When I got my first aquarium I wanted to do the cycling process faster so I bought this "starter bacteria" to put in the water so you basically don't need to cycle it for long.. vut it went horribly wrong and a lot of fungus started growing and I needed to redo everything 😂🤦♂️ so lesson learnt..better wait for the cycle process to complete naturally (maybe it works for someone else but didnt for me..also the starter bacteria was from a well-known company) anyways great video ..love seeing that you show every part of the hobby not just the good things but also what can happen and how one should react ..keep it up! :)
When I was eleven, I saved for months from my newspaper route to buy a tank. My bother soon wanted one. Too save money Mom determined he could put one thing in my tank. As a good order brother, I said “okay” but the store had to make sure it was comparable. Dare I continue? The next day I awoke to see a “U” shaped bite mark in every fish from the “compatible” turtle. 😞
When I bought a cheap company's food to try out their onion flavored flakes and see if my fish like the taste... The flakes went bad (much earlier than date they give) and when I went to get it, I found a bunch of little horribly smelling bugs everywhere in the box. They managed to also sneak in my other better quality fish food, and there went 6 month worth of good fish food. Never bought from that company again. Apparently their flakes were mostly filler products anyways.
Uhh so when I got my first betta I did NO research and put him in a bowl... and I over fed him and got him a bubler way to strong for him I finally did my research and have a betta fish in a three gallon tank imma cgange it to a five gallon one though and have a filter for him though sadly he has been chewing his tail or he has fin rot but I tried giving him a salt bath and it didn't really help and his tail is turning a little black what should I do xd please help 😣
Oh sure enough I made my mistake's and even thpugh I have been ad it since literally my 5tht birtday ,42 now. Things sometime's go wrong. Like switching a tank over so I took the 21 adult Angels out as wel was about 9 hypancistrus a swarm of what I think in de US are.called Kitty tetra's about 40. And 5 Rams Only fish left a handful of left over Marble hatchet fish. And then going a vacation ol 3,5 weeks forgetting to rearrange the autofeeder but somehow maneging too turn up the heat to 35 C. Forgetting to turn all the filters back on.... It was a lovely time on and round the Greek islands but not a fun homecomming.
I have purchased those root tabs and used them with great success! The key is to read and understand that you need to chop those tabs up in little pieces as one full tab covers around 75 gallons.... My tanks are pretty heavily planted and chopping these up, my plants stay vibrant and consistently grow new branches. I did like you did initially and almost killed some of my fish friends.... but like you, I caught and dealt with it... I typically use the Seachem tabs with Seachem liquid fertilizer ( tabs every 3.5 months / liquid 2x weekly half dose )...
@@GirlTalksFish I know!! You'd think that could or WOULD include any facts or details... But NO! - I learned from someone in the comments on Amazon and from someone on the FishLore forum. They are cheap though and do a good job once you know what they are and do.....lol Thankfully you didn't lose anyone!!!
When my little brother was VERY young, he wanted to feed our fish but didn't know what to feed them. So he grabbed an oatmeal granola bar and threw it in... Yeah not a good idea kid.
@@CupwakeRBLXik this is old but that's so silly to say lol. If you have kids or little siblings you know , sometimes you cannot catch those things. You have to use the bathroom or eat, turn your back. Boom they've managed to put food in the tank. Kids have things like step stools, chairs even objects like pillows, boxes , plastic ECT. To climb up to things they want. Idk silly lol. When/ if you have kids youl understand way better. And you learn as you go, the parents probably changed the tank set up, placement ECT afterwards. So yeah
Thank you for reminding everyone that there isn't a "perfect" fish keeper and that at any moment you have to be prepared to work on a tank. Glad it all worked out for you in the end.
Hello Irene! We all learn from our mistakes and errors in taking good care of our fish and the tanks! I am glad to hear that your betta is doing better
I so appreciate your willingness to be transparent with the choices you make and the outcome - good and bad! Jeesh!. Thank you Irene. You are a great teacher. I am going to become a member! I’m glad you are offering this. You deserve this!
@@GirlTalksFish me either, but I'm pretty tight with them, I bury a few deep in the substrate (like, 4 inches deep in 7 inches deep), if at all, and then let nature handle it.
I only started using liquid fertilizer recently. As I am a beginner when it comes to planted tank, this video is a great reminder for me to be more careful with stuffs like this.
Sorry to hear that happened, glad Sonic and Eggman are ok! Also, your planted tank behind you is looking GORGEOUS, that octopus plant really took root!
As I contemplate getting an aquarium again after many years…. seeing this and all the stress and upheaval of water changes, I remember why I now keep reptiles. The calm of seeing a rat snake calmly lounging contentedly on a branch under a basking light in a nicely, naturally, decorated terrarium that looks like the woods with no complicated water concerns filter changes, bubbles, running dripping water all over the floor, fish foods fish flitting here and there non stop…electric cords everywhere… buzzing equipment, buckets, hoses …. I can go on a vacation for 2 weeks without a worry and still glance at a peaceful woodland scene as I go about my life without major stress. Thank you. 🙂
I'll be a first-time planted tank keeper (with a betta, hopefully!) in the next few years and this kind of information is so valuable. As someone just starting to learn about the hobby, it sucks to know how many things are too good to be true and/or flat out dangerous, but I'm definitely glad content creators like this channel can steer people away from the path of failure.
this is very helpful, i recently started a job at a pet store as the aquatics specialist, and while i know a bit about goldfish and corycats from prior experience, as well as general tank management, i wanted to learn more about betta fish as well as aquatic plants, as both are very popular at the store, and i wanted to be better informed to relay said information to customers. your videos have been particularly helpful and gave me knew things to do research on that i was not aware of
Not only do you make amazing videos but you're also a Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I couldn't ask for more. I'm starting my first planted tank and I learned so much for you.
Thankfully you only put 2 of the free tabs in!! If only 2 of those tabs messed up your tank that badly, imagine if you put the normal amount you usually put in! I’m glad Sonic and egg man are safe. You’re such a careful and smart fish owner. We all make mistakes. Thank you for making a video on this so we can learn as well! Keep up the great work❤️🙌🏼
I am a new fish hobbyist, I read about many companies and I was scared even of heaters breaking and/or shocking me. Its like I don't trust anything but EHEIM Jaeger heaters. And those are just heaters!
I think if I was an influencer, this would be the worst part of the job. Having to relive a tragedy for thousands of people to see! I’m really sorry for your loss. On a side note, just a theory: I think the constant water changes might have led to the spike getting so bad. Another option would have used prime to detoxify the nitrogen, until it leveled out. But it’s easy for me to say that, because hindsight is 20/20
I love Bettas but sometimes they're such little devils! I just got mine - he seems not stressed and pretty confident and he has the whole tank for himself- I hope he likes his new home!
@@voluntaryismistheanswer that's good to hear they 're not so easy to breed too. i have a question i try not to overthink it but my boy is already 5 days at home and he doesn't eat - to be more specific he goes after the food, swallow it and then spit it out. is this a common behaviour and how can i make him eat? i have 2 types of food, both good quality - one is Hikari Betta and the other is Bug Bites color enhancing.
Great share Irene. I will not ever use eco-complete again. My plants never thrived in that tank and eventually I had to remove it and start over as you did. I did something similar with a dirted tank and made the mistake of using peat moss with the dirt... it turned into algae city and I could not after 6mos of trying everything I knew of get it under control so I broke that tank down. I am sure we have all been there with the mis-steps. Having our aquatic friends survive the adventure is a bonus!
I used to have fish in my childhood, with no concept of all these things that needed to be done (cycling, water testing, etc). In fact, when I started learning later on and tried to be more careful, I found my fish lived longer/better lives when I *didn't* fuss with water conditions. 😅 It's been a very long time since I've had fish, and I'm constantly wowed by the amount of effort put into their tanks. (And that's not a criticism!)
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I've spent so much money on trying to create a planted tank... I definitely would've made this mistake, so I'm glad to be aware that this could happen.
Poor Sonic and his snail friend! One time after a water change I forgot to add more Prime to the water! Luckily, only a few minutes passed and I added it. Plus it wasn't a full water change. I have killed many aquatic plants. Yes, they are all beginner plants. Then I added root tabs and things got better. I am very glad Sonic and his snail friend are doing well again.
Thank you so much for sharing this experience so we can all learn. I like how genuine and honest you are, and share the bad experiences (in this case, a truly awful experience!) right alongside successful stories so that others may avoid certain mistakes. I’m sorry that you had such a horrid experience with the original seller. I hate it when people take your money, never send you what you purchased, then reveal to you that they’re out of stock (and are uncertain when and if they’ll get the item restocked) only after you badger them. But on top of that, the seller actually put Sonic, Eggman, and the whole aquarium in peril so you had to reset the entire tank in your case! Thank goodness your quick thinking saved Sonic and Eggman.
I just recently had a grow out tank for baby plecos, and I forgot to dechlorinate the water during a water change 🤦🏻♀️. Sadly, I killed most of the babies which broke my heart.
I got the same root tabs from the same company, which I never received my plants from either. I read the amazon reviews for those tabs and decided to trash them. They where also like a week away from expiring. I'm sorry that happened to you. If I had not looked them up, those tabs would've killed off my 90 gal tank.
I feel your pain! Chico was my fin-rot stressed out betta.....he is a halfmoon...We are is constantly fighting fin rot. He is all by himself now 5 gal. I just hope this is his forever home. I have 2 crown tails that are issue free..(crossing fingers)... LOL! I love that you share the victories and the fails. You are my fishy hero!
Wow... I'm so sorry this happened to your tank, it's really shocking the level people will stoop down to in order to scrape as much money as they can, I'm glad you got it all sorted out though!
How terrible Irene😭 But I really appreciate you sharing what happened with us!!! This is definitely the way we learn sometimes... unfortunately! This will definitely help others not make the same mistakes in the future!! Have a great Sunday 🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
Be careful! I read that if the heater is too close/touching the substrate, it might heat the substrate and that might burn plants or fish resting on it!
I use Fluval stratum and that leeches a lot of ammonia to begin with, can't imagine how high readings would be with *shady* root tabs in it as well. Live and learn - thankfully you quickly moved the inhabitants!
You're correct in presuming that certain aspects of your soil in combination with the fertilizer is the culprit. You can use fertilizers like Osmocote in dirted tanks, but not tanks with uncapped aqua soils or typical aquarium gravel sizes; This is because the substrate in dirted tanks is capped off with at least an inch of sand or a very fine gravel which will stop fertilizer from leaking into the water column. Also, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) will typically be much higher for things like humus and clay than for sand or gravel; This will naturally be very high for clayey garden soils often used for dirted tanks (not to mention the humus that builds up over time), yet general purpose fertilizers can still be used for them (provided you don't use too much). A high CEC causes fertilizers to be bound to the soil, causing them to be more available to plant roots, and will actually remove fertilizers from the water column rather than adding them to it. Very likely, your gravel vacing simply wasn't nearly thorough enough to remove all of the fertilizer, considering it's quite a thick substrate layer. Your relatively well oxygenated substrate probably started breeding even more nitrifying bacteria over the week (your constant water changes likely exacerbating that, even though you're removing fertilizer from the water column), causing the nitrite/nitrate climb in response to the increased ammonia. If you had mixed some black sand (to match your black soil/gravel) in with the substrate so that the top inch of substrate had its openings filled with sand and performed a single water change, you'd likely have been ok. Everybody's always so phobic of anaerobic bacteria though... Denitrification via anaerobic bacteria can potentially do a better job ridding a tank of nitrates than plants can, though plants are still useful as they'll directly absorb ammonia. Might sound weird, but many typical aquarium plants have been tested to find that they prefer ammonia to nitrates, and this is likely true for most aquarium plants. But yeah, always be cautious of cheap chemicals for sure.
Even though things went sour, you still did a really good job handling it all, because your betta is still around, and your snail. I'm glad you show everything, the good, the bad and the ugly because that is the thing with this hobby, even the smallest and simplest of things unfortunately can go south, and learning from mistakes in this hobby make us more knowledgeable on how to progress successfully.
Omg... I hope he is ok... oh no oh no - it sounds like...... oh my..... I’m so upset I hope he’s ok...haven’t watched fully yet- I really loved him! Yay he’s ok lol
“Caveat emptor,” aka “Buyer Beware,” seems to be as true today as in Roman times. I doubt Romans poisoned their pets with root tabs; however, what is true is that the attributes of shady selling behavior have not left our gene pool. Best wishes to your aquatic and terrestrial family, Jim
Eco complete’s big advantage is that it doesn’t block the nutrients of the water column from getting to the roots like sand would (yet it’s still light and fluffy). This not only means “you don’t need root tabs” but it also means root tabs will flow into your tank. What you should have done is taken 3+ Tupperware containers: 1 for the fish, 1 for the hardscape and plants, 1 for the eco complete, then rinsed the eco complete with a hose (thoroughly) you May have been able to fix it in 1 day.
I was really worried after seeing the title and got ready for a Sip lol. But yes my mum always used to say buy cheap, buy twice, it's a false economy. So lucky you test your water or it could have been very different, shocking how they get away with this stuff.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy your videos so much, you are so genuine, and show the good and bad. I can so relate to screwing up trying to save a couple of dollars. 👍💓👍
I feel bad for your terrible experience, glad you got things back to reasonable without losing animals. I imagine those root tabs were for terrestrial plants not an aquarium. For safety sake I wish I could buy only from Cory, but hard to get his supplies here in Canada so I'm limited to well known brands for supplies.
Oh wow .. this is why i started keeping indoor plants .. nothing go wasted! 🤣 but glad to know that Sonic and Egg man are okay! always learning from u and looking forward for ur next videos! 😊
You need to add ammonia if there is no fish in there otherwise bacteria starts to die after 24 hrs Iv had cheap root tabs off eBay never had problems no ammonia or nitrite spike
Important lesson here, sorry you had to go through this. The problem with any of these online sites is that you have no idea who you're dealing with or what they are selling. There is absolutely nothing to stop me knocking up 'root tabs' but actually filling the capsules with rat poison and floating them on eBay at half the price of Aquarium Co-Op equivalent.
I heard if you use ecocomplete, that you may not need to initially add root tabs since it's already fertilized. Also, that ammonia spikes might be normal when you first start it. Thank you for sharing your honest experience Irene 🙏
I've used Seachem root tabs and NA Thrive caps, love them both. NA thrive was a bit buoyant but Seachem tab is perfect on that matter. Also my Amazon swords are reproducing like crazy using the Seachem. ❤️
Very helpful and fun video to watch. Thank you for your insight. I've only been in the hobby since early 2020 (pandemic purchase), and am very happy with my planted 20-gallon tank. I love this video because I am going to get 10 gallon tank near my desk to have shrimp.
If you want to hide the sponge filter, you could put like small deli cup to put it lower than the substrate level. From my experience, it works up to about 1/3 of the height of the filter.
Ya I had problems like that as well not with those root tabs but just keeping the levels at 0. I feel your pain. Glad to hear your fish and snail are ok 🐠🐟🖒
Thanks for sharing your experience. It really helps me know what to watch out for. That online order sounds super shady, sorry that happened to you. I had put a bad stone in my tank that leeched into the water. I removed it, when I realized my mistake but it was too late. No matter what I did or how much water I changed the fish were pale and sluggish and my Nerite snail died. I think now that the porous gravel was still contaminated. I was changing the substrate out and found a crack in the bottom of the tank so I had to move the boys into other aquariums till the new one was cycled. Now they look great and have tons of energy, you wouldn't even know those guppies are over two years old. It was a learning experience for sure.
Thank you for letting us know ahead of time! I just recently got a betta, his name is Zuko and is a red rose petal betta. I looked at his tank earlier and I feel like I’ll need to get a couple more plants so in away this helped me know what not to get
@@saktah They're just some tabs which I believe are 'homemade' by an ebay seller here in the UK. They have good reviews and their note says they have personal success with them... but then doesn't every seller say that 🤣
@@saktah This is their ebay description. I think it's ozmocote. 'This listing is for 50 root tabs. Plus i will include an extra 10 free. I use these myself in my tropical aquarium. Top grade fertiliser, not cheap alternatives. Size 00 LARGE capsules. "Update March 2021,I recently bought root tabs from all of the other sellers on here, I can assure you they are not all using size 00 LARGE capsules. If in doubt ask them what size they they will send you. Prices may seem similar but you can be getting 30% less for your money for an inferior product." Aquarium root tabs are essential for your planted tank. Our root tabs provide a much needed source of nutrients for your aquatic plants for up to 6 months. We recommend adding new tabs to your aquarium every 3-6 months depending on how heavily planted it is. These root tabs are 100% safe for your aquarium, plus, unlike most others on the market are also 100% snail and shrimp safe. To use the tabs simply bury them into your substrate, near your plants. A typical method is to use 1 per 12cm x 12cm area in a well planted tank. If your tank is not densely planted, 1 per 18cm x 18cm will be adequate. 17% nitrogen (N) 9% phosphorous pentoxide (P2O5) 11% Potassium oxide (K2O) 2% Magnesium oxide (MgO) 0.01% Boron (B) 0.006% soluble in water 0.025% Copper (Cu) 0.017% soluble in water ** see note below ** 0.22% Iron (Fe) of which soluble in water , chelated by EDTA 0.033% 0.03% Manganese 0.01% Molybdenum 0.008% soluble in water 0.008% Zinc ** Although these tablets contain copper which is usually harmful to shrimp and snails, it is in such low levels and as it is in the substrate, will not enter the water column and harm your delicate livestock. These tablets are used in planted tanks worldwide and are proven shrimp and snail safe. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. BEWARE OF INFERIOR PRODUCTS USING SMALLER CAPSULES AND INFERIOR FERTILISER.'
I got a packet of that fertilizer after buying some plants from an ebay seller once. I never used it but i am glad to have found your video so i'll toss that out!! Whew!!! I thought maybe your fish and snail died...glad they are okay...
That's such a shame and I would have done exactly the same if I'd received some free root tabs but thanks for sharing so we can avoid all that stress. On a related note, I've always thought those specialist substrates create more problems than they solve and I've even heard Cory from aquarium co op saying things along those lines and that experienced fish keepers tend to stick to basic gravel because it just works and has less issues associated with it.
yeah i think you have lost the BB when you do multiple water change. I would spend some money on bottle of BB and ride through the high Ammonia and Nitrate period if i were in the situation since all your live stock is in quarantine. Yes some marketed as slow release fert does release their nutrient too fast. It is always good to test the root tab from unknown brand. I learned the hard way too but lucky i do not have live stock around as i was restarting my tank.
Good thing you were keeping an eye on it! It's awful when unexpected things wreck your tank, but its so satisfying to figure out what the issue was, right? (Ex. That cation exchange rate for your substrate. Who knew?) Wish me luck as I figure out what's up with my goldfish tank. :/
I am having the same issue in a few of my tanks, and I have boiled it down to either the Easy Green or the API root tabs. Not sure which one, but all the tanks were doing well until I added Easy Green for fertilization via the water column. Now I am fighting ammonia in four of my tanks. Doing water changes daily until they get back to normal.
Hey Irene! I’m so sorry this happened to you. However I have a quick question! I read from the Walstad book that plants love ammonia as a food source, even more than nitrates and nitrites. Couldn’t you have left the plants and water in the tank, and let the plants do their work? Maybe even add a few more floating plants (that eat everything faster) and let the plants take up the ammonia, while doing weekly small water changes? Of course keep the animals out of the tank until things balance out. I have a dirted tank with potting soil Capped with sand that I started a few months ago. My crypts and calisineria love it, they are growing SO big! But I also added tons of res root floaters and duckweed to combat any potential ammonia spikes. So far I have had no spikes, and my harlequin rasboras, neon tetras, crystal red shrimp, and nerites are thriving!
I once purchased 2 cheap heaters from eBay before going overseas for 2 months. The tank was about 600 litres. Someone was looking after my tank, both heaters failed in winter, I lost about 100 fish, it was a hard lesson, especially upon my return! I almost gave up keeping fish.
*I’m all about learning from others’ mistakes, so what is one time you tried to save money in the aquarium hobby and it went horribly wrong?*
When I got my first aquarium I wanted to do the cycling process faster so I bought this "starter bacteria" to put in the water so you basically don't need to cycle it for long.. vut it went horribly wrong and a lot of fungus started growing and I needed to redo everything 😂🤦♂️ so lesson learnt..better wait for the cycle process to complete naturally (maybe it works for someone else but didnt for me..also the starter bacteria was from a well-known company)
anyways great video ..love seeing that you show every part of the hobby not just the good things but also what can happen and how one should react ..keep it up! :)
When I was eleven, I saved for months from my newspaper route to buy a tank. My bother soon wanted one. Too save money Mom determined he could put one thing in my tank. As a good order brother, I said “okay” but the store had to make sure it was comparable.
Dare I continue?
The next day I awoke to see a “U” shaped bite mark in every fish from the “compatible” turtle. 😞
When I bought a cheap company's food to try out their onion flavored flakes and see if my fish like the taste...
The flakes went bad (much earlier than date they give) and when I went to get it, I found a bunch of little horribly smelling bugs everywhere in the box. They managed to also sneak in my other better quality fish food, and there went 6 month worth of good fish food.
Never bought from that company again. Apparently their flakes were mostly filler products anyways.
Uhh so when I got my first betta I did NO research and put him in a bowl... and I over fed him and got him a bubler way to strong for him I finally did my research and have a betta fish in a three gallon tank imma cgange it to a five gallon one though and have a filter for him though sadly he has been chewing his tail or he has fin rot but I tried giving him a salt bath and it didn't really help and his tail is turning a little black what should I do xd please help 😣
Oh sure enough I made my mistake's and even thpugh I have been ad it since literally my 5tht birtday ,42 now. Things sometime's go wrong. Like switching a tank over so I took the 21 adult Angels out as wel was about 9 hypancistrus a swarm of what I think in de US are.called Kitty tetra's about 40. And 5 Rams Only fish left a handful of left over Marble hatchet fish. And then going a vacation ol 3,5 weeks forgetting to rearrange the autofeeder but somehow maneging too turn up the heat to 35 C. Forgetting to turn all the filters back on.... It was a lovely time on and round the Greek islands but not a fun homecomming.
I love that you show us the rough times too…. We all struggle.
I received those exact root tabs, luckily I pitched them. Sorry you had to start all over, what a frustrating experience!!
Wow, it sounds like you and all your animals and plants dodged some bullets!
I have purchased those root tabs and used them with great success! The key is to read and understand that you need to chop those tabs up in little pieces as one full tab covers around 75 gallons.... My tanks are pretty heavily planted and chopping these up, my plants stay vibrant and consistently grow new branches. I did like you did initially and almost killed some of my fish friends.... but like you, I caught and dealt with it... I typically use the Seachem tabs with Seachem liquid fertilizer ( tabs every 3.5 months / liquid 2x weekly half dose )...
Holy cow, 1 tab for 75 gallons! I wish they had included that in the instructions then.
@@GirlTalksFish I know!! You'd think that could or WOULD include any facts or details... But NO! - I learned from someone in the comments on Amazon and from someone on the FishLore forum. They are cheap though and do a good job once you know what they are and do.....lol Thankfully you didn't lose anyone!!!
When my little brother was VERY young, he wanted to feed our fish but didn't know what to feed them. So he grabbed an oatmeal granola bar and threw it in... Yeah not a good idea kid.
Hell!
Ur kids IQ is 69
I mean he didn’t know any better. That’s truly on you guys, the parents. Y’all never should of let him try to feed those fish.
@@CupwakeRBLXik this is old but that's so silly to say lol. If you have kids or little siblings you know , sometimes you cannot catch those things. You have to use the bathroom or eat, turn your back. Boom they've managed to put food in the tank. Kids have things like step stools, chairs even objects like pillows, boxes , plastic ECT. To climb up to things they want.
Idk silly lol. When/ if you have kids youl understand way better. And you learn as you go, the parents probably changed the tank set up, placement ECT afterwards. So yeah
Immediately clicked because the title just shocked me
My community helped me pick the title, so I’m so grateful for their help!
So glad you got Sonic and the snail out in time.
Thank you for reminding everyone that there isn't a "perfect" fish keeper and that at any moment you have to be prepared to work on a tank. Glad it all worked out for you in the end.
I'm so happy that Sonic and Eggman survived due to your attentive fishkeeping
Hello Irene! We all learn from our mistakes and errors in taking good care of our fish and the tanks! I am glad to hear that your betta is doing better
Yes, I’m so glad I thought to remove Sonic and Eggman and set up a quarantine tank! I literally thought of it while recording my Members Only video.
I so appreciate your willingness to be transparent with the choices you make and the outcome - good and bad! Jeesh!. Thank you Irene. You are a great teacher. I am going to become a member! I’m glad you are offering this. You deserve this!
I feel so bad that this happened to you. I would be so scared to use root tabs again if this happened to me
I’ve thankfully never had bad experiences with any of the name brand root tabs that come from reputable companies. 👍
@@GirlTalksFish that’s good. Hopefully this never happens again
@@GirlTalksFish me either, but I'm pretty tight with them, I bury a few deep in the substrate (like, 4 inches deep in 7 inches deep), if at all, and then let nature handle it.
I only started using liquid fertilizer recently. As I am a beginner when it comes to planted tank, this video is a great reminder for me to be more careful with stuffs like this.
Sorry to hear that happened, glad Sonic and Eggman are ok! Also, your planted tank behind you is looking GORGEOUS, that octopus plant really took root!
Irene! Good on you for acting quick and being diligent. I’m happy Sonic & Eggman are doing well 😅
Great job at getting it all sorted out. Nobody ever wants to go through that. Glad to see Sonic and Eggman safe.
As I contemplate getting an aquarium again after many years…. seeing this and all the stress and upheaval of water changes, I remember why I now keep reptiles. The calm of seeing a rat snake calmly lounging contentedly on a branch under a basking light in a nicely, naturally, decorated terrarium that looks like the woods with no complicated water concerns filter changes, bubbles, running dripping water all over the floor, fish foods fish flitting here and there non stop…electric cords everywhere… buzzing equipment, buckets, hoses …. I can go on a vacation for 2 weeks without a worry and still glance at a peaceful woodland scene as I go about my life without major stress. Thank you. 🙂
I'll be a first-time planted tank keeper (with a betta, hopefully!) in the next few years and this kind of information is so valuable. As someone just starting to learn about the hobby, it sucks to know how many things are too good to be true and/or flat out dangerous, but I'm definitely glad content creators like this channel can steer people away from the path of failure.
this is very helpful, i recently started a job at a pet store as the aquatics specialist, and while i know a bit about goldfish and corycats from prior experience, as well as general tank management, i wanted to learn more about betta fish as well as aquatic plants, as both are very popular at the store, and i wanted to be better informed to relay said information to customers. your videos have been particularly helpful and gave me knew things to do research on that i was not aware of
Not only do you make amazing videos but you're also a Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I couldn't ask for more. I'm starting my first planted tank and I learned so much for you.
I recognize the seller name on those root tabs. Almost all of the plants I bought from them died very quickly.
Phew, I'm glad the fish and snail made it through okay.
Thankfully you only put 2 of the free tabs in!! If only 2 of those tabs messed up your tank that badly, imagine if you put the normal amount you usually put in! I’m glad Sonic and egg man are safe. You’re such a careful and smart fish owner. We all make mistakes. Thank you for making a video on this so we can learn as well! Keep up the great work❤️🙌🏼
I am a new fish hobbyist, I read about many companies and I was scared even of heaters breaking and/or shocking me. Its like I don't trust anything but EHEIM Jaeger heaters. And those are just heaters!
I think if I was an influencer, this would be the worst part of the job. Having to relive a tragedy for thousands of people to see! I’m really sorry for your loss.
On a side note, just a theory: I think the constant water changes might have led to the spike getting so bad. Another option would have used prime to detoxify the nitrogen, until it leveled out. But it’s easy for me to say that, because hindsight is 20/20
Thank you. I’m still astounded and upset that an aquarium plant seller would give away poisonous root tabs.
@@GirlTalksFish who knows.
While it’s possible it was the root tabs, sometimes crazy things line up. I hope your Nerite is ok
I love Bettas but sometimes they're such little devils! I just got mine - he seems not stressed and pretty confident and he has the whole tank for himself- I hope he likes his new home!
Breeding my own reminds me that nearly every commercial betta is suffering grave PTSD, and the temperament of home-grown bettas is a revelation.
@@voluntaryismistheanswer that's good to hear they 're not so easy to breed too. i have a question i try not to overthink it but my boy is already 5 days at home and he doesn't eat - to be more specific he goes after the food, swallow it and then spit it out. is this a common behaviour and how can i make him eat? i have 2 types of food, both good quality - one is Hikari Betta and the other is Bug Bites color enhancing.
@@voluntaryismistheanswer Could you talk more about that?
Great share Irene. I will not ever use eco-complete again. My plants never thrived in that tank and eventually I had to remove it and start over as you did. I did something similar with a dirted tank and made the mistake of using peat moss with the dirt... it turned into algae city and I could not after 6mos of trying everything I knew of get it under control so I broke that tank down. I am sure we have all been there with the mis-steps. Having our aquatic friends survive the adventure is a bonus!
What a nightmare! I'm glad you were able to get it solved and fixed quick enough that you didn't lose any friends!
I got worried for Eggman, good to know they are doing well right now.
I used to have fish in my childhood, with no concept of all these things that needed to be done (cycling, water testing, etc). In fact, when I started learning later on and tried to be more careful, I found my fish lived longer/better lives when I *didn't* fuss with water conditions. 😅 It's been a very long time since I've had fish, and I'm constantly wowed by the amount of effort put into their tanks.
(And that's not a criticism!)
I'm so glad Sonic and your snail ended up ok!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I've spent so much money on trying to create a planted tank... I definitely would've made this mistake, so I'm glad to be aware that this could happen.
Poor Sonic and his snail friend! One time after a water change I forgot to add more Prime to the water! Luckily, only a few minutes passed and I added it. Plus it wasn't a full water change. I have killed many aquatic plants. Yes, they are all beginner plants. Then I added root tabs and things got better.
I am very glad Sonic and his snail friend are doing well again.
Glad everyone's okay ♥
Thank you so much for sharing this experience so we can all learn. I like how genuine and honest you are, and share the bad experiences (in this case, a truly awful experience!) right alongside successful stories so that others may avoid certain mistakes.
I’m sorry that you had such a horrid experience with the original seller. I hate it when people take your money, never send you what you purchased, then reveal to you that they’re out of stock (and are uncertain when and if they’ll get the item restocked) only after you badger them. But on top of that, the seller actually put Sonic, Eggman, and the whole aquarium in peril so you had to reset the entire tank in your case!
Thank goodness your quick thinking saved Sonic and Eggman.
I just recently had a grow out tank for baby plecos, and I forgot to dechlorinate the water during a water change 🤦🏻♀️. Sadly, I killed most of the babies which broke my heart.
I got the same root tabs from the same company, which I never received my plants from either. I read the amazon reviews for those tabs and decided to trash them. They where also like a week away from expiring. I'm sorry that happened to you. If I had not looked them up, those tabs would've killed off my 90 gal tank.
Thank You So Much for the Warning of Good Stuff are Never Free , & Free Stuff are seldom Good! 🌷🌿🐠
I feel your pain! Chico was my fin-rot stressed out betta.....he is a halfmoon...We are is constantly fighting fin rot. He is all by himself now 5 gal. I just hope this is his forever home. I have 2 crown tails that are issue free..(crossing fingers)... LOL! I love that you share the victories and the fails. You are my fishy hero!
How awful but also how great you were fast to correct what had happened. Glad your betta and snail are okay.
Wow... I'm so sorry this happened to your tank, it's really shocking the level people will stoop down to in order to scrape as much money as they can, I'm glad you got it all sorted out though!
How terrible Irene😭 But I really appreciate you sharing what happened with us!!! This is definitely the way we learn sometimes... unfortunately!
This will definitely help others not make the same mistakes in the future!!
Have a great Sunday 🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
Be careful! I read that if the heater is too close/touching the substrate, it might heat the substrate and that might burn plants or fish resting on it!
I use Fluval stratum and that leeches a lot of ammonia to begin with, can't imagine how high readings would be with *shady* root tabs in it as well. Live and learn - thankfully you quickly moved the inhabitants!
Yeah I like the one I used in my crystal shrimp better, I think a volcanic soil, trying to remember the brand
You're correct in presuming that certain aspects of your soil in combination with the fertilizer is the culprit. You can use fertilizers like Osmocote in dirted tanks, but not tanks with uncapped aqua soils or typical aquarium gravel sizes; This is because the substrate in dirted tanks is capped off with at least an inch of sand or a very fine gravel which will stop fertilizer from leaking into the water column. Also, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) will typically be much higher for things like humus and clay than for sand or gravel; This will naturally be very high for clayey garden soils often used for dirted tanks (not to mention the humus that builds up over time), yet general purpose fertilizers can still be used for them (provided you don't use too much). A high CEC causes fertilizers to be bound to the soil, causing them to be more available to plant roots, and will actually remove fertilizers from the water column rather than adding them to it. Very likely, your gravel vacing simply wasn't nearly thorough enough to remove all of the fertilizer, considering it's quite a thick substrate layer. Your relatively well oxygenated substrate probably started breeding even more nitrifying bacteria over the week (your constant water changes likely exacerbating that, even though you're removing fertilizer from the water column), causing the nitrite/nitrate climb in response to the increased ammonia. If you had mixed some black sand (to match your black soil/gravel) in with the substrate so that the top inch of substrate had its openings filled with sand and performed a single water change, you'd likely have been ok. Everybody's always so phobic of anaerobic bacteria though... Denitrification via anaerobic bacteria can potentially do a better job ridding a tank of nitrates than plants can, though plants are still useful as they'll directly absorb ammonia. Might sound weird, but many typical aquarium plants have been tested to find that they prefer ammonia to nitrates, and this is likely true for most aquarium plants. But yeah, always be cautious of cheap chemicals for sure.
YAY..they are ok..great video
Even though things went sour, you still did a really good job handling it all, because your betta is still around, and your snail. I'm glad you show everything, the good, the bad and the ugly because that is the thing with this hobby, even the smallest and simplest of things unfortunately can go south, and learning from mistakes in this hobby make us more knowledgeable on how to progress successfully.
So glad you were able to save Sonic and Eggman!! Hope they are both still doing well!!
One google search and it showed the name of the tabs lol - *Green Pro fertilizer* and the instructions said use it for *POND*
Wow what a mess. I'm glad Sonic and Eggman made it.
Omg... I hope he is ok... oh no oh no - it sounds like...... oh my..... I’m so upset I hope he’s ok...haven’t watched fully yet- I really loved him! Yay he’s ok lol
“Caveat emptor,” aka “Buyer Beware,” seems to be as true today as in Roman times.
I doubt Romans poisoned their pets with root tabs; however, what is true is that the attributes of shady selling behavior have not left our gene pool.
Best wishes to your aquatic and terrestrial family,
Jim
Eco complete’s big advantage is that it doesn’t block the nutrients of the water column from getting to the roots like sand would (yet it’s still light and fluffy). This not only means “you don’t need root tabs” but it also means root tabs will flow into your tank.
What you should have done is taken 3+ Tupperware containers: 1 for the fish, 1 for the hardscape and plants, 1 for the eco complete, then rinsed the eco complete with a hose (thoroughly) you May have been able to fix it in 1 day.
I was really worried after seeing the title and got ready for a Sip lol. But yes my mum always used to say buy cheap, buy twice, it's a false economy. So lucky you test your water or it could have been very different, shocking how they get away with this stuff.
Hope he's okay
He died a week or so ago but not because of that
Thanks for sharing this experience. It is a lesson learned and to pass on.
im happy your fish and snail survived! everyone makes mistakes, sometimes we get lucky with the consequences
This is one of the reasons I enjoy your videos so much, you are so genuine, and show the good and bad. I can so relate to screwing up trying to save a couple of dollars.
👍💓👍
So glad everything worked out ☺️🙏🙏🙏
I feel bad for your terrible experience, glad you got things back to reasonable without losing animals. I imagine those root tabs were for terrestrial plants not an aquarium. For safety sake I wish I could buy only from Cory, but hard to get his supplies here in Canada so I'm limited to well known brands for supplies.
I can supply kottamba leaf { Indian amond leafs ] it can use as fishfood and use to make bubble nest...
I’m so glad everyone is ok! Thank you for sharing this valuable lesson & advice 😊
I'm glad you had a happy ending! Sorry you had an awful experience, but glad both are happy and safe!
Oh wow .. this is why i started keeping indoor plants .. nothing go wasted! 🤣 but glad to know that Sonic and Egg man are okay! always learning from u and looking forward for ur next videos! 😊
Thanks for posting this. I didn't know some root tabs could be dangerous. I'm glad I purchased from a big known brand
You need to add ammonia if there is no fish in there otherwise bacteria starts to die after 24 hrs Iv had cheap root tabs off eBay never had problems no ammonia or nitrite spike
Important lesson here, sorry you had to go through this. The problem with any of these online sites is that you have no idea who you're dealing with or what they are selling. There is absolutely nothing to stop me knocking up 'root tabs' but actually filling the capsules with rat poison and floating them on eBay at half the price of Aquarium Co-Op equivalent.
I heard if you use ecocomplete, that you may not need to initially add root tabs since it's already fertilized. Also, that ammonia spikes might be normal when you first start it.
Thank you for sharing your honest experience Irene 🙏
Hey props for telling this story, I really get a feeling most fish RUclips people leave that part out, valuable info
I've used Seachem root tabs and NA Thrive caps, love them both. NA thrive was a bit buoyant but Seachem tab is perfect on that matter. Also my Amazon swords are reproducing like crazy using the Seachem. ❤️
Im glad that everything turned out good. Would have sucked if everything died. I love when fishtubers show us the downs of fishkeeping.
Very helpful and fun video to watch. Thank you for your insight. I've only been in the hobby since early 2020 (pandemic purchase), and am very happy with my planted 20-gallon tank. I love this video because I am going to get 10 gallon tank near my desk to have shrimp.
If you want to hide the sponge filter, you could put like small deli cup to put it lower than the substrate level. From my experience, it works up to about 1/3 of the height of the filter.
I’m so sorry this happened to you! Did u reach back out to that company and let them know what happened?
Omg!! So glad I saw this!! This company did the same thing to me! I threw those tabs away!!!
Oh that is a shame you had to start all over! Hope this time it goes well.
I always put sand on top of the substrait, and then small grawel. 3 kinds
Oh wow, good thing you tested the water!
Ya I had problems like that as well not with those root tabs but just keeping the levels at 0. I feel your pain. Glad to hear your fish and snail are ok 🐠🐟🖒
ive binge watched your vids - now i have two new empty tanks. a million ideas - and bettas im going to give a go.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It really helps me know what to watch out for. That online order sounds super shady, sorry that happened to you.
I had put a bad stone in my tank that leeched into the water. I removed it, when I realized my mistake but it was too late. No matter what I did or how much water I changed the fish were pale and sluggish and my Nerite snail died. I think now that the porous gravel was still contaminated. I was changing the substrate out and found a crack in the bottom of the tank so I had to move the boys into other aquariums till the new one was cycled. Now they look great and have tons of energy, you wouldn't even know those guppies are over two years old. It was a learning experience for sure.
Thank you for letting us know ahead of time! I just recently got a betta, his name is Zuko and is a red rose petal betta. I looked at his tank earlier and I feel like I’ll need to get a couple more plants so in away this helped me know what not to get
Clicked as soon as I saw the notification! Love your channel, hope everything goes well!
You just made me completely paranoid about the root tabs I just bought 😳
probably test them in a tank without fish if you are very paranoid about them? Just an idea
What did you buy?
@@xxpuppalsxxuu1825 I'm doing pretty much exactly that tonight 👍🏻
@@saktah They're just some tabs which I believe are 'homemade' by an ebay seller here in the UK. They have good reviews and their note says they have personal success with them... but then doesn't every seller say that 🤣
@@saktah This is their ebay description. I think it's ozmocote.
'This listing is for 50 root tabs. Plus i will include an extra 10 free. I use these myself in my tropical aquarium. Top grade fertiliser, not cheap alternatives. Size 00 LARGE capsules.
"Update March 2021,I recently bought root tabs from all of the other sellers on here, I can assure you they are not all using size 00 LARGE capsules. If in doubt ask them what size they they will send you. Prices may seem similar but you can be getting 30% less for your money for an inferior product."
Aquarium root tabs are essential for your planted tank.
Our root tabs provide a much needed source of nutrients for your aquatic plants for up to 6 months.
We recommend adding new tabs to your aquarium every 3-6 months depending on how heavily planted it is.
These root tabs are 100% safe for your aquarium, plus, unlike most others on the market are also 100% snail and shrimp safe.
To use the tabs simply bury them into your substrate, near your plants. A typical method is to use 1 per 12cm x 12cm area in a well planted tank. If your tank is not densely planted, 1 per 18cm x 18cm will be adequate.
17% nitrogen (N)
9% phosphorous pentoxide (P2O5)
11% Potassium oxide (K2O)
2% Magnesium oxide (MgO)
0.01% Boron (B) 0.006% soluble in water
0.025% Copper (Cu) 0.017% soluble in water ** see note below **
0.22% Iron (Fe) of which soluble in water , chelated by EDTA 0.033%
0.03% Manganese
0.01% Molybdenum 0.008% soluble in water
0.008% Zinc
** Although these tablets contain copper which is usually harmful to shrimp and snails, it is in such low levels and as it is in the substrate, will not enter the water column and harm your delicate livestock. These tablets are used in planted tanks worldwide and are proven shrimp and snail safe.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
BEWARE OF INFERIOR PRODUCTS USING SMALLER CAPSULES AND INFERIOR FERTILISER.'
I got a packet of that fertilizer after buying some plants from an ebay seller once. I never used it but i am glad to have found your video so i'll toss that out!! Whew!!! I thought maybe your fish and snail died...glad they are okay...
That's such a shame and I would have done exactly the same if I'd received some free root tabs but thanks for sharing so we can avoid all that stress. On a related note, I've always thought those specialist substrates create more problems than they solve and I've even heard Cory from aquarium co op saying things along those lines and that experienced fish keepers tend to stick to basic gravel because it just works and has less issues associated with it.
yeah i think you have lost the BB when you do multiple water change. I would spend some money on bottle of BB and ride through the high Ammonia and Nitrate period if i were in the situation since all your live stock is in quarantine. Yes some marketed as slow release fert does release their nutrient too fast. It is always good to test the root tab from unknown brand. I learned the hard way too but lucky i do not have live stock around as i was restarting my tank.
Yeah, all those water changes were completely unnecessary since the tank wasn't stocked.
This has happened to me too, from just to much of the black medium without letting the bacteria to develop.
Hopefully Sonic will get better 🙂. ♥️ Your videos ♥️♥️♥️♥️. I have definitely spent a lot of money on guppies for my mum but they all died overtime.
Wow, those etsy people are fish murderers and scammers.
I set one up with lapis gravel, not knowing about the pyrite content, I get it. Thankfully no ill effects were noticed.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
I did a similar thing with pond plants. I’m still trying to get cycle back
Good thing you were keeping an eye on it! It's awful when unexpected things wreck your tank, but its so satisfying to figure out what the issue was, right? (Ex. That cation exchange rate for your substrate. Who knew?) Wish me luck as I figure out what's up with my goldfish tank. :/
I am having the same issue in a few of my tanks, and I have boiled it down to either the Easy Green or the API root tabs. Not sure which one, but all the tanks were doing well until I added Easy Green for fertilization via the water column. Now I am fighting ammonia in four of my tanks. Doing water changes daily until they get back to normal.
Hey Irene! I’m so sorry this happened to you. However I have a quick question! I read from the Walstad book that plants love ammonia as a food source, even more than nitrates and nitrites. Couldn’t you have left the plants and water in the tank, and let the plants do their work? Maybe even add a few more floating plants (that eat everything faster) and let the plants take up the ammonia, while doing weekly small water changes? Of course keep the animals out of the tank until things balance out.
I have a dirted tank with potting soil
Capped with sand that I started a few months ago. My crypts and calisineria love it, they are growing SO big! But I also added tons of res root floaters and duckweed to combat any potential ammonia spikes. So far I have had no spikes, and my harlequin rasboras, neon tetras, crystal red shrimp, and nerites are thriving!
If the pet store’s employees are frantically looking for a missing crayfish then it’s a good idea to just turn around...
I once purchased 2 cheap heaters from eBay before going overseas for 2 months. The tank was about 600 litres. Someone was looking after my tank, both heaters failed in winter, I lost about 100 fish, it was a hard lesson, especially upon my return! I almost gave up keeping fish.
So glad I found you! Thank you!
yes some soils like that😔😔 in korea so who has cardina shrimps even they wait 1-3 months before put their pets on the tank😔