy with the aquascape of my new TMC tank and the rest of the time i was away on holidays.

 

[Ryan Thang To]

nice one. i like the big rock at the back. keep up the good work

cheers
ryan

 

[foxfish]

I find it iteresting and enjoyable watching a dry start develop and quite often delay filling the tank for many months.
In theory the plants should thrive for years with their foliage out of the water.
Keeping plants in that state is a hobby in it's own right.
I don't spray at all but rely on high humidity, a sealed top and a heat mat or internal heat source.
Anyway your tank looks great

 

[-serok-]

Hi there!

For me the drystart method is a regular feature to start my tanks by now. When you do it right it is a very easy, low work way to get your tank running... without algea.

Patience was easy though because i was busy with the aquascape of my new TMC tank and the rest of the time i was away on holidays.

One more advantage... you can go on holiday and your tank evolves itself. Once I've been on holidays for nearly 3 weeks during I had a drystart running at home. Very cool!

Did you use In Vitro plants for your drystart? In Vitro plants can get yellow during a drystart. The best plants for a drystart are the ones, that are grown emerged. Oh... I forgot... you don't need that much water. The roots of the plants should not be permanently wet, it will suffice to keep the soil moist.

Btw... nice tank!

 

[banthaman.jm]

Lovely tank, have never tried the DSM, might have to give it ago when i break my tank down and rescape.
jim

 

[AquamaniacUK]

nice one. i like the big rock at the back. keep up the good work

cheers
ryan

Thanks Ryan.
These rocks have been used extensively in the last 3 or 4 years, when i think i can't find anything to do with the same rocks something new comes out.

I find it iteresting and enjoyable watching a dry start develop and quite often delay filling the tank for many months.
In theory the plants should thrive for years with their foliage out of the water.
Keeping plants in that state is a hobby in it's own right.
I don't spray at all but rely on high humidity, a sealed top and a heat mat or internal heat source.
Anyway your tank looks great

To be honest i think i did spray because it was my first time doing a DSM.
It was really easy to keep humidity to the point i had to stop spraying because water was starting to collect on the substrate.
It did fine in the three weeks i went on holidays and when i came back there was still condensation on the glass.
And it's true it's a hobby in it's own right, it did delve into the wabikusa trend at the same time i was doing this, but i was not so sucessful.
Plants grew well for about a month or two but suddenly everything melt in a matter of days.
I believe it was because keeping humidity was almost impossible.

Hi there!

For me the drystart method is a regular feature to start my tanks by now. When you do it right it is a very easy, low work way to get your tank running... without algea.

One more advantage... you can go on holiday and your tank evolves itself. Once I've been on holidays for nearly 3 weeks during I had a drystart running at home. Very cool!

Did you use In Vitro plants for your drystart? In Vitro plants can get yellow during a drystart. The best plants for a drystart are the ones, that are grown emerged. Oh... I forgot... you don't need that much water. The roots of the plants should not be permanently wet, it will suffice to keep the soil moist.

Btw... nice tank!

Thanks for the comment. I will use DSM extensively in the future.
I did use in vitro plants. And your explanation makes perfect sense to me. Thank you.
I will use emersed on my next try and see how it goes.
As for the the water i was aware that so much water was not needed, actually it may do more harm than good.
But no matter how long you are in the hobby in some things you are still a beginner i guess, and i was just so worried that the plants would die that i overdid it and put too much water.
I will correct that in future DSM's.

Lovely tank, have never tried the DSM, might have to give it ago when i break my tank down and rescape.
jim

Hi

This one was my first attempt, so i am far from being an expert.
But i can definitely see the benefits of it in this tank and will definitely use it again.
But to be done well it takes patience, so i suggest if you are gonna do DSM, make sure you have something else to keep you busy during that time.
I for once only tried this because i was upgrading to a bigger tank, i was able to keep myself busy with the new tank and use the old one for this.
So there was no risk of me growing inpatient and flooding the tank before it matured.

 

[REDSTEVEO]

Lovely tank, have never tried the DSM, might have to give it ago when i break my tank down and rescape.
jim

Plus 1 for me too, but that won't be for some time yet!

Steve

 

[fleetEWD]

I am goifn to spray less now, i have a mix of in vitrio and submersed that i harvested from another tank, both in the same tank. so it will be intersesting to see how they get on in the same conditions. What was the average temp you ran it at?

 

[AquamaniacUK]

I am goifn to spray less now, i have a mix of in vitrio and submersed that i harvested from another tank, both in the same tank. so it will be intersesting to see how they get on in the same conditions. What was the average temp you ran it at?

I'll be honest i did not checked at all. Didn't even crossed my mind, but it was from july to september which here in London doesn't mean much, but its still higher temp than now.
I did not use anything in any way to increase temperature or even to try to control it.

 

[foxfish]

Like most things in life there is more than one route to success, some people are only to fast to criticise someone else's methods rather than acknowledge that persons achievements, however I will tell you my way of getting good results from a dry start or a long term emersed set up.
Basically by keeping the internal temperature of the tank a few degrees warmer than the outside of the tank will produce a very high humidity inside the tank.
If you then seal the tank top or leave a very small hole, everything inside will be permanently wet, then you can light it up for 12-14 hours a day with bright light or even better sun light.
I find a heat mat works best for this but if you have a big tank then you might need some form or internal heater.
Using this method you don't need to spray or open the top at all, just stand back and enjoy the really fast growth!

 

[AquamaniacUK]

Like most things in life there is more than one route to success, some people are only to fast to criticise someone else's methods rather than acknowledge that persons achievements, however I will tell you my way of getting good results from a dry start or a long term emersed set up.
Basically by keeping the internal temperature of the tank a few degrees warmer than the outside of the tank will produce a very high humidity inside the tank.
If you then seal the tank top or leave a very small hole, everything inside will be permanently wet, then you can light it up for 12-14 hours a day with bright light or even better sun light.
I find a heat mat works best for this but if you have a big tank then you might need some form or internal heater.
Using this method you don't need to spray or open the top at all, just stand back and enjoy the really fast growth!

Thanks for the explanation.
I do plan to do more dry starts in the future so i will look into the heat mat for future projects.
That should work well here in london.

 

[fleetEWD]

Cheers foxfish, it is pretty much at 99% humidity according to my cheap Chinese humidity monitor. My temp seems to be constant around 23 peaking at 25 when the radiators come on. Its the urge to keep on peeking. The lights are going on a timer and I'm leaving it alone
I need another tank to distract me but no more space!