Using Babysitter Plants During the Startup Phase

[gnatster 447]

In another thread, there is mention of using "Babysitter Plants" after a Dark Start before planting more delicate species to help stabilize the aquarium. A link to an article on 2Hr Aquarist provides a little more detail. 3 Hacks when starting a new tank.

The article mentions using hardy plants, one example is provided, Hemianthus glomeratus (Pearlweed). What are some other plants that can be used?

 

[Kwyet 447]

I would think Water Wisteria, Water Sprite and/or Rotala rotundifolia would work.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco 9]

Don't forget floaters! Duckweed, salvinia, frogbit. Good choices for a similar purpose.

 

[Koan 33]

Duckweed, salvinia,

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco 9]

Ok, maybe not duckweed lol

 

[JayP 428]

Ok, maybe not duckweed lol

Just say NO! to duckweed.

 

[ElleDee 9]

Aside from floating plants, my go-tos for this are water sprite, anacharis, and stargrass. Stargrass is a plant I will keep long term, but the others aren't very attractive IMO and it's always exciting when I feel like I can toss them.

I actually don't find pearl weed to be as good as stabilizing a tank as the ones I just mentioned, but it may be different if you are injecting co2. Don't get me wrong, it is an easy plant and can be tenacious once it gets going, but for me it takes a minute to settle in in more challenging setups.

 

[BenB 2]

Stargrass is a plant

Total nerd hijack of this thread, but every time I see Stargrass I think of a famous choral work by John Rutter. Star Carol

 

[CincyScaper 152]

H.Tripartita might be a good one. I think it is really hard to keep it tame with other plants but as a baby sitter might be a good choice.

Not that dense but h.pinnatifda seems like it thrives in either hardscape or substrate.

 

[Aquajack 3]

Limnophila sessiliflora (aka ambulia) is one of the best I've found. It grows like crazy to suck up excess nutrients etc at the start of a setup. Of course if you keep it longer term it gets out of control a bit but it does its job in the meantime.

 

[SingAlongWithTsing 28]

i throw in water lettuce at the beginning

 

[Noahspapa 3]

I’d like to try and understand time line a little better. So once the tank cycles and ammonia and nitrite spike and then go to zero (3-5 weeks), then……. I’ve been waiting for this and am likely within a couple days of reaching this point. And then I was thinking I’d plant everything except Buce & Anubias. I think I’m understanding maybe there’s another phase where any more challenging stems are held off while the tank chemistry continues to develop? And during that time in the places these more demanding plants would be planted we plant these babysitting plants? And how long is this phase typically given? Or maybe the idea is to add some of these other babysitting plants in addition to the planned stems? I realize there are a lot of variables in play tank to tank and there will not be a hard fast rule but was looking for some general thoughts as I am soon to be in this stage.

And then approx how long prior to adding initial livestock?

 

[JayP 428]

I'm sure you'll get other answers, but my very first scape (journal titled First Aquascape) is now nearly a year old since beginning of dark start. The dark start lasted a month plus a few days and at that point, confident it was fully cycled, I planted everything including Buce and Anubias. The only plants I had issue with were the TC Monte Carlo (about 25 to 40 percent melted) and the TC Pogostemon Deccanesis which also completely melted. I replanted them later and they were fine. I began adding fish, shrimp, and snails about a week after planting.

Edit to add: I didn't use any babysitter plants because that wasn't something I was yet familiar with.

 

[gnatster 447]

I’d like to try and understand time line a little better. So once the tank cycles and ammonia and nitrite spike and then go to zero (3-5 weeks), then……. I’ve been waiting for this and am likely within a couple days of reaching this point. And then I was thinking I’d plant everything except Buce & Anubias. I think I’m understanding maybe there’s another phase where any more challenging stems are held off while the tank chemistry continues to develop? And during that time in the places these more demanding plants would be planted we plant these babysitting plants? And how long is this phase typically given? Or maybe the idea is to add some of these other babysitting plants in addition to the planned stems? I realize there are a lot of variables in play tank to tank and there will not be a hard fast rule but was looking for some general thoughts as I am soon to be in this stage.

And then approx how long prior to adding initial livestock?

I, too, am trying to wrap my head around the "Babysitter Plants" protocol. The reference on this site led to the 2HR Aquarist article that has scant detail. The theory of using hardy plants to stabilize the aquarium after a dark start is not something that seems to have much discussion. My own admittedly short search for "babysitter plants planted aquarium" only points back to ScapeCrunch and 2HR Aquarist.

The aquarium I intend to try this with is a UNS 5T at 11 inches tall, planted with lots of Buce and Anubias, no CO2, lit with a 27W 6500K Compact Fluorescent. Creating a more stable environment before adding the Buce I've been cultivating for the past 6 months is appealing.

So I'm sorta winging it here with the process. After just over 4 weeks, the dark start is complete. I've ordered a bunch of hardy stem plants, Anacharis, Water Sprite, and Rotala, along with Red Root Floaters. How long this phase will last is unknown. The article mentions 1-3 weeks. They also say Dark Starts take about 2 weeks. In my limited experience, it's been approximately 4 weeks for a dark start. Using my tiny data set, I'm figuring 4-6 weeks for the babysitter plants. That coincidentally gives enough time to dark-start another aquarium and reuse the babysitters.

Still trying to figure out the timing of adding livestock.

 

[JayP 428]

Perhaps I've misunderstood, but I thought using babysitter plants and doing a dark start were discussed as two different options when cycling a tank, not necessarily used together. If not doing a dark start, use hardy babysitter plants to help consume ammonia and nitrite, helping reduce cycle time and not risk more delicate plants.

 

[gnatster 447]

Perhaps I've misunderstood

As have I?

I'm coming from the idea that the Dark Start lays the foundation for a stable environment. Then we bring in sacrificial plants that could grow in a sewer to soften the rough edges, allowing more of a biome to form and setting the stage to ease in the main characters.

I could be totally off base, too.

Perhaps we ought to summon @Dennis Wong for clarification.

 

[Dennis Wong 4]

As have I?

I'm coming from the idea that the Dark Start lays the foundation for a stable environment. Then we bring in sacrificial plants that could grow in a sewer to soften the rough edges, allowing more of a biome to form and setting the stage to ease in the main characters.

I could be totally off base, too.

Perhaps we ought to summon @Dennis Wong for clarification.

I think this makes sense.
I think dark starts are useful but they are not fool-proof. Its better than not dark-starting, especially for folks without much experience handling new tank algae such as diatoms. Dark starts isn't just about ammonia, though ammonia levels are used as a proxy for tank maturity. I think why plants melt in new tanks has more to do with the microbial mix, when there is not enough beneficial microbes that keeps pathogenetic bacteria or decomposers in check. This can be observed in tanks that get quite stable for plants even with elevated ammonia levels (such as through dosing ammonia or additions of new aquasoil to matured setups).

I'm quite impatient nowadays, so I never do dark starts. I just manage and minimize any algae through more water changes (which also remove much of the pathogenetic bacteria I think) and manual removal. the steps I use myself is detailed here:

How to stabilize a new planted tank

New planted aquariums that are not yet biologically matured present a volatile environment for plants and inhabitants. Accelerate the biological maturity of the tank by adding seed bacteria from matured filters or substrate. More large water changes remove organic detritus and algae spores.

www.2hraquarist.com