[BioPlantTank]

Hello everyone, today I would like to ask the viability of an idea I had regarding effective growth of plants that require CO2 most of the time to thrive, such as HC.

Soon, I will be dry starting my 20 gallon long which I aim to make my first planted tank. Now, I have had experience with reef aquariums for quite a long time in the past, and I had based this on an idea occasionally used in reef aquariums.

Assuming I dry start HC and start with about 15 pots, it will spread in quite a short amount of time (approximately 3 weeks by my estimate). After I fill the tank is the idea, however. If I held off on adding life other than HC and e. tenellus and blasted CO2 for 12 hours daily at 6-7 bps for about 2-3 weeks along with EI dosing and high light (30" planted+ on about 10 inches to substrate), with 50-60% water changes weekly, would the plants be much better established than if I was to use normal rates? I can see this being an option which greatly improves plant health in theory, although it might be different in actual application. What do you all think about this?

 

[lksdrinker]

I think it could work in theory. The problem is you're "training" the plants to get used to those initial conditions. Whats going to happen when you suddenly change that while introducing livestock? The plants might go through another shock as they re-acclimate to your now new conditions. I also dont see the need to do 50-60% weekly water changes at the beginning if you have no livestock.

 

[BioPlantTank]

I think it could work in theory. The problem is you're "training" the plants to get used to those initial conditions. Whats going to happen when you suddenly change that while introducing livestock? The plants might go through another shock as they re-acclimate to your now new conditions. I also dont see the need to do 50-60% weekly water changes at the beginning if you have no livestock.

Well, of course, the conditions would be slowly changed to normal amounts instead of sudden, as a sudden change could cause large amounts of melting. As for the water changes, substantial water changing is required for EI dosing to work correctly, is it not?

 

[lksdrinker]

Well, of course, the conditions would be slowly changed to normal amounts instead of sudden, as a sudden change could cause large amounts of melting. As for the water changes, substantial water changing is required for EI dosing to work correctly, is it not?

EI dosing methods are written assuming you'll have fish. The idea behind the method is you provide more than enough nutrients for your plants throughout the course of a week and then do a large water change to sort of "reset" your water parameters so you're not overdoing it on any one nutrient. But I always thought that was a failsafe for the livestock; not the plants.