So I keep seeing people say you can't grow a carpet without CO2. Figured I'd test it. Set up a 20 long with a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 (on a timer, not the 24/7 mode), no CO2, just root tabs and a daily dose of Easy Green. Planted a single pot of monte carlo, and it melted. Like, completely. I thought it was dead.
Two months later, tiny green specks started appearing. Now, six months in, it's a full carpet. Not super dense, but it's there. I did have to crank the light up a bit, and I got some algae at first. Asked about it in the lighting discussions and got told to reduce photoperiod. That helped. Also checked my water parameters forum to make sure my nitrates weren't too high.
So is CO2 really necessary for monte carlo? I'm not convinced. Maybe it just takes patience. Or maybe I got lucky. Anyone else had success without CO2? Or did yours fail miserably? I'm genuinely curious if this is repeatable.