Thanks so much for all your videos and info. For me personally, it's like Diana Walstadt and Father Fish laid down the basics of keeping fish more naturally and mimicking ecosystems, but you really go over it all with a fine tooth comb and bring so much to the table! I love your biology focused videos like this, and the in depth fish history videos. I've never seen anyone cover aquariums so well on youtube. You're easily my favorite aquarium youtuber.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Thank you. Im glad you find it useful! Im just a big ol nerd 🤓

I have been using 2 to 3 inches of soil with 2 inches of sand. Heavy planted and lots of floating plants for years. My plants grow like crazy and I do not do water changes. I have had many tanks like this and never had problems. I currently have 3 set up like this. I have to remove a couple of lbs of vegetable material a month from them as the plants grow so well. The fish are healthy and happy. I use a simple sponge filter. The moment I went to sand a dirt all my problems keeping fish and plants vanished.

@sheep1ewe

2 ай бұрын

Thank You! I actualy had this exact question if i could do exactly like that.

@yossarian00

Ай бұрын

Try giving away cuttings to other friends in the hobby, or even selling them! You're basically breeding plants :)

Had to count the rummy's out of habit of counting mine every morning like a maniac to make sure nothing died. Am I the only one who counts fish all the time?

@voluntaryismistheanswer

7 ай бұрын

My neon tank lol

@speckledjim_

7 ай бұрын

Nope :)

@calebcologna8681

7 ай бұрын

ALWAYS EVERY. TIME.

@Chompchompyerded

7 ай бұрын

Nope. I do it too. I think it was pounded into us from childhood. One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish!

@2percenter23

7 ай бұрын

Yes 😊

Great video. Between you and father fish I'm learning so much and I've had aquariums for years. This helps a great deal.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

In January my first dirt/sand planted tank will be one year old. I have learned so much, and I freaked out about some things along the way, but you helped me several times. I agree about fusing different things from different fishkeepers. There were times I was really sure I knew something, but turned out I really didn't have the whole picture (I mean, I still don't, but I think I am getting better! lol). I remember thinking that my tank getting more acidic was a bad thing, because a bunch of my shrimp failed to molt, and I blamed it on the ph and not calcium depletion. I really appreciate your videos explaining all of this. You have helped make my journey less stressful and more enjoyable. I think a big part of learning to keep fish is gaining confidence, and good information helps that happen.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

So glad to hear that! Im just learning daily also..but i have the benfit of doing aquarium research at my liesure all day for several years now. If i don't understand a process i love learning why its occuring.... then i run and make a video about it lol

@deneng0259

7 ай бұрын

I agree it is a learning process. This is the best part. I am starting tanks now and building the tanks up from the enviornment first.

@dhanushkajayathilaka5711

2 ай бұрын

i have boyu 86 liters tanks and 10w light. I have one inch of soil and 2 inch of sand cap. But my plants no longer growing and stagnated.Leaves turned to brown and some plants stems are rotten.Could you pleas advice on this

Thank you Alex! Im new to youtube and doing lots of research before i buy my first tank in over 20 years. I did okay back in the day but after going down the rabbit hole I have found that I know nothing. You have bridged the gap between my favorite aquascapers and hard to understand science. You are my fishy hero!

@mightymike9469

7 ай бұрын

1 inch dirt with supplements capped with at least 2 inches pool filter sand, lighting, and some water movement, and you are good to go.

@zeb33369

7 ай бұрын

​@@mightymike9469it's the "with supplements" part that gets tricky for me..FF uses more than 15 from memory 🫤 it's a lot

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Aww thank YOU so very kindly

Good morning Alexander! Your such a great teacher. Thanks for taking time out of your day to help educate us all. Much love and respect! ❤

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

You are so welcome

Very cool to get a more recent look at some of your tanks and see how things have changed, and others like the layers in your substrates have stayed so much the same. What you said about nature taking eons really is apt, like a river stone that's tumbled off a mountain all sharp and jagged and takes a ton of years to become that pretty rounded pebble we pick up while hiking. 🙏✌️

Thank you. I really appreciate your doing the in depth research and weighing the risks and benefits in using the various methods. Your honestly pursuing informed, experienced, and science-based knowledge really helps everyone else save the time and disappointment from having to try and navigate learning all the variables involved in good aquarium-keeping. I appreciate you 👍

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

Thank you kindly. That is my goal :)

You’re always a wealth of information, thank you! Been watching your channel for years. I got the honor to meet FF since his store was in driving distance before he moved to Maryland. Both of you are great! Stay safe

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

That is awesome! Also, thanks for tuning in and stopping by. Happy hobby keeping to you and your organisms!

Me over here just appreciating how nice sand looks and how cories nuzzle into it

@Fishtory

13 күн бұрын

Totally!

Super good in depth look at this. Very nice, thanks!

@Fishtory

24 күн бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Well done video! My water box garden never ceases to amaze me!

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

You and me both!

Highly informative and well delivered video. I've been driving myself nuts before setting up another planted tank and this gave me clarity.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Oh great! Im so glad to hear that!

Big comprehensive explanation of the variables.. these little things make a big difference… always learning lots here.. thanks for the science and history ..

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

You're very welcome!

Great video. I also found the helpful. Thanks!

@Fishtory

2 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Very timely video since I was wondering what was up with all the different colors in my layered substrate. Started my first deep sand substrate in a 55, after trusting the process and letting the green water come and go I got a great looking tank.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Great to hear! Thanks

Great video Alex I'm six months in with an inch of organic compost, and a 3 inch layer of small gravel in my planted tank. It's the first soil deep bed substrate I've ever done and the best success with plants and very low nitrates that I've ever had. No going back from a deep bed for me now !

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Right on! Glad you found your groove!

Good video Alex. I definitely agree that nature works on a different time scale to most of us lol. I know from my tanks that deep undisturbed substrates become more fertile with every year that passes. They just keep getting better and better, to the degree that I’m not sure they ever stop evolving and improving. Simply fascinating to observe :)

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Very true!

@sahindemirer

7 ай бұрын

Do they have gas buildup ? I have this problem and I don’t know if that relieves over time. I don’t want to do my dirted tank again.

@aquaticsbynature

7 ай бұрын

No the gas issue is temporary and should go away as the tank matures and settles down. @@sahindemirer

@wrmlm37

5 ай бұрын

Gas release from vacuuming frightened me. Then I worried the loaches might disturb pockets. I just dont like the appearance of his substrates. Different aesthetic. Pool sand with soil made such a messy look in my tank. I did have incredible growth, but it isn't my preference. Was never able to grow the maiden hairgrass:( I'm sure I made some mistakes but I had an experienced mentor...

@williammcdowell6257

5 ай бұрын

Understand your point, my preference is to have fine gravel or sand without any soil for the two inches back from the front glass, I have had good success with leaving two inches free of soil round the sides and front. The front substrate and front glass can then be periodically cleaned with an old credit card and kept aesthetically acceptable in a living area in the home. If you keep the area plant free, the Corydoras catfish will filter the plant free sand and keep it fairly mulm free. It means they have a free swimming area and we can enjoy them 'winking' at us and watch them draw the sand into their mouths and out their gills. @@wrmlm37

Boosting for the algorithm 🙌 Love your work, keep it up! 🌻🐝

great video as always! I'm so glad i found your channel I'm learning so much!

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Right on! Im glad you found me as well! Welcome

Great video Alex.. the thing i like about your channel is the amount of education. Thanks buddy 🙂

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

I appreciate that! Thanks for participating

Thanks for continuing to educate! Much appreciated!

@Fishtory

4 ай бұрын

My pleasure! Thank YOU for coming by

This was helpful. Getting ready to set up a dirted tank based on the FF method.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Best of luck to you. Have fun

Finally had time to relax and watch Shisho's latest videos! And it's a doozy of literal fishstory!! Fish and history brought to you by Shisho is the best flipping way to pass a lazy Sunday!!

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Welcome back!

@jiyuu1715

6 ай бұрын

Shisho?

Thanks for your informative channel. I love your style!

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!.thanks for watching

Thanks for sharing! I have been missing the deep dive informational videos/live streams 😊

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

More to come! And you are always welcome my friend. Thank you for the patience

@jeffkane4391

7 ай бұрын

@Fishtory I don't think we could be in this hobby long-term without patience 😉😁

Great video Alex! I am thankful that you shared the term, "brownian motion," at the end of the video. I have been trying to learn more of the principles related to how substrate moves and settles. I've made observations and hypotheses about how substrate materials settle over time in relation to one another, but I want to learn more about the physics behind it. If I keep substrate materials layered in a clearly defined way, they usually stay that way. When materials are mixed together or loosely layered, I have rocks and aquatic soil pellets eventually float above my sand layer, especially if there is a current in the water from a filter. I am guessing that movement of particles from the current (and perhaps brownian motion) cause more buoyant materials to float to the top, while heavier ones sink, but I can't help but wonder if there is more to it than that. Maybe the size of the particles/materials matters in determining where it will eventually settle too? I would love to learn more about the laws of physics that govern how substrate materials settle in relation to one another. Thanks for all that you do!

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Right on. Im fascinated by this as well! Im pretty sure you and i...and maybe 20 others would watch something that niche and nerdy haha.. but ill definitely add it to my to do list :)

I loved the growth! (Plant substrate beneath pool sand) Everything was so happy! We made a co2 unit with a juice bottle, drop counter...but I love a clean looking floor and it made the pool sand a mess...I maybe should have done more with grasses, but then I got a snail invasion...supposed to not multiply in your tank, but I didn't KNOW I wasn't getting the correct species...maybe I'll try in my new 29 tall... The more planted, the better, but they do require constant pruning:) hoping my slider will eat it as a snack:)

Patience is sometimes hard to come by,but my FF dirted tanks are really going great now after 8 months,love how you break it all down

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Right on. Glad to hear! And yes... with patience...theyre great 1 to 2 years in and from then on to around 10 years! But i can understand if someone wants to hurry a tank for kids or whatnot. But i think patience has greater rewards too

Good, practical knowledge. Great looking dwarf hairgrass, too!

@voluntaryismistheanswer

7 ай бұрын

That stuff is my bane, I have killed it in several situations lol

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Many thanks

You can tell homie consumes the natural plants/fungi the planet has to offer.

@Fishtory

Ай бұрын

Me?.... only when I'm awake

@Buddystemz

Ай бұрын

@@Fishtory helps you appreciate all the small things. My kinda people

@Fishtory

Ай бұрын

@@Buddystemz🍄🍄‍🟫 🦚🪴🪷🚬🎶🍄‍🟫🍄

Father fish style tank is the best way to go!

I so appreciate you showing us the different substrates youve tried yet another video i needed 😅❤ much love speaking of caps my corys and sand sifters keep eposing my new crypt roots those dastardly jerks 😅❤

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Haha sure thing. Some are embarrassing when i try some kooky order or ingredients...but i want to try it all lol

Great video, thanks. Most of my tanks are 3 inch dirted substrates now, capped with 1 mm grain size sand. I find that after it settles (a month or two) the nitrates keep going down. I only do water changes now every 6 weeks (and that is not because of nitrate that stays well under 10ppm, usually around 5) just to replenish whatever untested for stuff might get depleted or build up. I have found the same thing with aquasoil and I have one tank running a slow moving plenum, same thing there as well, the nitrates stay almost undetectable once the system is mature.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Totally. Thanks for the feedback and confirmation 👍

Absolutely love your channel. Fully agree with everything you say. I wish I could find something I disagreed with but you are just so good at our hobby as a fellow fish fam. member unlike anyone else I can just never find anything I disagree with regarding your approaches of what you encourage people to do to try to keep our fish as healthy as possible during their lives.

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

Haha well we will see how long that lasts...but thanks my friend

@dellseasandoval8187

5 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory I love your personality man. You’re such a survivor. You’re so tough & funny. You have a great outlook on life. You always have such hardships but you just manage to deal with i them where most people just can’t. With the kind of suffering that you’ve gone through from little hints & bits & pieces I’ve picked up since I started watching you a few years ago. Not in a creepy stalker way but because of my Autism I have to study people’s faces extra hard so I can tell what’s happening in their personal lives. You have been kind enough to share with total fan’s like everyone else & myself. The thing I’ve seen that hurts you the most in my opinion is when you lost the ability to conceive children. When I saw your face when you were kind enough to share this with people it made me cry even though I’m lucky enough to have 3 Daughters. I just have so much other shit happening that it all comes out. I see my Daughter’s overnight on weekends now. I’ve never, gambled smoked, or drank, & I’ve never been violent. Just always Mr. Mom, raising my Daughters & building the house with Pons, everywhere deep underground, heavily reinforced. We had frogs 🐸, , & stuff, you only fine and nature reserves everywhere. I have the ADHD like you, but I also have Autism. No one ever cared about my OCD . I did not know what Autism was a few years ago but my ex got rid of me because she got a boyfriend a few months before she got rid of me. She got rid of me as soon as my youngest player to 1st grade. I didn’t get a penny from the house or any of that shit. Anyway man, you’re a great guy. Keep up the good work. Trust me, children have any age or variety all grow up & move out & you’re no better off than you were before. just keep doing what you’re doing because you’re really the best I don’t even waste my time following any other channels except father fish because of course he’s good but you’re the best mother to be fair. As long as I ignore his personal I do appreciate his knowledge regarding our hobbies in ways that encourages a small ecosystem.

Thanks for great videos. You are my favorite fish guy!

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Aww thank you sk much

@Chompchompyerded

7 ай бұрын

Mine too!

Exact. In agriculture we grow in so many media. But it all about light and nutriments!

Thanks for the video Alex

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

Thanks for the great explanation

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

Great video bro, thanks for the info

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Any time!

Thanks Alex! If you've got the time and energy, could you do an in-depth video on potential ingredients to the soil lasagna, and how to tweak it for your specific circumstances?

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Sure thing!

@austgamers

7 ай бұрын

Second this would be great to see

@HotSause

7 ай бұрын

Great. Can you please speak to if, when and where in the lasagne layer a Father Fish soil formula might be placed in a plenum system?

@cherylmockotr

4 ай бұрын

​@@HotSauseexcellent... that's exactly what I'm in the process of building but haven't wrapped my head around it quite yet. Did you try it yet?

@HotSause

4 ай бұрын

Hi Cheryl. Not yet. I don't even have a tank yet😢 I saw someone made a comment in Novak's video that did one that I was going to ask but I lost it😢. I may try to find it again. I was hoping Alex would chime in if the two systems are compatible.. I'm thinking plenum , gravel, cat litter, iron supplement, cat litter, dirt supplement -substrate, and lastly 2 in sand cap. LMK your thoughts. 🤔

Very good information I wish I knew whilst working in pet shops from 10 years old

Very informative.

Great video! On the point of pool filtration sand: Inert capping substrate is more important than it may seem. Many tanks set along the lines of FF method have the issue with increasing water hardness, esp. if they don't follow the method to a T. Something in my deep substrate tanks is increasing hardness and pH (up to 8). In one of those tanks I have a layer of aqua soil and it truly pushes pH down, but the water is even harder than in older tank with no aqua soil. I didn't add any aragonit, crushed coral... but I reused older sand-gravel and soft gravel substrates as part of it. So I suspect old snail shells, overlooked limestone pebbles and I also used cheap crushed lava rock. Not every lava rock is truly inert. Quick test strip show the hardness should be well above 300 ppm, sometimes even 375 ppm (limit), TDS meter would go crazy (1000+ ppm), yet fish don't seem to care.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Brilliant point... and excellent observations! I only started noticing this and sorting it out ( same conclusions as you), recently. Thanks for such a great comment!

@JosephKarthic

7 ай бұрын

This is the reason for sudden fish death like discus where the water gradually increases it's hardness and the fish scratch and dash and die suddenly, bare bottom tanks are so much easier and lively..

Great video. We have alot of topics for discussion here.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Yes we do

Great channel man. I've been watching quite a few videos of yours, father fish, etc and your intro perfectly captured what I'm going through. I'm wanting to redo my 29gal tank for good plant growth and leaning towards something like the Fourite Black or Fluval Bio stratum 2" deep with a 1" layer of Caribsea torpedo beach sand on top. I already have the sand and had originally bought it to put on top of the AquaNatural gold pearl gravel substrate I've been using already but when I started researching substrates, I fell down this wild rabbit hole. Would you recommend Stratum or Flourite Black or another product for the 2" base layer? Or could I maybe save some money and mix half and half stratum and flourite black and then top with sand?

@Fishtory

2 ай бұрын

Stratum is my preference...there's merits to each and yes you can mix but it will mean less root minerals if you use fluorite

I'm not interested in plants. I used to do hi-tech planted tanks with CO2 and the whole nine yards. I had to trim, prune, and re-scape plants continuously. It was too much work and too much mess. I want to focus on FISH. I've been watching your videos as well as a few other YT channels that advocate "nature/ecosystem/Walstad method" tanks. Every video begins with a discussion of substrate, but inevitably turns into a video about plants and plant care and how to grow the fanciest, most challenging plants. I'm not even slightly interested in plants, except inasmuch as they are able to reduce the need for water changes. Is there a way to set up substrate/plants in such a way as to eliminate the need for water changes, but without plant care becoming the overwhelming focus of the hobby and requiring more labor and attention than the water changes that I'm trying to eliminate? If so, please make a video that explains clearly how to do so, and please keep the discussion about plants to a minimum. In other words, I don't care about fancy, difficult-to-grow plants. Just tell me how to set up the substrate and which plants are the easiest/most effective for reducing the need for water changes.

I did the dirt and sand substrate and i love it!

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it!

Great info. Although I haven't had the courage to cap soil with sand due to fear of compaction, I have used it with fine gravel and crushed lava rock cap (eco complete). The tank with the eco complete cap is doing amazing. Plant growth is awesome, roots are super healthy, and parameters are steady as you'd ever want them to be. I do have fairly hard water, which definitely helps. I set up a 2nd tank with a clay based substrate (oil dri and akadama), and can attest to the KH drop. It took the PH down to 6.5 and has held it there for over 6 months. Plant growth has been decent, since I seeded it with a good amount of Osmocote, but it'll be interesting to see how it matures. One nice benefit of the clay is that moving plants is way less messy than in a soil tank!

@valleymykel-mq7gw

5 ай бұрын

Its mostly extremely fine sand like playsand that causes the compaction. Its better to use fine gravel or poolfilter sand or any sand that is generally more coarse so that roots can reach down and get the nutrients they need. Additionally, animals like worms and snails are able to sift through and aerate the sand to prevent that much compacting.

@dmoore0079

4 ай бұрын

@@valleymykel-mq7gw Thank you for the tip! I decided to give the "Father Fish Method" a try with some HTH Pool filter sand (pools are pretty rare in the Pacific NW where I live, but a local Wilco store had it). It looks fantastic, and I'm hoping it works well.

Great video

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the visit

Brilliant video, Alex 🎉❤🎉

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Why thank you

@iainaquariumagic

7 ай бұрын

No problem, brother 👌

Great Video, its really nice to See this Hobby Develop over time :) Your Tanks are so beautiful! How do you get rid of the Calcium rim on the water surface? I Always gotta use a Lid to hide it.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

So my substrate, leaves and live plants, make the water acidic...which disolves the calcium and carbon...and then plants and fish, snails and shrimp use it for nutrition instead.... 6.5-6.8 ph range

Nice video, (very informative). Question: Are you using co2 for the aquarium behind you? 🤔

thank you for this video..

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

You're most welcome

I really like that Florida river sand

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Indeed!

Thank you, nice video! Ever since I started my new Fluval sub/sand tank 7 months ago, I have trouble with bacteria blom and dim water! I got tip from my store to remove my big plants and plant fast growing hygrophyla polysperma. I helped a bit, but the blom still coming back, but not as hard as before. Only feed moderate once a day. Good oxygen level and stick test looks really good. So, is it the substrate that causes this or what's actually wrong here? Thanks again..💪

Awesome information

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

I am using the Aqueon Aqua soil and fine sand. The surface substrate may be compacted the plants are growing like crazy from one tank I now have 5 aquariums with cuttings from the one, I have done next to no vacuuming in this tank or water changes. My sponge filter motor just crashed I am using an airstone bubblier for the moment. The detritus just sits in the corner of the aquarium. I have fry guppies that shift through it and Nerite snails and bladder snails plus two Hill stream loaches and some shrimp in this tank. I started this tank in December 2023 it's four months in I think since the detritus isn't being absorbed as much I will have to assist in removing it my challenge is the long stem plants which will need to be pulled to catch the baby fish and their parents. I hope not to destroy the balance of the tank. Thanks for sharing your knowledge about the substrate.

Thanks that make me feel better as i just set up deep bed with tropica substrate and sand on top.but some people say sand is not good.The so called science man.

@Fishtory

3 ай бұрын

Sand is fine... its all a matter of preference basically. Sand alone is not going to grow plants...its the water doing the work until fish waste and other debris turns to soil in the sand bed...then after a year or so it starts a whole new cycle where the bed is "charged" with nutrients and acts as a dividing wall

Thanks for the deep dive. Currently have a bunch of tanks setup with soil + sand, aquasoil + sand, just plain aquasoil, and sand with just roottabs added. Curious to see which of the tanks do the best. BTW what's that tall grassy looking plant on the left/middle side of the tank at 2:14 ? I found a very similar plant while swimming in northern florida once, brought it back home with me and unfortunately I killed it, never seen anything like it in the shops around

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

So that is probably cypress helferi you are seeing. And yes, its common in florida naturally :)

In one of my tanks I have to use deep sand. I have a soft shell turtle (an Indian Flapshell) and he likes to burry himself in the sand with with only his eyes and nose sticking out. I can't have plants with him though, and because he's so messy, I have to run a Fluval FX6 filled to the max with different filters, and running at the max in order to keep his water and sand reasonably clean. One thing to note is that the sand isn't capped. He'd just mix it all up when he digs and buries himself. Further, he might confuse anything larger than sand with food, and swallowing gravel will kill turtles. Sand with a larger grain than fine river sand will abrade him and cause sores and problems with his shell. Even play sand is too coarse. One of the things he eats is fish, and I usually have some feeder fish in his tank. Some of them have not only managed to avoid being eaten, but have also lived in the tank's water for a very long time. The only plant I have in his tank is (horrors!) duckweed. He eats a little of that, as he wold in the wild, and it gives the fish a place to hang out if they don't want to be in the light of his basking stone or the tank light. I am using extremely fine river sand in his tank, and only that sand. My other thank is a whole other story. I only recently discovered father fish, and my fish tank is kind of a cross between what he's doing and what Fish Shop Matt and MD Fish Tanks is doing. Matt and MD don't put the wild biologicals in that Father Fish does. I do put them in and I use Father Fish's products in that aquarium. I just don't put in quite as thick a layer of substrate as he does. I agree with Alex that there is no right or wrong way, though I might add, except for what kills your fish. I also have a thin layer of ADA Aqua Soil, Amazon version 2 substrate in the second tank, then some of Father Fish's product which he harvests from ponds, capped with a thin layer of sand. My plants grow like crazy, and the filter on that tank is not at all overworked. I don't have to do tons of water changes, and my fish are healthy, and reproducing even though I'd just as soon they not. I don't have room for the extras, and we don't have a locally owned pet store where I live, so there's nothing to do with them except add them to the turtle tank. That really hurts when it's a CPD or a fish that would bring in a decent sum of money in a fish store. I have only one rather rare species, and it's not all that in demand. It's my cryptic corys which I just can't bring myself to feed to the turtle. The cardinal tetras, rummy nose tetras, clown loaches, hillstream loaches, cherry barbs, hatchet fish, whiptail plecos, otocynclus, blue shrimp, micro crabs, and bamboo shrimp just aren't that special. You can find those at any PetSmart. Only the cryptic cory is a bit hard to come by, and they're really not all that hard to get if you're willing to wait. Nitrous Oxide?!!! I'm gonna stick my head in my fish tank and laugh myself silly, since Nitrous Oxide is also known as Laughing Gas. I wonder... how much of what do our fish tanks off-gas, and is that possibly a problem? For the most part, it can't be much, but if you're adding CO2 to a fish tank, any of that which isn't used will go directly into the room, and could give you CO2 poisoning if the room is not well ventilated. It would be a huge and expensive thing if we had to start adding hood fans which vent to the outdoors to our tanks. It would be interesting to do a study to see how much of what is coming from a tank. I don't know where you'd get the instruments from to determine that though, and I bet it would be very expensive to do it with any precision. If any of my aquariums are off-gassing anything bad (other than turtle farts) I'll just live (and die) with it. But I'll still wonder out of curiosity. Good video again! Lots of good information packed in it, and also many things which get us curious about what happens in our fish tanks. Keep up the great work! You have a core of people here who love your deep dives, including me.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Haha sounds like a lot of work to keep a turtle. But they're pretty rad. Also, yes... i was literally thinking about an experiment to harness a small amount of nitrous oxide and purify it somehow...youll hear about it, if i figure it out lol

@Chompchompyerded

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory I'll beat a path to your door if you get it figured out! Then I'll supply local dentists with it and undercut the big guys. Yet another way to pay for your and my aquarium addiction! Kame-san is a bit to keep up with, but there are ways to mitigate it, including the really heavy duty filter. Under most conditions it would be serious overkill for a 20 gal. tank, but it's just right for this purpose. Kame is a Indian flapshell turtle, which is a species of softshell. He is also a fairly big boy and all that plays into his messiness. There are turtles out there which are much cleaner, including the red eared slider, the map turtles,, musk turtles, and a hand full of other hardshell aquatic turtles. Softshells are more or less another name for a rice paddy plough. They dig a lot, and turn the substrate over all the time, so it's best to only put in one thing, and that's really fine grained river sand. The closer it is to flour in consistency the better. Hardshells don't much care what the substrate is, just as long as it is bigger than what they can get in their mouth. They aren't smart enough to know what to eat and what not to eat. They'll happily chow down on ADA Aqua soil pellets, and die. They won't spit it out like a fish will. They'll just swallow it whole, and it will clog them up. Then, they die. The same is pretty much true of any turtle. Really find sand is okay though, because if they do accidentally ingest any of that, it will pass on through. They also don't see fine sand as food, so they only get it in there mouth on accident. I know. Long winded. I guess I'm like you in that respect. I like people who are long winded though. I learn a lot from them. Well, most of them. There are a few old buzzards around who can go on for hours about absolutely nothing. You'll find me snoring through that stuff.

You and father fish make a great team lol FF is great at getting the idea out there ( it works ..trust me ) And you are amazing at breaking down the Why ? 👍✅ Wow I was wondering what that 'no oxygen' layer was in my 55g , thanks

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Thank you. And yes, i just love watching nature work... sometimes we dont know why, and look to a completely seperate process or science and boom! We learn what was going on due to gut bacteria or septic tanks lol. Cheers

lately i've been using just sand, liquid ferts for the first month with a high initial plant load. i add root tabs in time if i notice nutrient deficiencies in plants. i also do high filtration and high stocking. my 20 long full of crypts, swords, and vallisneria is a jungle now after 6 months, i've had some algae battles but it is balancing now. i have corys and assassin snails to stir the surface layer constantly, which helps work the nutrients down deeper as well as into the sponge filters.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Great tips. Thank you

Im glad you pointed out how every tiny thing you do can change your tank from someone else's. You could have the 100% exact tank as someone else, but say your substrates are both 5", but one person replansts their exact stem cuttings into their substrate with super thin tweezers down about 3/4s of an inch, and the other takes that exact same trimming and plants them 3 inches deep with their ginger, you will get 2 different results over time. Well said sir!

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Very true!

@jiyuu1715

6 ай бұрын

Can't help but laugh at "with their ginger" 🤣

Great video, thanks Question. I've tried half a dozen Dirted tanks using organic potting soil & called with playsand. Thanks 4 the Tip of not fixing roots all the way down into dirt but instead plant into the sand layer only. My problem is after 2-3 weeks I notice black areas in substrate in front of glass I can visually see. I see surface of substrate areas that turn black. I move a rock and under that is now black & noonher white sand. I noticed many rooted plants aren't growing & are wilting away. I pulled one out and noticed all roots are black & smells like rotten eggs. How does one prevent this in next tank? How does Father fish get 4-6" deep substrate and not have roots turn black upon planting? A y suggestions would be great.

@Fishtory

2 ай бұрын

Well i use larger grain sand and only an inch or two.... his method is " different". Perhaps hard vs soft water plays a role but also buy pants already well rooted under water if possible.

I will follow your advice. I still have questions about the lighting. Do you have a post on this subject? What type of lighting do you recommend? how many hours per day? Should you avoid sunlight?

@Fishtory

Ай бұрын

Starting out it's best to avoid windows... but once you understand your tank, you can play with that. But I suggest starting with 8 hours of medium to strong light a day for a month or two, if algae isn't a problem then increase lighting a half hour every 2 weeks up to 12 or 13 hours ...with 13 being for people with lots of stem plants or floating plants. I recommend fluval planted plus 3.0 Hands down the best light for new and seasoned planted tank owners

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Keep up the great work! I have some questions about using root tabs vs. Father Fish supplement. What are your thoughts about freezing the Father Fish dirt mix and inserting it under the sand vs. using root tabs? I've seen a few videos about it and would love to read your thoughts.

@greenthumbaquariums1185

7 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with asking questions, but why would you want to pay $20 to jump through hoops to use FF's 11 unspecified ingredients rather than use a product (e.g. root tabs) designed for being inserted into an already running aquarium?

@Whereismyname34

7 ай бұрын

father fish has done several videos on what he puts into his supplement. He also shows you how much of each supplement to add if you are doing this yourself.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Yes, absolutely you can do that. I will just say that i have not added new soil or root tabs to that first tank in over 2 years... i started reading food labels and feeding for my plant needs more than my fish needs lol...the fish eat most stuff, so i have been trying to work out a wholistic diet to recommend for plant nutrients in a food web. But honestly father fishes fertz are great...theyre designed to last a number of years though...planning for bacteria to break free nutrients like iron and magnesium, calcium etc over a long long time...root tabs are like a shot of steroids, they work great for faster growing stem plants

I'm considering a dirt tank but not decided yet. It's a 20L and is sitting there with just a plenum, covered by landscape fabric anchored with gravel, until I make up my mind. As for aesthetics, I've built my first 3 tanks with a "wall" of nice gravel all around the glass edge with whatever substrate I use being layered behind it and capped with a layer of the gravel. That way it has a clean uniform look along the glass. I like gravel caps for ease of vacuuming when it's needed. My latest, most successful tank, has now gone for 9 months with heavy bioload of poopy Platys, but only needed vacuuming twice and water changes 3 times. The water chemistry has been perfect the whole time and I've only scraped algae off the glass 4 times! I used Novak's system of a plenum with the Walmart clay cat litter, layer of iron, one inch of an aqua soil, and half inch of a nice gravel. I seeded the tank with Dr. Tim's bacteria system to get it going with a strong start, and used lava rocks as the central hardscape decor to house them and the kuhli loach. This time I'm thinking of trying a mashup of Novak and FF's systems. I want a lake look of just large rocks, a piece of driftwood, and a variety of grasses/vals for the fish to swim in and out of.

@Fishtory

4 ай бұрын

Always fun to try new combos out...just check your ammonia and nitrates are 0 and basically the rest is all up to you :)

I have a deep sand substrate with dirt in the bottom and aquasoil on its top. I also use a massive fluval fx 6. I have a massive planted tank with malawa shrimps and alot of nanofish. I rarely do water changes. My system is in equilibrium with no fish deaths for a looong loong time. Btw, I also inject CO2. I only feed ny tank once in every 2 days. I aint got time for more maintenance. Sometimes I trim the tank, but normally I let it grow every 2 months. I love ny system. Is a fusion between you and father fish and aome other guys. Since I changed my filter to the fluval fx, I noticed a massive growth in all my plants. They grow even faster. Oh and my light is a chihiros wrgb pro. In my tank, water flow is the most important for plant growth, after that lights and nutrition. Water flow is key 😊 Thanks! PS. I rarely use ferts. Only once in a month maybe. I have so many fish I dont need more ferts than that XD PS2. I never had an algae issue.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

That is how i ran that first tank for years!

I like your process the best Alex. I found out about deep beds the hard way. Father Fish said "Betta fish are better in a confined space because they can't swim." Mine can, so I give them a big tank to cruise around in

@mrjinglesdice2368

7 ай бұрын

I've got 5 in a 10 gallon community and they do just fine

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

I saw that video and was like... uhhhh , WTF? yes some have crazy fins... which get infected and torn easily in high flow or tanks where they can get scared easily...but thats not at all common....and most betta i see are half moon or less in finage. Especially the aliens, plakats and giants/wild species. The even odder part of all that to mez was idea that he skipped the fact that betta mostly live in tiny flooded pools, then claim a territory to defend to the death in some cases.... thats why they like, warm shalllow, still water in tannc tanks as a general rule. Also humans created many lines to strictly be mean fighting fish... but most in the hobby are from the royal lines started in the 1770s or later...for beauty...not the super old fighting lines

@BIBLE-UNBUTCHERED

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory yeah. I think he missed the mark on that one. I have plakats and giants and I could hardly believe what he said, since they max out the space in very large tanks. I think the cruelty is letting a sentient being be cramped its whole life. Imagine us being only being able to go about in something the size of our kitchen. You could live in a mansion and you'd still want to go out.

So I have a question for you. What if you use an undergravel filter with a weed barrier covering play the soil mixture down and then the sand layer on top of it. That would make it completely aerobic and non anaerobic. What would be better. I know that in septic systems that have an aeration tool in it the waist breaks down quicker

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

So it will break it down quicker and create more nitrates... plants under water will consume ammonia or nitrates, so it works fine...but you wont store up ammonia in the oxygen depleated layer creating a layer of "root tabs" essentially...but also you wont risk an ammonia leech into the water if it gets churned up. So i think either way works well

Omg! You just described what I have done with my 10 aquariums in yhe 14 months I’ve been in this hobby! I watch, read everything I can find regarding planted tanks. I think I have it figured out but realize when I start a new tank or try to fix one that I already started -I ’m more confused than when I started. 😢I finally got my tanks to stabilize / no more ammonia crashes but now my 7.5 ph is 5.5 and my plants have started to wear fur ( gross hair algae. ) this week I realized my female guppies and endler’s look like 80’s runway models. All eyeballs big head, skinny body/ parasites?! I ❤have been feeding them metroplex focus and kanaplex-once a day for 4 days in a row but when do I stop? . I don’t see improvements q woo want a do over. But I can’t withthis many live inhabitants.

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear that. Usually most folks dose kanaplex for a day then do big water changes for several days and 3 or 5 days later do this again. But theres all sorts of directions out there that seem to work. Id say stop...do water changes daily of 20% or so and then redose for a day or two after 5 days...usually that does it. If they are camalanus worms you may need fritz expel-p AKA levamisol or pig dewormer...its extremely strong use as it directs if this med does not work. Best of luck

@rdred8693

3 ай бұрын

I hope your tanks are doing better. Don't get discouraged.

Nice to see a video on tank substrates as I just setup a 20gal and have a 29gal to setup this week lol. Atm I'm going with a fairly thin layer of organic soil then about an inch to two of sand, though for these since ik some plants can struggle to dig through sand and, quite frankly, I was getting bored of my plain sand caps from last year, these two are being setup with a mix of sand and gravel on top and I'm going with if it reorganizes itself to separate out into different respective layers then however it chooses to, that's the new look I'm going with. Smaller gravel does give it a bit better look imo so first one setup (the 20gal) is white sand and standard size gravel that I rinsed and reused from the 29gal, the 29gal is going with sunset color sand that's kinda light brown/orange-ish and fine gravel that's pretty small and blends into the fine sand a bit better. Hopefully this will solve my issues with getting vallisneria to root and thrive with a nutrient layer and more uneven substrate to hopefully give rooting plants some easier path options around the larger substrate pieces so they don't have to wait as long on the feast I hid for them. Also hoping to get back into fish breeding with these new setups and try a couple new species now that I've experimented a bit and think this is currently my best option for only a smaller amount of algae and more viable plant options then water column feeders and wood/decor clingers like my java ferns- of which I have both the standard and windlove(?) that has stayed small for me for the past three years so I see the latter as a nice nano tank option

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Nice. And yes i think the val is either a sunstrate grain size issue...since the roots are pretty slender. But be aware that duckweed and val put out chemicals to kill one another... so try not to have a bunch of duckweed if you want lots of val 😉

@discordiacreates6669

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory oh so what you're saying is... put val in all of my tanks, thanks because I still hate duckweed unless I'm feeding a goldfish fry

Hi really loving the content.i have a question.just done the change from gravel to a soil and sand substrate.i keep polar parrots and they keep digging in the sand and im worried that they are going into the soil layer.can i stop them from doing this or do i need to keep different fish that dont dig for this setup.tia

@Fishtory

4 ай бұрын

They sadly just do that since they naturally eat worms and stuff. You can add a total of 3 inches but usually if you relevel the low spots every few days, it helps. Also try hidding frozen blood worms like half an inch ...under the surface, so they learn they dont need to dig... they still will if spawning though, where they make nests

2 Fishtory in one week!?! AND STREAMS!?!

Always enjoy your videos as I feel like I am always learning something. Do you have a video on plants that adjust well to underwater life that were grown emersed? Man, melt is so disheartening. Yeah, things come back eventually but it is a slow process. Unless it is Val., that stuff melts back and regrows in 2-3 weeks even in a low-tech tank. I can't wait to get to the point where I can pull plants from one tank to add to another but that is going to be a slow process, lol.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Ludwigia is one of the best... and bacopas. I have a video on preventing melt as well...hope that helps for now

@kitcraft9516

7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, I'll check it out!@@Fishtory

Would like to know your opinion in set aquasoil inside net bags, over the dirt , and under the sand cap, in order to not mess too much when moving plants.

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

You totally can. But any messy bits... like dust or muddiness... will still occur to some degree over time... that and the roots need to be able to get through the bag...so mesh media bags work best...nothing waterproof

Great video just one question does sand have a affect on bottom feeders or algae cleaners

@rdred8693

3 ай бұрын

I do not think so. That's what they live in after all.

I play the long game and let the sand substrate stratify over time. In my blackwater tanks it starts to hit the sweet spot at about 9 months, I think the breakdown of the botanicals helps a lot.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

And your tanks also look beautiful for it! The leaf litter and some inverts can build extremely fast compared with just fish poo.

Great content :) I have a question if i may. I have 2 south american cichlid tanks set up i want to try add plants. I currently have about 3 inches of sand on the bottom of the tank both tanks about 6 months old. My question is if i want to add plants do i empty the tanks take out the sand add soil then put my old sand on top and add plants ? or do i just leave it as it is and then add plants and root tabs i want to have the tanks as natural as possible but i did not know about the soil and deep substrate at the time i set them up. Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated :)

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

At this point id just do the root tab method, otherwise youll get a big ammonia spike most likely, when you disturb the mulm and debris in the substrate

@intergalacticmuffin7071

7 ай бұрын

Thanks would you maybe suggest adding a layer of sand and just cap it with sand like the lasagna method you mentioned? thanks so much for your wisdom and advice.@@Fishtory

Thanks!

@Fishtory

4 ай бұрын

Thank you so kindly, Jay!

How do you go about adding the iron and sulfur to your substrate? Is it added when you build the substrate layers or does sulfur and iron naturally settle in the lowest layers?

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

So in naturally forms... potash, charcoal or bio/ aquachar and iron rich ground stone. Plus sometimes ive toyed with potting nutrients and buying individual fertz for E.I. dosing... then use them under a second sand cap...deep deep locked under the aquasoils. Also ive added it later by freezing it in water, and then burying it super quickly and cover back up.

I have deep sand covered by aquasoil. I covered the bottom of the tank with craft foam on the outside to block out light to prevent cyanobacteria.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Smart! Thanks for the tip

Hey Alex thanks for this video ! What kind of dirt will u recommend pls? ( planning to replace my pebbles/ gravel by dirt at bottom with sand on top ), ps: seems potting soil I can find in Australia didn’t say they are fertilised or not.. all says Mix… thanks 🙏

@Fishtory

5 ай бұрын

If you can spend the money... 50/50 amazonia aquasoil by ADA and 50% fluval stratum ... it lasts 3 to 5 years growing stunningly beautiful plants without making all the mud of potting soils

@Helloacx

5 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory hey Alex thanks for replying and answering . To clarify: u mean to layer them or to mix them with 1:1 ratio ? The other thing is, using ur “recipe”, do I get sand on the top still or not ? Promise it’s the last question for 2023 😬

@fvvfvbbbb

2 ай бұрын

​@@Helloacxgood question.....would like to know too...

Thanks Alex, Ive been feeling pretty low, as I had a massive die off because of acidic water caused by a large piece of mopani wood, along with not enough water changes. Been trying father fish, and I thought I was doing so well until I went away for a week. Onward we go….

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Ahh it happens to all hobbyst at some point. Sorry to hear that. Try to live and learn... ive killed like hundreds of fish and shrimp over my lifespan... i just hope im making up for it with what ive learned from each accident or mistake 🙃

@alisongoerner7457

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory Thanks, I just have to remember all the fish I’ve eaten as well. Next batch…

If you are doing sand only, i have had some success with using corys to get organic material down into it. I just plop in a seemingly appropriate amount and feed them lots. After a few months, plants will start growing.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Yes indeed. anchor catfish, malaysian trumpet snails, corys, banjo catfish, and cichlids like geos or kribs will also help

@aqua_bauer

6 ай бұрын

@@Fishtorywhat about Neocaridina shrimp? I don’t have any other bottom dwellers

I learn that sand is really effective to make some fast-growing plant slows down its growth rate significantly, so you don't have to do any trimming etc. if I need to fill up some empty spot, just root tabs there and they'll spread there. drawback is nutrient. I've successfully make a rotala blood red singapore green which is not easy from what I know since they are always red at almost all conditions.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Very good points! Thank you.

I think that seeing people grow plants in simple kitty-litter (Dr Novak) which is just pure-clay (no nutrients at all) has really made me think about how plants grow. Seems to prove that a substrate is simply a medium for plant roots to enable them to process nutrients (ie a home for bacteria). And that is what all these succesful methods have in common - Walstad, Father Fish, Novak. Great video and explanations here. The pure clay (no nutrients) substrate works - that was the most shocking part for me. I have not personally done it, but I have seen enough videos to believe it. Makes you start to think where plant nutrients come from.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Well some plants water feed, all root feed and some do both. But other than that... yeah the nutrients are from fish food, fish poo that was fish food, or lla f debris

I am trying to do more a Walstad method. I have 5 tanks now, and I’ve only been into the hobby a little over 9 months. But I think I’m all over the board… I’m so new to this fish hobby. Lol I go into the Freaking Fish stores and buy everything, Usually stuff I don’t need!! Lol But I just bought Seachem fluorite clay. I was going to put it as a 2nd layer on top sand only where the my rocks are, to fill in surface areas. I wasn’t gonna do the whole tank. This is for a new 20 gallon African dwarf frog tank. Have lots of plants to include. But this tank is 100% empty now. What are your thoughts here?! Thanks for any information. I sure appreciate your channel. Hugs to all.❤️🌱

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

So if you want to grow plants youll need aquasoil or dirt ...then cap it with sand or clay/silt to prevent it from mucking up the water collumn with ammonia and nitrates over time. Id honestly skip thr flourite unless you just want it to look nice. In that case just add an inch of flourite, so your plants can still grow through the flourite layer and reach either root tabs, months or mulm built up or an aquasoil layer. When plants grow in gravel or flourite, theyre actually getting most their nutrients from the water anyhow

@ak-homegrownroots8185

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory thank you for the information❤️🤗

@rdred8693

3 ай бұрын

I just got back into the hobby after being gone for 20 years, and I feel like a newbie! Sounds like you got bitten by the fish bug, LOL.

It seems like I'm too deep into watching this video, because I've just picked up this hobby. So I don't really understand it yet, but this is great for those who are already in this community.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Well come back around when it makes some sense, or feel free to join the Facebook group or comment section for any questions.

@tkaiser2086

6 ай бұрын

What’s the Facebook group called

This was very interesting! I don't know if you remember but a couple years ago you urged me to put a layer of sand over top of the gravel substrate I have in my tank. I added a couple inches of sand, but now it's seeped into the gravel and is 1/2 to 1" in most places (some shallower). Do you recommend more sand? My nitrates are usually low, because I have a gob of plants in the tank, but I've been wondering if more sand would be a good idea. My plants are doing very well, but the swords get root tabs at times. I have a ton of trumpet snails in the tank as well... they decided to show up 2 years ago. They seem to be a good addition to the aquarium. I can tell when I'm over feeding because the population booms. heehee. Have a great day! I hope you're doing well.

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Yeah id add more as long as the plants look lush... if it os breaking down too much, then id add an inch of aquasoil and or some root tabs.... then an inch or two of sand. Glad to hear it's seemingly doing well! 😊

@CarolynnMc01

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory you're such a great help! Even though I have been keeping fish for over 20 years all toll, I never did as well as I have since I started watching your channel, Alex! You've been so helpful! Blessings sent. I hope you will be feeling better soon. I know you've had some issues. Hugs and all my best wishes sent for your better health and also to your wife!

if i get it correctly, that anaerobic layer which is orange colour will affect badly to the tank?

@Fishtory

2 ай бұрын

Not always. But in most tanks 2 years or older have bacteria that actually stores ammonia and feeds it to plant roots...so if it gets exposed and mixed into the water you can have nitrate and ammonia spikes

Im new to the hobby and looking to upgrade on the tank size soon, If I go in with soil sand plants about 6 I use leaves and moss balls already, using a filter and stone pumps does that sound like the right way to go ?

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

So the moss balls will act as a slow bacteria filter...like filter media, due to the high surface area and oxygen produced by the algae. If i were you id get some pearl weed, hornwort or guppy grass to grow faster and just trim that rather than have to do any water changes in a small tank. Those plant species will grow as fast as there is nutrients and light for...up to an inch a day in experiments ..yet less than inch a month when theres no nitrates to consume. They work as a good gauge to approximate your nitrates too by growth speed

@silver_fox4040

7 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory I will get the plants, moss balls good to keep tho

Luv your beenie 😁

@Fishtory

7 ай бұрын

Thank you 😊 i dig beanies and fish ...so i had to buy a trout beanie

Can you comment on using fine sand and lava rock in the refugium compartment of a freshwater sump? I have recently added fine CaribSea sand (very dense-not argonite- but dense much like a river) in my refugium. I topped it with some eco complete that was in there previously (cycled) and then large lava rock. It’s on a 120 gallon that has larger plant eating fish so I can’t plant the tank, but I have a mix of houseplants growing crazy in two aquaclear 110s on the back and pathos and monstera in the sump refugium. I am hoping the refugium will eventually one day develop anaerobic bacteria under this sand. Thoughts?

@Fishtory

3 ай бұрын

Yup you nailed it. Thats whatll happen until the aerobic bacteria coat surfaces so thick that the internal voids fill with anoxic bacteria... then you end up with essentially little ammonia root tabs waiting in each o2 free void...and micro filters on the surface area. Just watch the ph from getting too high if you're using crushed calcium carbonates as your media.... remeber 1part per million of ammonia at 7 ph equals 10 parts at 8ph...and only by 8.5 ph the ammonia is almost equal to 50ppm toxicity to fish and shrimp.

I don't have deep sand substrate, only 4 inches at the highest point. I don't use aquasoil, and chose to 'stir fry' my compost for ~5minutes then layered it with sand. I do try to step up and simplify my filter. I found that a 'minimalist' set of black foam plus k1 MBBR filter works in long run much better than any other filtration apparatuses I've ever tried (bioring, ceramic block, carbon, etc). You only need to squeeze and rub the foam like once or (at most) twice a week with your tank's water, siphon the filtration chamber for any debris left on the bottom, then refill the tank for the water loss (which also accounts as a small water change, probably 10-15%). Deep substrate take years to develops the ecosystem properly, just like what you implied here. That's why we need good biological filter to helps nurture it until it get fully matured. It takes months or even years to achieve the balance, and even then, people tend to disturb it by over-adding chemical ferts. Deep substrate is rich in nutrition, so better focus on adding trace elements instead of macronutrients fertilizer. I've been maintaining my tank for almost two years that way, with barely any fish died (except for that time when my brother unknowingly put an African Leaf Fish and it ate some as snack) 😅 It's a 30 gallons tank with 50+ tetra and platy. A bit tint-ish colored from adding too much botanicals I procured from area near my home. I found that if you have good filtration, you can add some small fruits (~1inch) without fouling the water. It even serves as a good snack for your fish and shrimp when they decompose. Just be prepared to stock some photosynthesis bacteria-PSB in case the water start to get cloudy. It's pretty easy to make, just some starter, water, egg, and sunlight.

@ashikrafi290

6 ай бұрын

Is PSB readly available ?? What are benefits adding to tank

Where in Florida is LRB Aquatics located? I'm currently vacationing at Ft Walton Beach.

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

He is in the middle of no where haha. By cedar key or the small town of "Old Town"... hes about 7 miles from the town

Great vid, i have a question though, during the summer i put dried dead leaves from my garden into my aquarium, as far as i know we definitely should not put wet leaves into the aquarium but its winter now and raining a lot. Can i collect wet dead leaves, let them naturally dry out and then put them into my aquarium? ❤️🇬🇧

@Fishtory

6 ай бұрын

Yes. Id probably dunk em in boiling water just to kill any mold or bad algae/bacterias on them. But once theyre boiled and cooled...or dried totally, theyre fine. Just dont add green leaves ..or it can melt other plants sometimes

@cookiemonster2299

6 ай бұрын

@@Fishtory thank-you 👍❤️

Is seachem black sand good for loaches or should I add a bit if fine sand?

@Fishtory

21 күн бұрын

Oh that'll be fine:) ( pun intended)