Using sadomascistic rational for logic is not my cup of tea, however, some seem to think they
must do that to get results.
Why suffer in the start?
Why spend a lot and plant a ton of tiny pieces when it can grow in very well and not cost nearly as much? You do not even need a light, just place the tank, sediment and plants with lid outside in the sun. As iwugami styles are increasingly popular these days, this makes their cultivation extremely easy, about like that of "Chia pet". The hardest part is arranging the rocks.
For that style, this method is a shoe in.
Water changes need not be tough either, yet some are still part of the bucket brigade. The High Tech "Hose" method to drain and fill an aquarium has not yet reach some parts of the world the way some talk. Nor automated water changers, nor hard plumbed drain and fill lines, I guess indoor plumbing is something new to some folks? I hate water changes, testing, algae etc as much as anyone else. I'd rather reduce labor, cost and make things simpler, cleaner and more repeatable/successful.
Reminds me of Atlas, pushing the massive rock up the hill by hand for all eternity .........instead of getting a rope and a pulley with a counter weight.
Seems Atlas could had used some of Archimedes and Euclid's talent
Now I use to use buckets myself, I use to test a lot, I use place a lot of stuff in my way needlessly..........But I try to not do the same mistakes again and again.
Regards,
Tom Barr