So far it is one of the best channels that i have came across. I started on aquarism watching MD and his simple thing setting things up, but i only god the wish to learn more watching your videos. You explain the stuff really well and are not like many other aquafluencers that are quite arrogant. Love your simplicity on explaining aquarism for dummies and for the experts as well, and it is always full of deep research and knowledge, with a broader perspective.
Wow, thanks! Im happy to help. I dont have all the answers.... not even close...buuut, i probably know a resource or expert we can ask and find out hehe
Here's a tip for people who have too much aquarium plants: Get a moose! Moose like aquatic plants, and can often be seen standing in swamps munching on great bunches of aquatic plants. Moose make a really great centrepiece, and will make things very exciting for any guest you may invite over, especially when they charge, which they inevitably will do. The bull moose are the most spectacular, but the cow moose are perfectly capable of pummelling someone into a greasy spot in the snow, with only a few bloody flecks left over. There isn't anyone who can run as fast as a moose, so challenge all those self-amorous athletes to race your moose. You can even give them an advantage, with your moose running in deep snow while the athlete runs on dry land with a head start. The moose will just behave like a huge snow plough and will mangle the athlete with no trouble! You can also use your moose as a guard dog. They can't be killed unless you use a pretty heavy load in a high calibre rifle. If a burglar pulls a pistol and takes a shot at your moose, it won't kill it, and will just piss it off even more than it, by it's nature, already is. It will take it no time to get even with the burglar. What's better, it will crush it into nothing more than an oily blob on the ground. The coroner won't be able to establish a cause of death because there won't be anything left to test and autopsy. They'll just have to take your word for it when you tell them an alien space ship landed on top of it (never rat out your moose, or they will take it away and put it down). Well, if I haven't convinced you that a moose is a great and useful way of ridding yourself of excess aquatic plants, then I guess that nothing will. I'll let you know how the moose works out if I ever find someone who will test this hare-brained scheme out.
I do not find you boring!! Lol I seriously learn soo much. I’m like a sponge!! lol. And I am knew to this Hobby about 9 months now. Thank you for another excellent podcast. Hugs to all.❤
Yeah i originally filmed some of that but realizrd the video was super long with all that. Then i thought, "this will prove what im saying" ...but realized about a day later, that in theory you could be faking all those tests as well. But if i review their new model, i definitely will :)
I can tell how hard you worked on this video. Very "consumable". Also very cool to see a time lapse of the maintenance. I get alot of anxiety when it comes to trims. It feels safer when I see you just go at it. Well done. Thank you for always being a plethora of knowledge.
Thank you so much, Mary! With how ive felt lately... yes, this video took over a week of filming, writing, refilming, editing... your keen eye and kind comments mean the world to me! Thank you, and have an awesome week!
You're the ONLY person who doesn't make me feel like an idiot when you explain plants. I'd love for you to do a series of plant profiles for beginners. I can't even keep houseplants. I had an aloe plant once and cried when I lost her last leg 😪.
I'll be honest, I've been watching unsubscribed and without liking for a few weeks now. You meowing to my cat and I at the end is what got my subscription and like. Keep up the good info and thanks for showing us what a realistic natural tank looks like, its not always super bright and beautiful like some youtubers only show. sometimes it gets overgrown and you've got to do some BIG maintenance. Theres always beauty in an overgrown jungle though. Giving me inspiration to do something to my crypt val 20 gallon disasterpiece haha
Right on, welcome to the community my friend. I keep high tech, low tech and no tech tanks...but the low tech can be more work than a high tech aquascape in some ways.
You are so welcome! And thank you. Im feeling better in several hour increments. The problem is my energy physically isnt equal to or on par with my mental energy
Even though I don't understand everything you say I'm still watch the whole video and hoping someday I will understand you better I'll keep watching Your Great content.
Thank you Alex! Love the green thumb and LOVE that you talked to the kitties of the world. Had my Sweeney kitty in my lap as I was watching. He enjoyed as well and sends a Meow your way!! 😊💙💚
Thanks for all the effort you put into making these, they're always incredibly useful and not boring at all - count me as one of the long-form detail fans for sure 😊 definitely going to try that razor blade tip for getting anubias to sprout new leaves!
Love your videos, tons of really useful info. I'm using the layered substrate approach from your other video on a 40G I'm setting up right now! Just FYI, since you use the term a whole lot in this video... Immersed also means submerged. The parts of the plants that are growing out of the water in your tanks aren't "immersed". Keep up the good work!!! Immersed - [ ih-murst ] adjective Plunged or sunk in or as if in a liquid. Biology - somewhat or wholly sunk in the surrounding parts, as an organ. Botany - growing under water.
Yes that is super confusing and to make things even more convoluted "emmersed" is sometimes used to try and coin a phrase that at least looks different In text... sharing the root with emergent .... but I'm not the one making up these terms... or I would have been much more clear lol. It makes things to confusing
@@Fishtory Right on. Bought plants today . Moving fish and shrimp and putting the 40G together tomorrow. It was running for 5 years but started to deplete and the plants we're fading. I'm pretty sure it's because my substrate wasn't deep enough and it was just two layers. I'm leaving the 3" of substrate and mulm that's already there, to be my gravel layer, and then doing 2" Lava Rock, about 1.5" Stratum with some charcoal and laterite mixed in, and then capping with 2" of Prarie Sand. Hope it goes well. Thx again for the in depth videos. Great to geek out to!!
Great to hear that your healthier Alex! Do you prefer a sand cap or no? Thank you once again for the knowledge definitely trimming all my dead leafs on sight.
I like sand caps for holding down tissue cultures or starting carpeting plants... also for fish that dig and forage, so i guess the answer is, an emphatic... SOMETIMES!
It's cool to watch you tame the jungle! I try to trim up my plants about every two weeks. In the beginning I thought I would have a really nice aquascape, but I can't stop myself from replanting and the tank is slowly turning into a jungle style. I think the fish like it, they have more places to hide.
I have a dry tank which I just mist to grow a grass carpet. I also put some stem plants in. It's incredible how well they grow in a tank not submerged in water. One stem tipped over because it grew so high and rooted all along 😊
With how dedicated to eco-hacking many aquaritubers are, i'm always surprised how few take it that one step further by building enclosed ecospheres in full sized tanks. Y'all clearly have the knowhow, and if aomeone can establish a scud, isopod, and neocaridina ecosphere in a single gallon jar, someone with your knowledge should be able to do amazing things in fully sealable large aquariums. Something like that in a sealed paludarium is my next big project, and i'm still learning, especially about substrate makeup. You can mix it up with more diverse inverts and some have eveb reported success with understocked nano fish. I feel like its an area of keeping that's underexplored.
You can do it with enough atmosphere. It requires quite a but of atmosphere and mixed land and aquatic based plants, OR.... it's short lived. Lots of people try though, and it's actually pretty tricky beyond a 4 or 5 nano fish
Fun to see some of the principles of bonsai mirrored here. Air layering (but easier submerged in water), encouraging ramification and general propagation methods are all analogous.
You're the best man .. My goal is fully natural I just can't get much to take root. Luckily I have an anubia that's about 3 years old and ran routes all through the substrate.. but can't get much new to root. Most people think you need CO2 and fertilizer to have a lush green tank, so I'd like to prove that wrong.
Great channel to watch. I am just starting my experiment using soil and sand as a different way to do things. I sm going to start by using pots with soil in the bottom inch covered eith about two inches of sand.
Hi Alex People have short attention spans so that makes sense that most RUclipsrs don’t make it all the way to the end but I’m always the opposite. The longer the video the better of the video. Loved hearing you talk. Happy Halloween. Sincerely Dellsea.
Beta tank got some plants today. Cryto becketti, crested java fern, and plain java fern. Will see if i overplanted but Charles Finley is.very happy😂 Thanks for info.
Crypts and jungle val are my favorite plants. Why you ask? Because I can keep them alive! I've also been adding pathos to all my tanks and experimenting with other emerse grown plants. I really like the look of plants growing in and out of the tank.
Hi Alex maybe you could grow a large Echinodorus like Ozelot or Barthii with leaves like a Hosta and create a mother plant with more vertical leaves that the angel fish can swim around.
Another absolute banger, Alex! I can see you’ve been really at it with the filming and editing, which is really cool, and it is still very much your style - great, funny and information dense while still being accessible. I hope this video does well for you, because it has so many things in it that are less often seen. Question: There’s a bigger plant on the right third in your aquarium, that I can’t recognize and I was wondering if you’d tell me the name. It kinda could look like a Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia from over here, but then again I am quite sure it’s not, and I don’t think it’s an Echinodorus…? I’d love to get an ID! ❤ I think something like Echinodorus ‘Ozelot’ or E. ‘Ozelot Green’ would look sweet in that tank, and have you laid your eyes on Schismatoglottis prietoi yet? I just got my first one a couple of months ago and I already love it!
Hi Alex! I’m starting up a little fluval edge and I’m glad I saw this because you mentioned at the end that you can ‘use this to start a new tank’. Did you mean I can use silt? I have a tank that is fully planted and has a lot of silt and I’ve been scared to touch it. But I would love to use it if that will help start my newest addition! Can you tell me, would scooping it up or sucking it out be the best way to transfer it?
Yeah its messy, so i recommend doing it once your main rocks and wood are in...and or/ any base layers of aquasoil or gravel etc. But then you can use a siphon and suck up the substrate ... then in a bucket Let it settle if you want... and pour off the water... or just dump it all into the new tank, then dust off the silt thats covering ang hardscape... wait a day or two with the filter off, then boom you can plant in it, add a sand cap or anything else. Just make sure to also test for nitrates and ammonia...since the mulm that's not fully broken down is organic debris fhat takes time to become ammonia and nitrate free. Cheers
What is the name of the grass you showed @15: 30 ? I'm new to this and looking for something to plant to cover the sand. I done one of those FF substrate tanks 3 weeks ago. I do find this channel more informative and descriptive. Appreciate what you do!
Have you personally ever encountered “creeping crassulla” or “hairy pennywort mini”? 2 unique carpeting plants that I had a seller claim is new to the hobby and I can’t seem to find their official names or any other site selling them. Both are very pretty and the crassula is one of the easiet thick carpeting plants I’ve had.
Also crassula is the genera of jade plant... i dont know of an aquatic type that lives over a month or so flooded. But maybe with more info i can tell you something useful, if he will give a latin binomial name to it
@@Fishtory seller claims it’s a new variety called hydroctyle hirta (I’m guessing unofficial) and the crassula was labeled “creeping crassula Australia” and it’s been thriving in my tank for a while now.
Really cool video...I learned so much . I do have to admit I have to look at it more than once to understand all the information... Just a quick question...does fish waste provide much food for plants?
Yes indeed. Now it depends on what the fish eat... but if they are fed a nutritious and quality food or live foods with good nutrients and vitamins...that all ends up in the plants after bacteria break down the fish waste! :)
Hi Alex!! Is there a certain way to arrange aquarium plants? Do you have a video on this type of thing? Aqua scaping? Which plants should go in the background vs the ones that should go in the middle and foreground? I have three, 125-gallon tanks that I am transitioning 1 by 1 into natural aquariums, and I am running into LOTS of questions. I just got a bunch of different aquarium plants in that I realized I had NO idea where to actually PLACE them!! Right now, they are scattered all over the place. I haven't put any fish in yet cuz I want to make sure everything is set before I do. Which brings me to my next question... do you have any videos on what fish do well in natural aquariums and which do not? pH and GH are a real concern for me because I don't know how a planted aquarium regulates them. I have fish that like soft water and I have fish that like a harder water. Are there certain plants for each?
I came across some of your great videos while researching root tabs. I'm new to live plants, but thru trial & error, figured out that stem plants don't do well in my 29g. (My substrate is gravel. Unfortunately I didn't know any better a year ago. Feel so stupid). Anyway, I now have rosette and amazon sword plants. But every time I add Seachem Flourish root tabs, there's a big overnight diatom algae bloom. I know to push the tabs into the gravel quickly and 2-3 inches deep. If you see this & have time, could you let me know if this is something that just happens, or do I need to change the type of tabs I'm using? Or could the nutrients be leeching thru the gravel that quickly? I have nerite snails, but am mostly afraid the algae will suffocate plant leaves.
The nutrients are leeching thru gravel via water dissolution. So you could add an inch or 2 of sand and " cap " the Substrate (I have a video called " to cap or not to cap" about the topic. But also you could use a liquid plant fertilizer once a week or even every 2 weeks. Also, depending on your ph ...if it's below 7.5 you can probably find success If you try stem plants with a sand cap and root tabs about 2 or 3 inches deep under the sand in the gravel layer...which over time fish poo and debris will also enrich and nourish. Try either hornwart, anachris, elodia, water sprite, any lily or lotus bulbs will do well also... and aponogeton plants sold as " beta bulbs" often times- also do well in those set ups. Best of luck...you are entering the most rewarding part of the hobby in my opinion ...once you dial this in with what works best for you... you will be cruisin!
Thank you so much for taking time to reply!! Awesome advice - I didn't think about capping the stupid gravel. I'll look up your video. I had aponogeton bulbs for awhile, but they went dormant. Beautiful plants tho. I'll try the stems ypu suggested. I really am loving this part of the hobby..silly, but I get excited when a plant starts to get stronger & propogates. I have a long way to go, but I've learned a LOT. Thank goodness my little fish & snails are hanging in there with me. I'm really grateful for the info., and that you reached out to a newbie:)
This was a great information packed video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion for our obsession/hobby. I’m learning more with every new video. You should do a paludarium tank with some crazy rare lily species and a mist machine. Go Jurassic park with it… 😅
Just wishing my plants would grow so I can fill my tank, 10 gallon does well but my now 6 month old 36 gallon will not grow anything. Subbed and liked. 👍
awesome content as always, and inspiration. I already have 4 glass tanks inside, been keeping fish my whole life now working on some ponds and raising, breeding Tilapias. hey they taste really good! Saludos desde Costa Rica :)
Love your channel! I have the worst time with stem plants. They never live (sigh!). My aquarium is overloaded with plants, though. Mostly crypts, swords, moss and annubias. Obviously, I can't spell annubias? Anyway! I haven't seen you in a while. I'm glad I ran into this video. I made it to the end and didn't even force my fish and snails to watch it. Your tank looks great! No clue what you could plant (you're the expert) and I look forward to seeing what you do with it. Best regards, Alex! xo to you and Laura.
Aww thabn you so kindly. Sorry videos have been so slow lately. My health has been a rollercoaster but hopefully ill be at 2 or 3 videos a week again soon. I appreciate your support so much!
Yeah, so it sends side runners and "mother > daughter" roots that grow into new plants. Once one sprouts up or may even grow from the base of another stem ...at an angle... you can cut the teathered root and replant that start wherever you would like to
@@Fishtory Is that both with water and terrestrial growth? Ive had my S.Repens in tank for about 2 years and theyve never sent out runners while the sword plants I bought a few months ago have sent out 4 runners and got like 6 or 7 additional plants
Hello Alexander! please help me! I have been watching your channel for quite a while. You are very informative and have helped me so much. I love your substrate videos and plan to set up my aquarium following your advice. However I have question that I was hoping you could sort out for me. it's not about substates but I was hoping that with all your years of experience could shed some light on this issue. I have a 36 gallon bow front aquarium that is at least 10 -15 years old, I bought it second hand. several years ago I put an aeration stone in it. there was no way to turn down the air on my pump. the vigorous bubble popping deposited water on the underbid of my top and on the air tube itself. the water started wicking and traveling along the bottom black casing of the tank causing quite a lot of crust. Initially I thought my tank was leaking, but decided maybe it was the aeration stone, so I removed the aeration stone and the tubing. I then scraped off all the crust to see if it would keep happening. well it has continued to crust up. the crust was not as much as when the stone was in but still kept developing. I scraped off the crust on the outside bottom several times and it still comes back. There is no visible water anywhere. So I can't figure out how this crust is developing and if it is because my tank is leaking very slowly. I really don't want to buy a new tank if I don't have to. You have many years experience and was going you could shed some light on this. What would you do?
It could be 2 things. 1. It is slowly leaking because the silicone seal is brittle from age, and calcium is slowly building up as you have a slow leak...like a a cave would forms stalagtites over time... or maybe wated is condensing due to condensation and or spilling a little bit of water when you top off or change water.. but if you are sure you arent spilling...and you dont see moisture on the outside glass.... then unfortunatly a leak seems likely. There are lots of videos on resealing tanks on yt though, if you dont want to buy an all new one. Good luck!
Well honestly i prefer aquasoil...pond soil is often really low in oxygen... id recommend following father fish if you want to try that... or my personal advice is aquasoil... and if you want to use leaf litter thats wild...let it quarentine in a fishless tank for a month...so you can see what critters hatch...and also allow the fish food and micro flora to populate the habitat.
As for plants... probably sword plants, jungle val, crypts, lilies , and java ferns or anubias would be a good start! Floating plants are amazing also, but you must manage their growth weekly, as they'll take over without care
Not inherently. It does cause much more evaporation, meaning i add about 5 to 8% water to refill them per week in the fish room where the temp is near 80f. And any fisj prone to jumping, i will lower the water to 1.5 up to 3 inches below the rim, so they dont make it out, jumping..if i have a big fish, like the sunfish Mr. Gibson...then i use a lid. Killifish or some bettas get a lid as well
Just CRANKING out the videos this week Edit: I'm telling you Alex, build a tank with a little cookie cutter home and a pocket fence and a manicured Carnivorous lawn. Like the end of little shop of horrors 😝 Grass grass all the time!
It's a very interesting video as always, I appreciate acquiring general knowledge and not just practical information, so it is not boring, and I watch until the end and take notes. ☺ I have the opposite problem, with two enormous plants: one Hygrophila and above all a Cryptocorine, which I do not want to replicate but rather remove, but it is impossible to uproot them without redoing the whole tank! If I cut the stem or leaves I wonder if they will grow back or if the roots will die in which case I can plant new narrower ones. I suppose that would create an imbalance in the tank?
@@Fishtory Thank you for answering. 🙏😊 I have a filter, like a sponge filter but with an internal pump. Now that I think of it, I will follow your advice and start by trimming them instead of getting rid of them.
@Fishtory thank you. You are helping me sooooo much with my tank. I have golden snails in my tank now and wanted to know what to look out for. Still getting it together. Thank you again.
Question for you Alex.......what will win in consuming Nitrates if both are present in the tank, plants or a sponge filter? It's a simple question that has probably been answered, but let me describe what I mean...............suppose you have an established aquarium with no plants, just a sponge or other filter doing the work. One day you introduce plants. Is the sponge filter competing with the plants? Are the plants now competing with the sponge filter? Would enough plants render the sponge filter stripped of bacteria? If you put the filter on one side of the scale and plants on the other, which way is that scale tipping in terms of who will get the Nitrates? (Let's assume there is good water circulation so both plants and sponge filter have access to the water. I guess the idea to present is who is more efficient at grabbing the Nitrates, the bacteria or plants.
Great question. The plants access a lot of nitrogen that is sequestered in the substrate that the filter wont... likewise, the bacteria double every 12 to 36 hours and die likewise...so they process it fast, but ive never seen a sponge filter, even in a super planted tank...that wasnt still cycled enough to jump cycle a new tank immediately. So they must live together...but im sure not nearly as much of the bacteria is needed on the sponge with plants... the bacteria can scale much faster than plants... doubling its capacity in a day or two...where as plants are slower, but can maintain a steadily low or even no nitrate tank.... but ammonia will still exists and be converted via the cycle, due to dead leaves, fish food, fish waste and biomass degradation. Hope that helps. Cheers!
I kind of posed the question a bit wrong Alex, but I think you got my point.....I meant to say "Ammonia"......not nitrates. So considering the idea that bacteria can process ammonia and so can plants, that is where I was curious to know which would outcompete which. You definately shedded some light when mentioning that you've never seen a sponge filter (In the presence of a lot of plants)that wasn't cycled enough to jump cycle a new tank.@@Fishtory
Does anyone reading here have any experience with softshell turtles in aquarium? I've got a rescue which came from an Asian store here that was going to be killed and put in a pot. Right now I have him in a 20 gal. aquarium, but he needs something much larger. Not sure if softshell turtles need to bask, but I'm assuming they do. If they don't, then no big loss. I'm putting in fine grain river sand as the substrate since they like to bury themselves with only their eyes and nose sticking out. They are ambush predators and eat insects and small minnows. I'm also putting a Fluval FX 4 under the tank for water cleaning overkill. These guys make a mell of a Hess, so an FX 4 won't be too much, even for the way too small 20 long he's in right now. If anyone has any pointers on how to keep softshells, I'd really appreciate some guidance. I really don't want to add him to that collection of horrors hanging on Alex's wall. Besides, those will probably disappear sometime in November.
What I want to know is how those guys hanging on the wall died. Be honest with me. Were you involved in either their deaths or their exhumation? It doesn't matter that they are only about 6" tall. They deserve justice. The size could make it a hate crime, so we hope you will cooperate and tell us who killed them and who dug them up. For some reason, lots of skeletons and skulls have been turning up over the last couple of weeks, and we have to find out whose behind this before it gets any more out of control than it already is. Right now, it's looking a lot like a mass serial murder/suicide.
Lazy Sundays with Fishtory are the real way to a girl's heart. Forget the flipping diamonds, unless they're tetra's! 😅🙏💙✌️
Haha what about crystal tetras and Ruby barbs ? Or for that matter ruby and emerald tetras
@@laurabustos6560 #guppyhoe
So far it is one of the best channels that i have came across.
I started on aquarism watching MD and his simple thing setting things up, but i only god the wish to learn more watching your videos. You explain the stuff really well and are not like many other aquafluencers that are quite arrogant.
Love your simplicity on explaining aquarism for dummies and for the experts as well, and it is always full of deep research and knowledge, with a broader perspective.
Wow, thanks! Im happy to help. I dont have all the answers.... not even close...buuut, i probably know a resource or expert we can ask and find out hehe
Here's a tip for people who have too much aquarium plants: Get a moose! Moose like aquatic plants, and can often be seen standing in swamps munching on great bunches of aquatic plants. Moose make a really great centrepiece, and will make things very exciting for any guest you may invite over, especially when they charge, which they inevitably will do. The bull moose are the most spectacular, but the cow moose are perfectly capable of pummelling someone into a greasy spot in the snow, with only a few bloody flecks left over. There isn't anyone who can run as fast as a moose, so challenge all those self-amorous athletes to race your moose. You can even give them an advantage, with your moose running in deep snow while the athlete runs on dry land with a head start. The moose will just behave like a huge snow plough and will mangle the athlete with no trouble! You can also use your moose as a guard dog. They can't be killed unless you use a pretty heavy load in a high calibre rifle. If a burglar pulls a pistol and takes a shot at your moose, it won't kill it, and will just piss it off even more than it, by it's nature, already is. It will take it no time to get even with the burglar. What's better, it will crush it into nothing more than an oily blob on the ground. The coroner won't be able to establish a cause of death because there won't be anything left to test and autopsy. They'll just have to take your word for it when you tell them an alien space ship landed on top of it (never rat out your moose, or they will take it away and put it down). Well, if I haven't convinced you that a moose is a great and useful way of ridding yourself of excess aquatic plants, then I guess that nothing will. I'll let you know how the moose works out if I ever find someone who will test this hare-brained scheme out.
Hahaha i wish!
Yeah but do they eat algae?
I do not find you boring!! Lol I seriously learn soo much. I’m like a sponge!! lol. And I am knew to this Hobby about 9 months now. Thank you for another excellent podcast. Hugs to all.❤
Yeah i originally filmed some of that but realizrd the video was super long with all that. Then i thought, "this will prove what im saying" ...but realized about a day later, that in theory you could be faking all those tests as well. But if i review their new model, i definitely will :)
Thank you very much. Im so happy to read this. Have fun!
I can tell how hard you worked on this video. Very "consumable". Also very cool to see a time lapse of the maintenance. I get alot of anxiety when it comes to trims. It feels safer when I see you just go at it. Well done. Thank you for always being a plethora of knowledge.
Thank you so much, Mary! With how ive felt lately... yes, this video took over a week of filming, writing, refilming, editing... your keen eye and kind comments mean the world to me! Thank you, and have an awesome week!
As someone just getting into this hobby thank you for making this space so welcoming and easy to understand. Hope you're well dude.
Thanks, you too! Welcome!
You're the ONLY person who doesn't make me feel like an idiot when you explain plants. I'd love for you to do a series of plant profiles for beginners. I can't even keep houseplants. I had an aloe plant once and cried when I lost her last leg 😪.
So I've done cabomba, anubias, and several " for beginners/ easy plant guides" check em out, I do overview in each of maybe 40 species total
Alex, you're like the plant whisperer, i'm learning so much, thanks.
Wow, thanks. Happy to help. Just ask if i can assist. If i dont know, hopefully ill know who will hehe
You're next level man. Really appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Wish you all the best
My pleasure! Thank you
Love how your angelfish looks so chill and curious when you dive your hand in the tank
Lol they're used to me being a weirdo
i wish some one donate to this proffessor, he is pro and powerfull, and we benefit from his research
I'll be honest, I've been watching unsubscribed and without liking for a few weeks now. You meowing to my cat and I at the end is what got my subscription and like. Keep up the good info and thanks for showing us what a realistic natural tank looks like, its not always super bright and beautiful like some youtubers only show. sometimes it gets overgrown and you've got to do some BIG maintenance. Theres always beauty in an overgrown jungle though. Giving me inspiration to do something to my crypt val 20 gallon disasterpiece haha
Right on, welcome to the community my friend. I keep high tech, low tech and no tech tanks...but the low tech can be more work than a high tech aquascape in some ways.
My cat appreciates the shout out 🤣 good stuff, that's a lot of work! Thanks for taking the time to share it!
You bet!
Listening while work. Thanks…sir Alex of the History stuff
You gots it! I have a history of a rasbora species coming out soon too.
Lol love the green thumb on your pin. Classic! 👍 💚
Thanks for the plant tips! Always looking to improve!! Glad to see you're feeling better Alex!
Thanks! Hugs
I'm so glad you are feeling better! I really needed your quirkiness (and intelligence) today! Thank-you!
You are so welcome! And thank you. Im feeling better in several hour increments. The problem is my energy physically isnt equal to or on par with my mental energy
Even though I don't understand everything you say I'm still watch the whole video and hoping someday I will understand you better I'll keep watching Your Great content.
Haha well thank you. The parts will all fit together eventually :) cheers
Thank you Alex! Love the green thumb and LOVE that you talked to the kitties of the world. Had my Sweeney kitty in my lap as I was watching. He enjoyed as well and sends a Meow your way!! 😊💙💚
Thanks for all the effort you put into making these, they're always incredibly useful and not boring at all - count me as one of the long-form detail fans for sure 😊 definitely going to try that razor blade tip for getting anubias to sprout new leaves!
Glad you like them! Many thanks Tara!
❤ woot woot first comment another amazing video excited yes please 🙏 ❤ I am still learning plants so super helpful 😊 like pretty much all your videos
You are the best Mel. Have an awesome day!
Love your videos, tons of really useful info. I'm using the layered substrate approach from your other video on a 40G I'm setting up right now! Just FYI, since you use the term a whole lot in this video... Immersed also means submerged. The parts of the plants that are growing out of the water in your tanks aren't "immersed". Keep up the good work!!!
Immersed - [ ih-murst ]
adjective
Plunged or sunk in or as if in a liquid.
Biology - somewhat or wholly sunk in the surrounding parts, as an organ.
Botany - growing under water.
Yes that is super confusing and to make things even more convoluted "emmersed" is sometimes used to try and coin a phrase that at least looks different In text... sharing the root with emergent .... but I'm not the one making up these terms... or I would have been much more clear lol. It makes things to confusing
@@Fishtory Right on. Bought plants today . Moving fish and shrimp and putting the 40G together tomorrow. It was running for 5 years but started to deplete and the plants we're fading. I'm pretty sure it's because my substrate wasn't deep enough and it was just two layers. I'm leaving the 3" of substrate and mulm that's already there, to be my gravel layer, and then doing 2" Lava Rock, about 1.5" Stratum with some charcoal and laterite mixed in, and then capping with 2" of Prarie Sand. Hope it goes well. Thx again for the in depth videos. Great to geek out to!!
Great to hear that your healthier Alex! Do you prefer a sand cap or no? Thank you once again for the knowledge definitely trimming all my dead leafs on sight.
I like sand caps for holding down tissue cultures or starting carpeting plants... also for fish that dig and forage, so i guess the answer is, an emphatic... SOMETIMES!
@@Fishtory Ah, the lawyerly answer I also usually have to give: _IT DEPENDS_ 🤭
Great video, Alex. Great information, and as always, you're a legend, brother 🙌
I appreciate that!thanks
@Fishtory no worries, brother 👌
It's cool to watch you tame the jungle! I try to trim up my plants about every two weeks. In the beginning I thought I would have a really nice aquascape, but I can't stop myself from replanting and the tank is slowly turning into a jungle style. I think the fish like it, they have more places to hide.
Yeah after 2 years, none of my scapes survive the jungl-i-fication urge lol
I have a dry tank which I just mist to grow a grass carpet. I also put some stem plants in. It's incredible how well they grow in a tank not submerged in water. One stem tipped over because it grew so high and rooted all along 😊
Totally... it's far better than just co2 under water. Plants want to be in the atmosphere evolutionarily
Thanks for making this video helps me a lot 😊
I'm so glad!
With how dedicated to eco-hacking many aquaritubers are, i'm always surprised how few take it that one step further by building enclosed ecospheres in full sized tanks. Y'all clearly have the knowhow, and if aomeone can establish a scud, isopod, and neocaridina ecosphere in a single gallon jar, someone with your knowledge should be able to do amazing things in fully sealable large aquariums. Something like that in a sealed paludarium is my next big project, and i'm still learning, especially about substrate makeup. You can mix it up with more diverse inverts and some have eveb reported success with understocked nano fish. I feel like its an area of keeping that's underexplored.
You can do it with enough atmosphere. It requires quite a but of atmosphere and mixed land and aquatic based plants, OR.... it's short lived.
Lots of people try though, and it's actually pretty tricky beyond a 4 or 5 nano fish
Fun to see some of the principles of bonsai mirrored here. Air layering (but easier submerged in water), encouraging ramification and general propagation methods are all analogous.
You're the best man .. My goal is fully natural I just can't get much to take root. Luckily I have an anubia that's about 3 years old and ran routes all through the substrate.. but can't get much new to root. Most people think you need CO2 and fertilizer to have a lush green tank, so I'd like to prove that wrong.
Great channel to watch. I am just starting my experiment using soil and sand as a different way to do things. I sm going to start by using pots with soil in the bottom inch covered eith about two inches of sand.
Have fun, just test the water when you try new things. And 🙏 welcome
Hi Alex
People have short attention spans so that makes sense that most RUclipsrs don’t make it all the way to the end but I’m always the opposite. The longer the video the better of the video. Loved hearing you talk. Happy Halloween.
Sincerely Dellsea.
Haha me toooooo...oooo thank you very kindly
Beta tank got some plants today. Cryto becketti, crested java fern, and plain java fern. Will see if i overplanted but Charles Finley is.very happy😂 Thanks for info.
Epic
Crypts and jungle val are my favorite plants. Why you ask? Because I can keep them alive! I've also been adding pathos to all my tanks and experimenting with other emerse grown plants. I really like the look of plants growing in and out of the tank.
Love it! I dig that look too...obviously haha. Crypts are pretty awesome too, so at least there is a variety in that genus of plants
HA ha! Meow to you too! Bro, none of your video's bore me, not even close. Loved this & you just made me look at my tanks in a different way for sure!
Awesome! Thank you! I appreciate your feedback a ton, my man. Have a gday mate!
I love your channel. So informative, never boring!
Why thank you! 😊
SUBSCRIBED! This is the exact vid I needed at the exact moment I needed it. Thanks man!!!
Right on! Happy to hear it!
Hi Alex maybe you could grow a large Echinodorus like Ozelot or Barthii with leaves like a Hosta and create a mother plant with more vertical leaves that the angel fish can swim around.
Cool idea! Ive been wanting a stardust anubias or rainbow bear ear sword ... you read my mind!
ALEX. I THINK I LOVVVE YOU.
Awww... i ....like you too 😉
Another absolute banger, Alex!
I can see you’ve been really at it with the filming and editing, which is really cool, and it is still very much your style - great, funny and information dense while still being accessible. I hope this video does well for you, because it has so many things in it that are less often seen.
Question: There’s a bigger plant on the right third in your aquarium, that I can’t recognize and I was wondering if you’d tell me the name. It kinda could look like a Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia from over here, but then again I am quite sure it’s not, and I don’t think it’s an Echinodorus…? I’d love to get an ID! ❤
I think something like Echinodorus ‘Ozelot’ or E. ‘Ozelot Green’ would look sweet in that tank, and have you laid your eyes on Schismatoglottis prietoi yet? I just got my first one a couple of months ago and I already love it!
Hi Alex! I’m starting up a little fluval edge and I’m glad I saw this because you mentioned at the end that you can ‘use this to start a new tank’. Did you mean I can use silt? I have a tank that is fully planted and has a lot of silt and I’ve been scared to touch it. But I would love to use it if that will help start my newest addition! Can you tell me, would scooping it up or sucking it out be the best way to transfer it?
Yeah its messy, so i recommend doing it once your main rocks and wood are in...and or/ any base layers of aquasoil or gravel etc. But then you can use a siphon and suck up the substrate ... then in a bucket Let it settle if you want... and pour off the water... or just dump it all into the new tank, then dust off the silt thats covering ang hardscape... wait a day or two with the filter off, then boom you can plant in it, add a sand cap or anything else. Just make sure to also test for nitrates and ammonia...since the mulm that's not fully broken down is organic debris fhat takes time to become ammonia and nitrate free.
Cheers
Love your green thumb Alex! 😄💚👍🏻🌱 Great video with awesome info, I really enjoyed it! Thanks! Have a great day!
Thank you! You too!
What is the name of the grass you showed @15: 30 ?
I'm new to this and looking for something to plant to cover the sand. I done one of those FF substrate tanks 3 weeks ago. I do find this channel more informative and descriptive. Appreciate what you do!
That is dwarf hair grass
Wow that was fast. Thanks
Do you sell it? or does it have to be planted from seed?
Have you personally ever encountered “creeping crassulla” or “hairy pennywort mini”? 2 unique carpeting plants that I had a seller claim is new to the hobby and I can’t seem to find their official names or any other site selling them. Both are very pretty and the crassula is one of the easiet thick carpeting plants I’ve had.
Is he talking about Hydrocotyle tripartita? I have never heard of mini pennywort though i would guess that could be called this perhaps
Also crassula is the genera of jade plant... i dont know of an aquatic type that lives over a month or so flooded. But maybe with more info i can tell you something useful, if he will give a latin binomial name to it
@@Fishtory seller claims it’s a new variety called hydroctyle hirta (I’m guessing unofficial) and the crassula was labeled “creeping crassula Australia” and it’s been thriving in my tank for a while now.
@@FishtoryRUclips doesn’t let me link the site I got it off of but I’d be happy to dm it to you on Insta or smth
Awesome video man. Keep up the good work. Videos like this are awesome :)😎
Thanks a ton! Im glad you found it useful 😊
Really cool video...I learned so much .
I do have to admit I have to look at it more than once to understand all the information...
Just a quick question...does fish waste provide much food for plants?
Yes indeed. Now it depends on what the fish eat... but if they are fed a nutritious and quality food or live foods with good nutrients and vitamins...that all ends up in the plants after bacteria break down the fish waste! :)
@@Fishtory thank you 🙏
What's good. good show
Thank you so much brother! You are always far too kind and generous! Have a great week my friend.
Love what you stand for it's all love
would you recommeend a UV Sterilizer Light attached to my Filter ?
Not unless you're having a big problem with cyanobacteria blooms
Thank you for all the good info. +1 for the algorithm. 👍
Glad it was helpful! PS welcome and i love your screen name haha
Going to trim my anubious asap
This content on plants was a good video alex
Thanks buddy
Very helpful video thanks for sharing thanks for sharing
Thank YOU!
Hi Alex!! Is there a certain way to arrange aquarium plants? Do you have a video on this type of thing? Aqua scaping? Which plants should go in the background vs the ones that should go in the middle and foreground? I have three, 125-gallon tanks that I am transitioning 1 by 1 into natural aquariums, and I am running into LOTS of questions. I just got a bunch of different aquarium plants in that I realized I had NO idea where to actually PLACE them!! Right now, they are scattered all over the place. I haven't put any fish in yet cuz I want to make sure everything is set before I do. Which brings me to my next question... do you have any videos on what fish do well in natural aquariums and which do not? pH and GH are a real concern for me because I don't know how a planted aquarium regulates them. I have fish that like soft water and I have fish that like a harder water. Are there certain plants for each?
I came across some of your great videos while researching root tabs. I'm new to live plants, but thru trial & error, figured out that stem plants don't do well in my 29g. (My substrate is gravel. Unfortunately I didn't know any better a year ago. Feel so stupid). Anyway, I now have rosette and amazon sword plants. But every time I add Seachem Flourish root tabs, there's a big overnight diatom algae bloom. I know to push the tabs into the gravel quickly and 2-3 inches deep. If you see this & have time, could you let me know if this is something that just happens, or do I need to change the type of tabs I'm using? Or could the nutrients be leeching thru the gravel that quickly? I have nerite snails, but am mostly afraid the algae will suffocate plant leaves.
The nutrients are leeching thru gravel via water dissolution. So you could add an inch or 2 of sand and " cap " the Substrate (I have a video called " to cap or not to cap" about the topic.
But also you could use a liquid plant fertilizer once a week or even every 2 weeks. Also, depending on your ph ...if it's below 7.5 you can probably find success If you try stem plants with a sand cap and root tabs about 2 or 3 inches deep under the sand in the gravel layer...which over time fish poo and debris will also enrich and nourish. Try either hornwart, anachris, elodia, water sprite, any lily or lotus bulbs will do well also... and aponogeton plants sold as " beta bulbs" often times- also do well in those set ups. Best of luck...you are entering the most rewarding part of the hobby in my opinion ...once you dial this in with what works best for you... you will be cruisin!
Thank you so much for taking time to reply!! Awesome advice - I didn't think about capping the stupid gravel. I'll look up your video. I had aponogeton bulbs for awhile, but they went dormant. Beautiful plants tho. I'll try the stems ypu suggested. I really am loving this part of the hobby..silly, but I get excited when a plant starts to get stronger & propogates. I have a long way to go, but I've learned a LOT. Thank goodness my little fish & snails are hanging in there with me.
I'm really grateful for the info., and that you reached out to a newbie:)
Nice video. Gave me some ideas. Thanks Alex!
Awesome to hear it, my friend. Have a great week!
I love all your videos ❤
Geeze! Thanks so much!
This was a great information packed video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion for our obsession/hobby. I’m learning more with every new video. You should do a paludarium tank with some crazy rare lily species and a mist machine. Go Jurassic park with it… 😅
Glad it was helpful! And yes... im getting sucked (back) into doing a palidarium more and more daily lol. Stay tuned
Great video man!
Im so pleased that you enjoyed it. Cheers
Appreciate it!
What were those tall emergent plants at the back of the tank that you are trimming and putting in the vase on top of the tank?
Papyrus!
@@Fishtory Thanks! I have to get some, they look amazing growing out of the tank 👍
Just wishing my plants would grow so I can fill my tank, 10 gallon does well but my now 6 month old 36 gallon will not grow anything. Subbed and liked. 👍
Thanks for sharing Alex, great information as always 😊
My pleasure! My pleasure... sorry for the delay in output
@Fishtory all good sir 😊
From the province of Québec!
Bravo! I love your channel!
You could start a wikifishia!
That would be cool! Hehe Merci, passé une semaine incroyable mon ami
Great information
Glad you think so!
My cat says “ Meow to you too” 😂😂😂
Whoa thanks for tuning in so far haha
awesome content as always, and inspiration. I already have 4 glass tanks inside, been keeping fish my whole life now working on some ponds and raising, breeding Tilapias. hey they taste really good! Saludos desde Costa Rica :)
That is awesome! Cheers
Love your channel! I have the worst time with stem plants. They never live (sigh!). My aquarium is overloaded with plants, though. Mostly crypts, swords, moss and annubias. Obviously, I can't spell annubias? Anyway! I haven't seen you in a while. I'm glad I ran into this video. I made it to the end and didn't even force my fish and snails to watch it. Your tank looks great! No clue what you could plant (you're the expert) and I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Best regards, Alex! xo to you and Laura.
Aww thabn you so kindly. Sorry videos have been so slow lately. My health has been a rollercoaster but hopefully ill be at 2 or 3 videos a week again soon. I appreciate your support so much!
@@FishtoryI'm always in your corner and hope you feel better soonest! xo
Hi Alex, thank you for a nice video. Bitesize fishstuff. Easy fishtory. I like it.
Greetings from Germany.
Do you have to lift your light? My Fluval 3.0 just sits on top of fish tank and it’s not lifted. Do you think it’s ok?
Yeah. It may cause more algae but it's fine as long as you keep an eye on the tallest plants
@Fishtory Hello Alex. How does S.Repens propagate in nature? I could not find any info on it
Yeah, so it sends side runners and "mother > daughter" roots that grow into new plants. Once one sprouts up or may even grow from the base of another stem ...at an angle... you can cut the teathered root and replant that start wherever you would like to
@@Fishtory Is that both with water and terrestrial growth? Ive had my S.Repens in tank for about 2 years and theyve never sent out runners while the sword plants I bought a few months ago have sent out 4 runners and got like 6 or 7 additional plants
Hello Alexander! please help me! I have been watching your channel for quite a while. You are very informative and have helped me so much. I love your substrate videos and plan to set up my aquarium following your advice. However I have question that I was hoping you could sort out for me. it's not about substates but I was hoping that with all your years of experience could shed some light on this issue. I have a 36 gallon bow front aquarium that is at least 10 -15 years old, I bought it second hand. several years ago I put an aeration stone in it. there was no way to turn down the air on my pump. the vigorous bubble popping deposited water on the underbid of my top and on the air tube itself. the water started wicking and traveling along the bottom black casing of the tank causing quite a lot of crust. Initially I thought my tank was leaking, but decided maybe it was the aeration stone, so I removed the aeration stone and the tubing. I then scraped off all the crust to see if it would keep happening. well it has continued to crust up. the crust was not as much as when the stone was in but still kept developing. I scraped off the crust on the outside bottom several times and it still comes back. There is no visible water anywhere. So I can't figure out how this crust is developing and if it is because my tank is leaking very slowly. I really don't want to buy a new tank if I don't have to. You have many years experience and was going you could shed some light on this. What would you do?
It could be 2 things. 1. It is slowly leaking because the silicone seal is brittle from age, and calcium is slowly building up as you have a slow leak...like a a cave would forms stalagtites over time... or maybe wated is condensing due to condensation and or spilling a little bit of water when you top off or change water.. but if you are sure you arent spilling...and you dont see moisture on the outside glass.... then unfortunatly a leak seems likely.
There are lots of videos on resealing tanks on yt though, if you dont want to buy an all new one. Good luck!
i know its and old video but, im getting a 500 litre tank soon and im gonna use pondsoil and sand, what are some easy plants you would recommend?
Well honestly i prefer aquasoil...pond soil is often really low in oxygen... id recommend following father fish if you want to try that... or my personal advice is aquasoil... and if you want to use leaf litter thats wild...let it quarentine in a fishless tank for a month...so you can see what critters hatch...and also allow the fish food and micro flora to populate the habitat.
As for plants... probably sword plants, jungle val, crypts, lilies , and java ferns or anubias would be a good start! Floating plants are amazing also, but you must manage their growth weekly, as they'll take over without care
@@Fishtory thank you! ill read into the ff method a bit more, thanks again
I notice your tanks don't have lids. Do we need lids?
Not inherently. It does cause much more evaporation, meaning i add about 5 to 8% water to refill them per week in the fish room where the temp is near 80f. And any fisj prone to jumping, i will lower the water to 1.5 up to 3 inches below the rim, so they dont make it out, jumping..if i have a big fish, like the sunfish Mr. Gibson...then i use a lid. Killifish or some bettas get a lid as well
Great content
Glad you think so. Cheers
my fingernails r always dirty too😄 even tho i cut themshort as possible
Just CRANKING out the videos this week
Edit: I'm telling you Alex, build a tank with a little cookie cutter home and a pocket fence and a manicured Carnivorous lawn. Like the end of little shop of horrors 😝
Grass grass all the time!
It's a very interesting video as always, I appreciate acquiring general knowledge and not just practical information, so it is not boring, and I watch until the end and take notes. ☺
I have the opposite problem, with two enormous plants: one Hygrophila and above all a Cryptocorine, which I do not want to replicate but rather remove, but it is impossible to uproot them without redoing the whole tank!
If I cut the stem or leaves I wonder if they will grow back or if the roots will die in which case I can plant new narrower ones.
I suppose that would create an imbalance in the tank?
The tank shoud be fine... if you have a filter running . But you could trim them back, also
@@Fishtory Thank you for answering. 🙏😊
I have a filter, like a sponge filter but with an internal pump.
Now that I think of it, I will follow your advice and start by trimming them instead of getting rid of them.
When you toke your plants out, did that create a ammonia spike?
Nitrate spike... but yes I'm sure it was ammonia until my bacterial inhabitants immediately went to work converting it
@Fishtory thank you. You are helping me sooooo much with my tank. I have golden snails in my tank now and wanted to know what to look out for. Still getting it together. Thank you again.
@Fishtory also how did you get your Nitrate down
I like your green thumb 👍 😂
Why thank you
nice hat!
Thanks. My cutthroat trout snow hat lol
Question for you Alex.......what will win in consuming Nitrates if both are present in the tank, plants or a sponge filter? It's a simple question that has probably been answered, but let me describe what I mean...............suppose you have an established aquarium with no plants, just a sponge or other filter doing the work. One day you introduce plants. Is the sponge filter competing with the plants? Are the plants now competing with the sponge filter? Would enough plants render the sponge filter stripped of bacteria? If you put the filter on one side of the scale and plants on the other, which way is that scale tipping in terms of who will get the Nitrates? (Let's assume there is good water circulation so both plants and sponge filter have access to the water. I guess the idea to present is who is more efficient at grabbing the Nitrates, the bacteria or plants.
Great question. The plants access a lot of nitrogen that is sequestered in the substrate that the filter wont... likewise, the bacteria double every 12 to 36 hours and die likewise...so they process it fast, but ive never seen a sponge filter, even in a super planted tank...that wasnt still cycled enough to jump cycle a new tank immediately. So they must live together...but im sure not nearly as much of the bacteria is needed on the sponge with plants... the bacteria can scale much faster than plants... doubling its capacity in a day or two...where as plants are slower, but can maintain a steadily low or even no nitrate tank.... but ammonia will still exists and be converted via the cycle, due to dead leaves, fish food, fish waste and biomass degradation. Hope that helps. Cheers!
I kind of posed the question a bit wrong Alex, but I think you got my point.....I meant to say "Ammonia"......not nitrates. So considering the idea that bacteria can process ammonia and so can plants, that is where I was curious to know which would outcompete which. You definately shedded some light when mentioning that you've never seen a sponge filter (In the presence of a lot of plants)that wasn't cycled enough to jump cycle a new tank.@@Fishtory
what is your light brand?
Twinstar 900 Geniii
@@Fishtory ty for info...good videos
Lol I LOVE the end of this video haha meow
I really need to understand growing water plants
Does anyone reading here have any experience with softshell turtles in aquarium? I've got a rescue which came from an Asian store here that was going to be killed and put in a pot. Right now I have him in a 20 gal. aquarium, but he needs something much larger. Not sure if softshell turtles need to bask, but I'm assuming they do. If they don't, then no big loss. I'm putting in fine grain river sand as the substrate since they like to bury themselves with only their eyes and nose sticking out. They are ambush predators and eat insects and small minnows. I'm also putting a Fluval FX 4 under the tank for water cleaning overkill. These guys make a mell of a Hess, so an FX 4 won't be too much, even for the way too small 20 long he's in right now.
If anyone has any pointers on how to keep softshells, I'd really appreciate some guidance. I really don't want to add him to that collection of horrors hanging on Alex's wall. Besides, those will probably disappear sometime in November.
Staurogyne repens
I was thinking that as well! And syngnathus bellum! Thanks
@@Fishtory I love the little purple flowers they create :)
❤🌿🐠
🍃 🍂 ☘️ 🍁 🌿
What I want to know is how those guys hanging on the wall died. Be honest with me. Were you involved in either their deaths or their exhumation? It doesn't matter that they are only about 6" tall. They deserve justice. The size could make it a hate crime, so we hope you will cooperate and tell us who killed them and who dug them up. For some reason, lots of skeletons and skulls have been turning up over the last couple of weeks, and we have to find out whose behind this before it gets any more out of control than it already is. Right now, it's looking a lot like a mass serial murder/suicide.
They only appear once you consume the special fungi... then they appear and can. Be caught, taxidermied or rearticulated skeletally 😆
@@Fishtory OMG!!! (LOL) Run away!!! It's Halloween!
The price of plants is the reason I havent set up a tank.
Aslong as you have 4-6 inches of tissue 😂😂😂
Meow. 😂