r/PlantedTank • u/k3nnwood • 7h ago
Question Plant Recommendations
I want to turn this tank into a Walstad, I am just now getting it started (clearly). My only problem is the plan i have for it is not the easily accessible.. it already has its dirt, rock, and sand layer, now i just need to heavily plant it.
I want a bunch of Monte Carlo for a reasonable price. Most every where I see online is them small plastic containers for like $10 plus the shipping.. is that the only way you can get it? For how much I am assuming I will need it won’t be worth it.. is it a quick grower?
**Any other plant recommendations for this tank?** She is still being built up, so we really are starting from scratch here..
I don’t have much of a plan for this tank which is just making it sit in my room.. it needs plants but I don’t know how to plant it. I have some Anubis for the driftwood, but thats as far as my vision goes.. I’m kinda at an impasse with this tank, I can only see it for what it is currently not what it could be.. I am so bored of looking at this plain tank. Idk any thoughts?
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u/ChickenJoJo 5h ago
Def recommend co2 for monte. But another thing to help with cost is what my LFS called the surf and turf start. While the tank is cycling, you plant the montecarlo in a shallow long container with aquasoil and basically dry start it. I took one starter cup and it more than doubled in amount after 7 weeks. I just planted half of it yesterday and will be letting the other half grow dry again so I can have infinite monte cultures to start tanks with from now on.
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u/k3nnwood 5h ago
Im not entirely sure I understand, do you mind to explain it a little more? Is the container still in the water? I do not know what a dry start is
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u/ChickenJoJo 4h ago
So you basically grow the monte carlo like a normal plant. Plant in aquasoil because it has all the nutrients it needs. And you water the monte carlo like a tiny house plant every 2-3 days and wrap the container it's in tightly with plastic wrap to trap moisture in. Crack open the plastic wrap for 30min once a day to exchange o2 and co2. Go on YouTube and type in "Monte Carlo dry start method" and you'll see a good example. But instead of in the tank you'll do it in a container like a Tupperware.
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u/ChickenJoJo 5h ago
Also another reason it's a good cost effective method is once you submerge monte carlo, I find at least half will melt and not grow back.
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u/Space3ee 6h ago
I thought that type of tanks required a thick layer of soil. Like way thicker than you have.
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u/k3nnwood 5h ago
This is my third Walstad and it has a substantial amount of dirt, especially in the middle which is why it’s built up a little higher.. in my personal experience they are a little harder to manage with excessive dirt (especially given the type of soil you use) ! This is my first attempt at this size so I am still learning 😊
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u/Space3ee 4h ago
I have a zero experience with walstad but even my high tech tank uses more aquasoil than this uses dirt. That was really my only thought.
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u/Ok-Letterhead-7855 6h ago
monte carlo is pretty hard to grow unless you have co2, i would recommend stems and crypts, and go heavy on plants to take up nutrients
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u/k3nnwood 5h ago
This is so sad I did not know that (about the co2), thank you for the recommendation though!
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u/Shunl 5h ago
Monte Carlo wants bright light and CO2, and even then you're fighting an algae farm. Straight into the aquasoil too, not sand with dirt or aquasoil under it, that's been my experience. With your setup I'd put the odds on pearlweed instead, and grow it as a dense bush or hedge rather than a carpet. Let it settle in and melt off the old emersed leaves, then cut it back hard to force side shoots. No CO2 means it'll come in slow and leggy, but once you get past that first trim it's workable. The real risk is brown diatoms in those first months while it's melting, and clearing them without uprooting plants that are still adapting is a miserable job.