Certainly easier and you have 2-3x more HC now.

About the light, the sun only hits the HC for a few hours, but like most plants, HC can adapt to high and low light, folks assume that all foreground plants are high light, Gloss , HC etc are not, they become weeds under high light is all.

They are fair more manageable under low light.

Regards,
Tom Barr

Absolutely, I read folk often reporting, when planting HC submersed, that it tend to grow upwards even though CO2 is good. The reason is, plant didn't have time to anchor it self to the ground.

I wish I had time to let it stay emerged for at least 6-8 weeks. As I said, this is for folk that has patience but also for folk that can see the final result of such start.
Excellent method!

Thanks Tom.

Regards, Dusko

Well, while I have my own data and results, I'm always interested to see how other folks faired.

If folks do well through the transition period, basically 2-4 weeks after flooding stages, then you can call it a successful, method.

But CO2 is the devil for many.
I know most of the ADA folks do not measure CO2 that much, rather, they eyeball it.
I do a little of both, but am very critical of the measurement methods and flows, surface movements etc.


Regards,
Tom Barr

Hi,

I am also thinking to give a try to grow HC emersed. But instead of growing it in Aquarium, I am thinking of growing it in plastic tube on synthetic cotton fiber.

As there will be no substrate in tub do I have to added additives’ or fertilizer in water before planting HC.

Can Utricularia graminifolia be also grown in this way?

Regards
W

Hi,
I know this is an old thread but I had a question regarding substrate choice. I've already ordered Flourite Black Sand and some Diamond Black leonardite for the bottom 1/2" of substrate. I have a 10g tank and I'm planning on growing either HC or Dwarf Hairgrass using this method to get a foreground carpet started. I know that my substrate isn't as full of nutrients as something like ADA soil. Would I still be able to grow these plants using this method? Would I need to somehow add ferts initially to help the plants grow?

I'd appreciate any thoughts/comments. Thanks.

Hi Guys,

I am planning to try this dy method in my new tank. The substrate i will use is Flourite Black mixed with gravel and lighting would be 2 x 1000 Lux flourescent tubes. I have some questions regarding:

Planting of HC: What is the best method to plant the HC, should the plant be removed from the wool or should some wool still be kept attached in order to anchor the plant in the gravel.

Other plants: WOuld Anubias spp and Java fern that have been growing submersed in my other aquarium fare well if planted during this phase in emergent growth?

Water during the emersed phase: The water in the gravel during the period of emersed growth should not cover the HC am i correct in this statement.

Thanks for your patienece.

Chris

Hi all.
sorry for not updating my emerged (later submersed) project, but here we go;

This is how my HI-tech HC aquarium look like today (approx 2 month old set-up);

Detail;


Note;
I didn't use Amazonas as Tom suggested, but instead used Aqua Soil mixed with Tropica substrate, and I sticked a few Tropica+N&P capsules into the substrate.
I layed 1-1,2mm gravel over the soil (4cm thick).

I wasn't sure (even saturated with water) will gravel get any nutrient from the aquasoil, for the emerged HC, so I decided to add 15ml of Tropica Aqua Care+N&P, to the water used to saturate the gravel, just to be sure HC gets enough nutrients to take off.

After approx 4 weeks, the HC started spreading and forming nice roots (so no floating up, mess), I started the submersed method.

I started the CO2 dosing (4 bubbles per sec via ceramic disc diffuser) and added 15ml more of Aqua Care+N&P.

I ignored one very important thing though;
I planted only slow growing plants that aren't tall (Eleocharis, HC, Pogosyemon helferi, C. balansae, Blyxa japonica) which couldn't out compete Green water algae for nutrients (my assumption, it could be also the NH4 from the aqua soil).
Green water started, also lots of Hair algae. Halgae I killed with Easy Carbo (like Excel), but GW stayed for almost a month.

I was doing wc every day (every second day) 80% for a month, UV filter, stopped dosing liquid ferts, planted lots of Hygrophila Rosanervig...nothing really helped...
UNTIL I read a part in D. Walstads book about GW, where she mentioned the lights with lots of blue spectrum.

I had 4 tubes with lots of blue in them, so I performed a huge wc (90%) to remove as much GW as possible (still running the UV), removed the middle 2 which had most of the blue, and replaced them with tubes from Sylvania which have only red, green and yellow (no blue at all).

Things started improving the next day, and day after I could proudly present my Hi-tech HC aquarium

So, if using aquasoil under the gravel, yes do mix some KNO3 and KH2PO4 with the water (emerged method), but also do plant lots of fast growing tall plants to out compere the possible GW for nutrients that will enter the water column.

Otherwise if you are intending to create an Iwagumi style, use Tom's suggestion...use Amazonas instead.

I would suggest this method to everyone. great way to skip all the HC floating up and algae on plants which are trying to establish them selves (roots) in the start.

@chris81;
1.Yes you should remove all the wool
2. Anubias and Microsorum are in nature mostly found emerged, I planted once the Anubias emerged in my paludarium, and it grew without any problem, just keep the humidity (seal the aquarium).
3. water should not cover the HC when emerged, nor the gravel, but just under the gravel line (approx 1-2mm under the gravel).

Good luck Chris, patience will create a nice HC carpet for you

Kind regards, Dusko

Wow!! Your aquarium looks stunning! Congratulations on a job well done, I really love it. I'm no expert but my one critique would be that the Rasbora's don't seem to contrast well with your lighting/aquascape. Btw did you have a journal thread on this tank somewhere?

OT


I am not trying to make a stunning aquascape, to please the visual, but rather testing for my self, learning how plants react to HI-light and lots of CO2, soil, EI, algae, etc.

A few people that saw this scape asked me to enter Amanos competition (deadline in May I think), and I told them the same thing I said here...I am not interested in competing, doesn't give me the kick I like to observe the planted dynamic system under different conditions, that's all.

Don't get me wrong I do admire Amano and others, that build stunning scapes, but personally I am more into learning/observing these planted systems.

For me Amano style scaping isn't something I would have in my living room, it looks way too perfect, just ain't me
This scape of mine is at my work (I work for a LFS) as a show off for my customers, and I used it to test Barr's emerged HC method.

I like scapes that look more natural (with imperfections) like this tank (48galls with 1.25w/g) of mine which is in my living room


Also HI-tech doesn't suit my life style at all. Way too much work with weekly wc, regular EI dosing, lots of pruning, etc.
I am more of a low/medium light guy. If you slow down on lights, you slow down on maintenance and it gives you more time to observe and enjoy. As I said just my personal way of life :-)

Thanks for your comments.

Kind regards, Dusko

Wow and double wow! I love your 180L tank! Actually I'm like you in that I prefer the natural look like your tank at home. Amano type tanks do look pretty but I find the natural "imperfect" look more appealing. If I turn out to be half as good as you at aquascaping I'll be a very happy man . I think I'm going to scour your blogspot site to follow the progress of this tank and maybe bother with you some questions . I can't wait for my substrate and manzanita to arrive so I can start contemplating how to scape my tank. I'm definitely going the low-mid tech route with around 2-2.5 WPG and Excel for Carbon dosings along with modified EI for ferts.