Search results for query: "Dry Start Method"

Down to work, I need to have it fit in with my work plans for the next 9 months. That is why Dark start is part of the experiment, to see if I can get some data that will help people. Depending on the substrate you might end up with an environment where you do not get the right bacteria or...

I don't think I would necessarily. Not sure where this figure of 5 weeks has come from. Seems a bit arbitrary, unless it’s for a specified reason I’m not aware of. Either way, dark start method, as opposed to dry start method (same initials), seems to have become overly complicated somehow...

Hi all, The "dark start" links are in your other thread: <"Amano Shrimp , co2 and Tropica soil">. Diana Walstad talks about a dry start in <"Small Planted tanks for pet shrimp">. Personally I like "plant and wait" as well, once you have a reasonably large plant mass in active growth your...

Thank you very much for your reply. I'll look into this and see what I can do about it

Hi all, I am getting back into the hobby having previously owned an AquaNano 40 community tank (with a couple of beginner plants) many years ago. While I have retained some basic knowledge I very much feel that I am starting from scratch again! I have enjoyed reading many of the threads here as...

Hi all, It isn't over-watering. I think it is a combination of <"fertiliser burn"> and the opportunistic "fungal" disease caused by Pythium <"damping off disease">. cheers Darrel

Hey all, looking for some advice with my 2 week old dry start. Panic is slowly starting to creep in so any help is well appreciated! Full view of the setup As mentioned, I'm at the 2week mark in my Monte Carlo dry start and the problems I currently have are as follows: TL/DR Some monte...

Hi all, The tank looks great. I was admiring your <"structural leaf litter"> earlier today. <"Same for me">. All second hand <"or PYO">. I'm really <"not doing my bit"> for the beleaguered UK Aquarium Industry. Have a look at <"Ripe for Picking: a Guide to Collecting your own Bountiful...

Hi all, Other members @X3NiTH, @Happi, @_Maq_ are much better at water chemistry (and much more conscientious) than I am. I'm a <"pretty lazy and shoddy aquarist"> (and scientist), but I've got a <"sceptical mind">, a <"veneer of science knowledge"> and a <"fairly good memory"> and I tend to...

Many thanks Darrel. A lot of interesting info you’ve put up for me. 👍🏻

Hi all, That is really how K1 type floating cell media works, each piece is a little individual water wheel and rotates in the flow. If you have a relatively small volume of K1 type media it is going to work whatever the configuration of the sump is. The Americans like Penguin BioWheel type...

After a long time dedicating all my (hobbyist) time to my discus aquarium, I finally started a project dedicated to aquatic plants. I've seen some videos about the dry start method and decided to try it here. As I have a podcast in portuguese talking about aquariums, I'm using this cube as a...

I love that. Most good things in life often take time. From what I have read, planted aquariums are not the exemption. I do quite like the aesthetic of just plants and hardscape, so I hope that will keep my impatience at bay. I really don't want to mess anything up because I decided to rush a...

There is no doubt that different folk have different ways to achieve the same goal! The dry start is something you might want to study, there are hundreds of examples on this forum, you will find using Google with your search question and add UKAPS (forum abbreviation) will help you find the...

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well. I started a new tank over 4 weeks ago and am using the dry start method. It is my first time doing this so I am even more newbie on stuff. Currently, I am having algae issue and I think I might have made it worse by adding more water (I did this...

Thank you for that! My tank is actually quite close to the window and can get some natural light if I open the curtain but why would you say the reason for the plants to be melting? When you don't spray are you using the water produced from the heat generated in the tank for being sealed?

There are several different approaches to the dry start method, my method is seal the top, give 12 hours light and dont spray at all. My other method which only really works in the summer is … place the tank outside and use natural sunlight but not direct sun. That method will really show...

I have just started my new tank and decided to give it a name from where my family is all from - Cape Verde. I decided to do a Dry Start Method as I wanted to plant some carpet but my order got mixed up and the carpet didn't arrive haha ups But I had to start planting before the new plants...

Thanks, Tim, for your kind words. A little bit first about my other aquarium, a 160 l shallow one. I started it with the dry start method and added water in early June. This one is also equipped with an undergravel filter, a cheap 6000K LED light, and has basalt and crushed lava rock gravel...

One Month It's been a month since I setup the Iwagumi and it's growing in nicely! The whole reason for doing it this way was because of the time constraints and I didn't want another tank to look after. So far it's been a total breeze and I think as long as I didn't have livestock, I'd...

Hi all, That looks pretty healthy, they aren't quick growers and coloured leaved variants are likely to grow a little more slowly than green leaved ones. "Leaves on" should allow them to grow a bit more quickly. They look fine, personally, at this point, I'd go with <"if it ain't broke...

Blyxa japonica is a true aquatic plant and needs to be submerged, it's unlikely to survive a dsm. Can't comment on the benefits regards the other plants.

If I manage to catch all/most of the shrimp and move them and then do the dry start method is it still worth it based on my setup and plants above or it won't add much value?

Hi Folks, I had to rescape my aquarium as the plant mass had reduced quite a bit due to neglect and algae recently. The tank has been running as a high tech since a year now so has established filter media and inhabitants. I moved the fish to another tank with the existing filter media running...

I started a first ever attempt to aquascape using the Dry start method. Now, its the 5th week into the setup and is lit by Finnex Planted+ 24/7 ALC LED light, the carpet and other mosses seem to grow. Planning to flood on the 6th week add CO2. I m hoping to do lean fertilization on the tank the...

Lovely setup. I really like that dry-start method moss on rocks. I don't think I've seen it done like that before.

Hi folks hope all is well there :) So indeed MTS is real aha - this is my third tank and it will be the last tank for awhile...(famous last words ha). This one should be my first 'proper' Aquascape tank (after experiments from My First Aquascape - Red Cherry Tank (30L) and My Turtle Vivarium...

Hi all, There is a paper <"Regulation of K+ Nutrition in Plants">, that talks about potassium (K+) uptake, transport and storage. I'm guessing that is actually most of us. We don't have much magnesium (Mg) in our tap water (<"for geological reasons">) and I'd expect that most people add less...

I noticed that there is a very old thread from 2014 which raised this issue and the concensus seemed to be that it made no difference and/or wasn't worth the effort as the 400ppm of atmospheric co2 is more than adequate for emersed growth. That thread quickly devolved into a debate about global...

Hi all, I think that is right. Basically <"good things come to those who wait">. It also feeds in to <"KISS and if it ain't broke don't fix it">. If we get to a stage where it is broke? Then change one factor at a time, <"based on probability">. Once we've isolated <"the problem"> / problems...

Hi Guys, This is my first time joining an aquascaping contest (local), i've been in the hobby just this May of the year and i'm really into this now. You may criticize my tank as much as you want. Any comments and suggestions would be highly appreciated. Thank you Plants used: Monte Carlo...

My other tank has started to show the same algae as my community tank (1year running) This new tank has been a flooded about 2 weeks, after giving up on dry start method for montecarlo, flooding seemed to have helped new growth but it's no where near creeping yet and it's so easy to dislodge...

Hi all, That would be my point as well, basically <"good things come to those who wait"> and <"diversity brings both stability and resilience">. It is partially because I'm <"incredibly lazy"> and it gives me an escape clause when I haven't carried out maintenance etc. This is what <"Dr...

Thank you! I didn't use yoghurt but did chop it up and mash it a little and it has stuck. I'll look that plant up thanks for the suggestion. Planting mc in a flooded tank does not seem like my patience hand handle it, I'll leave what's here, and see what happens in the next 4 weeks. I have...

Hi Like your Dragon Stone lay-out! 👍 2 weeks isn't long enough to see much progress with dry start method! Remove any decaying plant matter.....you could try removing some of the MC and leaving it floating in your other aquarium to encourage transition and extra root mass, then replant when this...

So I started a dry start method with montecarlo, tropica soil, volcanic gravel layered between the soil and then medium sand and finally black sand. I've kept it wet sucking out excess moisture at the tint of the tank when I see it, light is on 8-10 hours. But a few of the clumps have die, and...

So the above photo is my 54L dennerle tank, have started a dry start method with montecarlo, my lfs batch was grown in water and was very tall when I bought it, so i ordered some tropica tissue culture stuff too and planted that a few days after. I'm not sure if I should pull the lfs MC...

Hi all, It might be a valid reading, but there are a <"number of issues"> with nitrate (NO3-) testing, and I don't tend to put <"too much reliance on test kit values">. You could try diluting your tank water with RO and re-taking those values. I use the health (leaf colour and growth) of a...

Hi all, I'm pleased it has been useful. Realistically I'm super lazy and I just like to follow the <"line of least resistance">. I'm also <"really tight with my money">, so <"low cost alternatives"> are always of interest to me and additionally I have no interest <"in aesthetics">, growing...

Part One - Planning and Dry Start Equipments & stuff : Aquarium: -size : (L)120x(w)40x(h)35cm -glass: Low Iron -glass thickness : 10mm -silicone : transparent -gross volume: 152 liters -My own build :D Filtration: -external filter OASE Thermo 600 - NEO Flow Lily Pipe Premium Set...

Setting up a new tank with Monte Carlo carpet going to use the dry start method was wondering why all the tutorials say use RO water for the spraying? Why not just use tap water?

Hi all, No, that looks fine. As long as the plants and fish look healthy I'd just probably keep on doing what you are doing at present. I would really like to know what the chemical parameters of my tanks are, but against that I'm a <"pretty shoddy aquarium keeper"> (and <"scientist">), <"a...

Of course :) drawings are good but when you get all your plants you'll naturally find the right place for it. And of course nature never grows like you expect so it appears ends up different, but I think always better too. Glad to have helped! Your plan sounds really good, can't wait to see you...

Very cluttered. But here’s a quick planting plan for the tank. @shangman has really helped give the tank a great direction and I’m really excited to try and execute on the above plan. I’m in the process of moving home so it will be a little while before this thing gets anything added to it...

Hi all, I'm <"really tight with my money">, so I know all the ways to get free fish food etc. The <"caudata.org"> post was the link in the chain that made all the difference, I went from continual boom and bust to relative stability straight away. cheers Darrel

Hi all, If you add dry salts fertiliser burn is a real risk and it would look almost exactly like that. We have a thread somewhere where Hemianthus in a dry start with ADA Amazonia shows the same effects and we think that was <"fertiliser burn, followed by opportunistic "fungal" attack">...

Good Afternoon Everyone, I was wondering if someone could share what kind of soil would be best (available in the UK) to start a low tech tank with the Dry Start Method advocated by Diana Walstad. Many thanks in advance for your kind attention. Cheers, Fabio

Hi All I've noticed a lot of my dwarf hair grass I planted seemed to have pushed the roots out of the substrate and is floating upwards for lack of betetr word. All of my carpets was planted using a dry start method planted quite deep. 7 months doen the line im losing my carpet. The best way...

Do you mean the dry-start method?...Oh wait plant less/fish less. I would like to know what dry cycle is as well.

Yes, run the tank as usual. Why are you using glutaraldehyde (aka "liquid carbon")? Increasing water changes during the startup is necessary to remove suspended sediment and other unwanted substances from the water column and to reduce the load from ammonia rich soils. The "<dark start method>"...

Hey everyone. About one week ago I started preparing my 200ltr tank setup by buying some monte carlo and Cuba plants to do a dry start with since I'll buy a co2 tank later and I wanted my plants to anchor themselves to the substrate since I've heard that the specific one I'm using is flourite...

If you’re very patient you can break down those 1-2 grow pots into tonnes of plantlets. Maybe worth getting a few pots and splitting them out as much as you can with the dry start method. It’ll get there eventually, however it all depends how patient you are and how many pots you’re willing to...

Whilst this tall dooa terrarium came down some time ago, I never lost the enthusiasm for their simplicity. After having my old 60cm tank temporarily housed on the kitchen worktop when we decorated the front room, I knew longer term I wanted something green on there to watch while cooking. I...

Hi all, I think you should definitely add springtails to the aquarium. They are some kind of harmless insect. Thus, even if there is high humidity in the aquarium, it will not mold. I also recommend Dooa Wabi Kusa Mist as a nutritional supplement. Finally, make sure to ventilate the aquarium...

Agree with @plantnoobdude Your best bet if you want to use the wood in the scape from the get go is to hold it down with some rocks or, depending on the size and shape of the driftwood, screw it on (using quality nylon screws) a piece of plexiglas or similar, and cover the surface with a fair...

Here's the deal: I want to boil wood to prevent it from floating. But then, I want to start my tank with the dry start method. Will it float again when adding water after the dry start?

Hi folks, I added springtail and ordered Dooa Wabi Kusa to prevent mold from forming in an aquarium set up with the Dry Start method. If I spray Dooa Wabi Kusa into the aquarium, will it damage the springtails?

Thought I would keep this journal, for ideas, and inspiration but mainly to stop people from making the mistakes that I did :D and presumably am still doing. I don’t take things to heart, and this is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek so please do criticize me, I’m hoping other people can learn...

Maybe take a look at this https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/confused-about-dry-start-method.57844/#post-564324

Hello from London Ontario Canada! Hope everyone is well. I have a question about the dry start method. I tried it in a small 5g nano tank with some monte carlo trimmings and after 4 weeks, I have a nice lush 1" thick carpet. Obviously works well. Just wondering if the same method can be...

Hello, Tap water is fine for your plants and in fact may be better for the plants than filtered water, however, use whatever water you deem appropriate. I don't see any reason tap water should be a problem for your sediment. There is no excuse for not knowing what's in your water. Your...

Hi all My tank is currently getting established. Im doing a dry start method. Heavy misting twice a day. Lots of sources recomend rain water, however given the current wrather its unlikely im going to get any rain water. I live in the south of england. I dont want to use straight up tap water...

Hi all I am doing a Dry Start method for my tank. Its a 60x30x36 The plants I'm using is: Eleocharis Acicularis 'Mini' and some Lilaeopsis brasiliensis at the back of the tank and some Riccardia chamedryfolia. So my question is. When misting/watering - Do I just use tap water? Or should I...

As above, especially starting journal before as Tim suggests ' all ideas in one place', ask lots of questions - especially the stupid ones just to check. Take your time - I took three months from starting to getting first plants planted as a DSM ( Dry Start Method) Welcome to the forum :)

Hi, I've been battling Cladophora in one of my tanks since Initial setup over 2 years ago. It’s never got out of control but it is a constant annoyance. It’s came in on the Buce and still plague the stems but has also got into moss and HC Cuba among others. As well as a few slightly attached to...

So i just set up my tank using dry start method. I am going for a iwagumi style but i underestimated how big the rocks need to be. Really not sure about it... the rocks arent even the same colour. I bee going around all the local shops and is it me or is it nigh on impossible getting decent...

First time poster, so sorry if this is the wrong place. I started planting this tank 3 weeks ago with some java moss using the dry start method. My plan is to try and get a carpet of the Java Moss. This tank has been set up for about three weeks. I have been misting daily. The substrate is...

I set up a nano aquarium and started seeing tiny snails even though the plants were all sterile. Then Monte Carlo began to turn yellow and melt, Eleocharis sp. 'Mini' yellowed and Riccardia Moss melted. I had to remove all the plants from the aquarium and throw them away. I decided to...

Thank you all for your replies. I'm glad some of you advocated the use of co2 at the beginning because I was hoping it still had a place in the new setup. I'm going to introduce some crypt balans in the background as suggested and try to make the salvinia work. The surface skimmer will...

Ah neat, thank you, might try that - do you happen to know if this would work for Eleocharis parvula too? I'm tempted to change to that as I prefer the look, but I'm pretty sure I tried to grow it a while back and a similar thing happened.

Hi all, Plant it in a tray of wet compost (so basically the <"dry start method">). It is fine as <"an emergent plant">, it just doesn't enjoy life underwater, away from high CO2. From<"Andys HC propagator step by step">. cheers Darrel

Hi guys sorry forgot about this thread, I decided to do a dry start method so haven't set up the filter yet, I'll be setting it up over the weekend though so I'll try and take some pictures of how to set it up. Yeah it's an Eden 501 monkfish, nah there will be no issues with it being at the...

A DSM (Dry Start Method) will give you a fully carpet quicker/cheaper So on fill day you can have a well established carpet already Well worth considering ;)

Thanks! This scape and tank in general has been much better than any of my previous ones. Must be the changes I made in my system for this scape or might even be the pressure to deliver a good scape on this forum :D. As for Monte Carlo this is the first time that I am using it successfully...

Hello! I have a moss-heavy tank - The Mossy Spider - my third tank and first journal! I keep some other plants as a carpet at the bottom and have a few things like hygrophila mixed in, but the feature is the wood with a variety of mosses. It is a very low-maintenence tank, I've never had to...

That fissidens will for sure recover in no time at all now it's under water. It's extremely hardy but there is a bit of a misunderstanding about F. fontanus - it's a true aquatic and does not grow emersed anywhere other than constant splash zones from waterfalls where it's wet enough that it's...

I'm attempting to dry start fissidens fontanus and riccardia chamedryfolia driftwood. This setup has been going for about two weeks and I wanted to share the progress! I chose to do this because they were small amounts of leftover mosses, and the aquarium wouldn't be ready to set up for some...

Chapter 2 - The Balance Eons passed since the crystals broke through the earth. They stood there like a group of solitary warriors watching all the directions and fiercely guarding the land of their masters, unwavered by the fierce winds, snow, scorching heat and chilling nights. They were...

Hi I have my DSM done for 2 weeks and I have been very alert of the threat of mould. However, nightmare end-up appeared, I found some whiteweb inside my DSM tank. I sprayed 1:4 H2O2 immediately and improved the ventilation by completely removing the cling paperfor first aid but it offered no...

I suggest following Jurijs mit JS Dry Start Method (skip to ~40 min mark if you’re not interested in the scaping tutorial aspect) There are many successful DSM’s without springtails, they just reduce the chance of moulds Your tank is far too wet, there should be no visible standing water - MC...

First off, I just started aquascaping and decided to use the DSM since there are limited availability to aquatic plants where I am. 3 weeks into the DSM and Im getting patches of BGA and I need help before it blows out of control. My setup: 1. Elevated Rock scene design with ADA Amazonia and...

Hello! I looked around for some lighting options for my new 150X60x60 tank and I am a bit lost and I was hoping to get some advice. Whilst I cannot afford the ADA Solar RGB, I also do want to get this right and spend what's necessary to have a healthy tank. I intend to plant some fairly...

Theres a small area of soil that is continually wet from the waterfall so hoping to find something that dont mind those conditions. Ive come across the dry start method before or at least heard it mentioned so will become more familiar with it. Thanks. Ah right the creeping fig...i fancy having...

Apart from a few fine leafed stems virtually any common aquarium plant with thrive with its roots in water and the foliage exposed to air, however there must be high humidity surround the plants. If you want to search for examples then look for ‘dry start method’

It's most likely adjusting to its new home. Most plants are grown emersed. So when you submerged them the old leaves die off and new ones will grow. Not all may make it. I haven't tried it but the dry start method looks to work better with plants like this. By doing it that way it adust the...

Hi all, I assume it was <"developed for the USA">. If I wanted to create a fertiliser that produced a pretty instant greening response, it would be something with a lot of nitrogen, and probably in the form of urea, to reduce the risk of <"fertiliser burn"> in terrestrial plants. My guess is...

Hi @FishKeeper55, Thanks for your reply. You're right. It wouldn't look nice having any equipment in the tank. I bought the Fluval because I've read many good reviews. And I like the design. I found out that there are ways to hide the equipment. I'll replace the ugly black pipes with clear ones...

I'm just going to begin this thread with a load of photographs, inline so that I can easily caption. This is my first-ever high-tech tank. It was a year in the planning, but in the end I did a lot of impulse buying. I also made a lot of mistakes at every phase, and it's still nowhere near where...

Hi all, Welcome. I've not grown Rotala Vietnam H'ra, but I would definitely try them floating, if you can't plant them. The should be make use of nutrients in the tank water via <"foliar feeding"> and it will give them access to more CO2 and light. If you've got a propagator? You could try...

Thanks for this Alto! I've had crack at both the yoghurt and twine methods in the past and had good success when used with the dry start method (never tried moss pad method). I always find however that even with a very strong emmersed growth, without the twine the moss gets leggy after...

Be careful of "store clerks" Theres a good dry start method vid on YT( probably here somewhere as Nigel is a member ) calledDry Start Method by Nigel Aquascaping. Nigel might come on this

Hi I’m after advice from anyone who has had to flood a tank after a failed Dry Start Method. I had to go away for a few days and when I came back had a fine crop of white moss over all the wood that hydrogen peroxide wouldn’t touch. I flooded the tank and am on day 2 but if anything the moss...

Hi all, You <"should be fine"> with both. People often <"liquidise moss in "dry starts">, so your cutting will be plenty big enough to re-establish. cheers Darrel

Looks great, really like the lazy dry start method, your plant selection compliments the scape nicely Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

...& substrate is the availability issue. I can do whatever is suggested, keeping in view the limitations of availability. I can do "Dry start method". Can cycle tank for weeks or even months without fish. I will not disturb plants once rooted. Will follow any other precautions as suggested...

I started this project a few months ago and I’ve been taking pictures along the way with a view to doing a journal so people can advise and critique me along the way! I‘ve been doing a dry start for over a month so I guess I better post this now and get people up to date with progress before I...

Hi all, Was it fresh Aquasoil? We have a few threads where there maybe <"fertiliser burn"> from the high level of nutrients using nutrient rich substrates in a <"dry start method">. Once the plants are damaged they are much more likely to fall victim to <"opportunistic pathogens">. cheers Darrel

Hello, I have had a weblike mold creeping over the Ada aquasoil which has killed most of the plants (to much misting) , I have removed the plants now my question is what can I do if I want to replant the aqaurium? I would not really like to remove the substrate and rocks ruin the scape my plan...

Light is a Kessil A360x running 70% intensity and 70% colour for about 13 hours a day. The soil is moist but tried to keep the leaves dry as other guides have said to avoid mould starting to see some leaves wilt though

Over 2 weeks I’d expect significant growth for plants such as MC, UG is much more variable If you’re not seeing much growth, I’d query light levels Both work well See Jurijs mit JS ‘’lazy dry start method” https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLgPlYlHA8HtIcKp33x0hdw/videos