DHG Carpet Help In a Fluval Spec V

I JUST tore my 2 year old fluval spec V down last night! I LOVED that tank! (I'm moving to a 22g long) I had DHG in mine and it carpeted well with a Finnex FugeRay Planted+ 16-Inch on top. The DHG had about .75-1.25 inch of eco complete capped with .25 inch of flourite black sand (seachem) would imagine that .75-1.25 inch of ADA would be enough. Question 3 Cant help with as I have never used the dry start method. Question 4 Never once used any root tabs in 2 years but did dose ferts into the water column.

I will add that cutting DHG in a specV is a pain in the ass, the angles are annoying to work with a pair of shears but then again the level of annoyance does change with your scape. (DHG works in this tank just be aware when you are planting it how your going to trim I'll add a pic so you can see what i was referring to.) I'll be subbed to your post if you have anymore questions, its a cool little tank I'll be setting up again at some point!


P.S. I did have Co2 getting diffused then up the return pump via paintball co2 setup with solenoid

ryanswis said:

I have a Fluval Spec V 5 gallon aquarium and I want to grow a DHG carpet in this tank with an iwagumi aquascape. I plan to use ADA Aquasoil for my substrate and I will probably make a DIY CO2 system.

Question 1: I'm going to replace the original light that comes with the tank, which light do you recommend for a DHG carpet? The tank is 17.2"L x 6.3"W x 10.6"H and I plan to use ADA Aquasoil. The room it will be in is somewhat bright.

Question 2: How many inches will i need to have of the ADA Aquasoil in order to have a lush DHG carpet?

Question 3: I am planning a dry start, how long do I need to run my light, and when will I be able to flood the tank with water? How many days will I have to mist for?

Question 4: How often will I have to fertilize with API Root Tabs, and do I have to put the root tabs in before I plant my Hairgrass?

Any other advice to help me avoid a rookie mistake would be awesome!
Thanks so much!!

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Answer 1: You may be fine with the light that comes with it, since it's not a very deep tank. Finnex and Beamswork have decent lighting options for reasonable prices, but for that size, they may not be that much of an upgrade. You don't want too much light either

Answer 2: Two sounds about right to me, give or take

Answer 3: Never done a DSM myself, starting with 8 or 10hrs of light and adjusting accordingly won't hurt. I'd search the forums for DSM dry start method and see what folks have had the best results with. Flood when root systems are good and established, mist every day until then. Lay saran wrap over your tank to keep it humid, but take it off to let it breath a little each day.

Answer 4: Never done ADA Aquasoil either, but I don't think you'll need root tabs until the AS is depleted of its nutrients. Should take at least several months I'm guessing. After that the directions should be on the package of root tabs, probably about every month, other month?

Other advice: there's some really nice, very thorough DSM threads on here that will answer these questions better. Good threads on Aquasoil, lighting, and spec Vs too. Check out the search function to see what folks have done over the years about these same questions, just make sure it isn't a super old thread before you reply to those posts.

I usually don't like giving answers on stuff I haven't done or seen first hand, but this should at least be a nudge in the right direction. More folks will chime in and help you out more hopefully

Hey!

I would be glad to help you out!


1-for the light check Chihiros A-Series Aquatic Aquarium High Output LED Lamp 12-39W Light 20-45cm

2-About 1.5 to 2

3- Dry start I don’t think the light will matter, try the 8 hours a day, when you feel that the carpet have spread enough for your taste, start gradually adding water to your tank. Make sure your cover the top so the air don’t go in.

4-I usuallly put the root tabs after planting to make sure the roots will grow close enough, i also add new tabs every 2-3 months


Hope this help!