👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: NEW ANGELFISH BEAST!!: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com/listing/angel-beast FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com In this video I cover all the things I do to keep my aquarium plants in good condition. Many of you have commented that you have tried to create an aquascape only to have the plants all die off. Sometimes in the early stages, it can look like the plants have died off as they get covered in algae. I will help you to NOT get to that stage so you can enjoy your aquarium from day 1. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:15 Lighting 7:47 Plants 11:20 Floating Plants 13:10 Substrate 16:06 Filters 19:11 Fertilisers 21:26 co2 23:07 Stocking 24:02 Fish In Cycle 27:02 Clean Up Crew 29:36 Controlling Algae 31:38 Complete Run Down Equipment (all links affiliate): LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3m3cEz9 UK amzn.to/3orIdRv MAIN STRIP LIGHTS: amzn.to/3Qq7euI GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13 MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2 AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1 STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL API® products Subscribe to API on RU-vid: ru-vid.com USA consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.com/stores/page/2193F555-CE5F-4A6B-BDC4-F315CB7F175D?channel=MDTanks UK consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/25663644-6C8C-432C-9E6A-0A85082C3E3C AQUARIAN® products Follow AQUARIAN on RU-vid: ru-vid.com/show-UCNxaNWKoWr_ztSgXgPj9r8A Purchase AQUARIAN products here: aquarian.co.uk/where-to-buy/ AWESOME MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY ru-vid.com/show-UC3uQXzXSPspf2LoGdtYGiHwjoin FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/md_fishtanks/ FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES: admin@mdfishtanks.com #plantedtank #aquascape #mdfishtanks
Speaking of clean up crews, I had a random pond snail get into my goldfish tank. No idea where he came from, but given he's been taking care of any algae growth and leaving my plants alone he's more than welcome to stay rent free.
I bought a single tiny live plant for a 2.5 gallon nano new setup last summer, could see no "hitchhikers" when I planted it. It was from a FL fish farm... A year later my 2 75gs, 2 55gs, 3 5gs, a 3g, the OG 2.5g and a no tech jar all have all the bladder snails they can handle - there was at least 1 scud too, which are also in 3 nano tanks and colonized in a 45gal pond tote in the basement for my Angel's to eat. Over the winter I got some red root floaters and there was apparently 1 tiny rams horn snail - every tank in the house has them now. They do a great job and if they multiply a bunch in any given setup, I know that tank is getting overfed and adjust accordingly. Some folks are anti-snail, but they are welcome in my tanks.
I just got done reading a chunk of Diana Walstad's book. She also advocates for 12 to 14 hour light cycles because anything less can trigger senescence in some plants - the shorter day would normally mean they need to prepare for winter in the wild. In her text she pushes for a slight variation though. She leaves lights on for five, turns off for four, then turns them back on for five hours. The afternoon siesta, she found, allowed CO2 levels to restore to their pre-dawn levels.
I’ve just discovered your channel a few days ago and have been binge watching like it’s Netflix! I’ve been keeping aquariums since childhood, but have been out of it a few years. I’m preparing a new tank now and you’ve provided such inspiration that I’m going in a entirely different direction than I’d expected. I’ve started purchasing and ordering things I’ve learned from your videos to try my hand at a heavily planted tank. Wish me luck!…. I want to create the happiest home I can for a contented group of fish as well as something aesthetically pleasing. So glad to have discovered your channel!
Hope you didn’t do what I always do. Planting too much at once can be as bad as adding too much stock at once. Some stuff dies, sheds, melts, and you get a huge ammonia spike.
@@cutes22 interesting. I know of course once things start "melting" it causes ammonia and makes it worse (snowball effect)......but did not know that simply planting tons of plants at once, could cause melt in the first place......like adding too much stock at once. Thanks for pointing that out.
MD, I've been watching and following your videos for a few months. I'm a newbie fish keeper and have gotten so much motivation and many ideas from you. That being said, for me, I think this particular video was one of your best. Loads of valuable info for this newbie. Keep up the good work and keep providing us with your experience and knowledge, good stuff!
I consider myself a newbie too as I have only had my tank about a year. Initially a couple of my plants failed and some looked really unhealthy but now they are all doing well. This hobby is brilliant for keeping motivated and grey matter active. Things are always changing in the tank. Did a bit of maintenance today with 30% water change as I have just upped my fish load. Good luck.
As someone who has always had plants in my tanks (many years ago) --- not to be confused with having a "planted tank". I appreciate the simplified how-to that you advocate. You've made me want to start again (once I'm back on my feet, that is).
Great video, MD! This will definitely help your viewers get some success at replicating plant growth in their own tanks. I do want to emphasize one thing you mentioned, though - your tap water with low ph/TDS enables you to get plant growth not typical of most low tech tanks. If someone doesn’t get the type of growth MD showcases, don’t get frustrated! Balancing lights and nutrients is just two components in the triad - which also includes carbon. Here’s the point: if you’ve got low pH/TDS (total dissolved solids), it’s easier to dissolve more CO2 from the atmosphere. So you can run brighter lights or longer photoperiods and elevate the nutrient levels. Hopefully this is helpful without getting too science-y and some more MD fans can have some better luck replicating the awesome plant growth seen in these wonderful videos!
Great point. There was a reason I started with African cichlids many years ago - my water was almost identical to Lake Malawi in ph, hardness, etc. Plants doable but difficult by comparison. I always suggest to newbies to work with the water you have - and the more fish you can work with that are bred locally to you in the same water, the easier time you'll have at the start. You can always try discus in your 9.0 Texas tap when you've had lots of practice with fish more suited that that environment.
@@jawjagrrl wait, so I live in texas and you know we have hard water. If my water’s pH is too high then I would either have to lower it or keep lights & nutrients down (compared to MD). On the other hand, if my water already has a low pH then the tank could handle a little more light & nutrients with less filtration?
I just had this video running over my home speaker while I did some tidying up to my aquarium, since I’ve been on a mission to help my plants grow better. Your videos always cheer me up and inspire me in the hobby. Ps. Would you ever share your skin care routine? Is that a weird question since this is an aquarium channel….I think there’s a bunch of us that are wondering about it, lol. Thought I would ask just in case.
Great video. Had a tank 50 years ago when tanks were made of angle iron and putty glass! Just starting again. Have binge watched your videos and learnt so much - greatly appreciated!
MD was definitely an inspiration to me to get into keeping a planted tank. I'm certainly no expert but one piece of advice that I wish I had when I started is stop over thinking things and just get a tank. Reading the internet it's easy to get you worried think it's impossible to balance a tank and all. I would say learn the basics then just get a tank setup and react to problems as they arise. Mine isn't perfect, it's got some visible algae, some plants could be greener, but I'm getting new growth on everything, enough so that I have to trim it now, no water changes, no filter, fish are vibrant and thriving, and the amano shrimp are happy too. So just get out there and do it and I think most people will find it's much more fun than they thought while researching on the internet.
This!...is the best how to tutorial for a planted tank. Period. Over the last 18 years I did both co2 and the MD way, many many times and this video is 100% spot on, on all accounts. Thank you sir MD! 👏👍👌
Love the way you really encourage people to be patient and take notice of what’s going on in their tank. All situations are different and it’s crucial we actually look to see what’s happening. Thanks mate, awesome content. 👍👍👍
New enthusiast here, only had an aquarium for a year but recently decided we wanted to get into planted aquariums. This video was fantastic at cutting through the chaos of information out there! We are a busy family and don't have time for high maintenance, and this summarises the route we want to go down! It's helpful to know you can do this with a low maintenance approach!
Just got my aquarium and hard scapes today. Building my first ever low tech aquarium after watching lots of your videos. Thank you for the amazing videos always!
Some of my favourite videos are when my two favourite RU-vidrs get together (MD and Matt). Hopefully it won't, but I'm just praying that the change in relationship to technically being boss and employee doesn't change the amazing chemistry and dynamic you two have as the 'mates' having a laugh have always worked so well. Really looking forward to seeing more of you guys together
MD, I have been following you for a few months, and I am addicted to creating aqua-scapes. Just a beginner, and going to make sure I can get good plant growth from a variety before I set up a larger tank. I have been watching many of your videos and they are addicting. Please keep it up!
At this point I think it would be really cool for you to have a hi-tech tank with CO2, not only for the challenge of it, but as a comparison with the other ones. I for one would love to watch a special series on that subject.
Thank you so much for this one MD. I think more stuff like this is needed. Especially for those of us who want to do plants but haven't got the money for the more expensive equipment
I never knew exactly what type of fish keeper I was until this video. I know now I am definitely mid tech going towards low tech. Thank you for your insightful knowledge! 🙏
Growing plants underwater without CO2 injection is possible, but like alot of things in life it is difficult and trial-and-error. I have had successes and failures, but I still don't use my old CO2 tank. When I fail I never think - oh it must have been a lack of CO2. There are way too many variables to be certain. Temperature, light intensity and duration, nutrients etc... I love low tech. It teaches you patience. Things happen VERY slowly. This channel MD Fish tanks has been an inspiration for a while. Incidentally I grow glosso carpets without CO2 injection or liquid ferts - it can be done but is not easy. Diandrum and elatinoides most definitely do not require CO2 injection to thrive but it depends on the setup. QUESTION: do you have problems with tank lids? For some reason I have had trouble with planted tanks and lids so all my tanks have no lids. Evaporation is a pain but I put up with it.
Good to see somebody else keeping aquariums the old fashioned way. I still think it is the best way, although the aquarium stores/suppliers will try to convince you otherwise so they can sell you a bunch of expensive, mostly unnecessary stuff. I used to keep marine aquaria this way too, and was growing sponges and gorgonians before reef tanks became a thing and all the water additives and liquid nutrients were available. If you get the biology right the "toys" don't matter so much.
I love that you love low tech tanks - and to me, you are an artist with a special flair for life under water. I'm not, but I love it all just the same and my scapes are improving. Really enjoy learning about your process to see what else I don't know that I don't know.
I've set up my planted tank because I binging watch all your videos. And here I am having problem growing out my aquarium plants :3. Thank you for this help MD!
I’m new to the hobby and I’ve gotta say you are the best fish RU-vidr out there. I love your style and this type of fish keeping. Inspiring. Thanks for all the education. I watch your videos just to relax lol. I’m based in Thailand so it’s different stuff here in the fish keeping world but also in the land of tropical fish so it’s cool too!
Commenting here from the tropics of South East Asia. People don't talk enough about the right temperature for sustainable aquarium plant growth. You can buy the most expensive fertilizers, soil, lights, CO2 injection, your plant will still die off if you can't keep the temperature 22-26 degrees Celsius. Invest in a temperature controlled room, chiller, or heater depending where you are. Amazing plant growth happen at the right consistent temperature.
Great video! I kept wanting to skip forward to sections I was most interested in, but I couldn't because every section was absolutley full of great information. Thank you!
Dudes! I feel duped. Been watching your shrimp vids for weeks. Set my tank up following your methods, learned alot from you-Thanks. So, picked my cherry shrimp up from aqua shop yesterday and was shocked!! They are teeny tiny. Cant see them without my glasses on! Realise now that all the vids Ive watched from you and others have all been zoomed in on🤣🤣Any way, they've got a huge tank to themselves and they are gorgeous.
In my experience, as far as stems go, you can't go wrong with Limnophila or Hygrophila. I have to cut mine back once a month. The problem is it grows so fast, but it is brilliant for the health of the tank. I would always recommend it to any new fishkeepers.
Thank you for this. You're good at explaining why you're doing things when you're setting up each tank, but I like a dedicated video like this one, too, with information all in one place.
New to aquariums setup. Just want to thanks for all the useful videos, you make it a lot less intimidating then it needed to be. I also like your approach, letting the eco system to do most of the work, in term give us more time to enjoy. Keep up the good work.
love this video and love this style. I've been doing planted tanks for 25+ years and was always about blasting the light and co2, but last 7-8 years, i've went semi lower tech, lower lights (the lights these day are way too powerful), good substrate like ada or aquario neo and it makes a huge difference. can't wait to watch all your videos over and over again. keep up the great work!
Definitely learned something here. Even after having aquariums for over thirty years, great running systems, new technics can change everything. In my case it was propably to little planting for too much light, since I got a great new LED over a small tank. It was always covered in ugly algae and nothing else grew great. It was frustrating and very negleted for long now. Now I’ll give it a new try 💪
Great channel. It's been over 15 years since I had a tank and now I'm setting up my freshwater tank with one oranda. Back then there were only books to read but now it's cool to see it in action and what can be done on a low setup.
Great info and it should be mentioned that the bigger the tank ,the closer to nature it'll be regarding balancing the water chemistry .With regards to having no filter or just a slow dribble of flow ,I would think twice about it too slow especially if you have an open top tank and have your home heating set lower than what the inhabitants require .Ram cichlids for example like the temp around 80 ish as do other species ,so keeping the heat consistent is a must .Having a glass top and Styrofoam sheets in selected areas can reduce the amount of energy needed for a heated tank and it doesn't necessarily need to look terrible either .I use a sheet for the bottom of the tank as well as the back but with a solid background so the sheet is hidden .Having the bottom sheet in place also reduces any major temperature differences for the plant roots which is shown to be beneficial for the overall health of the plants . Gorgeous critters BTW .Blue Acaras were the first cichlids I kept many many years ago and way before the electric blue types were available .Love the channel,keep up the good work .✌️
WoW! Just WoW! And I've been swimming in your "work/passion/play with a purpose" since the 1st time I saw your great, and informative fun. WoW. Thank you. I repeat what Island David says. WoW, is my version of all of David's praise and excitement. Enthusiasm for all! ✌🏼🙏🏼🖖🏼🧜🏻♀️🐾🐠🐠🐠
I love your videos and set-ups! Your videos are really helpful and a great watch but I wish you would do an "Aquarium Plant Tours" series just introducing different plants and the tanks you can grow them in!
He said: " You won't have as many fish tanks as me, will you?" 😂😂 I got two tanks and a orb which is filter free, And that's way more than I should have. But definitely well inspired by MD. The ORB is the last addition which I really love, and it picks up nicely. Keep up the videos coming. We make the army grow thanks to egg head x. Power to MD 🌱🔦 🐠🐟
Could you pls post a list of all the plants best to grow in low-tech tanks or possibly do a video identifying all the best, easiest plants to grow, from your tanks, pointing each out and/or labeling them... I think it would be really useful... also, perhaps a video on how to propagate all the best plants you have identified for the average keeper of a low-tech setup... Apologies in advance for the essay.... 🤣👊
Love this. Thank you for sharing. Every time i get tempted to start getting into a high tech co2 tanks, you remind me that less is more sometimes. Do you have a video of list of your favorite plants that grow well in low tech plants?
You separate yourself from the "high end" tanks. But I'm like dude if you're aren't high end then idk what is. I randomly started looking into expanding my fish tank and came upon your page and you just got me so completely into it. I just have a 10 gallon but once I get this balanced nicely I'm going to step it up
Awesome videos pal. I've learnt a lot. I'm currently in the process of setting up my 75g and am glad I didn't fill it fast, I'm going to get some plant substrate and bag it ahead of time and put my gravel sand mixture on top and then plant and fill. Awesome. Best guy I've found so far
You should do a video on plants in specific. Show different plants, names, how they are best used in tanks. Like a slow tutorial and explanation of different types of plants.
Love all your very down-to-earth (or should that be down-to-plants?!) videos . However, although I moved from plastic to a well planted environment, my tank is a "standard" lidded tank (just 48L located in my bedroom) so a lot of the lighting advice for open top tanks doesn't work for me - and floaters I tried out certainly didn't survive being close under the bulbs! But I still love watching all your vids!!
Hi there. I have a lidded tank too, and my floating plants have really taken off luckily . I was having loads of algae issues. Hope you can manage to grow some more.
Capped soil method FTW! I recently set up large tank with capped soil and slow start over the first several weeks (light, waterline, fish). Lights go with somewhat dimmer morning, siesta, afternoon going to full blast and long dimming in the evening. I'm growing even some red plants and Rotala Rotundifolia looks even better than in a gravel-bottom tank with CO_2 injections. So far there's only some diatom on the glass. As the cleanup crew goes, I'm still waiting for Java Moss to grow to survive SAE, because they love it. On the other hand I'm happy Angelfish and Black widow tetras ate all the duckweed in a day.
I'm sorry I couldn't help myself at 08:20 ONWARDS THE WAY YOU KEPT PAUSING i never laughed so much, you forgot to edit out your pauses bless ya made my day
Good stuff MD, thanks for sharing your experiences. Every tank and set up is different so your spot on in saying to be observant and to experiment with what works for each individual tank. It's also quite satisfying going through that process and then getting it all lock in. It's important to be patient throughout the start up phases.
A little tip with ammonia, been keeping koi for 20 years, ammonia is far less toxic at a PH of 7 to the point you would have to have a very high reading to cause an effect on the fish where as a PH of 8 or higher would only require a low level reading to have detrimental effects.
Can you do a video about quarantining fish? I understand that you trust the fish you get from Maidenhead Aquatics, but the aquarium stores near me (California Bay Area) are generally not to be trusted...
With my 0 knowhow on aquascaping, I'm willing to mention 1 thing that might also help with the plants, but was not brought up as a separate item in this video as it is just part of the normal for Your set up. Heat, You have mentioned you don't use heaters as you keep the room temp higher than many might consider normal, but what experience I have with plants (umm, tomatoes in the greenhouse) is that they do grow fast when they get to the sweetspot temperature wise and seem healthy but not putting on a lot of growth out before that. Might also be true for aquatic plants that mostly originate from tropical waters. I love the hybred aquariums, where flora is as as important as the fauna, fish in a bowl of empty just don't sit right with me. Evey single one I've seen you do, look mezmerising. Looking into how compositions work in photography might be a good strat for beginners. I'm so tempted to try myself, at last with plants...not sure if I trust myself or the Cat with fish.
Love your videos. My biggest problem is when your discussing plant names i have no idea what your talking about! Maybe toss those names on the screen so we can pause or in the description notes! Thanks!
This video was brilliant! Keeping it all simple and using simple terms, your videos have helped me so much in setting my tanks up and will be setting up a 3rd tank very soon 😁
If you are just topping up water, you need to keep an eye on TDS levels as they can build up quicker than you might expect depending on water quality in your area. 👍👍
honestly once I started using CO2 I cannot go without it. Literally boosted plant growth and form by 80% plants grow much more lush and wider foliage with CO2 not to mention it reduces the algae. The pearling is also something to watch at the end of the lighting cycle all the plants shooting up air bubbles is amazing.
After finding your channel and content the other day I'm DEFINITELY your biggest fan! I've since put together a new tank setup with low tech plants and currently doing a fish in cycle. I know you mention daily water changes, I'm just wanting to confirm whether it's 30% or 50% everyday for 2 weeks? I've got a 2ft glass tank. Thank you so much in advance! I wish you were in Australia, I would literally pay to see your aquariums 😄
My plants are finally growing in my tank after so many wrong choices. Its true you do not need an expensive light. Just use liquids fertilizer weekly have lots of plants change filter often and use correct substrate and tabs are needed. Instead of replacing dead plants now i have to trim rapid growing plants. I have a angel fish, cory and African frog.
I did not try chemicals on treating algae bloom rather i resorted to uv treatment and since then whenever I change water they never grow back. But of course I did buy a second filter since I don't want to kill the beneficial bacteria that is already inhibiting the old filter.
@MD Fish Tanks You can clear the Cyanobacteria 0:59 from your Limnophilla by just adding a Hornworth colony in your tank. Ceratophyllum demersum - Hornworth - excretes substances that inhibit the growth of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria.| No added chems, no perpetual maintenance and as a side effect, the water column stays super clean.
Ohh man u r 100% true to the heart❤️❤️❤️ u r really honest to ur viewers bro most of them recommend buy this buy that but u...u r another level man...luv frm india❤️❤️❤️
Just started watching your awesome videos, subscribed already as I can learn a lot with them. Albeit, most videos focus on two different, common situations, either you have massively planted aquariums with a few fish or the opposite, not so many plants and loads of fish... My doubt is, in my case I have a massively planted aquarium with quite a lot of fish. My aquarium is 300 lts. (already deducting the gravel), and approximately 50cm depth of water column, I have a Twinstar 120B LED, CO2 injection and a Twinstar Yotta Plus sterilizer. The biggest fry is composed of cardinals, then have smaller groups of Rasboras (Mosquito, Chilli, Exclamation dot and Emerald dwarf), also Threadfin rainbow fish (my favourite), Spotted blue eyes, Oryzias woworae, Pencil fish (Nannostomus beckfordii), a few Otocinclus, Rosy loaches and striped and dark kuhli's. Also have a couple Bamboo shrimps, Amano shrimps, Red Cherry, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue Dream, Babaulti, Crystal Red, Tiger Blue and Blue Bolt shrimps. Also have snails, Neritina's, Taia naticoides, Clithon Corona and Planorbis. Plants I am more successful with are Cryptocoryne's and most Moss varieties like Christmas, Nano, Creeping, Flaming, etc. Not really successful with red plants, already tried Ludwigia's, Rotalas, and so on. Already increased light, tried a few brands of fertilizers, Tropica, 2Hour Aquarist, Seachem... Also tried the pills you place under the gravel and clay balls (all in different occasions, not all at the same time. Is it feasible to inject liquid fertilizer in very small portions directly on more demanding plants? In the gravel underneath those plants I mean. I'd really appreciate some advice regarding this situation (lots of plants and fish). Thank you so much and keep making all these wonderful videos. ☺️☺️☺️
not only the clip content is great, but you also asked us nicely to like and subscribe at the end...not like the others who... it is the first thing they do once the show starts! lol
I like leaving the algae on the back and side walls. Nothing to crazy but treat them on the walls as a plant, keep the front glass clear for viewing, and spot treat for black algae. Or remove the plant and treat the affected black algae plant...I think algae gets a bad rap sometimes. But I think in some sense it is a beautiful part of the tank.
