[malyessarah71]

I've just rescaped my 75G tank. Flourite/Eco Complete substrate, low to medium light, Thrive EI dosing. No CO2 but the parts should be here in about 2 weeks.

My tank had been a wreck, strong nutrient deficiency. I started dosing with Thrive capsules just yesterday. I've been cautioned to go slow with them and I want to do that.

I want to start a carpet of Echinodorus tenellus, I can get that locally and I can avoid winter shipping hassles. I have not placed any of the Thrive capsules in the front of the tank where the Echinodorus tenellus would go.

I got to thinking, I can dry start it in a 10 gallon tank with orgainic potting soil. Let it grow up a few months and then transfer.

This seems to have a several advantages.
1) My LFS only has 2 of them so that's all I can buy locally.
2) The nutrient rich potting soil will give them what they need that they won't get in the 75G tank.

But, since they'll be grow emersed, won't I just be subjecting them to trauma when I plant them later?

Would it make more sense to flood the 10 gallon now and also dose the water column?

I have all the extra parts I need, so the only extra expense is really just a bag of soils.

 

[minorhero]

I've just rescaped my 75G tank. Flourite/Eco Complete substrate, low to medium light, Thrive EI dosing. No CO2 but the parts should be here in about 2 weeks.

My tank had been a wreck, strong nutrient deficiency. I started dosing with Thrive capsules just yesterday. I've been cautioned to go slow with them and I want to do that.

I want to start a carpet of Echinodorus tenellus, I can get that locally and I can avoid winter shipping hassles. I have not placed any of the Thrive capsules in the front of the tank where the Echinodorus tenellus would go.

I got to thinking, I can dry start it in a 10 gallon tank with orgainic potting soil. Let it grow up a few months and then transfer.

This seems to have a several advantages.
1) My LFS only has 2 of them so that's all I can buy locally.
2) The nutrient rich potting soil will give them what they need that they won't get in the 75G tank.

But, since they'll be grow emersed, won't I just be subjecting them to trauma when I plant them later?

Would it make more sense to flood the 10 gallon now and also dose the water column?

I have all the extra parts I need, so the only extra expense is really just a bag of soils.

I've grown hairgrass as a dry start in a dirt bin with plans of transferring it later. It was a terrible idea. The problem is the roots grow so thickly into the dirt that is absolutely impossible to get the dirt out of them when it comes time to transfer to the new tank. Whatever you grow in a dry start method should be something you don't mind being transferred to your aquarium. If you tried to transfer in the dirt it would make a huge mess, I do not recommend it.

And yes, the transfer will be traumatic to the plant, thus you will want to disturb the plant as little as possible (ie same substrate or acceptable substrate that will be in your aquarium).

Keep in mind regardless that to get a carpet in a low tech tank you either need to dry start in the tank itself, or introduce co2. Anything else means a period of years not weeks or months before the carpet fills in.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

The plants would need to change their leaves over from emergent to submerged growth, that takes more energy and the growth will slow. Especially without CO2, your plants might have a struggle. I'd plant them submerged I've had really good luck with E.Tennelus just directly removing from the rock-wool pot to planted in a fully filled aquarium.