# Dry-Start - when does it do more harm then good?



## pirasha (Nov 3, 2012)

Hey guys.

So I started my tank dry-start method 3 weeks ago (Dwarf Baby Tears, Monte Carlo, Alternanthera Reneckii "mini", Lobelia Cardinalis, Hygrophila Corymbosa). Everything looks great and I'm ready to flood BUT I've ran into a bit of a hiccup with my CO2. It hasn't arrived yet...more specifically it is lost somewhere in the mail and the company is actually shipping me another (I ordered it 7 weeks ago now). I should get this one in 1-2 weeks...assuming I actually receive it this time. I don't want to flood without CO2 as I feel that is going to cause tons of issues and I'm trying to avoid with the dry start, but I'm also getting super anxious with not flooding the tank. The plants look GREAT now, green and healthy and I'm afraid they are going to start to deteriorate soon if I don't flood it.

What do you guys think? When is the longest you've gone with just a dry start?


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

pirasha said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> So I started my tank dry-start method 3 weeks ago (Dwarf Baby Tears, Monte Carlo, Alternanthera Reneckii "mini", Lobelia Cardinalis, Hygrophila Corymbosa). Everything looks great and I'm ready to flood BUT I've ran into a bit of a hiccup with my CO2. It hasn't arrived yet...more specifically it is lost somewhere in the mail and the company is actually shipping me another (I ordered it 7 weeks ago now). I should get this one in 1-2 weeks...assuming I actually receive it this time. I don't want to flood without CO2 as I feel that is going to cause tons of issues and I'm trying to avoid with the dry start, but I'm also getting super anxious with not flooding the tank. The plants look GREAT now, green and healthy and I'm afraid they are going to start to deteriorate soon if I don't flood it.
> 
> What do you guys think? When is the longest you've gone with just a dry start?



i dont think the plants mind the open co2 air. ive heard the average people do 1-2 months. ive heard some people just growing it never flooded. wakasubi style. the only downside to dry start is getting weird fungi or gnats living in there. the best way to reduce mold and fungus is to leave a little crack open so that there is not a complete humid vacuum .


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## pirasha (Nov 3, 2012)

@IntotheWRX

Hmm thanks..guess I just have to work on patience (siiiigh..worst part of a new tank). And I do actually take the plastic wrap off the tank each morning when I get in and let the tank dry out until all the glass and leaves are dry to the touch before giving it a spray of water and replacing the plastic wrap. It seems to keep the mold in check as the plants look great and the only mold I've got is a little on the wood that I wipe off every once in a while.


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## IntotheWRX (May 13, 2016)

pirasha said:


> @IntotheWRX
> 
> Hmm thanks..guess I just have to work on patience (siiiigh..worst part of a new tank). And I do actually take the plastic wrap off the tank each morning when I get in and let the tank dry out until all the glass and leaves are dry to the touch before giving it a spray of water and replacing the plastic wrap. It seems to keep the mold in check as the plants look great and the only mold I've got is a little on the wood that I wipe off every once in a while.


patience is the hardest part of this hobby for me too.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

I fully agree with WRX, your plants are already growing emersed they won't detiorate if you keep on going with the DSM. Most people actually do the DSM for longer than 3 weeks, so you'll be fine to keep doing it, in fact I recommend you do. Definitely wait till you get CO2 before you flood. Suddenly introducing CO2 during your tank set up will throw things out of whack, whilst the tank is already trying to mature itself.
The only issue with DSMs is that if you make it too wet by spraying too much and not having air out sessions it can lead to BGA and fungus. If you are not having those problems you're fine. That is more of a technique problem, than a problem with the practice of DSM itself.
To go more into the science on why your plant won't suddenly detiorate is because (if you don't know already) many of the plants in the hobby can grow both in water (submersed) and out of water (emersed). Most of the time when you buy them they would have been grown emersed at the farms (easier to grow this way). So in a DSM you are just growing it emersed and they won't suddenly detiorate because you are doing the DSM (they may for other reasons though).
Also like WRX said some people never flood and grow plants purely emersed, it's called Wabi-Kusa. Google it, some of them are really beautiful.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

I went over 3 months with one DSM, I did enjoy watching it grow dry, when i flooded I cranked the co2 very very high (no live stock) and the carpet of MC filled in very quickly compared to the DSM growth. I slowly lowered the co2 and added some shrimp.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

I should think the downside to flooding the tank without the ability to provide CO2 via injection, would be plant's that were receiving perhaps 300 to 400 ppm CO2 from atmosphere ,suddenly finding themselves with hardly any other than small amount maybe produced by bacterial activity in substrate.
Would be immediate negative effect IMHO
Might still would go easy on PAR for first few week's after flooding the tank were it me.


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

Just to add on to what Doyle said, he mentioned cranking up the CO2 because the plants have a transition period from emersed to submersed growth, so you can experience melting of plants as they change form. Cranking up the CO2 has helped a lot of people get over this period without too much melting, and at the start of the tank when you don't have livestock you can do it. Then as Doyle mentioned gradually turn it down till you get to a point where it is safe for animals.


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## pirasha (Nov 3, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys; I mostly knew that in the back of my mind already just needed the reminder to keep my impatience in check.
I do have a question though:
So once I get my CO2 set up I'll crank it fairly high to start out and slowly lower it so avoid melting (hopefully). When I do this though should I start with less light (currently on a 9hr cycle) and slowly increase light as I decrease CO2? Or keep the lighting the same cycle as what I've got now?


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## Opare (Sep 9, 2015)

I always recommend with new tanks to be conservative with light. So once you flood, turn down lighting to maybe 5-6 hours a day. Just keep CO2 high for a bit and then once things settle in lower the CO2. Don't mess with your lighting for a while until you are confident things are stable, then you can start to increase light intensity and period. You don't want to be changing 2 huge factors simultaneously as it can be inviting trouble. Obviously small tweaks are fine but not large changes.


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