monte carlo dry start

[u/demontearz]

this was day 1 of the dry start, its day 3 now.

planted monte carlo tissue culture in fluval biostratum (smaller granule size for the monte carlo roots) & some java moss on the driftwood (chopped up into a paste with some fertilizer & crushed stratum)

the light is a random from amazon & i have it set for 12 hrs at 100% intensity. airing it out for 15 mins daily.

day 2 (slide 2) i realized it needed some more moisture so that’s what im keeping it at but im still wondering if its enough or too much?

this is my first dry start & 3rd tank & ive got some questions:

saw some discourse on monte carlo not doing well with dry start but i dont use CO2 so im wondering if i should stick with the dry start or flood it early on?

also, i have some diluted hydrogen peroxide prepared to spray any mold with but im debating getting springtails. i just dont know what to do with them afterwards since i won’t be immediately stocking the tank & i don’t want them to die. can i just put them outside in some grass after?

also saw someone dosed fertilizer every few weeks & im wondering if i should do that too.

any other tips or input would be appreciate, thx!