Very interesting. I like the idea of growing out the plants initially and then discontinuing the excel. It gets the plants established, then you have a nice looking tank with low maintenance. I've seen a number on non co2 tanks and they can be quite striking. The frustrating part is waiting for the tank to get established.

Could this be done using co2 initially ? Could a substrate such as eco complete or flourite be used ? Is using the dry method to start necessary ?