How To

I want to set up a high-tech tank to grow plants only. Mainly I want it for epiphytes (or more accurately, rheophytes, I rekkun) to use in a planned Hillstream Loach 50G tank w/a manifold system such as what Martin Thoene designed years ago & is shown on https://www.loaches.com/articles/river-tank-manifold-design. Most of the tank will, naturally, be rocks & hidey holes/caves, but I can't imagine having no plants & even hope to have a back "ledge" toward the top w/something like dwarf sag & maybe even some hairgrass in a very small area in front. Or not, if that doesn't work.

I have the usuals like Java ferns (several varieties) & moss, other mosses, various anubias & buces, but not as many as I'd like or even need at the moment. I am looking forward to the upcoming auction in hopes of finding more, but for now I'm asking if it would be reasonable to "speed-grow" what I have in my only spare, which is a 20G long.

I know the moss will take off, but wondered if I use remineralized RO water & add enough extra nitrogen plus more CO2 than could be used with livestock, would the rhizome plants grow appreciably faster or is it not worth the trouble?

I've already reverse respirated the plants I took from other tanks, & really want it to be a pest-free tank. I think bladder snails could survive a nuclear disaster, like cockroaches of the water, but I don't know if nerites or other fauna could survive being blasted w/high CO2. Or... is it a bad idea to overdo the CO2 that way at all?

I do have several lights that would work, but also want to avoid algae. Especially on the plants! I'd have the tank in the basement apartment area by an east-facing window, but it has old-fashioned Venetian blinds so I can control sunlight.

Any ideas or help would be much appreciated!!!

p.s. I can't recommend reverse respiration enough!!!

p.p.s. No, I will not inject the Hillies' tank w/CO2! 😉