# To dry start or not to dry start??



## Joey Rutherford (Dec 5, 2016)

In the next few days I'm going to breakdown my tank and rescape it. I hadn't planned on doing a dry start but I know it's recommended for carpet plants. I'm curious though, will other plants benefit from emerssed planting then flooding? I've read that the dry start method mineralizes the soil which is a plus (I'm using Amazonia) but I've also read that it's really not that big of a deal and only starts the decomposition of the soil goodies faster. But it also negates the ammonia leach because it's "instantly" just turned in to nitrate? For the dry start method in general, I read that one reason why people do it, is to provide the plants with unlimited CO2 supply but if you are running pressurized CO2 then it's not really nessecary. I am running pressurized CO2 so there's that. 

As I said, I didn't even consider dry starting it in the first place. I completely expect it to take a couple months for the ammonia to stop leaching so time isn't really a determining factor for me. I just want to avoid a ton of algae this time around. When I first set the tank up I had algae issues that was due to not having CO2, then trying DIY CO2 and finally getting a CO2 rig. Took almost 5 'months to get the algae in check. 

Any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated!


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

I think you stated the biggest reasons why DSM is a plus with Amazonia. 1. After the 6 weeks or so with a dry start when you flood your tank it's basically insta cycled and ready to go. 2. No algae to worry about!!!! Probably the biggest benefit of DSM, this allows you to increase your lighting to 16-18 hrs a day for faster growth without concern for algae. The Amazonia will provide enough nutrients and Co2 can be drawn from atmosphere. The only real concern is mold but minimal ventilation should eliminate that. 

Dan


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## Joey Rutherford (Dec 5, 2016)

Will all plants work with the DSM? I have various rotala and other stem plants that I don't want to die. Some are going to be fresh TC and others will be some that I've already had growing in my tank for a couple months. 

I'll need to research the DSM a bit more before I feel comfortable settleing on the idea. Is it literally just plant, daily mist, plastic wrap top, turn lights on, and that's it?


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Joey Rutherford said:


> Will all plants work with the DSM? I have various rotala and other stem plants that I don't want to die. Some are going to be fresh TC and others will be some that I've already had growing in my tank for a couple months.
> 
> I'll need to research the DSM a bit more before I feel comfortable settleing on the idea. Is it literally just plant, daily mist, plastic wrap top, turn lights on, and that's it?


For the most part that's it. Keep water about 1/2 inch below substrate and do as you said. I would not totally seal it but depending on the tank size 2 small openings on each side to allow minimal air exchange will help keep humidity while preventing mold.

You can check the plants you want to grow here to see if they can be grown emersed.

Plant Finder - Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants

I would definitely do as much research as necessary until you feel comfortable before deciding to make sure it suits your needs.

Dan


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## Nigel95 (Mar 5, 2017)

I did dry start aswell and I probably wouldn't do it again. The tank isn't Nice to watch in dry start due the seal and humidity. My monte carlo is growing much faster submersed 6hr lighting vs emersed 10hr lighting. Benefit of dsm is low/none maintenance.


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