How dense can a low tech be?

[Emil]

Hello everybody!

I've been a pressurised CO2 user ever since I picked up the hobby. Lately, I've been playing with the idea of setting up a highly dense low tech jungle style aquarium. The idea of not having to trim loads of plants during every maintenance is very appealing. 🙂

With my high tech, I can clearly tell when the plant mass is too much for the available amount of CO2 and it's time to trim or up the injection rate. Obviously, with low tech I wouldn't be able to adjust the rate. My question is - given enough surface agitation and decent flow, how dense can a low tech be?

Please feel free to share your jungle pictures with me. Let's make this a competition. I'm going on holiday for a week but when I'm back, I'll pick my favourite picture. The winner will win bragging rights, everyone else will win my gratitude for participation. 

Thank you!

[Patrick_G]

Pretty dense

[JettsPapa]

Plant some water wisteria, then throw in some guppy grass and hornwort.  It can get as dense as you let it.

[KentFishFanUK]

Will there be a point you just have too many plants for the available c02 and some will die or will it be they just grow more slowly? Obviously if it's so crowded they aren't getting light they won't grow but will c02 be a limiting factor as well? Presumably with enough flow the c02 will stay relatively stable at whatever amount the atmospheric conditions allow right? Regardless of how many plants.  

 

[Patrick_G]

@KentFishFanUK, you can see in my little tank that the lower stems are not getting much light and look ratty. I guess low co2 is probably not helping either.  I think It’s due for a major trim and replant. 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:17 AM, Emil said:

Hello everybody!

I've been a pressurised CO2 user ever since I picked up the hobby. Lately, I've been playing with the idea of setting up a highly dense low tech jungle style aquarium. The idea of not having to trim loads of plants during every maintenance is very appealing. 🙂

With my high tech, I can clearly tell when the plant mass is too much for the available amount of CO2 and it's time to trim or up the injection rate. Obviously, with low tech I wouldn't be able to adjust the rate. My question is - given enough surface agitation and decent flow, how dense can a low tech be?

Please feel free to share your jungle pictures with me. Let's make this a competition. I'm going on holiday for a week but when I'm back, I'll pick my favourite picture. The winner will win bragging rights, everyone else will win my gratitude for participation. 

Thank you!

Hi @Emil

A low tech (and in the picture below low light / PAR@40) can be fairly densely planted - it is all about balance.  Below is a 10 gallon with Safe-T-Sorb calcined clay substrate, HOB filter, 2X 7 watt lamps, dosing Seachem Flourish and Seachem Excel for carbon.

[Jennifer V]

On 8/20/2021 at 5:11 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said:

Hi @Emil

A low tech (and in the picture below low light / PAR@40) can be fairly densely planted - it is all about balance.  Below is a 10 gallon with Safe-T-Sorb calcined clay substrate, HOB filter, 2X 7 watt lamps, dosing Seachem Flourish and Seachem Excel for carbon.

I love that substrate! Do you recommend that for newbies? I read another forum thread about rinsing it, treating it with baking soda and potentially mixing it with other substrate to make it more "complete." I'm looking for something that has that beautiful natural color, works well with all plants and can be topped with sand in some areas. 

[Isaac M]

Low tech tanks can be very dense, as others have mentioned, it also depends on the plants you are using. Lighting and substrate will also matter so the definition of what you consider to be “low-tech” can make a difference. 

Here are a few tanks I have had through the years that are all different but I would consider to be “low-tech”:

A 20 gallon long with only anubias, java fern and mosses. Very slow growing and low-tech in my opinion (no fertilizers, CO2 and sand):

29 Gallon with just gravel. No fertilizers were consistently added to the aquarium. It did get some root tabs at one point but never got replenished. 

40 Gallon Breeder with a organic soil capped with pool filter sand substrate. This is the most “high-tech” tank of the three here as it is using an enriched substrate but I personally do not consider an enriched substrate “high-tech”. The lighting is 2 floodlights and it has a canister filter. 

I have 4 CO2 regulators that I do not use as I do not have the time to trim plants weekly right now. But these slower growing plants are very rewarding if you have the patience to let them grow. I especially enjoy anubias as it will flower readily. 

I wish you the best with your future low tech jungle! 

[anewbie]

hi-tech:

 

low tech:

[murphy lover 101]

I've gone away for a couple weeks and when I come back mine has so much hornwort the fish can't get to the other side of the tank.

[Emil]

Thank you very much everyone. All of the tanks are absolutely awesome. It's impossible to pick a favorite one but the 29 gal from @Isaac M has the kind of density I'm looking for. All of the replies were very encouraging, thank you 🙂👍

[Torrey]

@Emil plants with out CO2 use up all the available CO2 in the first 4-5 hours the lights are on. To maximize growth with out using CO2, simply add a 3-4 hour siesta in the middle of the day. 

[Torrey]

Here's the most densely planted tank I have at the moment. There's a crinum hiding in the back on the left, and a milfoil behind the hornwort. 

Tank light is a Costco shop light, basic white, 5,000 lumens.

4.5 hours on, 4 hours off, 5 hours on.

This is my Walstad tank, click on the link to learn how the past 10 or so weeks have gone.