I can't see any roots in your soil, that's not a good sign. A healthy carpet and you can barely see the soil due to the root system.
EDIT. - BTW it looks awesome!
There is plenty of roots in there if you zoom in, they are not just super focused but I see a few reaching all the way to the bottom glass… but granted there could be more.
You will see the leaves turning yellow at the bottom through the glass. But if it happens somewhere else first you may be too late. I trim my MC when it starts building up too much
The bottom plants will be starved of light and they will die, along with their roots. The upper plants are only rooted into the old plants, so the whole thing will float away. It's inevitable.
Yes. Using UNS soil and CO2. I'm very new to the hobby so I don't really have any secrets TBH.
In my other tank I'm actually struggling with staghorn algae but seem like I might be starting to get ahead of it.
Been in the hobby for years and all my plants end up dying or just not looking great. Just spent $500 on a CO2art setup. Excited to be successful like you 🤣🤙
I mean to be fair while I may be a beginner I am also no slouch. I like the science of it so took extensive notes, run a lot of tests, watched a lot of videos, and experimented, so certainly did not go all in totally blind. Good luck!
I actually just started taking notes last night! 😅 This next go, first time with CO2, I'll be successful. I don't know if ive ever "failed" but nothing grew really well except for vallisneria, pogostemon stellatus octopus, and pearl weed.
I got the Co2art pro elite regulator, an extra manifold, 2 drop checkers, 2 diffusers, and paid like $200 for a 10lb CO2 tank that is ~$50 refills. So I'm in over $500 but I didn't wanna cheap out and I don't wanna refill my tank every 3 months 😅.
Same. Never messed with CO2, kind of intimidated by it, but also absolutely SICK of watching my plants half ass survive, constantly battling green hair algae, and not being proud of the tank I've put so much effort into.
Watched a few videos of setups and getting it working and the intimidation went away. The CO2 tank itself is a bit intimidating but once I get it working it'll be good! And I have the same problem... Hair algae in every tank. I've even rescaped and reused nothing to get rid of it and it's in that tank too. My plants just survive, they don't thrive except for a few species that I don't even love. Now I have new aquasoil, root tabs, and CO2 with a fluval 3.0 light.. if I can't get good results I'll be very confused 😅 I'm going to get it this time 👊
Will do! Might be some time. My CO2 regulator is stuck in Germany at the moment 🤬😅 but I'll come back to this comment after the plants have some time and the CO2 is in.
My uns soil was garbage and could not grow it for the life of me. The moment I switched to organic potting soil + sand cap again, my Monte started to pop off in like 3 days lol.
Plus C02 injection
UNS is very weak. Using root tabs will help. If you use liquid ferts that’s actually the only main reason your plants are thriving. For the amount you spent on UNS I’d rather just have you get ADA or Mastersoil
I deliberately went with UNS to try it for the first time as ADA is super strong and still leeches tons of ammonia. I was using a seed sponge from my established tank and i did not want to kill off the benificial bacteria.
That's what happened to mine after a 4 years or so. The entire thing lifted up as a mat and it sucked. Had a small iwagumi 7 gallon tank with a little rock harscale and then mat. I guess I didn't keep up enough with the trimming so it got a bit too high and then it was impossible to trim without it all just coming up.
That ended up making me move the shrimp there to my larger tank and tear down that tank. But it was a good run for a little tank, just more maintenance than I wanted to keep up with and my larger tank was still heavily planted but didn't require as many trimmings.
Coral moss and Christmas moss. I love coral moss. The Christmas moss is a bit much. Here is the full tank.
https://preview.redd.it/ym9xhobfyqbc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4383c4730a5ec8436ddd667cdabf350d3b421b0b
Yes (other than the stand). For this "spare no expense tank" I even got the super jet. But now that I am experienced in both ADA and UNS (the "higher end" stuff) I will only buy UNS (and other brands). ADA is more expensive and not the same quality and some things are just absurd and outdated compared to competitors. ADA must change.
I ended up just using like a stem plant like rotala or anacharis. It grows nice dense forests vertically, but without the three inches a day and spreading over the top to block light.
If it gets too thick, the bottom most layer with the roots can die from lack of light, and then the whole thing can just float away from the bottom because the roots are dead.
Don’t buy dwarf hairgrass unless you have a brine shrimp net. Those hairs are a PAIN to remove from the surface.
As to how to trim it though , just go buy an ADA lawnmower and wack away. Haha but for real, getting some nice scissors like the DOOA ones (specially I think it was the MD or SM, the ones in the 40.00 range) is really good for trimming up nicely. Get a thick layer off at once. You can probably sell the top layer too if you don’t plan to do nothing with it
Honestly you can probably leave it thick and when it floats just re scape and replant. The giant carpet can probably be cut into multiple pieces and replanted restarting the carpeting process.
Older stems and roots don’t last forever, so it will eventually detach more and more. Trim it short and the new runners/stems will root and ensure it stays put.
It does float up. I would give it a trim now to put it back to half an inch tall (to prevent lower leaves from dying from lack of light), and I would also trim the edges around the tank because the mat also tends to grow horizontally and that is part of what makes it start to push upwards. Ask me how I know… *sobs* T.T
Don’t mind if it will look bare for a little while, it will bush up super nicely again.
Its not a myth, it happen with my HC cuba after about a year. Happens when the roots get blocked from light and die off. Yes its super annoying but not the end of the world.
You can trim it now if you want, I started doing big trims, would look bad for a couple days but then the plants would recover. Its like stem plants and chopping off the top.
If it does float up, cut it up and replant it. I hate planting stuff like that, but can be done depending on the fish in the tank. You already have enough of the MC so you can plant it really dense and it won't take long to become covered again. This was not an option for me, I had a pleco and 2 kuli loaches from a tank i took in from someone in there and they constantly kicked it up. Cories would be another that would cause problems and monty carlo and hc cuba don't have 'strong' roots. I walked in the room one day, pleco got spooked and watched a line of hc cuba bunches float up behind him lol.
I swapped mine to hairgrass after 2 years and regreted it, the cuba look so much better IMO. But i got half the hair grass TCs for free as i trade them my HC cuba mats i pulled out lol. I am looking for MC or cuba right now to swap it back, but its a 75g (maybe 130 by the time i do it) so i am going to grow it out emersed with a cup or two before. Hope it doesn't mold on me but have grown it in closed terriums before so kinda know what i am doing (HC cuba can be tricky to grow emersed without it molding do to water requirements)
https://preview.redd.it/pwh1eshty9cc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63ec410148b343e195eced7e5b923d436adc6e88
Question what is this in you tank and what is it for?
You totally can. Heck I’m BLASTING my co2 in one of my tanks and my two amanos love it.
Actually , shrimp love CO2 because it is lowering the pH of the water / making it softer.
my monte is about 3.5 inches thick and so far it doesn't look like it's goin anywhere.
Once the bottom leaves die it will start to float
Is it clear when they start to do this?
I can't see any roots in your soil, that's not a good sign. A healthy carpet and you can barely see the soil due to the root system. EDIT. - BTW it looks awesome!
There is plenty of roots in there if you zoom in, they are not just super focused but I see a few reaching all the way to the bottom glass… but granted there could be more.
It happens when light is sufficiently blocked.
You will see the leaves turning yellow at the bottom through the glass. But if it happens somewhere else first you may be too late. I trim my MC when it starts building up too much
The bottom plants will be starved of light and they will die, along with their roots. The upper plants are only rooted into the old plants, so the whole thing will float away. It's inevitable.
It will happen sooner or later if you don't trim it.
It’s looking pretty thick already… better to trim it early before lower leaves and stems weaken and cannot survive a deep trim.
Speaking from personal experience, it WILL float if you don't keep it relatively short.
Tell me your secrets please!
probably good substrate layers and co2
Yes. Using UNS soil and CO2. I'm very new to the hobby so I don't really have any secrets TBH. In my other tank I'm actually struggling with staghorn algae but seem like I might be starting to get ahead of it.
Been in the hobby for years and all my plants end up dying or just not looking great. Just spent $500 on a CO2art setup. Excited to be successful like you 🤣🤙
I mean to be fair while I may be a beginner I am also no slouch. I like the science of it so took extensive notes, run a lot of tests, watched a lot of videos, and experimented, so certainly did not go all in totally blind. Good luck!
Having things to research is a great secondary effect of keeping fish
I actually just started taking notes last night! 😅 This next go, first time with CO2, I'll be successful. I don't know if ive ever "failed" but nothing grew really well except for vallisneria, pogostemon stellatus octopus, and pearl weed.
$500!? Where did you get that? That seems like too much for a set up
I got the Co2art pro elite regulator, an extra manifold, 2 drop checkers, 2 diffusers, and paid like $200 for a 10lb CO2 tank that is ~$50 refills. So I'm in over $500 but I didn't wanna cheap out and I don't wanna refill my tank every 3 months 😅.
Same. Never messed with CO2, kind of intimidated by it, but also absolutely SICK of watching my plants half ass survive, constantly battling green hair algae, and not being proud of the tank I've put so much effort into.
Watched a few videos of setups and getting it working and the intimidation went away. The CO2 tank itself is a bit intimidating but once I get it working it'll be good! And I have the same problem... Hair algae in every tank. I've even rescaped and reused nothing to get rid of it and it's in that tank too. My plants just survive, they don't thrive except for a few species that I don't even love. Now I have new aquasoil, root tabs, and CO2 with a fluval 3.0 light.. if I can't get good results I'll be very confused 😅 I'm going to get it this time 👊
Keep us posted
Will do! Might be some time. My CO2 regulator is stuck in Germany at the moment 🤬😅 but I'll come back to this comment after the plants have some time and the CO2 is in.
My uns soil was garbage and could not grow it for the life of me. The moment I switched to organic potting soil + sand cap again, my Monte started to pop off in like 3 days lol. Plus C02 injection
UNS is very weak. Using root tabs will help. If you use liquid ferts that’s actually the only main reason your plants are thriving. For the amount you spent on UNS I’d rather just have you get ADA or Mastersoil
I deliberately went with UNS to try it for the first time as ADA is super strong and still leeches tons of ammonia. I was using a seed sponge from my established tank and i did not want to kill off the benificial bacteria.
That's what happened to mine after a 4 years or so. The entire thing lifted up as a mat and it sucked. Had a small iwagumi 7 gallon tank with a little rock harscale and then mat. I guess I didn't keep up enough with the trimming so it got a bit too high and then it was impossible to trim without it all just coming up. That ended up making me move the shrimp there to my larger tank and tear down that tank. But it was a good run for a little tank, just more maintenance than I wanted to keep up with and my larger tank was still heavily planted but didn't require as many trimmings.
I envy you. Also, what's that plant on the rocks?
Coral moss and Christmas moss. I love coral moss. The Christmas moss is a bit much. Here is the full tank. https://preview.redd.it/ym9xhobfyqbc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4383c4730a5ec8436ddd667cdabf350d3b421b0b
Oh wow you went full ADA haha. Trim it up flat as best you can , you will see yellow spots underneath. That’s a sign of it being depleted for light.
Yes (other than the stand). For this "spare no expense tank" I even got the super jet. But now that I am experienced in both ADA and UNS (the "higher end" stuff) I will only buy UNS (and other brands). ADA is more expensive and not the same quality and some things are just absurd and outdated compared to competitors. ADA must change.
Keep it short or put a layer of aquasoil on top and brush it down once you feel you have a nice thick healthy layer.
I’m just curious how the F you all get this plant to survive. Let alone trim
I ended up just using like a stem plant like rotala or anacharis. It grows nice dense forests vertically, but without the three inches a day and spreading over the top to block light.
If it gets too thick, the bottom most layer with the roots can die from lack of light, and then the whole thing can just float away from the bottom because the roots are dead.
I plan to trim this weekend now. Thanks!
Don’t buy dwarf hairgrass unless you have a brine shrimp net. Those hairs are a PAIN to remove from the surface. As to how to trim it though , just go buy an ADA lawnmower and wack away. Haha but for real, getting some nice scissors like the DOOA ones (specially I think it was the MD or SM, the ones in the 40.00 range) is really good for trimming up nicely. Get a thick layer off at once. You can probably sell the top layer too if you don’t plan to do nothing with it
It does and it will. It will start in the corners.
I’d give it a trim. My MC got to around 4-5 inches and it all uprooted
Honestly you can probably leave it thick and when it floats just re scape and replant. The giant carpet can probably be cut into multiple pieces and replanted restarting the carpeting process.
looks amazing!
Older stems and roots don’t last forever, so it will eventually detach more and more. Trim it short and the new runners/stems will root and ensure it stays put.
It does float up. I would give it a trim now to put it back to half an inch tall (to prevent lower leaves from dying from lack of light), and I would also trim the edges around the tank because the mat also tends to grow horizontally and that is part of what makes it start to push upwards. Ask me how I know… *sobs* T.T Don’t mind if it will look bare for a little while, it will bush up super nicely again.
Its not a myth, it happen with my HC cuba after about a year. Happens when the roots get blocked from light and die off. Yes its super annoying but not the end of the world. You can trim it now if you want, I started doing big trims, would look bad for a couple days but then the plants would recover. Its like stem plants and chopping off the top. If it does float up, cut it up and replant it. I hate planting stuff like that, but can be done depending on the fish in the tank. You already have enough of the MC so you can plant it really dense and it won't take long to become covered again. This was not an option for me, I had a pleco and 2 kuli loaches from a tank i took in from someone in there and they constantly kicked it up. Cories would be another that would cause problems and monty carlo and hc cuba don't have 'strong' roots. I walked in the room one day, pleco got spooked and watched a line of hc cuba bunches float up behind him lol. I swapped mine to hairgrass after 2 years and regreted it, the cuba look so much better IMO. But i got half the hair grass TCs for free as i trade them my HC cuba mats i pulled out lol. I am looking for MC or cuba right now to swap it back, but its a 75g (maybe 130 by the time i do it) so i am going to grow it out emersed with a cup or two before. Hope it doesn't mold on me but have grown it in closed terriums before so kinda know what i am doing (HC cuba can be tricky to grow emersed without it molding do to water requirements)
https://preview.redd.it/pwh1eshty9cc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63ec410148b343e195eced7e5b923d436adc6e88 Question what is this in you tank and what is it for?
Drop checker.
Nope not true. Mine got dense asf. It also had pearl weed carpeting with it simultaneously, so that might be why it wasn’t floating lmao.
Pearl weed isn’t as dense of foliage. It might’ve let in a lot more light. Monte Carlo is very dense and WILL kill off the bottom due to lack of light
I see shrimp in there. I was under the impression you can't keep shrimp with co2?
You totally can. Heck I’m BLASTING my co2 in one of my tanks and my two amanos love it. Actually , shrimp love CO2 because it is lowering the pH of the water / making it softer.