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I was shocked too! It doesn't show well in photos. But each blade of DHG has a thread of bba, with some of them accruing small patches of the stuff. DSM was nearly 3 months, and I'm running a mature external filter. I think it was just the dirty water and perhaps the soil/root tabs etc. I hit...

TL;DR How to respond to BBA when plants are still adapting from a dry start? I flooded my 12L Tree Hill aquascape yesterday. Setup DIY Co2 with about 1.5bps to ease the plants into submerged life. Turned my photoperiod down to 4 hours. Woke up this morning to BBA all over my DHG! So I tested...

Flooding the tank this weekend. Planning to run DIY CO2 to help the plants adapt. Should I trim the hairgrass when flooding?

Would it be effective to flood the tank slowly, over the course of a week, to allow the plants more time to adapt to submerged life. This would better replicate the natural way in which plants at the water's edge experience changes in water level from emmerged to fully submerged. In addition, I...

What would you do with this 2L hardscape? I'm thinking about a DHG carpet with some sort of moss painted on the mountain. Which moss would respond well to a dry start? No Co2 injection.

Really nice colour there! Photoperiod is 12 hours. But in the last few days I've replace the 12W LED light with a 30W LED floodlight! Just to coax any last growth at the edges and shaded patches. Not sure if it's too much, about 20-25cm above the DHG...

The goal is definitely low-tech eventually, I think the tank will run fine without CO2 but the carpet will not grow much after flooding. I have also thought of filling the tank slowly, over the course of a week. Expecting the slow rise of the water level to ease the DHG into submersed life. Did...

I'd like to get opinions on this method of adapting plants to life underwater after a dry start. What are your experiences with plants adapting after dry start method? Specifically with Dwarf Hairgrass (acicularis eleocharis sp. mini), anubias, and Ludwigia Mini Super Red. Or otherwise, has...

9 WEEK UPDATE: The scape has grown a lot while I was away. The hairgrass has spread well into the sparser regions and generally filled out a lot. However, some the hairgrass is beginning go yellow/brown. I have also noticed very small amounts of mold on a couple of the blades of hairgrass. I...

3 WEEK UPDATE: The hairgrass continues to send runners and is spreading nicely. A few more rocks have been added and some Fissidens Fontanus has been place on the rocks and tree trunk to fill out the shaded area. I'm not particularly expecting Fissidens to do well emersed so I have saved...

Dwarf Hairgrass does well without CO2, High light helps. I'm three weeks into my dry start with the 'mini' version and it's sending runners everywhere, very excited to flood it!

Plants such as Eleocharis Acicularis sp. Mini seem to have been selectively bred for desirable traits. I'm not sure if other plants aimed at aquarists are the same, eg. AR mini, Ludwigia Mini Super Red and Anubias Petite, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Lots of people saying this. But I was in my LFS yesterday and it looked very bland next to the vivid Alternanthera. The tank did have CO2 but the lights were quite high (80cm), would you expect more colour in the Ludwigia if it were 15cm from the light but without CO2 (and without become an...

Reviving this thread because I'm looking for a red plant for my bonsai driftwood to create a tree effect. High light, ferts, but no CO2.. what is recommended. I really like the look of Alternanthera but will it grow attached to wood? If not, what is a vibrant red plant in these conditions?

Can you give an update on these setups? I've just picked up a Dennerle 30l Nano Cube and I'm not sure what to do with it. I like both your cubes here. How is that reef in a 30L in terms of maintenance, time and cost?

I'd contradict that if the aquarium has a sizable built in compartment. Shouldn't need more than a litre or two of media for a nano planted tank. Space will likely limit the stocking before filtration does. If OP does go for a cannister, the Hydor Prime 10 is my goto nano external.

Not yet. I don't have a suitable light but I will probably introduce one if the shady areas become significantly bare.

2 WEEK UPDATE: The Hairgrass is growing nicely. Especially in the well lit regions. Roots have started establishing and runners are appearing. A plastic straw with slits forms a drain from which a pipette can extract water to avoid puddles forming. I am spraying almost everyday, mainly...

Love it! What are your thoughts on the tropica kit, would you recommend it?

Wow that turned out amazingly! Was this just with the tropica kit? What else are you using?

How are your plants looking 6 months on? I'm curious about using this system to ease my plants into submersed life when I flood my dry start tank.

I use lava rock in filter bags but any heavy aggregate will do a great job. You can create nice hills this way and create a nice aerobic environment beneath the substrate.

Nitrogen should not be an issue. Aquarium plants convert nitrate into Nitrogen gas which evaporates into the atmosphere and completes the nitrogen cycle. I can't say for sure that large amounts of nitrogen would be harmless, but nitrogen in general is not a particularly toxic element...

I did a lot research before buying the substrate for my nano and ended up buying Tropica Aquarium Soil. Plenty of people find it superior to Amazonia and much cheaper in the UK. I've had excellent growth so far and can't recommend it enough. I chose the powder version (2mm granules).

What about something tall and emergent at the back corner(s), would it suit the scale?

The aquascape will eventually be situated on window sills, so perhaps natural light will be enough to supplement the main unit. Simple problem, simple solutions!

I guess sometimes the simple options are the best! Was hoping to conceal the light but perhaps some backlighting against a frosted film is the most sensible way.

Can anyone recommend an underwater spotlight which will help plants to grow? There is a shaded area in my moss tree aquascape and I cannot find a fixture which would get light to it. My only thought is using a submersed spotlight such as the Fluval Prism series. If anyone has any other...

I'd second that. I think it's not help by all the rocks being a similar height. Perhaps some could be offset to look more natural and create some nice aesthetic levels :)

Just use a piece of ply/MDF to create a level surface. A dip in the middle is not ideal and it's fixed simply. As long as it still looks half aesthetic.

I've had plenty of tanks with a small overhang. The biggest danger is bumping it and damaging the join. It shouldn't cause stress at the joint if it's a cm or two.

I'm perfectly happy with the Marina ones. All I can say, which I'm sure you already know, is avoid the cheap chinese ones. I bought one for a nano tank and it exploded!

You can order a sheet of acrylic for very little off of ebay or pick it up in a hardware store if you want a bigger piece. It's very easy to make cutouts for your equipment and drill holes for aeration. I built one for my tank and it turned out great. Will post pictures later.

Careful not to create a whirlpool though! For CO2 you would want to aim the outputs down a bit to maximise the amount of time before the bubbles reach the surface and reduce surface agitation to little more than a ripple.

Generally these filters run much slower in operation, especially after some crud has built up in the filter. It also depends on what you have in the tank. A betta wouldn't be too happy but many schooling fish enjoy riding currents :)

CO2 Question: Is it worth getting a basic CO2 system to help the plants adapt when I flood the tank? Will the inevitable melt (if CO2 is not injected) recover quickly, or is it worth a bit of kit to avoid it? I don't plan to use CO2 long term. Anyone with previous experience of DSM with DHG...

UPDATE: I planted some more Eleocharis Acicularis Sp. Mini in bigger bunches of 10+ to give the carpet as much of a head start as possible. However, the leaves from this batch were beginning to yellow so let's see if they recover now that they are out of the 1-2-Grow pot. I have also tilted...

Perhaps I will try on the window sill then, or in the conservatory. Will fluctuating temperatures, particularly cold nights as the conservatory is not heated, pose a problem with the DSM? What is that vibrant light green plant in the bottom right of your photo? Thanks for the tip, I bought a...

The moss doesn't seem too happy emersed and is whitening at the tips, possibly due to high light. It was previously adapted to submersed growth. I'm using cling film with a 20mm hold to breath, perhaps there is too much ventilation? What is the smallest recommended breathing hole? I am in the...

Lighting is provided by a 12-16W Asta 20 Dimmable LED. The photoperiod is 12hrs during the DSM, but will be reduced to 6-8hrs when flooded. The moss receives far too much light (becoming a hair algae farm when flooded) and blocks some of the light to the bottom. A very low dosage of Easylife...

The goal of this project is to create a relatively low maintenance aquascape inside this 13L vase (approx. 27cm x 27cm excluding the base). The base is 4cm of Tropica Plant Growth Substrate, a peat base layer designed to reduce pH and release nutrients slowly. This is capped with 2cm of JBL...

The concerns around stocking are perfectly justified and these fish are much happier in my 3Ft tank now. I have rescaped the tank and will post in the journal section soon. I have one pressing question. Should I dry start the Eleocharis mini (tropica tissue culture) or just flood immediately...

I'm using easycarbo, dosed 0.2ml with a pipette which is the recommendation on the bottle. I have acquired a smaller pipette so I may try again with a lower dose but the moss reacted horribly before. I wondered if perhaps the melting would be followed by new growth but after many online reports...

Thanks for the responses so far. I appreciate the concerns about stocking. I don't intend to push limits, my #1 priority is a stable tank with no harmful build up of waste products. Within that constraint I would like as much colour and movement to watch. And just as a PSA. I'm aware that the...

I'm looking for advice rescaping my moss tree nano low tech tank. Questions are numbered in the end of this post. Tank Specs: Tank: 13L with transparent lid Light: 10W LED dimmed 7hrs Substrate: Inert gravel with a tropica peat base layer Filter: Hydor Prime 10 External (350LPH, 1.5L) Plants...