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Iwagumi and Dry start method

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You could possibly thin out the bunches which will allow you to spread them a lot more.
No expert,but those bunches look far too thick.
 
I have been failed a couple of time now Utricularia melted, I tried Monte-carlo and it faces the same fate as the plant before.

I’ve had found E. parvula Hairgrass in the rain gutter (the day I failed) so I add it in the tank and it still doesn’t seems to be doing great...
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Is it really possible to have a terrestrial (aquatic) plants without CO2?

@Colin_T @Wills
 
Ah thats really interesting! Hair grass can be grown without injected Co2 but it can be hard I'd say because you've put it in a soil gives it a good chance. This one looks more like the tall growing species rather than the dwarf so it probably wont carpet if thats what you are thinking at the front?

With plants like this that grow emerged, they are actually a marsh plant that also has a submerged form. In some plants this is really obvious things like Cryptocorynes, Rotala and Amazon Swords are pretty obvious but with some plants like Hairgrass are less obvious.
 
if thats what you are thinking at the front?
Nope! Thats a E. acicularis.

I’ve almost gave up on this iwagumi if it’s not for George Farmer video.

There’s this something that’s bugs me for a long time, I have been watching a lot of video on youtube lately and all people are saying was “get CO2 or you’ll failed” something like that, I seriously I don’t know why most high-tech people discouraged others and simply insult those who have low money (especially those at Green Aqua) Am I the only one?
 
Nope! Thats a E. acicularis.

I’ve almost gave up on this iwagumi if it’s not for George Farmer video.

There’s this something that’s bugs me for a long time, I have been watching a lot of video on youtube lately and all people are saying was “get CO2 or you’ll failed” something like that, I seriously I don’t know why most high-tech people discouraged others and simply insult those who have low money (especially those at Green Aqua) Am I the only one?
I think the thing with not using Co2 is that you wont be able to grow the range of plants you can with. So if you want to grow lots of small leaved plants like you see in the Green Aqua tanks you do need the high tech approach.

Its two different styles of tank low tech tanks can look stunning (some great examples on this forum) but its just a different style of scape and tank. If you look at the tanks George Farmer does without Co2 his plant choice is very different to those that Green Aqua use on theirs.

Iwagumi generally speaking is more of a high tech tank because of the types of carpeting plants people usually use. Things like HC, UG are more high tech level, Monte Carlo and Dwarf Hairgrass are good with Co2 but can be done without and then in low tech tanks your best choices are things like Marsilea hirsuta, Helanthium Tenellum or Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis? The hairgrass in the back of yours looks good but you could add a few stems of Rotala Rotundifolia between the two rocks or something like Bacopa Carolina that wont grow too tall. I've got a mixed carpet in mine and I really love it.

Wills
 
terrestrial (aquatic) plants
Terrestrial and aquatic mean to different things.

If you’re asking if terrestrial plants (plants that are found and grow on land) can survive in a tank, my answer would be no.

I have attempted to grow terrestrial moss and grass in an aquarium, with no prevail.
 
Terrestrial and aquatic mean to different things.

If you’re asking if terrestrial plants (plants that are found and grow on land) can survive in a tank, my answer would be no.

I have attempted to grow terrestrial moss and grass in an aquarium, with no prevail.
By that I mean aquatic plants that can survive on land like hairgrass, Alternanthera, java ferns, Utricularia.

As you can see the reason I do dry start method is to turn utricularia from emersed to submerged form.
 
aqua soil is the way to go with hair grass,but in a low tech system one has to be seriously patient.
I mean really forget about it.I gave up after a few months,as I didn’t see any growth above the substrate,and the stuff turned brown,but under the substrate the runners were running alright and I had to follow them to get them all out.I’m sure the reason the grass was never green was because all its energy was being put into the runners and if I had been a bit more patient.................
 
The other thing with low tech tanks is you can still make cool hardscapes and cover them in moss. And the other advantage is your not limited with your choice of fish so maybe think about focusing on your choice of fish and keep something rare and unusual
 
By that I mean aquatic plants that can survive on land like hairgrass, Alternanthera, java ferns, Utricularia.

As you can see the reason I do dry start method is to turn utricularia from emersed to submerged form.
Java Fern can, but it requires some major moistness. You would have to get a spray nozzle or something.
 
I’ve just realised you only began this project a month ago and only gave the first plant 2 weeks.
You won’t see much growth of anything apart from stem plants in two weeks.
 
All hairgrass have melted, I’m thinking of getting
Utricularia bifida right now.

@Wills
Do you think my scapes looks like a “copy” or “an inspiration” of Takashi Amano’s iwagumi, I feel like a copy cat at the moment after rescaping the stones.


Mine
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Amano’s
95D556AC-7568-4E6D-AFD4-69FD779A8D99.jpeg
 
All hairgrass have melted, I’m thinking of getting
Utricularia bifida right now.

@Wills
Do you think my scapes looks like a “copy” or “an inspiration” of Takashi Amano’s iwagumi, I feel like a copy cat at the moment after rescaping the stones.


Mine
View attachment 137904
Amano’s
View attachment 137905
I don't think its a copy, your main rock has a similar angle but its pretty different really. The right hand side is much more minimal in yours.

In terms of planting I really would go with easy plants in here as the ones you have tried so far are pretty difficult and usually require Co2 and high lighting and fertilisers to work. Id go with a broader leaved grass like Helanthium Tenellum or Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis that can grow in most set ups. And I'd add some fast growing stems to the back left like Rotala or Limnophila. Some moss on your rocks would look good too.

If you wanted to go for a smaller leaved plant for the carpet Marsilea hirsuta is your best bet or you could try Monte Carlo but I think one of the grass types I mentioned above would work best.

With a planted tank it is a process to learn how to grow the tank and stave off algae so even if you eventually want to be doing plants like Utricularia or Dwarf Hair Grass have a go with something else first and try to get it working. In my first scape in my tank I had a whole mix of exotic and difficult plants and they all failed, then I went for a really easy set of plants like Limnophila, Moneywort, Cardomine, Hygrophila etc and once I go to the point where I was more confident with what I was doing and all the fast stems were out of control I rescaped to something I was happier with long term which is where I am now and I still have my challenges with algae but having learned about it over the last year I find it much easier than I did when I first started.

You can always add to a planted tank, rip sections out and replace it, its kind of one of the aspects I enjoy, the far right hand side of my tank is a proper mess at the moment I had some plants doing ok but consistently bad staghorn algae so stuffed it with Limnophila and that seems to have starved out the algae and the plants like my Crypt Alibida Brown have thrived in the shade and protection from the algae, so I want to take it all out and plant it specifically so it looks better. But just as an example of something I've learned in the last year thats paid off, where as in my first tank I'd have just chucked the plants out and bought more, only to fail again...

Wills
 
I will try Helanthium and Rotala, should I buy it as tissue culture or potted plant?
 

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