Amazing results from 1 pot already.... Tropica must be getting nervous....
Thanks.
You raise an interesting point actually.
Whilst I am showing that it is possible to get a full-carpet (well... nearly there) with one pot, I still would not recommend it for most hobbyists. The line between growing plants and algae is very thin where such a small biomass is involved.
I think the keys to my "success" so far include -
Controllable LED lighting - without which it would be too easy to have too much light
Super (and already mature) filtration with lots of Purigen - mature bio-media and chemical media result in zero ammonia spikes and low organic waste
Time to do water changes every other day - lots of water changes help prevent algae by diluting organic waste
Large shrimp population - constantly cleaning all surface inside tank to prevent algae
Low fish population - less organic waste = less algae
RO water - I find I need less CO2 compared with hard tap water, and there's other anecdotal benefits
Active soil - high nutrient content, ideal grain structure, and stable low pH to encourage root growth
If I tried this same idea i.e. growing an entire aquascape from one pot five years ago I don't think I would have succeeded.
So I don't think plant suppliers should get nervous. I'll still always recommend starting out with lots of plants. But it is fun to experiment and challenge myself, and share the experience with you all too.
