I've just recently visited your website in the last few months and I must say its FINALLY nice to actually have methods actually backed up by science rather than anecdotal evidence. Thank you for everything you do.
Dennis, you do a great job of explaining everything with your narration and video. I really appreciate how you take the time to share your love for this hobby and teach people like me (a beginner) how to better understand and manage a planted aquarium.
Absolutely the BEST video I have sen on the subject. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I now look forward to much nicer carpets in my tanks!
something people dont address and over look is something as simple as having a greenthumb. people who keep gardens (outdoor veggie gardens) and house plants transition easier into aquascaping and the world of aquatic plants. i purchased some from a local shop that wasnt running co2 in their tanks. ive been growing mine with out c02 as well. it does just fine with out it. this hobby requires patience which most people lack.
Very helpful my friend. It took me years to try HC, the myth of being extremely hard kept me away. When i first tried it it was a breeze, and even though i normally don't have problems growing HC your video still managed to teach me a lot of stuff i did not know.
+AQUADESIGN by aquamaniac Thanks ! I use monte carlo nowadays for the larger tanks nowadays, easier to shape and more robust overall, and less fiddly to handle. I'd still use HC for small tanks though
Dennis...your videos are amazingly simple to understand and so complete in their coverage of contents...Could you be kind enough to make an educational video on "How to optimize flow in a planted tank"...since it goes hand in hand with co2 control
rewatching all your videos this morning. Dennis you are the best i love you come live with me you will be the most well fed fish in my tanks. i will buy you live food every day
Hi Dennis! Great video in explaining the requirements for Dwarf Baby Tears and the signs and symptoms for a good carpet! I've just started to use CO2 in my tank, a disposable one though as I'm still waiting for the solenoid to get shipped over. I was afraid to plant Dwarf Baby Tears because I know they demand a very good environment with precise CO2 dosing, so instead I chose to plant the Dwarf Hairgrass. The tank is up for almost 3 weeks and I just got the disposable CO2 yesterday. They are still growing very slowly but I'm seeing new grass sprouting from the substrate other than the clump itself. I've pruned it once when I just got it and it was around 1 inch tall, after that it doesnt seem to grow much higher but getting more compact instead. My light source is a 14W LED light and the tank is a 24 long 15 gallon. My question is, are you familiar with symptoms of Hairgrass CO2/nutrient deficiency? Thanks for the video! :D
Can I grow this in gravel without use of aquasoil ? I’m currently injecting co2 for this plant and will probably increase my co2 if the leaves is growing vertically. Able to advice on the success factor for growing on gravel and what to take note to ensure a higher success for this plant.
Hi dennis!!! I don't understand how my HC Cuba doesn't pearl... Could you explain to me? plus how could you add co2 naturally without specific equipments?
i love that idea of the lamps. can you maybe tell me are those just desk lamps with diffrent 23watts light with 6500k in it. or did you buy them complete like this. so yes where did you get those and what is the name? i also wonder how long did it take to grow the HC with these lamps?
How long of lighting time for this HC Cuba? And how much the power of light for it. Im using Chihiros wrgb2 with 80% lighting power, 6h/day. Thanks Bro!
My HC got frost bites in shipping so the roots were lost. Leaves were green and some stalks so I planted anyways. They have rooted after a month and I see side shoots with new leaves from some of the plants. The old leaves and pretty much the whole substrate is covered in Algae though and I keep removing it with a brush. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Hi Mr. Wong, i started a 120p with hc cuba as carpet, DSM for 6 weeks, after flooding the cuba is adapting quickly (some melt some adapted) however i noticed that some of them are slanting upwards instead of spreading, i have 3600 lumens with co2 injection at 1b/0.75s, EI dosing. Should increase lighting and ultimately inject more co2?
Fantastic..great explanation about chemical and technical concepts like CO2 solubility and temperature dependent growth rates. Great mastery of technical language and concepts. Did you study Chemistry or Chemical Eng? Nice work.
Man I love your videos! How long have you been in the hobby? Your tanks look so pristine, no algae, water parameters seem to be absolutely perfect. Can you go over what filtration you have, Lighting, photo-period length etc? I believe you've already done a video on dosing. I know every tank is different. I would just like to know what you run on your tanks.
I usually run 7 hours of light, maybe 8-10 hours on some tanks. PAR-wise, usually on the higher side as well. I don't run any special filters, pretty standard Ehiem stuff, with the media that comes with the default sets. Occasionally use purigen
My tank size is 100cm x 50cm x 50cm. I bought Tropica HC. I have ADA Amazonia II substrate with sprinkled addictive below also from ADA. Temperature range around 25-26 Degree Celsius. CO2 about 2 -3bubble counts per second. High lighting for about 10 hours a day. Today is the fourth day and see they are melting. Any idea?
Side note.. I have grown HC before very successful so I am not new to them. Another note since I had to go out of town I had to use my city water which is really hard and high pH. before I used R/O water. would this have anything to do with my issue? Thanks #best planted advice on Utube!
Hi, have you or does anyone have tried planting HC via tying it to a rock instead of planting it in the soil? Everytime i try to plant into the soil right away, it either gets uprooted or theyd rot, the ones that don’t rot, are not growing either but not dying, its really green.. wonder if i should try the rock tying method..
Great video!!! Does this mean it will be much easier to carpet at 69-70f ? Then at 78-80 my room temperature keeps tank at 69.5-70 I don’t use a heater in my Nano tank
Simply awesome Dennis. Question though, I've read about not injecting co2 into a shrimp tank, since it decreases the chance of spawning. Is this true? Or could you speculate that other levels were not aligned or maintained?
mine grow with very short internode, like varies only about 2mm to 4mm maximum, and leaf are big, about 3mm but they are growing upward? what is this? co2 deficiency?
Again, an amazing video. Do you have any recommendations for a good co2 diffuser? Mine is producing big bubbles and the plants aren't getting good co2 access and aren't pearling. Thank you.
Dennis Wong ok thanks. I'm in the US so I can order from aquaforestaquarium and places like that. I tried the Archaea super diffuser and it didn't really work. Right now I'm working with a cheap glass diffuser.
Very good, very detailed tutorial and thanks for this! Having tried various attempts at growing Cuba in the past, I know how difficult it is to have a healthy Cuba carpet. In most cases my Cuba was overrun and killed by algae. In other cases, my cuba could not grow even ages after planting. I think after this video things are more clear. One question though. Does excess CO2 harm Cuba? What if I pump the levels in the beginning just to be on the safe side and just not to get any algae business- would it harm the plant? thanks
+sami yemeyahni Nope, if you have too much Co2, it can cause water pH to overly acidify and this may impair bacteria growth, so the tank takes a much longer time to cycle properly
+Dennis Thanks for the response. Another question is; how do you introduce CO2? I used to have a diffuser in the tank and introduce CO2 via the diffuser. Some people tend to use a CO2 reactor in the outlet of external filter which dissolves much more CO2. Do you think one is more effective than the other?
+sami yemeyahni There is more info in the Co2 vid. I think both can do well. Reactors are more efficient, but diffusers give CO2 mist which plants can utilize as well. Reactors need less servicing, whereas diffusers keep to be kept clean to work well.
+Deepak Srinivas 20w CFLs... BUT nowadays I use 10-12w LED bulbs that screw into the same E27 base fixture. Less heat, but I suspect slightly less PAR as well.
This was an extremely helpful video, however i had a question. Lets say im going to grow a carpet in a standard 10 gal tank. Should i got with a finned planted plus light or would it be okay to use desktop lights. Also what kind of bulb did you use for your setup. Thank you very much.
I use 20w philips/osram CFL bulbs here. Either planted plus or desklamps should work on a 10 gal; probably not high light - so your CO2 need to be on target to get good results
Hi Dennis, great video you had made here!! I had ran into some issues with HC and would like to hear your advise on it. I am 2 weeks into cycling my tank and the HC i had planted in had turned glassy and melted off. I get dead patches here and there. Do you recognise this as a CO2 deficiency or nutrient deficiency?
Melting can be due to other reasons - getting poor quality sample to start with, or strong ammonia in uncycled soil (ADA aquasoil?). Have to see other parameters to be sure...
Hi Dennis! I just started my first serious planted aquarium a few months ago and am starting to get my HC to carpet nicely. My problem is it was growing great and was a really nice colour, but then after a big algae bloom is started to get this really small brown algae on the leaves and now it has started to go much darker than it used to be. It is still growing fine but does not look as nice anymore. Do you know why this could be? Thanks and keep up the awesome videos man!
+EminenseYT It depends on what your dosing schedule is like and how your parameters have changed over time ? Over-crowding can be a factor for some carpets also
I dose seachem iron every 3 days and flourish once a week. I use a 25watt 2ft suspended fluval aqualife, injected c02 and have ADA amazonia soil. My tank is 20cm tall. Its very much under crowded at the moment.
+EminenseYT ADA soil releases a lot of nutrients at the start but slowly diminishes, eventually you need to dose NPK (nitrogen, phosphates, potassium). Iron itself is not enough and seachem Flourish is also mostly iron and trace elements. It has very little NPK, which you have to dose separately
Hey Dennis, I have fulfilled most of what you suggested (I think). My temperature in my tank is between 28 to 29 degrees. I experience melting still. I grow them laid onto dragon rock. Any suggestions?
Hi, that was a good video, but i have two question, can you please tell me detail about what kind light you are using in that HC tank? and also, can i use liquid Co2（flourish excel) instead of using Co2 can? thank you!
00:26. What is the name of the tall and stick-shape plant u got there? Just bought it today, but the seller didn't know the name. He just said hairgrass. I just want to google it so I can see other tank with that plant. Thanks.
Hello Dennis, I have planted HC 1 month ago n it's not growing. I tear down my tank n re-plant using old ADA substrate. The leaves getting darker n some yellowish. I dose K2so4 daily 1ppm, 1ppm KNO3 n 0.1ppm KH2PO4. Water temperature 26 C, GH5, KH2, PH6.6. CO2 about 18ppm I think. Still not enough for 200L tank? My other stem plants growing well and pearling like crazy. Pls help my HC, thanks
+Dennis Wong thanks for replying, I can see co2 physical mist hitting substrate but is a slow flow. Using lily pipe like ur tank. HC on the other far end
Dennis, random question not related to video, but do you have any suggestions for the best place you have found for finding and buying ADA hardscape materials? Ive used aqua forest before, but the shipping is outrageous and just not sure if there are better resources out there short of buying from other aquascapers?
fsu23 Yep, ADA has outrageous prices, though it's cheaper if you buy from local ADA distributors. I haven't found a cheap/good source for rocks myself, short of importing large crates of it from China by ship (then you will become a rock distributor yourself). I've thought of making trip down to China just to source for rocks. Hmm
Dennis Wong do you know any other ada distributors? I know a few but it is like pulling teeth to stay in touch with them so I can give them money for their product!
Love your vids!! I recently bought HC tissue culture. Unfortunately when I planted I had to go out of town for 4 days. c02 injection, medium light all set on 8 hour timer. when I came home they are completely melted. No sign of new growth. They do not look completely gone but do not look good. Will they come back if I get all the parameters back?? Any suggestions? I did notice my c02 levels were not high enough and adjusted. Also is it easier to start submerged potted hc or is tissue vitro hc harder?
They're about the same as long as the sample is healthy to start with. They do okay with harder water, but if you bought HC samples from a softwater source, it takes more for them to acclimatize
Is 18-20 dkh too high to grow most aquatic plants? If not, how much co2 would I need to use? If I'm not mistaken, bicarbonate ions bond with co2 making it unavailable for plants to use, so therefore I would need to use more co2. But, how much is enough to grow the plants and not gas out fish? Thanks!!
Nick Bartkus CO2 doesn't work that way, have you been watching Dave's vids ? I corrected him on that point. CO2 levels are independent of your KH levels. Many plants can adapt to higher alkalinity if good growth parameters are taken cared of, so I I'd say you can still have a planted tank
hey dennis, need your advice ! I have grown HC in my tank for about 2 months. Doing well initially. but after 2 months, plants start turning dark green and translucent. and now they are slowly dying. I have added nutrients (NPK , iron and trace) but to no avail. My light durations and co2 remain the same. Any suggestions as to what the problem is? Really don't want to tear the tank down
What are some ways to lower the alkalinity of water? I have well water from the Midwest US and have very hard water so I assume the water is also very alkaline.
Nick Bartkus There is no easy way to lower alkalinity, though it's very easy to raise it (use limestone in tank etc). One can use RO(reverse osmosis) water either partially or fully in a tank. Buffering substrates like ADA can reduce alkalinity for a few months but it isn't a permanent solution.
I'm using a Finnex fuge ray 36" at 18" height (38-47 par on paper). If I have long internodes + upward growth, how do I know it's CO2 and not insufficient light? Thanks Dennis!
+painofprince That's well within the range that can grow HC well - you can check out other tanks growing HC with the same light - may also be planting method (if overcrowded) or too warm temps ? CO2 is still the most common factor - adding more light can help, but more light = more risk of algae
Hey Dennis great video. I gotta ask what kind of lighting you recommend. I have a 200 gallon and im supplementing co2 and nutrients and i have 4 t5ho bulbs running and noticed they were dying and i added a second fixture with 2 t8's because thats what i had lying around. They began to turn green again and look healthier but dont seem to be growing. I'm trying to avoid dropping $600 on an led strip, so what were the lights you showed in the video and will they work for HC growing 24 inches deep?
+Chris Slyman Actually at that depth, I've used 4 X T5 setups and it works well if your bulbs and reflectors are deccent; the tanks you see in the vid are lit by either Metal halides, or LEDs ( BuildmyLed lights)
+Dennis Wong If i get my Watts per gallon up will that help? i was thinking about putting a high watt cfl bulb on either side of the tank along with those other lights to help the HC.
+Dennis Wong So with all that light what would be the easiest way to inhibit algae growth? I have been turning the lights off at night but im constantly scraping algae off the front of the tank?
+Chris Slyman There is no easy answer to this; algae is triggered by many different variables. Generally, the key to a clean tank is to have heavy, dense plant mass, good healthy growth; it deprives algae of place to spawn less light and less organic waste; which are main triggers for algae spores to bloom
