All the links to info about setting up and cycling planted tanks How to Add Nitrogen Active Aquasoil to an Existing Aquarium substrate: th-cam.com/video/DElDJQi2HD0/w-d-xo.html To cap or not to cap substrate: th-cam.com/video/PotZy4LvC8E/w-d-xo.html Understanding nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria cycles th-cam.com/video/rFXSEIsjvIE/w-d-xo.html A seasoned tank vs a merely cycled tank: th-cam.com/video/pzuaehOMy0I/w-d-xo.html Creating a balanced, filterless," no tech" ecosystem in a bowl, jar or nano tank th-cam.com/video/K2hxp5PTlUs/w-d-xo.html How to safely convert your aquarium into a filterless ecosystem th-cam.com/video/n2Pa2sUUW04/w-d-xo.html Why Aquarium Plants Melt and or Die & How to Prevent it. th-cam.com/video/1YV5ltAs9Aw/w-d-xo.html When to add plants to an aquarium. th-cam.com/video/nNtxzt26tjM/w-d-xo.html
Hi Alex Another awesome info dump! I have an idea for you for a video series. Build a new tank from scratch, your "ideal/perfect" tank. Take it slow and talk through EVERY aspect. Selecting substrate, plants, tank size, aquascaping, water parameter monitoring, when to add stock, how you decide what to stock, etc, etc. The idea is to get insight into your thought process and problem solving
And then do weekly updates on the progress of the tank. How the parameters shift over time, how you manipulate or counter that shift, plant growth, future plans, live stock progress, substrate stratification, etc...
Sorry I also would like to know I have a planted darted tNk 2 inch organic potting soil with sand capped and some river peoples for some contrast...how can I tell if I need to add those additives liquid and pills or even add more soil into the tank...I have stopped gravel vacs once I realized mulm was good and then just learned that it will create its own layers
❤ This video is awesome. I have been off of alcohol for 13 months now. I was drunk daily for 15 years. In the last year, I have started 4 nano aquariums that I'm really proud of. I have so much to show for my sobriety. I'm getting ready to plant my new 46-gallon. I've learned so much from you. Thank you for your content. I can't even begin to express the dopamine I get from looking at my aquariums. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Right on my friend! My new "high" is literally learning things that im curious about. It works well long term, after the acute withdrawals slow down. Maybe you should journal your tank and aquarium hobby journey for others too?! Cheers and have an awesome week
It's great that you've become sober, congratulations 🎉 but you've basically just replaced 1 addiction for another (albeit a less damaging one) 😂 Be prepared to suffer from multiple tank syndrome and have every spare surface covered in aquariums soon 😂
Finally! The first aquarium/aquascape-enthusiast I can stand listening to! Thank you for not using a million smash cuts with stupid graphics and obnoxious voiceovers. So glad the algorithm finally got me here. Subscribed and alerts turned on 👍🏼 Love love love these deep dives and listening to a person who knows what they're talking about without injecting unnecessary ego, instead approaching topics with the genuine curiosity of an actual scientist, and is clearly very passionate about what they do.
Aww oh why thankyuh! You jist made my day! Im glad you're here as well! Welcome 🙏. Dont be shy if you have questions or thoughts...corrections or critiques. As long as its the truth, as far as science knows it.. it never hurts my feelings to make a correction. I strive to put out unique and solidly researched information here. The algorithm often hates it lol... but just stop by the channel's main page or search a subject with "@fishtory" before it on youtube search bar, and perhaps you'll enjoy one of the 1400+ videos I've created
I have to agree that despite being mainly a "talking head" you're very easy to listen to and stay engaged; the mark of a good presenter/lecturer. I prefer to watch at 2x; it super concentrates both the enthusiasm and the knowledge! I usually "skip around" videos with the 10-second button but with yours I find myself thinking that I don't want to miss anything. Quality, nutrient dense 😂 content.
I always had trouble growing aquarium plants until about 6 months ago, I dug a channel very carefully through the centre of my aquarium and back filled it with Aqua soil and then put my plants in, they have never looked back and they are now sending out aerial shoots. I love your video thank you very much for all your information.
Starting the research process before setting up a planted aquarium and your channel is by far the most informative I've come across. I'll keep deep diving your content!
@Fishtory - I’m new to the hobby and must say that of all the people making videos in this arena, you are by far the best! Very well spoken, extremely knowledgeable and smooth. Thank you for sharing all your years of hard work and dedication with us all.
Organic dirt capped with black blasting sand for me. Haven't gotten shrimp to work with it but corys and guppys love it. Oh and the plants love it too.
I'm not sure. Its not temperature I know that. Water chemistry is fine. I even bought them local so the water should be fine. I might not of been feeding them properly maybe. We'll see though.@@randykoch1807
I have dirt/potting soil, sand, then regular rock substrate. Still in the cycling stage of the new setup but water parameters nice, along with plants, barely have to do water changes if any only do it to introduce new nutrients and feed more fertilizer.
I dod this but with a mix of thoroughly washed (until water runs clear) play sand and black aquarium sand. I'm pretty happy with the result. Bettas, neon tetras, platies, guppies, bristlenose pleco, corydoras, and otocinclus have all done really well with it in multiple tanks. I'll never go back to plain gravel. If I try aquasoil I'll still use a sandcap.
This research is a game changer. There has always been one « deep substrate » / « natural » camp versus « high tech » or « green aqua » camp, and at the end of the day this proves we are all doing the same thing.
I only understand about 10% of what you say but I like it❤. Science gives me a headache 😂 Deep knowledge. Impressive. And also respectful of other people’s methods. New sub.
Congratulations, you have really nailed another one! This should be required reading for all new budding planted aquarium hobbyists. High class, enlightening, science based knowledge. Kudos and thanks for the contributions to the hobby,
Im honored and humbled. Thank you. I was fascinated by talking with all these people about the history and engineering of it, and just had to share part of the excitement and details that i felt I've missed until now, and probably many others have also
ALL THE LINKS AS PROMISED! How to Add Nitrogen Active Aquasoil to an Existing Aquarium substrate: th-cam.com/video/DElDJQi2HD0/w-d-xo.html To cap or not to cap substrate: th-cam.com/video/PotZy4LvC8E/w-d-xo.html Understanding nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria cycles th-cam.com/video/rFXSEIsjvIE/w-d-xo.html A seasoned tank vs a merely cycled tank: th-cam.com/video/pzuaehOMy0I/w-d-xo.html Creating a balanced, filterless," no tech" ecosystem in a bowl, jar or nano tank th-cam.com/video/K2hxp5PTlUs/w-d-xo.html How to safely convert your aquarium into a filterless ecosystem th-cam.com/video/n2Pa2sUUW04/w-d-xo.html Why Aquarium Plants Melt and or Die & How to Prevent it. th-cam.com/video/1YV5ltAs9Aw/w-d-xo.html When to add plants to an aquarium. th-cam.com/video/nNtxzt26tjM/w-d-xo.html
I like planted aquariums. I found that instead of adding potting mix directly into my tanks, which will require water changes to bring down the nitrate and ammonia levels from spiking. Instead, I pre wash my potting mix, thus reducing the amount of fertilizer from the mix, thus eliminating any spikes, as my tested levals are now at a low level. Pre washing is far easier then doing water changes, and everything is happy.
Great informational video. However, I would argue that soil capped with sand is still king because of the price point per gallon depending on tank size. Aquasoil is great for anything smaller than maybe a 40 breeder, but you work your way to say a 125g (From my experience) you are spending $500-$1k on substrate... I've used both and honestly cannot tell the difference in plant growth. One downfall with soil is the soil getting loose above the cap over time, but I've found to fix that you can just put your soil in filter bags and then cap all the filter bags with sand. The roots still make their way into the filter bags. All that being said... If aquasoil was ever as cheap as organic soil, id use the aquasoil. Until then, soil wins me over personally.
It seeps slowly in sand, but that's why you have soil at the bottom when you setup the tank. I'm not sure if you commented on this, I'm halfway through.
Yes. You can definitely "charge your deep substrate" its limiting for carpeting plants, and or moving plants around frequently if you propegate....but it certainly is a workable method
I've used half an inch of Nutra base by Colombo, mixed with 1 and a half inch of aqua soil, 2 inches all together. Used flourish root tabs pushed into the mix. I have then capped it with 1 inches of children's play sand, 3 inches all together. My tank is absolutely flourishing. I've had no algae issues, no outbreaks of disease, and it is completely stable in water parameters. Its growing hairgrass in low light conditions. I have bloody Mary shrimp and blue jelly shrimp in there, and crossbreeding the population is exploding. The tank has been set up for 4 months. When the tank evaporates 2in of water, I just top the tank off to the original level. No big water changes are the key. No drama, no fuss. It just does its thing 😂
I had extremely good luck with cherry shrimp the last time I had them. Made a good amount of money on the side rehoming them to other hobbyists. I'm thinking about trying kilifish at some point. Some of the African varieties in particular are insanely colorful.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us! I’m fairly new and to make sure I was creating a safe and thriving ecosystem for my fish, snails, etc I wanted to get all the knowledge I could so I could offer them the best life possible! Also bringing a slice of nature and its beauty to my home is such a blessing! It brings me so much joy to see my aquatic pet thriving in the environment I created. I’ve realizing that they seem the happiest when I have a low tech setup and recreate their natural habitat (to the best of my ability). I have learned so much from your videos!!
Watching this through again after a few months and i realized i'm actually learning and noticing things that were above my head before. Brilliant video, thank you 😊
Great education! I didn't realize how much engineering went into aquasoil, that was incredible to learn and makes me interested in potentially using it sparingly in my mixed substrate tanks in the future.
I didn't know before a month or two ago... and i felt like it gets misused or under utilized, but for making tiered scapes, nursery tanks with things being moved, or just carpeting scapes, its the best out there in my opinion... all the top aquascapers use some form of it... without exception on ADAs 100 best list annually ( there are a dozen varieties and brands, but pelletized soil is the constant)
I just started this hobby, i put inch and half of potting soil mixed with blood bone fertilizer. Capped with an inch of play sand, pebbles and grit stones. Planted, but need more. Some "Father fish" leaves and pond water. My Platies love it, wizzing around, already 3 babies. Gases occasionally bubbling from the soil. The fish only fed every other day with a pinch, but see them constantly hunting something in the water and nibbling surfaces, fascinating.
This clarifies a lot for me! I had seen a few Father Fish videos and still wasn’t quite sold on a dirt/soil base. I got some aqua soil instead and still plan on a sand layer on top. This tank setup is my Christmas present but I want to have it up and running by mid-December so I can start adding the first fish right around Christmas. I haven’t had a tank in about 10 years and itching to get back into things :)
Glad it was helpful! Enjoy the tank. I'm friends with Father Fish and enjoy his overall message, but sometimes we disagree on things like aquasoil... he thinks it's a conspiracy/scam for money... and I've spoken to botanist and aquacultural engineers, to understand how the aquasoils work...and to my surprise they are very useful, more efficient and complex compared with just a humus type soil or dirt & fert.
I went with father fish deep substrate method. I used ADA power sand at the bottom with ADA Amazonia aqua soil on top. In addition to this I added charcoal pieces, recharge mycelium mixture, 50 iron supplemented red clay balls, and father fish soil additive all mixed into aqua soil. I then topped it with black sand. I am happy with the results of my tank and all of my plants are fine. No big algae blooms. I only have one fish and a load of snails in it right now. 55 gallon with one sponge filter and an air stone. Been a month looks good. I'll add a CO2 generator permanently, probably when I fully stock the tank. In addition to this i have 80 tourmaline and maifanitum supplemented balls for shrimp next to my sponge filter to promote good bacteria and filter heavy metals.
Hmm I grabbed a bucket of mud from a creek and dropped that in my tank, along with 2 inches of sand cap. 2 years later everything going strong only cleaned my sponge once and everything is thriving. Just make sure you have enough fish to replenish the substrate I would have spent over $100 if I were to track down every ingredient.
@pennyrichards8019 its called blasting sand and for pressure cleaning / sanding. But its made from very hard crushed coal which is just carbon crystals almost like graphite. It should be at lowes or home depot. The most common brand is "black diamond"
@@Fishtory You remind me of Ryan Neil who teaches the fundamentals of horticulture as applied to bonsai. Knowing the why and not just the what/how are the difference between learning and understanding. If I may ask, are you self taught or are you a biologist by training?
I have some biology, geology and meteorology due to an archaeology grad schooling... and then history and anthropology undergraduate. So i was taught the way to research and the way to find good info, more than anything else honestly. Im teaching what i learn often...the week after i feel i fully understand it, so in that way i think we are all learned together on this channel
Had a horrible time with Aquasol....got a tank of black water which I had to empty the whole tank, clean everything, and start over. Restarted with sand topped with gravel and now I have clear water. 5 gal tank with 1 beta fish, plants with fertilizer tabs down in the sand. Getting a better light to help the plants grow and it looks good so far....happy beta fish!
I like to do layers. Similar to FF method, but with with some aquasoil and active base layer. In my last tank I used layer of pond compost, Dennerle base layer, Japanese aquasoil and gravel. Several months later I'm seeing some algae buildup, so I'll probably add light layer of sand. Both aquasoil substrates have capping effect to a degree.
Before I ever found Alex or Father Fish I did my first 20g hex like that, it's still the easiest tank I have- layers of layers, but mostly eco complete red with sunset sand on top. So clean looking compared to most of my other ones! (I struggle lol)
additionally -- the work that goes into your videos is fantastic and worthy of applause. Enough for us nerds but not too complex for a new person (someone like me, not new to any of this in theory, but new to planted tanks!)
This video is so informative. I love your videos. Now that I’m back setting up a couple of tanks after a devastating loss after hurricane last year. I needed to find the “love” once again. Thank you 🫶🥰💕
I’ve been making my own compost for years , I’m gonna start adding moss from the ditches here soon when it dries up , I’ve done really well in multiple types of gardens with the home made stuff I’m in the process of tanks working on soil under sand I’ve gotta 5 gallon going and I’ve gotta 29 in the process right now Somebody left a tank at an apartment so I took it home and the tank was broken at the base which was a 10 gallon that would’ve been nice I’ve got some ideas mustering this stuffs exciting
Love the deep dive. Appreciate the time it must take to thoroughly research and figure out a way to present this information in a way the average person can understand. 😊
Thank you. Its a bit of a puzzle sometimes...and deciding if i want to mention exceptions or 1 offs to rules if rare etc. But im trying my best hebe. Thank you, and have a great weekend
Tom Barr, and you both do deep dives into what you recommend, and I trust what both of you say, simply because I KNOW you have done hours of research before you just throw a video up. 👍❤️👍
Yes indeed. Man, i dunno if ive earned Tom Barr approximation at all, but i do admire him, and have for almost ( yikes...2 decades?!) Lol. Thank you as always, though!
I had been successful with just gravel and root tabs for years, but tried something different with my 75-gallon tank. I only wanted a line of swords across the back with a few Anubis's on some shale in the front with decoative polished stones to create an open moonscape look for free swimming shubunkin and fancy goldfish. I started with volcanic rock deep in the back graded to almost bare in front, a layer of white gravel and white sand cap. I didn't know that volcanic rock didn't have nutrients, so I had to supplement with root tabs and it did well. I had 8 goldfish in a 55-gallon that I moved in one at a time as ammonia and nitrites allowed for as it wasn't first cycled but heavily planted with swords and pothos clippings. I was glad that I didn't have natural nutrients in the soil as when I wet up my 5-gallon shrimp tank with aquasoil and aquasand it was leaching ammonia and nitrites for a few days before the vallisneria, hornwort, frogbit, ludwedia and moss bridge reversed the parameters. I know the biolode from 8 shrimp, even in an uncycled tank, couldn't have spiked ammonia and nitrites to 2 ppm each overnight, so the sand (which looks more like gravel) must not have sealed as I thought it would.
@@Fishtory Thanks, after 2 days ammonia was gone and nitrites dropped from 2 to .2ppm. The coconut moss bridge probably had a decent amount of biofilm and bacteria from 6 months in another tank which helped.
Thank you for this great info! I lost all my fish after a recent house fire. Fortunately, we didn’t lose our home, but due to the fact the power has been off and no heaters or pumps are active in my fish tanks, nobody has survived. That being said, I’m taking this opportunity to rebuild my tanks from the ground up. I’ve been debating between the Father Fish method of substrate or aqua soil for growing plants. I do believe I’m going to save myself a headache and go with the Fluval Stratum. Thank you! 🙏
Honestly his tanks are great, but especially if you have more than one to do, the care and the looks, plus the diversity of plants that will thrive.... i think aquasoil is the way to go, and it took me 10 years complaining about the price and this and that to finally realize it lol. By the way, so sorry to hear about the fire. Keep your head up, and enjoy that fresh start as much as possible. Cheers. -alex
Great video! Thank you. This is something I have been playing with. Up until recently I used a small gravel only, but now I am using aqua soil with a coarse grain sand. Still trying different combos, and learning so this was timely. I still have my 15 year old tank that was started with the small gravel only and I can grow anything in it because it is so well established, but I also have a recent tank using aqua soil and sand that established way faster. Everyone should listen to this presentation. Like you, I don’t use CO2. There was a time when I played with it, but I prefer the simplicity of no CO2. Thank you!
Great video , must watch again ? Was going to goemwiith a dirted tank but i am not sure now ? MD fish tanks uses some of thes methods . I will look atcskme of tyd pellets .. thank you
Great video Alex. I use aqua soil in some of my tanks and l also use a mud substrate in some of my other tanks. A brave and daring subject to deliver. You did a good job 👍🐠🐟💦
Thanks Alex, an interesting explanation. It strikes me that the diagram of the pellet at about 11:32 is the visual description in miniature of a BCB basket and of a deep clay substrate with slow moving plenum by Kevin Novak. (Not intended as a criticism, just an observation).
im going to start up a big tank walstad method. gonna put some aquasoil at the bottom now, some laterite and something for calsium and magnesium too, then some pond and top soil, and to top it of filtersand and some stones and gravel.
@@Fishtory i will! i was facing the "suggestive" problem that the soil would run out of important nutrients after a year or so, but after you mentiont the importance of anaerobic bacteria and how aquasoil works i really think this wil solve a big problem later on for the low tech tank it will be. whats maby interesting is that ill try to use as much biological filtration located in a sump, ill fill the whole last chamber with sponge, while shrimp life in the middle chamber and can clean up the sponge and make if free from debree. i could potentially put fast growing plants in the middle chamber of the sump where the shrimp are to controle nitrate levels i got 7 tanks now lol its getting out of hand while im still "new" to the hobby( 1 year). gonna upgrade the tanksize to put most of them together! the plants are gowing too fast :')
Hi Alex, I like this review on substrate. Coz, it is the first one we put for planted tank. Changing decoration or plants can be done multiple times without cleaning the whole tank. But substrate is something we hope, once we put it in, it stays there for years even decades if possible. So, if we put budget aside, the best way is to put soil first, and put sand to cap, in case we have a very active soil like Amazonia? Why do you put gravel at the lowest?
Correct. And as for layering the substrate ... gravel...small gravel, soil then sand....it is for the bottom over time, for mulm and silt from the soil that usually forms a dense band...to instead fill in between the stones. Plus using pumice or lava rock can give you lots of surface area for bacteria and arachae to colonize. My apologies for the delayed response!
I'm just about to start my next aquarium, buying new substrate. It's SO difficult to choose and because of the cost I want to get the right one... So thank you for these videos. Hopefully I dare to buy something tomorrow 😅
You sir are a fountain of knowledge! Thanks for this very informative video... I used an ADA soil that has provided very little growth for my plants... After watching this I think I'll be tearing this one down come fall and start over again with an enriched soil... Be well...
Did you use the little pellets it came with... there are now 2 types...an active one, and an inactive one with root tabs essentially. But if you aren't using high lights, ferts or co2 ... you very well may not unlock the value of ADA or active substrates...as plants need all pieces of growth and stability pyramid in place equally.
Fascinating - really had no idea there there was that much going on in the quality aqua soils. Will be interesting to see some of the studies. Thanks for doing this video!
This is great. Does the aquasoil get depleted over time and need to add root tabs or will it keep recharging with all the waste? (Never mind, this was answered in the last few seconds of the video, thats what I get for being impatient) Thanks for creating content that noone else is.
The CEC capacity carrying ability of some thing like kitty litter, turface, and saf-t-sorb are also very high just like your aqua soils. I like using a gravel / large diameter sand mix cap . Luckily i was able to pick up tons of laterite for cheap to mix with the bottom layer. I agree with you the expensive aqua soil is great but runs out of gas after a year but that is why i do not gravel vac. I use a aqua soil as middle layer or i also like the organic soil. The 1 inch slow moving plenum seems to help move the water through the cap, but i am not sure and still it makes sense. Thank You Alex and Tom Barr. Jay from Jays aquarium has some very thorough expanation and experiments on the topic. Do not forget in the wild there are no glass bottoms , and i think that is another good reason for a 1" plenum to promote slow movement.
This is really interesting. I just planted my first tank (11.6g). With pea puffers! I used stratum and capped it with gravel and sand. I didn't know a lot of what you're talking about here. I have hundreds of houseplants, but this is my first experience with aquatic plants. I set it up and did 3 water changes before adding the fish. This was on the advice of my fish person at the store. It's quite amazing how the levels have stayed in range since I added the puffers. My sciencey brain loves this stuff lol.
The more I learn about mulm the most I like it! I understand now that it’s good for my plants and after sometime it would not affect my fish (rasboras). Would the build up of mulm affect my neocarradina shrimp or would they also benefit from it?
I moved from FF DSS tanks to sand capped aqua soil about a year ago and really like the results. I have swords that completely stalled in dirted tanks that bounced back and quadrupled in size after being replanted in capped aqua soil tanks. I credit your past information for moving to aqua soil. Now I’m eager to try straight aqua soil without a cap. Can’t afford it at the moment but as soon as the worm turns that’s my next project! Thanks for all your help! You’re my go-to source for all things aquatic.
Hey im glad to hear it's working better. FF DDS works fine, its just not good for lush or advanced care level/ colorful stem plants, carpets and so forth. I think there's a reason we see all 100 entries into the aquascaping contests around the world ranked...and its 98% aquasoil tanks and high light
@@Fishtory you are correct, some of the plants did good. Water wisteria for instance just exploded but the swords in particular really stunted. When I pulled them the roots looked terrible. The other thing I really enjoy about the aqua soil is no burping substrate. It’s just the better overall method for me but if cost is a hindrance the FF method is certainly a viable alternative. I feel fortunate that I moved in early may and had the resources for aqua soil.
Glad to help renew the mindset hehe. And yes, i do tanks with a lot of detail as experiments and to learn or witness process ive researched in papers, but at the end of the day... i just love staring into a tank full of life 😌 ☺️
I've tried 1 inch of tropica substrate as botom "dry soil" 3-4 inch of bio-stratum mixed with eco-complete... went wild in plant growth, so much that in 1 month i needed to add root tabs already
Your my favorite Chanel because you put every youtuber info into one informative video. Your method of explaining is the best. Question, can I set up a hybrid style as you call 'lasagna'. Porous rock on the bottom , plenum style. Dirt on top , walsted style. Maybe fluval. And then sand cap , father fish style. LOL this is what I gathered from TH-cam research. Will it work ? Because it's confusing info out there. It's similar to what you mentioned in this video. Just wasn't sure why the plenum is ehh 😁
Yep i have 2 tanks like that! So you're golden. I dont know if it's better or more diverse in microfauna/flora or whatnot...but the layered pourus rock is great for beneficial bacteria at first...then mulm fills in and itll be nutrients for plants all in between....while the soil or aquasoil above acts as an immediate plant fertilizer..and a sand cap will seperate the ammonia plus likley allow for some anoxic bacterial development ... so it wouldn't hurt to add a little iron, pottassium, magnesium and or even some compound with sulfur.. in that lower level of stone....then the bacteria can convert nitrogen compounds into trapped ammonia for the plants over 6 months to a year....and then onward. Lastly...make sure to use some stem plants, so the deeper substrate layers get utilizes and are biotically rich over the aging of the substrate. Best of luck and id love to hear how its going in 6 months or so... ( youll likely have one algae bloom about a month in... i have videos on dealing with that also) .
This is awesome thanks I still want to see sand sifting behaviors and have sand loving fish so I’m torn between going all aqua soil or trying separate sand and soil
My most seasoned tank was just gravel for a long time. After many years I added some sand and more gravel. I have been through many scapes and fish in the tank over 12 years. When I was away and the power went out burning up the HOB everything survived just fine. Granted I hadn’t trimmed my hornwort or cabomba for at least a month.
@@Fishtory hopefully so, my hubby (who has been enabling my MTS of late) recently got me a new 45 long & I’ve been re distributing fish and hardscape. I have decommissioned all tanks smaller than 8 gallons. Granted once the new 45 (which is an older tetra tank) I will only have 6 tanks. My hope in the near future is to find a 20~ long to setup a pea-puffer paradise in honor of my daughter to home her favorite fish in her former bedroom. I hope to make it a place for our remembrance of her & her favorite things.
Hey Alex, you show pictures of the anaerobic core of aquasoil (around 11:30) that appear to be from a research paper. Do you have a link to that paper?
Im using eco-complete (all I could find) Im about 200 days in, and only just now have about 1 1/2 inch layer of mulm built up. Slow process, but the plants are taking off.
I am learning so much from you! I was excited to find out we are in same area so when you talk about our local life I can relate. I am super super new to the hobby and so excited to keep learning and growing my aquatic gardens.
This was awesome. 👍🏼 Newly reintroduced to aquascaping fish aquarium after giving up for a few years. You're videos have been very helpful. Hopefully I'll have better success this time and learn what to do and not to do. Thanks for linking all the other suggested videos. I'll give them all a watch throughout this week.
Thank you ! Very informative and I just bought plants and aqua soil Yesterday! But need more aqua soil for my 100 gallon tank . Had only guppies 2 babies, one male and a preggy one.
Thanks a whole lot, Alex. This video came out just in time for me to decide whether I should go deep substrate dirted tank or aqua soil in my new tank.
Hi alex , i feel bad asking question without being a member , but after the last debacle i basically agreed i wouldnt use my bank card on youtube .. i planted 2 amazon swords in a dirted tank , alla father fish . My question is , how long does it take for the amazon sword to bounce back to a big size after melting all the leaves . Before i removed the dead leaves from the plant , there was new leaf growth in the centre of the plant on both plants . the one has 2 leaves roughly 2inch long and the other has 4 leaves roughly 1 in long . i planted them 3 weeks ago and are under a medium light . Thanks in advance
This is really cool! Maybe I will splurge on aquasoil in my next planted tank. Also, this video has eased my mind about my tank acidifying, because I was freaking out a little bit. I used aquatic potting mix, that's made for pond plants, and probably about a cup of Seachem flourite, which I bought because I thought it was for planted tanks and then when I got it I was confused because it just looks like gravel. lol Probably putting a little in there turned out to be a good idea, anyway. I'm glad I used quartz sand to cap, since I didn't really know what I was doing. At least it is not adding or taking anything away. I think I need to be patient. I have learned so much from your channel. I know I had my lights on too long and too high, and I was overfeeding my fish, but I am being more disciplined about all that now. I can already see a difference in my water, and algae growth.
Thank you! This will come in handy. Personally it also made me realize I really want fine particle size quartz sand either as cap, or somewhere as an additive because I really like the look of the "grimy looking diatoms". When I look in natural bodies of water in Sweden, that's what I see. It feels right, and it's excellent food for algae eaters anyway (and oddly satisfying to watch my snails eat lumps or strings of them like a vacuum cleaner - amazing how fast they can eat)! If I get a spike in nitrogen it should tell me very visibly. BTW, have you ever tried using bentonite as a flocculant in an aquarium? My cat litter brand is supposedly made from unscented "white natural bentonite" (calcium based), would be kinda funny if it worked as flocculant + adding a bit more calcium to my soft water. Asking as the aqua soil pellets made me think of those bentonite grains in cat litter.
Yes! So the ash from mount Aso is diatomaceous earth ( aka bentonite ( the difference being it containts silca with magnesium and iron and diatomaceous earth is general silacates and trace minerals of any sort.) But that's why they use it as well. To what extent it works, seems to depend on the ph and additives people add to the water colum as well. Thanks for writing!
Low tech tanks with undergravel filters, eco complete and a little clay capped with gravel, heavy planted and slightly overstocked tanks, powerheads low flow with hob filters, no fish diseases at all, fish die from old age, plants do good also, along with floating plants, 40 year fishkeeper, please I am open to criticism
Nothing to criticize unless you want to uproot plants frequently and the mucky or silt in the water are a trouble. Otherwise, it sounds like it would work for most set ups ...perhaps not for high light and co2 loving plants...but most in the hobby will work :D
Thanks Alex, I am enjoying your way of speaking and explaining things, and am slowly working on transitioning my current 20 gallon, until I go full force with my new 30 gallon, and swap everything out. Gonna be a project!! I’m learning a lot.
I love this video, i always had aqua soil on my bad side cause where i live its very expensive (MXLI Mexico) but you have changed my mind, also i love the way you explain things on a easily digestibel way.
It IS Very pricey...i agree. For an aquascape, singular show-tank or community centerpiece, i think it's worth it. If you breed and keep like 10+ tanks, like myself...then it's far too pricey and i use various other sunstrates
another bad side of aquasoil is that they break down over time. so.. does that mean i would have to replace the aquasoil with new ones eventhough there are plants rooted in there?
Thanks for the very informative video! Just started a different experiment: use plant pots under water with cut-off pieces of my aquarium plants and a clay ball with micro nutrients at the bottom and above it 8 cm of fine gravel. The idea is that the plant pieces aerobically/anaerobically will be converted by bacteria into nutrients for root plants over time. Test planta in the pots are Echinodorus bleheri. Lets see...😉
So are you just trying to compost? Or do you want the swords to grow up and out of the gravel layer? It will eventually break down in annoxic or aerobic conditions, however low oxygen conditions tend to preserve organic matter ( think fossils! Or bog mummies...tar pit animals or permafrost mammoths). So its important not to close off that section of the ecosystem too much...over time the water needs to move in and back out...or perhaps malaysian trumpet snails could aerate and churn the sunstrate over time if you want it to break down faster
Thank you very much for the advice! The idea is to compost in the bottom part of the pots so that the swords sitting in the gravel above it take advantage of the break down products (i.e. nutrients). The whole thing is under water, similar to any other plant in the aquarium, and water exchange can take place through the gravel. Good point that the anaerobic conditions might preserve the organic matter! I did not think of this. I will see how it evolves and think about better aeration, maybe snails as you say, if it does not work.
Very informative, thank you very much! Aquasoil while pricey is definitely worth it imo. I'm butts about root tabs and active substrate helps. Currently trying to hunt down trumpet snails to help turn over the soil and mulm.
Oooh, love this! I don’t tend to use only aquasoil because of budget reasons, but I do try to add some in every tank I set up, I just have to combine it with other things and just jank my way through 😅 Thank you for sharing the research and graphs, it’s super helpful and I also love that so much work and expertise has gone into designing these substrates.
My latest experiment that im running is a deep substrate of aquasoil. 5/6 inches at deepest. Nutrition substrate layer at bottom and some small gravel/sand/old soil mix on top before deep aquasoil. Ive got a crypt tank so wanted loads of space for roots. Im interested if this will combine both ways of creating ammonia for the plants. I think you described a similar thing.
Hi there from England UK ❤ my tank is 2 foot long 13 UK gallons . I put aqua soil capped with a layer of Roman gravel. I added more aqua soil and capped with fine quartz sand . Planting live plants caused bleed through gravel and aqua soil and trying to re - bury it back under the sand ended up with everything totally mixed ....to my despair . I changed my filter from a small ciano 80. 450 litres an hour , to a interpet pf3 800 litres hour turned down to 400 litres per hour with a carbon sponge inside . And a double bubble up sponge filter turned right down . I'm worried about the carbon sponge absorbing all the plant nutrients , but in theory if I keep the carbon sponge in for more than 5 weeks it will release everything back to the plants again . As for the biological filtration I rinsed the old sponges into the aquarium with the new filters and from another small established tank . So far my two white cloud mountain minnows are still alive .
This is great, I'm about to set up a new planted 15 gallon and I want to do dirt substrate. Thanks for the information 😊 I've always wanted to try ADA aquasoil, but I cant do it for this tank as it buffers ph to around 6.8 which is great for plants, but not great for the lake inle species I want to keep in this tank. Im thinking of using a volcanic gravel which has trace elements but is inert and doesnt modify pH at all, and mixing this with a little bit of clay and topsoil, then putting that under a pool sand cap. Other option is finding an active substrate that buffers pH above 7, if there is one I'd be interested 😊
So I actually did a lake inle tank... and used 50% ada Amazonia and 50% inert fluval stratum ... some crushed coral, some botannicals. Root tabs and I Let the plants grow in first for a month or so
Thank you for the informative video. I just re-entered the hobby a little less then 3 years ago. I always used the pea gravel before so that is what I was used again, but this time around I used one of the Aqua soils and capped it with pea gravel. It seems to work for me. With wood and some botanicals the PH range is 6 to 6.4.
This is an outstanding summary of the various substrate methods. There are a fantastic number of options that may be best for your own goals - whether they be to breed fish or maintain a large bioload (where the plants and substrate serve the fish), or a planted garden where the fish are secondary and serve the plants.
All the links to info about setting up and cycling planted tanks
How to Add Nitrogen Active Aquasoil to an Existing Aquarium substrate:
th-cam.com/video/DElDJQi2HD0/w-d-xo.html
To cap or not to cap substrate:
th-cam.com/video/PotZy4LvC8E/w-d-xo.html
Understanding nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria cycles
th-cam.com/video/rFXSEIsjvIE/w-d-xo.html
A seasoned tank vs a merely cycled tank:
th-cam.com/video/pzuaehOMy0I/w-d-xo.html
Creating a balanced, filterless," no tech" ecosystem in a bowl, jar or nano tank
th-cam.com/video/K2hxp5PTlUs/w-d-xo.html
How to safely convert your aquarium into a filterless ecosystem
th-cam.com/video/n2Pa2sUUW04/w-d-xo.html
Why Aquarium Plants Melt and or Die & How to Prevent it.
th-cam.com/video/1YV5ltAs9Aw/w-d-xo.html
When to add plants to an aquarium.
th-cam.com/video/nNtxzt26tjM/w-d-xo.html
Hi Alex
Another awesome info dump!
I have an idea for you for a video series. Build a new tank from scratch, your "ideal/perfect" tank. Take it slow and talk through EVERY aspect. Selecting substrate, plants, tank size, aquascaping, water parameter monitoring, when to add stock, how you decide what to stock, etc, etc.
The idea is to get insight into your thought process and problem solving
And then do weekly updates on the progress of the tank. How the parameters shift over time, how you manipulate or counter that shift, plant growth, future plans, live stock progress, substrate stratification, etc...
Also do start to finish on starting white worms blood worms and daphnia and skuds cultures
Sorry I also would like to know I have a planted darted tNk 2 inch organic potting soil with sand capped and some river peoples for some contrast...how can I tell if I need to add those additives liquid and pills or even add more soil into the tank...I have stopped gravel vacs once I realized mulm was good and then just learned that it will create its own layers
Need to watch all videos apparently
❤ This video is awesome. I have been off of alcohol for 13 months now. I was drunk daily for 15 years. In the last year, I have started 4 nano aquariums that I'm really proud of. I have so much to show for my sobriety. I'm getting ready to plant my new 46-gallon. I've learned so much from you. Thank you for your content. I can't even begin to express the dopamine I get from looking at my aquariums. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Right on my friend! My new "high" is literally learning things that im curious about. It works well long term, after the acute withdrawals slow down. Maybe you should journal your tank and aquarium hobby journey for others too?! Cheers and have an awesome week
It's great that you've become sober, congratulations 🎉 but you've basically just replaced 1 addiction for another (albeit a less damaging one) 😂
Be prepared to suffer from multiple tank syndrome and have every spare surface covered in aquariums soon 😂
Congratulations on your sobriety. Life is so much better when you are awake and alert to enjoy it. Aquariums are a great hobby.
O m g, I love ur story. Congratulations!!
I hope u get dopamine from ur cute dog too
Finally! The first aquarium/aquascape-enthusiast I can stand listening to! Thank you for not using a million smash cuts with stupid graphics and obnoxious voiceovers. So glad the algorithm finally got me here. Subscribed and alerts turned on 👍🏼 Love love love these deep dives and listening to a person who knows what they're talking about without injecting unnecessary ego, instead approaching topics with the genuine curiosity of an actual scientist, and is clearly very passionate about what they do.
Aww oh why thankyuh! You jist made my day! Im glad you're here as well! Welcome 🙏. Dont be shy if you have questions or thoughts...corrections or critiques. As long as its the truth, as far as science knows it.. it never hurts my feelings to make a correction. I strive to put out unique and solidly researched information here. The algorithm often hates it lol... but just stop by the channel's main page or search a subject with "@fishtory" before it on youtube search bar, and perhaps you'll enjoy one of the 1400+ videos I've created
I have to agree that despite being mainly a "talking head" you're very easy to listen to and stay engaged; the mark of a good presenter/lecturer. I prefer to watch at 2x; it super concentrates both the enthusiasm and the knowledge! I usually "skip around" videos with the 10-second button but with yours I find myself thinking that I don't want to miss anything.
Quality, nutrient dense 😂 content.
I always had trouble growing aquarium plants until about 6 months ago, I dug a channel very carefully through the centre of my aquarium and back filled it with Aqua soil and then put my plants in, they have never looked back and they are now sending out aerial shoots. I love your video thank you very much for all your information.
Lovely to hear! Congrats!!!
Starting the research process before setting up a planted aquarium and your channel is by far the most informative I've come across. I'll keep deep diving your content!
Thank you. Welcome to the community, and feel free to ask questions or join our facebook group for help from other memebers and viewers!
Same. Absolute same. Your content kicks some serious butt my dude
@Fishtory - I’m new to the hobby and must say that of all the people making videos in this arena, you are by far the best! Very well spoken, extremely knowledgeable and smooth. Thank you for sharing all your years of hard work and dedication with us all.
Thank you so very kindly
Organic dirt capped with black blasting sand for me. Haven't gotten shrimp to work with it but corys and guppys love it. Oh and the plants love it too.
hnmmm this video makes me want to try aquasoil as a third layer. Probably midway between the organic soil and the sand.
@@AnimalAceyeah I have the same set up.why don't the shrimp work?and yes the plant love it!
I'm not sure. Its not temperature I know that. Water chemistry is fine. I even bought them local so the water should be fine. I might not of been feeding them properly maybe. We'll see though.@@randykoch1807
I have dirt/potting soil, sand, then regular rock substrate. Still in the cycling stage of the new setup but water parameters nice, along with plants, barely have to do water changes if any only do it to introduce new nutrients and feed more fertilizer.
I dod this but with a mix of thoroughly washed (until water runs clear) play sand and black aquarium sand. I'm pretty happy with the result. Bettas, neon tetras, platies, guppies, bristlenose pleco, corydoras, and otocinclus have all done really well with it in multiple tanks. I'll never go back to plain gravel. If I try aquasoil I'll still use a sandcap.
This research is a game changer. There has always been one « deep substrate » / « natural » camp versus « high tech » or « green aqua » camp, and at the end of the day this proves we are all doing the same thing.
100%
Thanks for the complete comparison of methods - makes it easier for the rest of us!!
My pleasure! Thank you so very much for your support 🙏. It goes a long way! Cheers my friend
I only understand about 10% of what you say but I like it❤. Science gives me a headache 😂
Deep knowledge. Impressive. And also respectful of other people’s methods. New sub.
Glad to hear that! Welcome to the community my new friend!
I like this channel because he always go back to scientific research and applications.
Thank you, I try my best
Congratulations, you have really nailed another one! This should be required reading for all new budding planted aquarium hobbyists. High class, enlightening, science based knowledge. Kudos and thanks for the contributions to the hobby,
Im honored and humbled. Thank you. I was fascinated by talking with all these people about the history and engineering of it, and just had to share part of the excitement and details that i felt I've missed until now, and probably many others have also
ALL THE LINKS AS PROMISED!
How to Add Nitrogen Active Aquasoil to an Existing Aquarium substrate:
th-cam.com/video/DElDJQi2HD0/w-d-xo.html
To cap or not to cap substrate:
th-cam.com/video/PotZy4LvC8E/w-d-xo.html
Understanding nitrifying and de-nitrifying bacteria cycles
th-cam.com/video/rFXSEIsjvIE/w-d-xo.html
A seasoned tank vs a merely cycled tank:
th-cam.com/video/pzuaehOMy0I/w-d-xo.html
Creating a balanced, filterless," no tech" ecosystem in a bowl, jar or nano tank
th-cam.com/video/K2hxp5PTlUs/w-d-xo.html
How to safely convert your aquarium into a filterless ecosystem
th-cam.com/video/n2Pa2sUUW04/w-d-xo.html
Why Aquarium Plants Melt and or Die & How to Prevent it.
th-cam.com/video/1YV5ltAs9Aw/w-d-xo.html
When to add plants to an aquarium.
th-cam.com/video/nNtxzt26tjM/w-d-xo.html
I like planted aquariums. I found that instead of adding potting mix directly into my tanks, which will require water changes to bring down the nitrate and ammonia levels from spiking. Instead, I pre wash my potting mix, thus reducing the amount of fertilizer from the mix, thus eliminating any spikes, as my tested levals are now at a low level. Pre washing is far easier then doing water changes, and everything is happy.
Thanks for sharing
Try using organic potting soil. No fertilizers.
@deneng0259 works well! Just gotta be a little patient and or looove plants 🪴 ! Which I do as well
Great informational video. However, I would argue that soil capped with sand is still king because of the price point per gallon depending on tank size. Aquasoil is great for anything smaller than maybe a 40 breeder, but you work your way to say a 125g (From my experience) you are spending $500-$1k on substrate... I've used both and honestly cannot tell the difference in plant growth. One downfall with soil is the soil getting loose above the cap over time, but I've found to fix that you can just put your soil in filter bags and then cap all the filter bags with sand. The roots still make their way into the filter bags. All that being said... If aquasoil was ever as cheap as organic soil, id use the aquasoil. Until then, soil wins me over personally.
Hi, I'm a new subscriber from Indonesia. I'm happy to see you guys creating content about nature aquarium
Thanks for subbing! Welcome my friend 🙏
It seeps slowly in sand, but that's why you have soil at the bottom when you setup the tank. I'm not sure if you commented on this, I'm halfway through.
Yes. You can definitely "charge your deep substrate" its limiting for carpeting plants, and or moving plants around frequently if you propegate....but it certainly is a workable method
I've used half an inch of Nutra base by Colombo, mixed with 1 and a half inch of aqua soil, 2 inches all together. Used flourish root tabs pushed into the mix. I have then capped it with 1 inches of children's play sand, 3 inches all together. My tank is absolutely flourishing. I've had no algae issues, no outbreaks of disease, and it is completely stable in water parameters. Its growing hairgrass in low light conditions. I have bloody Mary shrimp and blue jelly shrimp in there, and crossbreeding the population is exploding. The tank has been set up for 4 months. When the tank evaporates 2in of water, I just top the tank off to the original level. No big water changes are the key. No drama, no fuss. It just does its thing 😂
Hello i have been trying to get nutri base i am in newyork is their a site u know where i can buy nutri base
Sounds very nice! I still love lasagna tanks!
Hi, how is looking the outcome of the cross? Do You have pics posted anywhere ?
I had extremely good luck with cherry shrimp the last time I had them. Made a good amount of money on the side rehoming them to other hobbyists. I'm thinking about trying kilifish at some point. Some of the African varieties in particular are insanely colorful.
I've thrown Lowes peat under river rock and didn't really think about it again. My water wisteria stems are like tree trunk size, 8th month
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us! I’m fairly new and to make sure I was creating a safe and thriving ecosystem for my fish, snails, etc I wanted to get all the knowledge I could so I could offer them the best life possible! Also bringing a slice of nature and its beauty to my home is such a blessing! It brings me so much joy to see my aquatic pet thriving in the environment I created. I’ve realizing that they seem the happiest when I have a low tech setup and recreate their natural habitat (to the best of my ability). I have learned so much from your videos!!
Right on! You do what works for you and your fish, the fact you care, means youll do great
Watching this through again after a few months and i realized i'm actually learning and noticing things that were above my head before. Brilliant video, thank you 😊
Awesome. Thats what i love about learning about large systems in science.
Great education! I didn't realize how much engineering went into aquasoil, that was incredible to learn and makes me interested in potentially using it sparingly in my mixed substrate tanks in the future.
I didn't know before a month or two ago... and i felt like it gets misused or under utilized, but for making tiered scapes, nursery tanks with things being moved, or just carpeting scapes, its the best out there in my opinion... all the top aquascapers use some form of it... without exception on ADAs 100 best list annually ( there are a dozen varieties and brands, but pelletized soil is the constant)
I just started this hobby, i put inch and half of potting soil mixed with blood bone fertilizer. Capped with an inch of play sand, pebbles and grit stones. Planted, but need more. Some "Father fish" leaves and pond water. My Platies love it, wizzing around, already 3 babies. Gases occasionally bubbling from the soil. The fish only fed every other day with a pinch, but see them constantly hunting something in the water and nibbling surfaces, fascinating.
Nitrates low, ammonia still high, interesting to see how it stabilises.
Great to hear
This clarifies a lot for me! I had seen a few Father Fish videos and still wasn’t quite sold on a dirt/soil base. I got some aqua soil instead and still plan on a sand layer on top. This tank setup is my Christmas present but I want to have it up and running by mid-December so I can start adding the first fish right around Christmas. I haven’t had a tank in about 10 years and itching to get back into things :)
Glad it was helpful! Enjoy the tank. I'm friends with Father Fish and enjoy his overall message, but sometimes we disagree on things like aquasoil... he thinks it's a conspiracy/scam for money... and I've spoken to botanist and aquacultural engineers, to understand how the aquasoils work...and to my surprise they are very useful, more efficient and complex compared with just a humus type soil or dirt & fert.
I went with father fish deep substrate method. I used ADA power sand at the bottom with ADA Amazonia aqua soil on top. In addition to this I added charcoal pieces, recharge mycelium mixture, 50 iron supplemented red clay balls, and father fish soil additive all mixed into aqua soil. I then topped it with black sand. I am happy with the results of my tank and all of my plants are fine. No big algae blooms. I only have one fish and a load of snails in it right now. 55 gallon with one sponge filter and an air stone. Been a month looks good. I'll add a CO2 generator permanently, probably when I fully stock the tank. In addition to this i have 80 tourmaline and maifanitum supplemented balls for shrimp next to my sponge filter to promote good bacteria and filter heavy metals.
Sounds like a plan!
Hmm I grabbed a bucket of mud from a creek and dropped that in my tank, along with 2 inches of sand cap. 2 years later everything going strong only cleaned my sponge once and everything is thriving. Just make sure you have enough fish to replenish the substrate I would have spent over $100 if I were to track down every ingredient.
You guys having gas buildup in your substrates? That stinks and these are big bubbles. When will they finish?
Where were you able to find black sand? I'm having zero luck finding just sand turn off the fancy pre-packaged stuff that's $25 a bag
@pennyrichards8019 its called blasting sand and for pressure cleaning / sanding. But its made from very hard crushed coal which is just carbon crystals almost like graphite. It should be at lowes or home depot. The most common brand is "black diamond"
Love how u break down knowledge for those like me with out knowledge could understand .........salute to you. Alex
Glad it made any sense at all lol...it took me a while
Thanks! Your knowledge and ability to teach are unsurpassed…
Thank you. Im honored to read this. Im just glad you enjoyed it. Cheers my friend!
@@Fishtory You remind me of Ryan Neil who teaches the fundamentals of horticulture as applied to bonsai. Knowing the why and not just the what/how are the difference between learning and understanding. If I may ask, are you self taught or are you a biologist by training?
I have some biology, geology and meteorology due to an archaeology grad schooling... and then history and anthropology undergraduate. So i was taught the way to research and the way to find good info, more than anything else honestly. Im teaching what i learn often...the week after i feel i fully understand it, so in that way i think we are all learned together on this channel
Had a horrible time with Aquasol....got a tank of black water which I had to empty the whole tank, clean everything, and start over. Restarted with sand topped with gravel and now I have clear water. 5 gal tank with 1 beta fish, plants with fertilizer tabs down in the sand. Getting a better light to help the plants grow and it looks good so far....happy beta fish!
I like to do layers. Similar to FF method, but with with some aquasoil and active base layer. In my last tank I used layer of pond compost, Dennerle base layer, Japanese aquasoil and gravel. Several months later I'm seeing some algae buildup, so I'll probably add light layer of sand. Both aquasoil substrates have capping effect to a degree.
I do the same type thing frequently also
Before I ever found Alex or Father Fish I did my first 20g hex like that, it's still the easiest tank I have- layers of layers, but mostly eco complete red with sunset sand on top. So clean looking compared to most of my other ones! (I struggle lol)
additionally -- the work that goes into your videos is fantastic and worthy of applause. Enough for us nerds but not too complex for a new person (someone like me, not new to any of this in theory, but new to planted tanks!)
Thank you! I really enjoyed the whole video. Very well put together. Cheers.
This video is so informative. I love your videos. Now that I’m back setting up a couple of tanks after a devastating loss after hurricane last year. I needed to find the “love” once again. Thank you 🫶🥰💕
You can do it! I hope the channel can help. Best of luck to you and welcome back, friend 😊
I’ve been making my own compost for years , I’m gonna start adding moss from the ditches here soon when it dries up , I’ve done really well in multiple types of gardens with the home made stuff
I’m in the process of tanks working on soil under sand I’ve gotta 5 gallon going and I’ve gotta 29 in the process right now
Somebody left a tank at an apartment so I took it home and the tank was broken at the base which was a 10 gallon that would’ve been nice
I’ve got some ideas mustering this stuffs exciting
This topic never gets old
14:22 that's a pretty massive positive at this point in time, lol.
Love the deep dive. Appreciate the time it must take to thoroughly research and figure out a way to present this information in a way the average person can understand. 😊
Thank you. Its a bit of a puzzle sometimes...and deciding if i want to mention exceptions or 1 offs to rules if rare etc. But im trying my best hebe. Thank you, and have a great weekend
Tom Barr, and you both do deep dives into what you recommend, and I trust what both of you say, simply because I KNOW you have done hours of research before you just throw a video up.
👍❤️👍
Yes indeed. Man, i dunno if ive earned Tom Barr approximation at all, but i do admire him, and have for almost ( yikes...2 decades?!) Lol. Thank you as always, though!
Awesome that we can do your Amazon link to support you even if not buying any specific linked items!!!
Yes! Thank you!
I love the fact that i can look up my questions just in your feed though i do look at other videos but i look at yours firstish
Haha thank you for thinking of me! Feel free to let me know if im missing a topic too!
I definitely wouldn't have guessed the expensive stuff actually worked the best. Thank you for the knowledge.
I wouldnt have either haha
Keep up the good work Alex. Absolutely perfect. Love your stuff as always.
Thank you so much Dellsea ( Dell ?)
I had been successful with just gravel and root tabs for years, but tried something different with my 75-gallon tank. I only wanted a line of swords across the back with a few Anubis's on some shale in the front with decoative polished stones to create an open moonscape look for free swimming shubunkin and fancy goldfish. I started with volcanic rock deep in the back graded to almost bare in front, a layer of white gravel and white sand cap. I didn't know that volcanic rock didn't have nutrients, so I had to supplement with root tabs and it did well. I had 8 goldfish in a 55-gallon that I moved in one at a time as ammonia and nitrites allowed for as it wasn't first cycled but heavily planted with swords and pothos clippings. I was glad that I didn't have natural nutrients in the soil as when I wet up my 5-gallon shrimp tank with aquasoil and aquasand it was leaching ammonia and nitrites for a few days before the vallisneria, hornwort, frogbit, ludwedia and moss bridge reversed the parameters. I know the biolode from 8 shrimp, even in an uncycled tank, couldn't have spiked ammonia and nitrites to 2 ppm each overnight, so the sand (which looks more like gravel) must not have sealed as I thought it would.
Sounds like you sorted it out.
@@Fishtory Thanks, after 2 days ammonia was gone and nitrites dropped from 2 to .2ppm. The coconut moss bridge probably had a decent amount of biofilm and bacteria from 6 months in another tank which helped.
Alex, that was a amazing video I learned so much. Thank you for all the knowledge you bring to our community!
Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers Alan
Alex always explains it in ways we can all grasp well done yet again❤
Glad you think so!
Thank you for this great info! I lost all my fish after a recent house fire. Fortunately, we didn’t lose our home, but due to the fact the power has been off and no heaters or pumps are active in my fish tanks, nobody has survived.
That being said, I’m taking this opportunity to rebuild my tanks from the ground up. I’ve been debating between the Father Fish method of substrate or aqua soil for growing plants. I do believe I’m going to save myself a headache and go with the Fluval Stratum. Thank you! 🙏
Honestly his tanks are great, but especially if you have more than one to do, the care and the looks, plus the diversity of plants that will thrive.... i think aquasoil is the way to go, and it took me 10 years complaining about the price and this and that to finally realize it lol.
By the way, so sorry to hear about the fire. Keep your head up, and enjoy that fresh start as much as possible. Cheers.
-alex
Really enjoyed this one Alex. Thanks
Hey thanks Assiah
Great video! Thank you. This is something I have been playing with. Up until recently I used a small gravel only, but now I am using aqua soil with a coarse grain sand. Still trying different combos, and learning so this was timely. I still have my 15 year old tank that was started with the small gravel only and I can grow anything in it because it is so well established, but I also have a recent tank using aqua soil and sand that established way faster. Everyone should listen to this presentation. Like you, I don’t use CO2. There was a time when I played with it, but I prefer the simplicity of no CO2. Thank you!
Haha, you're absolutely correct alex, i got like beach sand and the pH just so alkaline around 7,5-8 across my tank.
Lol well... congrats its perfect for shellys and or livebearers?!
Oh man I could have had part of a Japanese volcano in my new tank. Guess I’ll still use the eco complete since I already bought it.
Great video , must watch again ? Was going to goemwiith a dirted tank but i am not sure now ? MD fish tanks uses some of thes methods . I will look atcskme of tyd pellets .. thank you
Right on. Use whatever works best for you!
Great video Alex. I use aqua soil in some of my tanks and l also use a mud substrate in some of my other tanks. A brave and daring subject to deliver. You did a good job 👍🐠🐟💦
Thank you kindly. I too like usong silt or mud as a boundary or cap
@@Fishtory definitely 👍🐠🐟💦
Good to see you again. Always, always excellent advice. I've learned so much from you.
Thank you kindly. I keep making videos, but only some of them make it out of the gates and into notifications lately hehe
@@Fishtory that's what I figured!!!!
Thanks Alex, an interesting explanation. It strikes me that the diagram of the pellet at about 11:32 is the visual description in miniature of a BCB basket and of a deep clay substrate with slow moving plenum by Kevin Novak. (Not intended as a criticism, just an observation).
100% ... and it was engineered and patented as such even! By Akadama and then ADA in the 1980s then again 1990s
Love your videos, always learning new stuff,this is facinating about aqua soils,thinking of adding this into dirted substrate then capping with sand
Have fun! Ill get those videos pinned in the comments soon too
well said! thanks for researching and sharing it in a easy to understand way!
Thank YOU. and im so glad it was understandable and not too dreadfully boring lol
im going to start up a big tank walstad method. gonna put some aquasoil at the bottom now, some laterite and something for calsium and magnesium too, then some pond and top soil, and to top it of filtersand and some stones and gravel.
Good luck! Let us know how it evolved please!
@@Fishtory i will! i was facing the "suggestive" problem that the soil would run out of important nutrients after a year or so, but after you mentiont the importance of anaerobic bacteria and how aquasoil works i really think this wil solve a big problem later on for the low tech tank it will be.
whats maby interesting is that ill try to use as much biological filtration located in a sump, ill fill the whole last chamber with sponge, while shrimp life in the middle chamber and can clean up the sponge and make if free from debree.
i could potentially put fast growing plants in the middle chamber of the sump where the shrimp are to controle nitrate levels
i got 7 tanks now lol its getting out of hand while im still "new" to the hobby( 1 year). gonna upgrade the tanksize to put most of them together! the plants are gowing too fast :')
Hi Alex, I like this review on substrate. Coz, it is the first one we put for planted tank.
Changing decoration or plants can be done multiple times without cleaning the whole tank. But substrate is something we hope, once we put it in, it stays there for years even decades if possible.
So, if we put budget aside, the best way is to put soil first, and put sand to cap, in case we have a very active soil like Amazonia?
Why do you put gravel at the lowest?
Correct. And as for layering the substrate ... gravel...small gravel, soil then sand....it is for the bottom over time, for mulm and silt from the soil that usually forms a dense band...to instead fill in between the stones. Plus using pumice or lava rock can give you lots of surface area for bacteria and arachae to colonize. My apologies for the delayed response!
Yes! You got the name! ❤❤❤❤ perfect
Hahah thanks
I'm just about to start my next aquarium, buying new substrate. It's SO difficult to choose and because of the cost I want to get the right one... So thank you for these videos. Hopefully I dare to buy something tomorrow 😅
Good luck! I prefer half ADA Amazonia aquasoil and half fluval stratum or brightwell volcan aqua florin if im keeping shrimp
@@Fishtory thank you ❤️ I will definitely take a look at those.
nice workAlex!Have good experience both with anoxic and Father Fish but...Liked the idea of gravel under,probable help anker plants better
thank you for reminding me to hit the like button. it is the least I can do. thank you for the hard work you do for us.
I appreciate that. Thank you
You sir are a fountain of knowledge! Thanks for this very informative video... I used an ADA soil that has provided very little growth for my plants... After watching this I think I'll be tearing this one down come fall and start over again with an enriched soil... Be well...
Did you use the little pellets it came with... there are now 2 types...an active one, and an inactive one with root tabs essentially. But if you aren't using high lights, ferts or co2 ... you very well may not unlock the value of ADA or active substrates...as plants need all pieces of growth and stability pyramid in place equally.
Fascinating - really had no idea there there was that much going on in the quality aqua soils. Will be interesting to see some of the studies. Thanks for doing this video!
This is great. Does the aquasoil get depleted over time and need to add root tabs or will it keep recharging with all the waste? (Never mind, this was answered in the last few seconds of the video, thats what I get for being impatient)
Thanks for creating content that noone else is.
You got it, haha thanks for actually watching it, as well 😄
Thanks for sharing! Loving the editorial style content! 👍
The CEC capacity carrying ability of some thing like kitty litter, turface, and saf-t-sorb are also very high just like your aqua soils. I like using a gravel / large diameter sand mix cap . Luckily i was able to pick up tons of laterite for cheap to mix with the bottom layer. I agree with you the expensive aqua soil is great but runs out of gas after a year but that is why i do not gravel vac. I use a aqua soil as middle layer or i also like the organic soil. The 1 inch slow moving plenum seems to help move the water through the cap, but i am not sure and still it makes sense. Thank You Alex and Tom Barr. Jay from Jays aquarium has some very thorough expanation and experiments on the topic. Do not forget in the wild there are no glass bottoms , and i think that is another good reason for a 1" plenum to promote slow movement.
Oh I agree with everything you are saying as well :)
This is really interesting. I just planted my first tank (11.6g). With pea puffers! I used stratum and capped it with gravel and sand. I didn't know a lot of what you're talking about here. I have hundreds of houseplants, but this is my first experience with aquatic plants. I set it up and did 3 water changes before adding the fish. This was on the advice of my fish person at the store. It's quite amazing how the levels have stayed in range since I added the puffers. My sciencey brain loves this stuff lol.
The more I learn about mulm the most I like it! I understand now that it’s good for my plants and after sometime it would not affect my fish (rasboras). Would the build up of mulm affect my neocarradina shrimp or would they also benefit from it?
Shrimp looove it!
I moved from FF DSS tanks to sand capped aqua soil about a year ago and really like the results. I have swords that completely stalled in dirted tanks that bounced back and quadrupled in size after being replanted in capped aqua soil tanks. I credit your past information for moving to aqua soil. Now I’m eager to try straight aqua soil without a cap. Can’t afford it at the moment but as soon as the worm turns that’s my next project! Thanks for all your help! You’re my go-to source for all things aquatic.
Hey im glad to hear it's working better. FF DDS works fine, its just not good for lush or advanced care level/ colorful stem plants, carpets and so forth. I think there's a reason we see all 100 entries into the aquascaping contests around the world ranked...and its 98% aquasoil tanks and high light
@@Fishtory you are correct, some of the plants did good. Water wisteria for instance just exploded but the swords in particular really stunted. When I pulled them the roots looked terrible. The other thing I really enjoy about the aqua soil is no burping substrate. It’s just the better overall method for me but if cost is a hindrance the FF method is certainly a viable alternative. I feel fortunate that I moved in early may and had the resources for aqua soil.
was starting to regret using aquasoil. been set up for couple years . thanks for the reassurance. That tank looks endlessly interesting.
Glad to help renew the mindset hehe. And yes, i do tanks with a lot of detail as experiments and to learn or witness process ive researched in papers, but at the end of the day... i just love staring into a tank full of life 😌 ☺️
I've tried 1 inch of tropica substrate as botom "dry soil" 3-4 inch of bio-stratum mixed with eco-complete... went wild in plant growth, so much that in 1 month i needed to add root tabs already
Was that with co2? And what lightning? Thats pretty crazy
Your my favorite Chanel because you put every youtuber info into one informative video. Your method of explaining is the best.
Question, can I set up a hybrid style as you call 'lasagna'.
Porous rock on the bottom , plenum style.
Dirt on top , walsted style. Maybe fluval.
And then sand cap , father fish style.
LOL this is what I gathered from TH-cam research.
Will it work ?
Because it's confusing info out there.
It's similar to what you mentioned in this video. Just wasn't sure why the plenum is ehh 😁
Yep i have 2 tanks like that! So you're golden. I dont know if it's better or more diverse in microfauna/flora or whatnot...but the layered pourus rock is great for beneficial bacteria at first...then mulm fills in and itll be nutrients for plants all in between....while the soil or aquasoil above acts as an immediate plant fertilizer..and a sand cap will seperate the ammonia plus likley allow for some anoxic bacterial development ... so it wouldn't hurt to add a little iron, pottassium, magnesium and or even some compound with sulfur.. in that lower level of stone....then the bacteria can convert nitrogen compounds into trapped ammonia for the plants over 6 months to a year....and then onward.
Lastly...make sure to use some stem plants, so the deeper substrate layers get utilizes and are biotically rich over the aging of the substrate.
Best of luck and id love to hear how its going in 6 months or so... ( youll likely have one algae bloom about a month in... i have videos on dealing with that also) .
This is awesome thanks I still want to see sand sifting behaviors and have sand loving fish so I’m torn between going all aqua soil or trying separate sand and soil
I think half and half looks lovely!
Interesting video Alex, thanks for sharing I personally use dirt and sand because it’s very easy for me
Understandble. Its also much less expensive
My most seasoned tank was just gravel for a long time. After many years I added some sand and more gravel. I have been through many scapes and fish in the tank over 12 years. When I was away and the power went out burning up the HOB everything survived just fine. Granted I hadn’t trimmed my hornwort or cabomba for at least a month.
Nice! Sounds like a stable exosystem you've created!
@@Fishtory hopefully so, my hubby (who has been enabling my MTS of late) recently got me a new 45 long & I’ve been re distributing fish and hardscape. I have decommissioned all tanks smaller than 8 gallons. Granted once the new 45 (which is an older tetra tank) I will only have 6 tanks. My hope in the near future is to find a 20~ long to setup a pea-puffer paradise in honor of my daughter to home her favorite fish in her former bedroom. I hope to make it a place for our remembrance of her & her favorite things.
@mercedeswarrenash5929 that sounds beautiful and a lovely way to memorialize a specific moment or feeling.
I love all your deep dives ❤ i learn so much its rediculous
Thanks
Hey Alex, you show pictures of the anaerobic core of aquasoil (around 11:30) that appear to be from a research paper. Do you have a link to that paper?
It is locked in a pay wall but I got it from Dr. Tom Barr from UNIVERSITY CAL. Sacramento
@@Fishtory No worries - I can get around the paywall. What's the name of the paper?
I LOVE your deep dive videos! You are the best!
Thanks my friend
Im using eco-complete (all I could find)
Im about 200 days in, and only just now have about 1 1/2 inch layer of mulm built up. Slow process, but the plants are taking off.
Yeah that tank should last you 5 to 10 years when you build it up slowly like that. Very cool
I am learning so much from you! I was excited to find out we are in same area so when you talk about our local life I can relate. I am super super new to the hobby and so excited to keep learning and growing my aquatic gardens.
Right on! Im in shoreline about 4 blocks north of Seattle city limits. If you ever have questions, dont hesitate to ask me. Cheers and 🙏 welcome
@@Fishtory I am in Forks for the summer and fall and spend winter over in Seattle. Thank you for being a resource for me! 🤩
Thank you for such an informative presentation! I've definitely learnt more about improving the plant growth in my tanks.
This was awesome. 👍🏼 Newly reintroduced to aquascaping fish aquarium after giving up for a few years. You're videos have been very helpful. Hopefully I'll have better success this time and learn what to do and not to do. Thanks for linking all the other suggested videos. I'll give them all a watch throughout this week.
Glad your enjoying it! Welcome back!
Thank you ! Very informative and I just bought plants and aqua soil Yesterday! But need more aqua soil for my 100 gallon tank . Had only guppies 2 babies, one male and a preggy one.
Right on! Just keep their water hard and the ph close to neutral to avoid swings in ph and reduce ammonia toxicity :)
Thanks a whole lot, Alex. This video came out just in time for me to decide whether I should go deep substrate dirted tank or aqua soil in my new tank.
Im So glad this video was of use, then. Cheers
@@Fishtory For me, you always seem to give the best and most complete advice when it comes to this hobby. Thanks
Hi alex , i feel bad asking question without being a member , but after the last debacle i basically agreed i wouldnt use my bank card on youtube .. i planted 2 amazon swords in a dirted tank , alla father fish . My question is , how long does it take for the amazon sword to bounce back to a big size after melting all the leaves . Before i removed the dead leaves from the plant , there was new leaf growth in the centre of the plant on both plants . the one has 2 leaves roughly 2inch long and the other has 4 leaves roughly 1 in long . i planted them 3 weeks ago and are under a medium light . Thanks in advance
What a awesome video with details that are easier to understand. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Complicated topic explained so that I could understand. Thanks! I’ll reply several times.
Right on. Thanks for coming by
This is really cool! Maybe I will splurge on aquasoil in my next planted tank. Also, this video has eased my mind about my tank acidifying, because I was freaking out a little bit. I used aquatic potting mix, that's made for pond plants, and probably about a cup of Seachem flourite, which I bought because I thought it was for planted tanks and then when I got it I was confused because it just looks like gravel. lol Probably putting a little in there turned out to be a good idea, anyway. I'm glad I used quartz sand to cap, since I didn't really know what I was doing. At least it is not adding or taking anything away. I think I need to be patient. I have learned so much from your channel. I know I had my lights on too long and too high, and I was overfeeding my fish, but I am being more disciplined about all that now. I can already see a difference in my water, and algae growth.
Right on! Its all about .. the journey and watching the little changes lead to big changes with a little
Thank you! This will come in handy. Personally it also made me realize I really want fine particle size quartz sand either as cap, or somewhere as an additive because I really like the look of the "grimy looking diatoms". When I look in natural bodies of water in Sweden, that's what I see. It feels right, and it's excellent food for algae eaters anyway (and oddly satisfying to watch my snails eat lumps or strings of them like a vacuum cleaner - amazing how fast they can eat)! If I get a spike in nitrogen it should tell me very visibly.
BTW, have you ever tried using bentonite as a flocculant in an aquarium? My cat litter brand is supposedly made from unscented "white natural bentonite" (calcium based), would be kinda funny if it worked as flocculant + adding a bit more calcium to my soft water. Asking as the aqua soil pellets made me think of those bentonite grains in cat litter.
Yes! So the ash from mount Aso is diatomaceous earth ( aka bentonite ( the difference being it containts silca with magnesium and iron and diatomaceous earth is general silacates and trace minerals of any sort.)
But that's why they use it as well. To what extent it works, seems to depend on the ph and additives people add to the water colum as well. Thanks for writing!
Low tech tanks with undergravel filters, eco complete and a little clay capped with gravel, heavy planted and slightly overstocked tanks, powerheads low flow with hob filters, no fish diseases at all, fish die from old age, plants do good also, along with floating plants, 40 year fishkeeper, please I am open to criticism
Nothing to criticize unless you want to uproot plants frequently and the mucky or silt in the water are a trouble. Otherwise, it sounds like it would work for most set ups ...perhaps not for high light and co2 loving plants...but most in the hobby will work :D
As anyone done a sand then the mud like father fish says then sand on top or mixing sand into the mixture and have a complete dirt and earth type
Yup we've been friend the better part of a decade and ive made many father fish style and walstad style tanks
Thanks Alex, I am enjoying your way of speaking and explaining things, and am slowly working on transitioning my current 20 gallon, until I go full force with my new 30 gallon, and swap everything out. Gonna be a project!! I’m learning a lot.
Best of luck!
I love this video, i always had aqua soil on my bad side cause where i live its very expensive (MXLI Mexico) but you have changed my mind, also i love the way you explain things on a easily digestibel way.
It IS Very pricey...i agree. For an aquascape, singular show-tank or community centerpiece, i think it's worth it. If you breed and keep like 10+ tanks, like myself...then it's far too pricey and i use various other sunstrates
another bad side of aquasoil is that they break down over time. so.. does that mean i would have to replace the aquasoil with new ones eventhough there are plants rooted in there?
Thanks for the very informative video! Just started a different experiment: use plant pots under water with cut-off pieces of my aquarium plants and a clay ball with micro nutrients at the bottom and above it 8 cm of fine gravel. The idea is that the plant pieces aerobically/anaerobically will be converted by bacteria into nutrients for root plants over time. Test planta in the pots are Echinodorus bleheri. Lets see...😉
So are you just trying to compost? Or do you want the swords to grow up and out of the gravel layer? It will eventually break down in annoxic or aerobic conditions, however low oxygen conditions tend to preserve organic matter ( think fossils! Or bog mummies...tar pit animals or permafrost mammoths). So its important not to close off that section of the ecosystem too much...over time the water needs to move in and back out...or perhaps malaysian trumpet snails could aerate and churn the sunstrate over time if you want it to break down faster
Thank you very much for the advice! The idea is to compost in the bottom part of the pots so that the swords sitting in the gravel above it take advantage of the break down products (i.e. nutrients). The whole thing is under water, similar to any other plant in the aquarium, and water exchange can take place through the gravel. Good point that the anaerobic conditions might preserve the organic matter! I did not think of this. I will see how it evolves and think about better aeration, maybe snails as you say, if it does not work.
I was thinkin about doin something similar
Very informative, thank you very much!
Aquasoil while pricey is definitely worth it imo. I'm butts about root tabs and active substrate helps. Currently trying to hunt down trumpet snails to help turn over the soil and mulm.
Good thinking! I have some if you dont find them elsewhere.
Oooh, love this! I don’t tend to use only aquasoil because of budget reasons, but I do try to add some in every tank I set up, I just have to combine it with other things and just jank my way through 😅
Thank you for sharing the research and graphs, it’s super helpful and I also love that so much work and expertise has gone into designing these substrates.
Hey im with you...that stuff is like gold...its so damn spendy. But if i were only keeping one or two tanks, itd be a no brainer
My latest experiment that im running is a deep substrate of aquasoil. 5/6 inches at deepest. Nutrition substrate layer at bottom and some small gravel/sand/old soil mix on top before deep aquasoil. Ive got a crypt tank so wanted loads of space for roots. Im interested if this will combine both ways of creating ammonia for the plants. I think you described a similar thing.
Yup yup. I think youll be happy with the results 9 months in
Hi there from England UK ❤ my tank is 2 foot long 13 UK gallons . I put aqua soil capped with a layer of Roman gravel. I added more aqua soil and capped with fine quartz sand . Planting live plants caused bleed through gravel and aqua soil and trying to re - bury it back under the sand ended up with everything totally mixed ....to my despair .
I changed my filter from a small ciano 80. 450 litres an hour , to a interpet pf3 800 litres hour turned down to 400 litres per hour with a carbon sponge inside . And a double bubble up sponge filter turned right down . I'm worried about the carbon sponge absorbing all the plant nutrients , but in theory if I keep the carbon sponge in for more than 5 weeks it will release everything back to the plants again .
As for the biological filtration I rinsed the old sponges into the aquarium with the new filters and from another small established tank . So far my two white cloud mountain minnows are still alive .
This is great, I'm about to set up a new planted 15 gallon and I want to do dirt substrate. Thanks for the information 😊
I've always wanted to try ADA aquasoil, but I cant do it for this tank as it buffers ph to around 6.8 which is great for plants, but not great for the lake inle species I want to keep in this tank. Im thinking of using a volcanic gravel which has trace elements but is inert and doesnt modify pH at all, and mixing this with a little bit of clay and topsoil, then putting that under a pool sand cap.
Other option is finding an active substrate that buffers pH above 7, if there is one I'd be interested 😊
So I actually did a lake inle tank... and used 50% ada Amazonia and 50% inert fluval stratum ... some crushed coral, some botannicals. Root tabs and I Let the plants grow in first for a month or so
Thank you for the informative video. I just re-entered the hobby a little less then 3 years ago. I always used the pea gravel before so that is what I was used again, but this time around I used one of the Aqua soils and capped it with pea gravel. It seems to work for me. With wood and some botanicals the PH range is 6 to 6.4.
Glad it was helpful! Do what works and what you like the look of
This is an outstanding summary of the various substrate methods. There are a fantastic number of options that may be best for your own goals - whether they be to breed fish or maintain a large bioload (where the plants and substrate serve the fish), or a planted garden where the fish are secondary and serve the plants.