The TOUGH TRUTHS About DEEP SAND SUBSTRATE Aquariums. Using Deep Sand Beds & Caps in Planted Tanks7

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My Top 10 Essential Videos * DEEP DIVES, That I Recomend to Everyone Interested in Deep Substrate Tanks, Nature Tanks & Lasagna Method Aquarium Owners Need to See.
Below is a Playlist Linked Individually By Topic: " The Nature Aquarium Master Class":
Creating Holistic & Balanced Ecosystems and Not Simply Cycling Your Aquarium
DEEP DIVE:
• Creating A Low Mainten...
Part 1: how to a create a layered substrate AKA " LASAGNA Aquariums
.Create a Tank That Can Last Forever.
• Creating A Tank That W...
DEEP DIVE: The Science of Lasagna Tanks / Layered Aquariums ( Lasagna Substrate Part 2)
• The Science of Anoxic ...
Active vs Inactive / Inert substrates. DEEP DIVE
• ACTIVE vs. NON-ACTIVE ...
Why Aquasoils are the most versitile aquarium substrate & the science of how aquasoil works. DEEP DIVE
• DEEP DIVE: What is the...
Fertilizing your aquatic plants with the food you feed your fish
• Fertilizing Your Aquar...
The Limits and Strengths of deep substrate. Lasagna & nature aquariums
DEEP DIVE
• The TOUGH TRUTHS About...
How to know if your aquasoil or substrate is depleated or needs replacing.
• How Do You Know When Y...
Is it safe to add Pond Water to Your Aquarium? Micro Flora and Fauna Cycling Examined.
• Can You Just Add Local...
Safely Creating & Culturing a Diverse Micro-Biome in Your Planted Aquarium
• The Secret to Creating...
Safely Creating A Filterless Aquarium or Converting to a Filterless Planted Nature Tank
• CONVERT AN EXISTING AQ...
ONLINE RETAILERS WITH ETHICALLY SOURCED, SOLD AND SHIPPED CICHLIDS & MUCH MORE:
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The Cichlid Exchange / The Wet Spot Tropicals
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Aquachar Biochar Substrate and Filter Media: Code: Alex15
Shrimp Envy Foods & Shrimp
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Fishtory15 or Fishtory10 for discount!
Thanks friends. Cheers.At dansfish.com/c...
At Dans fish just use discount code "Alex" or "alex" to recieve 5% off on top of any existing deals & to support the channel.
Use the code "FISHTORY15" at AquaticArts.com or "Fishtory10" if you already used the 15% code in the last 90 days.
Then for amazon prime day if you are a prime member, or for that matter just want to buy something off amazon, you can support my channel by opening this link to start shopping...buy whatever you please, and it support the channel with .5% affiliate support, while you still get the same exact price and deals!
Link below
shorturl.at/tB348
To become a member of the channel: JOIN US AT THE LINK BELOW FOR JUST $1.99!
/ @fishtory
Artwork and Merch!
teespring.com/...
To financially show love to the channel. If I've earned it and helped you out, I appreciate any Patreon Donations or Venmo/PayPal gifts,
message me for details or use patreon link below.
PAYPAL- @ alexanderjwilliamson@gmail.com
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PATREON:
/ somainkdesigns
Aquachar Biochar Substrate and Filter Media: Code: Alex15
Shrimp Envy Foods & Shrimp
www.shrimpenvy...
Fishtory15 or Fishtory10 for discount!
Thanks friends. Cheers.

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29 сен 2024

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@Buddystemz 5 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 5 месяцев назад

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

@Buddystemz 5 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 5 месяцев назад

@@Buddystemz🍄🍄‍🟫 🦚🪴🪷🚬🎶🍄‍🟫🍄

@softaco3088 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

My neon tank lol

@speckledjim_ 11 месяцев назад

Nope :)

@calebcologna8681 11 месяцев назад

ALWAYS EVERY. TIME.

@Chompchompyerded 11 месяцев назад

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

@2percenter23 11 месяцев назад

Yes 😊

@MandyJane123700 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 6 месяцев назад

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

@gracebromfield9070 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

Thank you kindly. That is my goal :)

@BIBLE-UNBUTCHERED 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

@@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.

@TheRealEvilSink 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@aqua_bauer 10 месяцев назад

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

@hugomouteira7015 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

That is how i ran that first tank for years!

@tonyhind6992 9 месяцев назад

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 6 месяцев назад

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

@yossarian00 5 месяцев назад

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

@MarcSantos 2 месяца назад

Hi. Are you using a regular potting soil?

@sahindemirer 17 дней назад

What plants do you use?

@tysenp8193 10 месяцев назад

I’ve noticed that with my aquarium with white sand, i’m getting a TON of mulm on the bottom. I think the majority of it is a mix of dead leaves, pleco poop, and dead moss. I don’t do water changes because of nitrates, I do water changes to get rid of mulm. I think a big part is because the surface is covered in water lettuce.

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

So dead leaves will turn to soil/mulm faster than anything else. You can always get a filter media bag and toss leaves in that... or boil leaves and pour in your tannin tea without leaves. If it is annoying you

@LEOLIVES888 11 месяцев назад

Great video

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the visit

@dellseasandoval8187 11 месяцев назад

I loved every word of this video. Most of the stuff I now do automatically. I keep my aquariums exactly the way you do recently I had a terrible tank crash. I only put maximum 1 inch formula, soil father fish style with 2 inch sand cap, but I’ve had to put another half inch of sand on top of that. The problem is they are all nano tanks not even 10 gallons so I don’t have enough space to just keep filling up the aquarium to be half substrate. Plants are extremely expensive for me because I’m a permanent property level extreme low income but I would never ever give up no matter what so I’m just making things work. Tonight, I just got the idea that even though it took three years to build up the pots with the bottoms, cut off on my balcony because my daughters and my place is the type of a skyscraper 🏙️ instead what I’m going to do is slowly remove all of those pots which is extremely difficult & get into the fish tubs on the tiny balcony so there is some configuration of tubs, even though the balcony is extremely tiny, so I am extremely limited to see the least like maybe one tub or maybe 2 tubs maybe even 4 small ones but the problem is the smaller they get the shorter they go because they don’t really make “tall tubs” because the size would buckle & crack & break. I’m so excited about this. My life is truly enriched displays the extreme financial & time burden my childhood Hobby & rekindled spirits are pure joy is causing. Should I do a dirted formulated father fish method for my tiny balcony tubs because eventually I want to not have to change any water. How’s the systems stabilise & only do Justin top off’s? This is so exciting. Imagine a couple tubs on a tiny balcony at the top of a skyscraper with some cold water white cloud minnows with goldfish or whatever just some cold water fish with plants bursting out of the tops of the buckets like maybe I can put some potted plants, even just like one pot on top of my buckets and the roots can grow through the bottom into the highly nutritious tubs. How does all this sound Alex? I’m so honoured whenever you respond, I love your knowledge & you’re a passion for life. I share your passions my friend. The fish make me forget my problems too (even if for just a moment, it is a joy I can not begin to describe). Yes I eat fish that are only wildcat in the open ocean sustainably so they have a good life First, but I also have the pet fish. We have carnivorous teeth for a reason to eat both plants & animals. I’m basically almost a Pescatarian. Once every few months I’ll have some chicken & once every several months or basically just once or twice a year, maximum I’ll have some lean red meat. I’m getting back into my organics to like all my Foods Organic.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Right on! That sounds good. If you can afford it... aquasoil is fine on its own for tubs, but if you decide to do water changes (depending on water costs) you can choose many substrate styles... but if it isnt sand capped or pure aquasoil, youll need to do many water changes to keep nitrates down over time...depending on plant load and the light it gets.. id recommend lots of floating plants that grow fast...hornwart, guppy grass, avoid anubias or java fern...or slow growing plants that dont clean the water fast. Sounds exciting though! Best of luck on the remodeling!

@dellseasandoval8187 11 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory Thank you so much for your sound advice. Highly appreciated.

@Helloacx 9 месяцев назад

Hey Alex , thanks for the video. What to do for ppl like me, just learn method of yours and father fish’s, but already run fish tank in the modern$ way…. Say, now I have gravel (8cm deep) as substrate, and plants and fish for half year( rookie is me), how to turn my foundation to the soil plus sand one without stressing and killing my fish? Could I simple relocate all water and fish for Half day, replace the current gravel by that? Kindly advise if u can Tks

@Helloacx 9 месяцев назад

Mine is freshwater , 120L, tropical fish

@Fishtory 9 месяцев назад

Basically yes. And i have a video called( "replacing substrate in an established tank" @fishtory ) should pull up the video

@Helloacx 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

@@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 5 месяцев назад

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

@Molson2889 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Great to hear!

@gryaznygreeb 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@aquaticsbynature 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Very true!

@sahindemirer 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@wrmlm37 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

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

@GraemeRobinson 3 месяца назад

No offence, and I liked this video, but its difficult to absorb everything you said here into a coherent understanding of how substrate utilization benefits or damages an environment. I get that it can take time to establish, but as father fish points out, cycling is a meme that has poisoned peoples understanding of aqua ecosystems - there is just a bunch of life going on at different levels in well established tanks that is not present in a new tank - unless you introduce them. But it seems to me that apart from the development of an anaerobic environment in your substrate you *can* introduce most everything to have an immediately active tank that will support life.

@Fishtory 3 месяца назад

You can, however knowing how much of each organism...especially any algae, fungi, bacteria and mold is very tricky. Regardless of if you jump start it, giving it some time is still a key part of FF tanks maturing ( or this sub genre of walstad tank, for that matter.)

@SArch-111 6 месяцев назад

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.

@weirdscience6820 3 месяца назад

Great question. Swapping out laborious water changes for laborious plant maintenance is not that appealing and definitely something to think about. All I can think of at the moment in mine is figuring out the fish/pothos (terrestial pant) ratio - so it won't matter having slow growing epiphytes (my tanks are currently bare bottomed) because the reliance on and trimming will mostly be focused on one plant - the pothos. Also feeding the fish on alernate days. I personally prefer to get to a monthly water change at most, if any. A problem may be ph stability by then. And the thought of keeping the ph raised to match the tap and reduce fluctuations, which is not conducive to significant nitrate absorption due to the plant's preference for lower ph. I'd rather not have to add ph reducing chemicals then having to remineralize the water. Generally speaking, issues with deep substrate don't seem to get discussed by advocates. I just posted asking questions on a Father Fish video but it disappeared or didn't show up.

@rochelle6006 3 месяца назад

I think dr Novak advocates his plenums, you do not need a tank full of plants to help convert those nitrates, his plenum and bcbs will take care of that with the anoxic bacteria that alex was talking about in the beginning. In a slow moving plenum or a well established deep substrate, they can take months to establish this particular bacteria which could be why it is not common knowledge.

@baradinafalath8641 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Sure thing!

@austgamers 11 месяцев назад

Second this would be great to see

@HotSause 10 месяцев назад

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 8 месяцев назад

@@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 8 месяцев назад

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. 🤔

@wkunique Месяц назад

I watched this movie once, and then again and again.. you are right. most people do not understand what father fish wants to tell us. Unfortunately, your movie does not make it easier for them, it introduces even more confusion. By the way, I like your aquarium with the "mud" over the layer of sand ......

@Fishtory Месяц назад

Haha oh you are very correct

@smarz312 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Aww thank YOU so very kindly

@pekwegaming8094 Месяц назад

Planning to have a deep substrate. First layer at the bottom would be pumice stones, 2nd organic soil, 3 lava rocks with sand then at the top would be aquasoil. What you think?

@Fishtory Месяц назад

It should work okay, but the sand as the cap really works well.... it also holds small plants In place the first week or two

@ubermausse306 Месяц назад

I personally believe there are no rules to nature, so there can't be one specific rule set to setting up a natural tank. For example, my substrate is just 1 inch of river rock, 2 inches of crushed granite, then a half inch land moss/dirt cover, making 3.5 inches total with NO supplements whatsoever. The plants in there have been thriving for months now, and i'm even getting some extra large water plants to grow, like those purple/pink lavender or lilac looking ones you'd normally see at the side of rivers or lakes... It's still early to say for certain, but i think as long as the substrate is deep and has some dirt in it, nature will do its thing!

@Fishtory 24 дня назад

I agree

@geoffroydev5426 5 месяцев назад

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 5 месяцев назад

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

@flipsnap Месяц назад

Fantastic video very knowledgable, but I got to the end not really knowing what to do. I've just put a layer of sand from pets at home. I've not got any soil, but have a few plants in the sand. Should I use layers of sand and soil or not, I still don't know.

@Fishtory Месяц назад

Check out my other Substrate videos. There's plus and minuses. I don't like telling folks a right or wrong way...if both ways work fine. But look at my "lasagna" method videos for my personal favorite nature tank base style

@pbk808 7 месяцев назад

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 7 месяцев назад

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.

@kasperkjrsgaard1447 7 месяцев назад

Is there a limit to the depth of the substrate? Like if I start building a plywood aquarium and in the proces make space for 25 cm (10”) of substrate. Which size of grains would be the best?

@Fishtory 7 месяцев назад

So Dr. Barr's work suggests that the standard pellets are still ideal at any depth, since only 3 or 4 inches of soil will remain airated for long before silt seals it into anerobic teritory over a year of so. Anything deeper will be annerobic and even if larger spheres of aquasoil were out there, they would have volumes exponentially related to surface area and the center becomes anoxic or annerobic in dense pellets... so might as well use the small or medium sized soil. ...now you could run pvc drilled full of holes, and burry it about 6 inches down and keep it connected to the water collumn in a few "man holes". That would expose more oxygenated surface areas and allow gas exchange...similar to a plenum or under gravel filter does

@andrewderksen3342 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@bullyarena3923 7 месяцев назад

Honestly, im not convinced on these deep sand methods. In nature sand is constantly shifting and turning over from currents and the animals living within it but in tanks its stagnant so we see these build ups from a lack of movement. Perhaps itd work with trumpet snails or something like that but yea 🤷‍♂️ Sand under a microscope isnt just sand in nature, its filled with all sorts of things. Jmho.

@Fishtory 7 месяцев назад

Agreed. Deep sand isnt useful until a year or more of other stuff... stuff you could just skip and start in place during setup, with in theory.

@thelittlethingsinlife239 11 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

I appreciate that! Thanks for participating

@addammadd 4 месяца назад

POV: Bam DiCaprio wants to talk about fishtory.

@Fishtory 4 месяца назад

Hahaha you nailed it. I mean I usually say fatcaprio.. but bam is better

@JustinBarber-ko8jo 5 месяцев назад

I have dirt and sand in my tank just as healthy I go by father fish videos not this dude and my tanks r running wonderful

@Fishtory 5 месяцев назад

His tanks/methods work just fine 🙂 👍

@thesolaraquarium 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@dhanushkajayathilaka5711 6 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 6 месяцев назад

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

@Ldr809 17 дней назад

After whatching you and father fish inspired me. I’m getting plants etc etc tommrow for my new setup hopefully this goes got a jar full of life too but still learning ab those lil critters 😂😅

@TheStormRogue 5 месяцев назад

I have a 10 gallon and a 5 gallon that are less than a month old. But in the 10 gallon I have a bottom layer of a fine black biosand, and a top layer of samurai sand (small clay balls). In the shrimp tank (5 gal) I just have 2 bags of gravel. Am I doing my substrates incorrectly? I have them loaded with live plants and some root tabs but I’m worried that if I dig into the substrate that it will release something and kill all my fish and shrimp.

@Fishtory 5 месяцев назад

What you have going on will work okay. You are correct that root tabs in gravel, can spike and dissolve too fast for your tank..especially if disturbed at all. But my only comment would be ..."do you have enough minerals in your tap water for your shrimp?" Neocaridina Shrimp need some kh and gh buffer and calcium for their exoskeleton. Some people have hard tap water with a high TDS ph and kh gh. But if your water is soft, you may want to add a small bag of brightwell shrimp friendly substrate.

@TheStormRogue 5 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory yessir. My water comes out naturally at 7 degrees of gh and 7 degrees KH.

@KoroWerks 11 месяцев назад

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

@srikanthchinthakindi613 8 месяцев назад

Can someone post of the link how exactly Alex sets up his way of doing substrate? I mean what are the layers, their size and components. I have gone through several of his videos but unable to determine how exactly he has been setting up! TIA

@Fishtory 8 месяцев назад

I will make that video this week!

@srikanthchinthakindi613 8 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory Thank you Alex for your response. Kudos to your commitment towards hobby & data/research based elobarated presentations.

@heath6499 25 дней назад

That hat makes me take anything you say with a tiny grain of sand

@Fishtory 25 дней назад

Good! Lol

@Les-OZZYTHEOSCAR 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Right on! Glad you found your groove!

@michaelfarmer537 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

You are so welcome

@crzrck 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

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

@Victor-su2lf 4 дня назад

One of my tanks has aqua soil under gravel and a cap of sand on top of it. I started that tank befote knlwing about FF so I had to add the sand after setting the tank up and having fish in it. After some months it's working really well and plants are growing really fast. Befote having sand my tank had algae blooms all the time and now I haven't changed the water since that time. The only issue I see is that when You wqnt to movie some plays it's hard to do it because their roots get in the gravel, pulling up some of it when You take the plant out.

@AquaticDomain 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@sarabasic2799 11 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Aww thank you sk much

@Chompchompyerded 11 месяцев назад

Mine too!

@MrChidorinagashi10 7 месяцев назад

I put sand over my gravel. Did i miss up? Should i start all over?

@Fishtory 7 месяцев назад

You can do that, its called "capping" or to cap your substrate.. hopefully those words you can search and find info. I think i even did a video called "to cap or not to cap your substrate"

@MrChidorinagashi10 7 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory glad i found you and father fish yall the best in the game

@Andreas-gh6is 11 месяцев назад

Hardness is an overlooked factor. Many people want to run soft water tanks, then you need to be mre careful about the nitrogen processing...

@Chompchompyerded 11 месяцев назад

Our water is so hard that if you want to take a drink of tap water you need to equip yourself with a hammer and chisel. It will break your teethe trying to drink it.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

100%

@warfighterzas Месяц назад

I’ve had my deep sand substrate for 8 months and all my plants just die. 75 gallon tank. 2 inches of sand 1 inch substrate. And I plant the plants about 1.5 inches into the sand and idk man they just die. I’m so over my tank at the moment idk what I gotta do to get these plants thriving.

@melwohl37 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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

@ak-homegrownroots8185 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory thank you for the information❤️🤗

@rdred8693 7 месяцев назад

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.

@alexnguyen3022 11 месяцев назад

I use FF method in all my tanks (4 tanks so far) and I have noticed that even the "easy" plants don't grow as good as I'd expect them to (as compared to my control tank, where there is no sand, only a built up mulm on top of the soil). Some thrive, some don't. I suspect that the sand is too dense, limiting the amount of oxygen to the roots. If I was to re-do the tank, I'd probably do a dirt layer, then a gravel layer, then cap it all with a sand layer. The gravel would probably allow the substrate to be more open and aerated. Just my hypothesis though. I could be completely wrong lol.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

I think you are correct for most stem plants and any high light/ fast metabolizing plants.

@thesolaraquarium 10 месяцев назад

@Alexnguyen, I am having similar problems with sand. As this video says ‘sand cannot nourish plants’ on its own. I love sand, it is so cool, so I will not give up. I think the key to the sand capped tank is it favours deep-rooted stem plants. Grasses seem to struggle which is odd because even they do over time extend deep roots into a substrate. At least that is my experience. I am thinking deep-rooted stem plants work well with sand caps. I have noticed that FF in his own tanks tends to have large plants that are root feeders. My experience is that without the capping, my plants tend to grow unrestrained. I think the problem is that sand and gravel are basically rocks and plant roots prefer mud. Trouble is mud and dirt (uncapped) is messy and potentially to much in contact with the water column (nutrient rich water - algae). So I completely understand why FF goes for capping. I do not feel that sand is too dense or lack of oxygen. I think it is the reverse. Mud is much denser and less oxygen. Plants seem to prefer that imo.

@alexnguyen3022 10 месяцев назад

@@thesolaraquarium I used to think that mud didn't have much oxygen but one guy who specializes in collecting hillstream fish told me that mud is very well-oxygenated, which is why a bunch of critters live in them after all. Critters don't seek oxygen-depleted zones, quite the opposite.

@thesolaraquarium 10 месяцев назад

@@alexnguyen3022 interesting. May well be right. I know there is alot of gases in there.

@jennifermartin506 10 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Best of luck to you. Have fun

@bazojc8677 7 месяцев назад

My two tanks have no filter, no water change.. Probably once a month, change 10%. Only maintainence is cleaning the glass every week. Water has been crystal clear, it's 8 months and counting... Almost zero maintainence, what can be more awesome than that. No need to test for this or that, I don't give a hoot about high tech or whatever they are selling.

@simoncrutch5520 11 месяцев назад

Alex, if you could set up only one tank (29 gallon) what would you go for to maximise enjoyment from the hobby? Interested in your take. I can only have two tanks due to space. Have already got a 20g and am setting up the 29 now. Want to do so many things but have to make a decision.🙏

@melwohl37 11 месяцев назад

Sounds like my situation ❤ I started with just gravel let it get mulmly and then capped with sand per father fish so far so good my Cory's and rams ( sand sifters) love it and it keeps all the stuff collected in the gravel out of the water column ❤

@voluntaryismistheanswer 11 месяцев назад

I have 3 29s. One is currently stocked with: black neon tetras, bronze cories, glowlight tetras, and some of my larger guppy fry, one has neons and a female betta (severe jumping coverage)- the last is getting a reimagining, I'm thinking angels, diamond tetras, and cory trilineatus. Few of these were my original stockings, these are the ones that thrived. Keep that in mind- your best ideas may disappear in one night during a tank crash and you find yourself starting from scratch. I miss my ember tetras and cpds and laser corys, but I haven't taken out a second mortgage to replace them, ya know?

@Chompchompyerded 11 месяцев назад

I've only just discovered Father Fish, but a lot of what he says makes sense. Tanks run like his aren't going to win any scaping contests, but not everyone is interested or has the time to do a fantastically scaped tank. His method is ideal for those of us who prefer a more natural look, or don't have the time to trim plants, and want to let our tanks work with waste the natural way, rather than always hoovering gravel and adding fertilizer. Once again, it's more about what you prefer. If you're interested in doing his method from the get-go, he has a video for that. It's entitled, "The Three Most Important Things to Understand About Your New Aquarium". If you're more interested in going with a highly scaped centrepiece of the room tank, Check out MD Fish Tank, and watch his videos. It's a whole different way of keeping fish which presents you with some real eye candy once it's going, but what he's doing is very time consuming. There are a lot of other people on RU-vid which have other equally good methods. You can find them by doing searches. Some of them are presenting things which, though interesting, could end up costing you a heap of money, while others offer inexpensive ways to keep fish alive and healthy. The two I've mentioned above are the two I've tried thus far. I'm sure I'll try the others at some point or another if I don't die first. Nothing is better though, than watching these people and what they do, so that you can decide what you want your tank to look like, and how much time and money you have to put toward doing it. I promise you, there will be a technique which will fit what you want to do. Alex is much more of an authority on this than I am, so if he contradicts anything I've said, follow his advice, not mine. I've learned a metric dump truck load from him in just the few months that I've been watching him. I hope he'll reply here, but if he doesn't, it's probably because he didn't see it. Keep asking, and maybe ask in one of his live chats if you can make it. I am very familiar with the situation you find yourself in; namely not enough room. I also have only two tanks, but if I had a whole warehouse to do what I wanted with, that would likely still not be enough room. For starters, I'd want to turn it into one giant tank, and then I'd have to get a new warehouse to put other things in. But no one has that, so we are compelled to live with what we have. Would you be willing to share what you would like to do, and and what the decisions you have to make are? I'd be happy to be a sounding board for you, and give you my opinions on what you could do, as well as point you toward any videos that I know of which would help in the decisions you are making. Best of luck to you in setting up that big ol' 29 (almost 30!) gallon!

@Chompchompyerded 11 месяцев назад

@@voluntaryismistheanswer So sad for you! All of those are really nice fish. I'm madly in love with my CPD's, and the others are so cool I can only imagine having them. On the good side, in the aquarium hobby you don't have to get everything all at once. You can add those little by little if you want to get back to that. What happened if I may ask? I dread having a tank crash, and anything I can learn brings me (and everyone else who reads this) one step closer to avoiding that (maybe). Sometimes it seems like the aquarium gods just have it in for us and something goes wrong no matter what we're doing. Anyway, may you never have another crash again! I will sacrifice a rainbow trout on the pyre of the god of aquarium crashes in hopes that he will never again plague you with another aquarium crash. There are only a few things in life which can push you into a deeper depression and a sense of hopelessness than an an aquarium crash.

@ragnos28 11 месяцев назад

I also have room for only two 29s. One is a long one with over 50 corys (I always stock at least 10 per species, and I have julii, normal panda + long finn variety, white, black) on the bottom, also have 4 SAE, and 4 bristlenose pleco for algae control. For the midlle I have 8 Buenos Aires tetras, great fish, they will grow too, I plan to get 10 more. In general, my long tank, is the "race track" tank, for fish that enjoy strong current. The second one is a tall one, there I have a wall of Vallisneria in the back, with room to swim in front, with an white Angel as a center piece fish, recent addition, a real water puppy, always begging for food, plus an 4 years old male pearl gourami. As dither fish have a group of rummy and rasbora (I would add some neon tetra, but my water is really hard, so they don't fare well), and on the bottom, have 8 duplicareus cory (must have corys 🤪). Also, have an army of apple snails, as scavenger crew, as I overfeed to make sure corys get food. The tall tank is a low current tank, for fish that enjoy that. Also, since is autumn, I've turn it in a black water tank with leaf litter.

@FastRedPonyCar 5 месяцев назад

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 5 месяцев назад

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

@droeksonfishkeeping 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

Totally. Thanks for the feedback and confirmation 👍

@elune43749 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

Great tips. Thank you

@mr_seth 11 месяцев назад

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 11 месяцев назад

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 :)

@chevyfish4028 11 месяцев назад

Thank you for this deep dive video. Understanding our water chemistry and applying that knowledge, I feel is most of the 'battle' to keeping and maintaining a successful aquarium.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Well said!...as always

@MarcSantos 2 месяца назад

Hi. Can I use a regular potting soil or it really has to be like what FF is using?

@nirvanaquatics 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@lastdays7855 8 месяцев назад

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

@aronhansen5756 9 месяцев назад

I USED BIRD SAND .THE SMALL BAGS OF SAND SOME BUY FOR BIRDCAGE.ALOT OF BAGS LOL L 200CM X W 60CM X H 50CM

@thesolaraquarium 10 месяцев назад

I have duck-weed phobia… just seeing your finger with some duckweed on it freaks me out lol 😂.

@xoFadingStarox 4 месяца назад

My sand turned toxic. I put an inch of soil, then 2 inches of sand and within a month it had turned grey and smelled like rotten eggs when disturbed. Anyone know why this happened 😢

@Fishtory 4 месяца назад

Could be just bacteria and rotting organic matter. I have a video called " why does my tank stink / smell bad". And it covers the reasons why we end up with various smells and decay... I'm guessing it's the putricine, cadavarine and sulfur based gasses causing a smell but actually ammonia and or bacterial rot in low oxygen conditions causing eutrophication and the ammonia in the Substrate or nitrates may be elevated leeching into the water

@PotooBurd 10 месяцев назад

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

@Apex_wolf 10 месяцев назад

I tried it and failed i did it all came back shortly after and all the wet mud under the sand was out sand amd was muddy water worse than a swamp . So ive just done sand and pebbles .. tbh any of my tanks that actually cycled had kime rocks or coral sand with fake plants amd maybe one hardy real plamt floating , not in the substrate . I have 12 aquariums . 5-5 gallon 3-10 gallon 1-9.5 fluval 1-40 gallon 2 -20 gallon Out all those 6 cycled . I habe one 5 gallon for 6 months just ome betta he has went through hades and back fin rot 4 ppm ammonia 3 ppm nitrite and he has survivied poor guy . I watch this faulty tank carefully . Its a 5 gallon glowfish tank . I think its the tank the issue My cyculed tanks are 1 20 gallon The 40 gallon And 3 -5 gallon not glowfish tanks And the 9.5 fluval

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Geeze. Ive never heard of tanks taking more than 6 weeks to cycle unless someone is adding tons of fish suddenly or something. Did you set up 12 tanks all at once? That's a big task

@goldfish2289 Месяц назад

What’s the ppfd of your lights on the aquarium?

@Zaekyr 23 дня назад

As a teen in the 80's I was really into my 40 gallon aquarium. I had a large hang on back filter with about 2 inches of gravel. Initially I thought that once the filter media got dirty enough (after about 2 months) that it needed to be changed (one aquarium shop owner at the time told me this). I liked live plants and wanted to have them in my tank. I quickly found that most of the coolest plants would not survive long in my setup (plants like anacharis grew well though). I then met a good aquarium shop owner that explained the nitrogen cycle to me. So I stopped cleaning my filter so often and let detritus build in the gravel and although that worked really good for several months, it did not last (I think due to the limit of relatively thin gravel substrate which I did not understand at the time). So my aquarium had some extreme up and down cycles no matter how careful I was. Of course, back then there was not much available for substrate compared to today (I did not know then at ages 13-16 that play sand was clean enough for aquarium use). Now with all this data on the internet and the availability of better lights (for plants) and better substrate I plan on getting an aquarium set up again. Just a 20 L but with an inch of aqua soil and a 2 inch sand cap because I have always wanted the natural look of sand in an aquarium. I will run a hang on back filter at low volume for flow and to insure the balance is kept. I will also plant many plants for the jungle look that I also appreciate. Thanks for doing good informative videos.

@Fishtory 17 дней назад

Glad you find the videos useful 👍 also thanks for sharing your memories & experiences

@tgraham72 11 месяцев назад

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

@voluntaryismistheanswer 11 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Many thanks

@DGGuaglianone 5 месяцев назад

So... I need to stop overfeeding my tanks

@Fishtory 5 месяцев назад

Indeed

@Taichientaoyin 10 месяцев назад

I use just sand and root tabs

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

That'll work!

@yourtap 10 месяцев назад

How do I request for a conversation or something we've learned? I started a channel because of you and what I learned.

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Alexanderjwilliamson@gmail.com is my personal email. If you have questions

@deborahcollis9814 11 месяцев назад

Hi, can you please increase the volume on your videos please. I'm hearing impaired and even at top volume your videos are hard to follow. You can always turn volume down, but it can only be raised so far.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

I will try. Its turned up in the editing software, but perhaps be able to copy kt and over dub all the audio, louder. Thanks for letting me know

@deborahcollis9814 11 месяцев назад

Caption for when you are not looking at the camera would also be helpful. Most of us can lip read and the auto captions on RU-vid is not great.@@Fishtory

@discordiacreates6669 11 месяцев назад

Tbh I think we just need to give Alex a mic or headset because it's always a bit quiet when he's in front of the camera and away from the device but then it's a bit too loud for me when he's showing off a tank and holding the device close. Think it's just a limitation of the tech tbh, and not having a device more fine tuned to only pay attention to the closest proximity noise means any tank filters in the background compete for equal priority and do slightly garble everything. I usually get 99% of what he's saying though, but audio balancing still isn't a bad idea, if nothing else maybe cut and isolate the face cam segments to increase their volume individually might help a bit for now since ik auto captions cannot handle any background noise and tends to flub a lot if the audio isn't crisp as a winter breeze ^^'. Ah tech, equally loved and hated at times lol

@A_o7_ 2 месяца назад

Can anyone give some advice here... I have glass pebble substrate in my tank. Very tiny, smaller than some gravels & very smooth. I was wondering if the thin layer i have.. if its bad for my corys. Would a deeper layer of substrate keep waste away from my corys better? Heavily planted tank but i have them potted. I am debating moving to sand instead. Just dont want to stress my tank cycle. But basically im thinking my thin layer of pebbles is keeping waste close to their faces

@Fishtory 2 месяца назад

Sand is much better for corys generally

@ramennoodles8147 10 месяцев назад

Lol just bought plants from father fish

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Right on

@Mikinct 6 месяцев назад

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 6 месяцев назад

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.

@wrmlm37 9 месяцев назад

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:)

@Craig.catfish 9 месяцев назад

So is there a difference from 1 inch to 6 inches

@idealchanful 6 месяцев назад

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

@Chris18o0 11 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

Great to hear! Thanks

@ann7882 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for your informative channel. I love your style!

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

You are so welcome!.thanks for watching

@TheRugghead 9 месяцев назад

I really like that Florida river sand

@Fishtory 9 месяцев назад

Indeed!

@barmarcelo 9 месяцев назад

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 9 месяцев назад

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

@jeanmccoy2318 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for continuing to educate! Much appreciated!

@Fishtory 8 месяцев назад

My pleasure! Thank YOU for coming by

@coachroe9243 9 месяцев назад

Ok, silly question. I want to start transitioning my tanks to beep substrate. Where can I get enough plants without going broke?

@Fishtory 9 месяцев назад

Stem plants ... buy like 5 or 6 .... you can double those by cutting them in half every week or two. Theyre usually 3 to 6 bucks a species for common ones, and usually you get 3 to 9 stems in a little bunch. But local fish clubs are an amazing resource...just asking for trimings or buying on the cheap, then there is always learning to id local marsh and or aquatic plants...sometimes that works, sometimes they dont like tropical tanks...but i have over a dozen that worked out even up here in wet and cold Seattle

@geriebiffle8673 10 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

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

@sahindemirer 10 месяцев назад

Please make a video about the bubbles coming up after doing Father Fish kind of deep substrate with lots of organic matter and how to deal with them. This is an underrated subject. But if you can, please tell me something about it. Does it decrease over time? It’s been 1 week and that is producing big bubbles. Should I worry and re-do the tank?

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

Its natural. Its mostly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen and sulfur compounds... very very little evidence shows that the amount in an aquarium is ever going to be harmful to fish. However in large marshes and lakes, miles and miles of bubbles under rare conditions have killed people in Africa and India. ( google lake gassing Africa) ...i think 1983 or 86? Several thousand people died at night. But in your tank youd need the volume of 2/3rds the water displaced to cause the same issue for the fish...or tremendous boiling levels of co2 specifically ...but you likely have a mix of all the decomposition produced gasses. Cheers. Check out my video "my does my fish tank stink" for more info

@jmc2491 10 месяцев назад

Father fish style tank is the best way to go!

@simonbooth3715 7 месяцев назад

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 7 месяцев назад

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

@souffle420 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@jenibthatisme 3 месяца назад

Have 3 deep substrate planted tanks (FF method). I'm 3 months in and they're doing great! I truly appreciate you giving some of the science behind this. You educate deep science and history in such a relatable way. You are a treasure!!

@Fishtory 3 месяца назад

That is very kind of you to say. I'm glad you find it useful info. I just love learning new aspects of the hobby, and if you do as well...we stay curious in this community hahaha

@BigNoe-u7u 6 месяцев назад

Idk why but you're giving me Leonardo DiCaprio vibes

@Fishtory 6 месяцев назад

I get that a lot actually haha

@cherylmockotr 8 месяцев назад

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 8 месяцев назад

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

@OilUp2024 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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

@jeffkane4391 11 месяцев назад

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

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

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

@jeffkane4391 11 месяцев назад

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

@anthonymacchia1379 11 месяцев назад

Dr Novak is the best

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Not a dr unfortunately though. Ask him where he graduated from

@mightymike9469 11 месяцев назад

He won’t answer that. I tried. Not a fan of his. Constantly breaking down and setting up his tanks.

@thesolaraquarium 10 месяцев назад

Novak has deep knowledge of outdoor waterways, both man-made and natural, plants etc… It is why I follow his channel. Novak is cool.

@PsychoPlantLady 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for the info. Father Fish is the person who inspired me to created a planted tank. Are you on the Father Fish Discord group? I love that community.

@Fishtory 10 месяцев назад

I was/ technically still i am a shark there. He and i have been friends for the better part of the last decade and did about 50 streams together at one point. Ive just been pretty busy and researching more than social media type stuff. But yeah its a great spot. Also i may contribute a chapter to the book hes working on, if he gets his way haha. We're going to do a video critiquing one another's methods (friendly) ... sometime soon

@PsychoPlantLady 10 месяцев назад

@@Fishtory that’s awesome. 🤩 Can’t wait to read the book. 😊 You both have awesome channels.

@manjeshm8937 2 месяца назад

I was wondering why my plants don't stay in aqua soil.. i guess I need to add sand cap😅

@Fishtory 2 месяца назад

It should do wonders

@youraveragefishkeeper 11 месяцев назад

My pink flamingos are making a come back after 9 months. Trying to balance this tank has been a nightmare for me but I’ve been slowly getting it too where I want it to be. Ps not sure if you got a new number but I sent you a text. I can email you if that ended being case.

@Fishtory 11 месяцев назад

Text me again or email me and I'll send you my number.

@crimegeek 10 месяцев назад

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 10 месяцев назад

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