Paws & Plants · Aquatic
High-Tech Aquascaping
CO2 Injection and Carpet Plants
A carpeted, pearling planted tank comes from keeping three things in balance. 10 lessons on the light, CO2 and fertilizer triad, setting up a pressurized CO2 system safely, reading a drop checker, choosing and planting carpet plants, the dry start method, Estimative Index dosing, hardscape layout with the rule of thirds and Iwagumi, regular pruning, fixing high-tech algae, and preparing and photographing a layout for a contest.
About this course
A high-tech planted tank grows fast and looks sharp, but only when light, CO2 and fertilizer move together. This course starts there, with the triad and why raising one without the others feeds algae instead of plants. Lesson 2 walks you through a pressurized CO2 system piece by piece, from strapping the cylinder upright and checking for leaks to the regulator, needle valve, check valve and a solenoid on a timer, with every pump, heater and light on a GFCI outlet. Lesson 3 teaches you to read a drop checker, where lime green is the target and yellow means shut the gas off. Then you'll grow a carpet: picking dwarf baby tears, Monte Carlo or dwarf hairgrass, planting small clumps about an inch apart, and using the dry start method to root them before flooding, followed by a proper cycle. You'll learn Estimative Index dosing with a weekly 50 percent water change, lay out stone and wood with the rule of thirds or an Iwagumi style, and keep it all trimmed. The last lessons cover the algae that show up in high-tech tanks and how contest layouts are prepared and photographed.
What you'll learn
- Balancing light, CO2 and fertilizer together, and what pearling tells you
- Setting up a pressurized CO2 system safely, with a solenoid on a timer
- Reading a drop checker's blue, lime green and yellow, and placing it correctly
- Planting carpets of baby tears, Monte Carlo or hairgrass, including the dry start method
- Estimative Index dosing with a weekly 50 percent water change, and hardscape layout
- Pruning with wave scissors, fixing high-tech algae, and preparing a layout for contests
Who this is for
Planted tank keepers ready to move from a low-tech setup to pressurized CO2, aquascapers who want a flat, dense carpet instead of stretched stems, and anyone curious about building a layout good enough to enter in a contest.
Course outline (10 modules)
Quiz & Certificate
Knowledge quiz
After completing all lessons, take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Go to quiz →Completion certificate
Pass the quiz and earn a shareable certificate of completion.
View certificate →Frequently asked questions
Ready to get started?
$9.99 · Lifetime access · 10 lessons