Should we start a new experiment? Or keep this one going? Everything I'm using for this experiment (affiliate links) Tank US: bit.ly/3qE968B EU: bit.ly/3S0rJ2J Light US: bit.ly/3dVYmPQ EU: bit.ly/3D7RAB1 AQUARIO NEO SOIL US: bit.ly/3Hopkda EU: bit.ly/3fxvcHp FLUVAL STRATUM US: amzn.to/3fqiKJr EU: amzn.to/3SruUQL WIO WETLAND EONIAN EU: bit.ly/3Ci1uPv 🚨Watch this next!🚨 Inspiration playlist! th-cam.com/play/PLrlvf56gZy-ipL3105SdfKsUBrMUSttoh.html CO2 buying guide! th-cam.com/video/dIVrr1yS3sU/w-d-xo.html How to SETUP your CO2! th-cam.com/video/qSHZ4F2PI2o/w-d-xo.html Simple fertilizer dosing! th-cam.com/video/I_KBOUM1RXM/w-d-xo.html 👉🏻Cool Aquascaping T-shirts: mosscotton.com/ Code: mjaqua10 👉🏻Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my TH-cam channel: TH-cam.com/mjaquascaping 👉🏻 Use Code ''MJAMSTERDAM'' for 10% off Fzone products #plantedtank #aquascape #mjaquascaping
How about a deep dive into the two top, unexpected contenders? Maybe scape two tanks, one with pond soil + aquasoil and another with Fluval and see how they compare to each other and your past history with the Neo stuff. New scapes!
I'd say keep it going a touch longer. I also suggested in another video for a comparison of, still water, moving water (agitated but no added air/co2), normal air agitated and co2 added to see if ambient air will have any effect on plant growth vs not having any at all. C02 and stagnate is control in this test.
Number 2 for me! Internodal distance looks good and all round health and colour looks excellent. Interested to see Fluval stratum compared head to head with Tropica soil and Ada Aquasoil with and without CO2. There’s your next 6!
Please continue with adding co2! Great light+great soil+ co2 = i wanna see these results! Only way to properly gauge, in my opinion! Thanks for this experiment so far!
Such an underrated channel. Usually channels with videos of this level of production have many more subscribers, but I imagine it’s just a matter of time :)
Man you have the best channel. Idk why you have so few subscribers for this quality. I love love love that you use scientific method, you get straight to the point with no personality selling and you’re really talented with this hobby. You have to keep this set up going. Add more time then right before worse tank plants get to unsalvageable add co2
Keep it going. You have so much experience with all different sorts of aquariums, your opinion on just which substrate might be better in which situation would be very helpful. I’m going to set up two large aquariums in the near future, I’d love to have an idea going in what would be the best substrate for what I want to do. Thanks for your terrific videos!!
Now i know which soil I will buy for my next tank - FluvaL Stratum. I got no idea why i did not see this video before, but I love results with this tank. Awsome colours and health of all plants, almost no issues with algae and fact that lack of CO2 is not making a mess is huge win for me. Thanks for this video. I plan to rescape my tank in ner future, so this will be way to go. Now only design is left to choose and I am not best designer lol.
Very good info, thank you. I have sand substrate and my tank went through a huge crash or two in the past month. I decided to add some stratum to the tank that has just inert sand. I wish I could replace it all, but I am going to leave the sand and just add stratum to it and let the fish decide what to do with it when they are able to get back into it. Theyve been in a hospital tank since the crash that happened after a water change. My plants have never grown very well, and when they did, I ended up getting staghorn algae. I do water changes 10-25% every week, but my water changes constantly because we get our water trucked in and I have a water softener. I am so annoyed with this situation, but I dont want to give up on fishkeeping. I really don't know what to do at this point. I am still water changing every week without fish in the tank, as it had to go through the nitrogen cycle again after the crash. I probably should have just started all over again. My water comes out at 6.0 or less pH - what can I add to my tank to buffer the pH to stay around 7.0 pH? Eggshells?
Keep them going. Add 1 or 2 white cloud minnows or similar to each tank and add a little maintenance as you would with your other tanks. Fascinating experiment.
I have been using pond soil from brico for 2 years and my 60 liter Aquarium with no co2 and low dosage of nutrions are really awesome! In my experience it went really well with pond soil.
your timing couldn't have been more perfect. In the planning process of setting up 2 tanks right now with different requirements, had this exact question, watched part 1 yesterday, and here you are today. Thanks so much!!
I think you should start again, but keep the fluval and tropica and put them up against some other brands/mixes. Like a tournament. Like others have mentioned, I think you should try and control the lighting more to make it more consistent across all the tanks. Using black plastic dividers or something.
I would love to see you keep it going for a while longer. As someone who had her first aquascape in June and then had to move, I'm still setting up my new one. I use fluvall stratum and I'm gratified to see that it is performing well so far. I have never had nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia at high levels.
i think ill go with pond soil on bottom and fluval on top of it. maybe 1 inch pond soil, and 2 inch fluval. ill pass from a 13gallon tank, upgrade to a 31gallon tank. + So i want to start the best as possible.
it would be interesting to see this experiment again with more heavy root feeder like carpeting plants, crypts and swords. also im really surprised the root tabs caused the most nitrate and not number 6.
I invested in a digital pH sensor and I will never go back to the chemical one. It is super accurate and easy as long as you care for it, basically don’t drop it or leave it dirty or anything. ❤ Great video, and I will definitely try your plant substrate method.
Keep it going, at least through the 3 month mark. I think that's a good amount of time to see how it's going to perform longer term. 2 weeks, things are still settling down to an equilibrium. Great info!
Your videos are always the best man.. less talking and more things to show.. sometimes i don't understand the other TH-camrs who always talk and explain things like we want to see their faces all the time.. we want results like yours.. good job man.
I used aquasoil and fine round pebble sand. Had to clean the sand a lot though, but it's a dark colour with specks of other lighter colours. Looks like teeny tiny micro pebbles. Has worked fantastic. I cut the plants back weekly. No ferts and no C02 at all. The only issue is diatoms, no algae at all. But it's a shrimp and snail only tank and full of baby shrimp that graze on the diatoms, so guess that's great. It is a deep bed with red scoria at the bottom then the aquasoil and then the sand. I have to say the sand is so much easier to plant in that aquasoil, so glad I did it this way.
Eu mantinha a experiência pelo menos mais um mês. Estou realmente surpreso que as abas de raiz causaram mais nitrato e não o número 6. O número 6 é uma excelente surpresa. Abraço desde Portugal! I kept the experience for at least another month. I'm really surprised that the root tabs caused more nitrate and not the number 6. The number 6 is an excellent surprise. Hugs from Portugal!
Nice experiment! I would have added a cryptocoryne in each of the compartments. Just to compare a pure root feeder versus stem plants which receive most of their nutrients from the water instead of the soil.
Brilliant experiment! I really appreciate your methodology 👍 My suggestion for a follow up test: take results from 4, 5, 6, and now run similar setups with base layer of pond soil, but this time 1st capped with inert black gravel / 2nd with smaller amount of pond soil and capped with sand layer 3 times thicker than soil / 3rd keep same as original #6. Maybe you’ll find an even better substrate combo.
I think you should keep this going. No need for many major changes just keep it going with water changes and algae growth. I would like to see which substrate “exhausts” the substrate over time
I think it would be great to try this with RO water or distilled. It was great that you tested pH since that will affect certain plant growth too and I'm not sure what you're water is out of the tap. Obviously different aquasoils will lower the pH to differing levels, but it would be interesting to see how much that might have had an effect. Really great video!
You sir are legendary! I can’t tell you how many questions I’ve had that you answer in each video. Thank you for your content, it helps a lot when one doesn’t have access to be able to run my own experiments!
The way capped dirt works is the nutrients leaching slowly into the water. Too thin layer of sand (soft gravel) and nutrients cause algae calamity. With recommended 2"/5cm thickness the nutrients seep slowly and the plants need to reach nutrient-rich levels with their roots. So the plants won't grow fast from the start, but over the months that would change. As the experiment goes, I think #4 wasn't capped properly and #6 may see some issues in the 1-2 months, but maybe not. Aquasoil also falls apart after some time. I'd say the best substrate would be thick bed starting with rich soil, thick layer of sand, some aquasoil and thin capping of sand. That is if I were to start a large planted aquarium going for years. For nano-tanks I'd go with pure aquasoil.
i think we should also consider the plants in the middle of each tank getting more light then the ones on the outer side since they have 2 connecting led sides and the others only have 1 side, which could be also a factor of to much light to much algae orso
Nice video and good to see different soils and substrates work differently for a low tech setup. My guess would be due to the high ph in your water that was always lowered by your co2 usage in your other tanks, making it ideal for the plants. The pond soil + aqua soil could’ve better results due to the fact that the ph was lower and is favorable for plant growth.
been waiting for this video!! excited to see what the results are I'm towards the end and holy cow those weird worms in tank #5 are pretty gross... burn it with fire!!
@@IndoorEcosystem But I am perplexed. Root caps are "sterile" looking, and sand is relatively sterile. I can only surmise that the transplanted plants had some eggs or something on them.
I would like you to keep this experiment running until nutrient deficiencies start appearing in the tanks, this would help to evaluate which one is the best in the long term. Thanks for this experiment and all your videos, really interesting and useful!
Good start and good video. The thing with substrate is that in nature it is stratified and has a complex structure. The other thing is that plant choice is important. #6 did better because the substrate was more complex. Add a little clay to the bottom and some buried rock/gravel (not sand) structure, and it would win by even more and with more types of plants.
I can't find aquasoil in my area so I used Fluval Stratum and I love it, everything grows very well, even a year and half later. Advice, put on a good 2-3 inches of substrate to let the roots sink in deep.
Hi Mark, all good stuff. Think you are spot on ref. substrate colour and reflected light, once put a mirror on the back of a tank, not a good idea, loads of algae. High Nitrates are blamed consistently for eutrophication of rivers so I am also sure you are right on the issue of Nitrate leaching and spiking the water column. The Phosphate readings surprise me as well. Iron is hard to measure and it contributes to a healthy green in plants, not as simple as red iron = red plants as some think. Red plants tend to like low Nitrate levels and softer water - not just more acidic water. The water softening effect from the most effective substrate mix also needs to be factored in, especially for the unlocking of limited dissolved CO2. All not easy to do. Thanks again, but, I'm too old to think about a PhD in chemistry!
Very helpful test, I am looking to start a 10 gallon moderate to heavy planted.Looking to do low tech, so I think Fluval Stratum will be the way to go.This was a great help in seeing different setups and the results from each.
Appreciate all the effort and the scientific unbiased approach to the tests! As a next step you may compare Aquasoil and Fluval with different amount of light and CO2. Thank you for the great content!
Thank you for your time In doing this. Been on the fence about getting back in the hobby after a long time. Leds weren't around. Big changes. I was spoiled my buddy owned a pet store. Do some plumbing repairs did his ro system Work a Sat and would get everything in trade for cost. Enjoy your channel and appreciate your time
This substrate head-to-head test was EXTREMELY helpful. Something I think I might want to see is a reset. clean them all out, re-soil, and re-plant with new plants. And this time add some fish, shrimp, or something to put a small bio load on the tanks. Fish will also introduce a small level of CO2 as well I think. This may change results somewhat. Also less of those nutrient additives in tank 5. So far i'm excited about how well the Fluval Strata did as that is probably the easiest to find in my area.
An interesting follow up would be: How would you fix each tank (not changing the substrate) for example: how would you set the light, or dose nutrients, or ad co2, etc… to make each substrate work?
I use Fluval for my plant cuttings. When I want to propagate some, I'll keep them in water until I see roots forming. After that, I add 1-2 TBSP. Never had algae issues.
I think tank # 6 would be perfect for people who want to submit their tanks for competition. You can get insane and healthy plant growth really quick, but that also would lend itself to higher maintenance. # 1 I think would be ideal for the more permanent tank in your living room as it can grow plants well, clearly, but it's not going to give insane explosive growth and cause a big chore every weekend.
I personally use stratum with a thin layer of gravel and sand to keep the tank looking bright. Stratum is also just incredible for terrestrial plant. I use a bit of it in all my terrariums and vivarium.
Great experiment. Thanks for doing this. I do want to point out that there is a variable for which you didn't account. The middle chambers are getting more light than the side chambers. They get direct light from above and some from the lights above both chambers beside them while the side chambers only get light from above and one side. It is interesting that despite this, you still got the best growth in a side chamber.
Epic video! Going to be adding some multipurpose compost to a tank and adding plants. Going to top it off with gravel, cheap stuff from the garden store, and cap with some decorative sand. Hopefully the plants will grow well and then I can add some livestock when the nitrates calm down.
Fluval stratum is good, I'm using it but the soil is quite light. Hard to plant if you shallow plant. Need to put more soil so you can push it in further.
Please keep this experiment going. It’s extremely helpful. I noticed when I was doing aqua soil mix with pond soil eventually all my aquariums pH level shot up to 8.4, even ones that I was using distilled water in. I reset all but one with just aqua soil it’s actually the flu Stratham, the pH is staying low and not shooting up. I’m curious to see results of all of these different substrates.
Going by these results, I like the Fluval Stratum results best. That ludwigia is just poppin'! The plants looked bushier instead of leggy like some of the other tanks and it appears to be more of a sustained growth, instead of a growth spurt. For a beginner/low-tech tanks as well as for the price ( Stratum is more easily found and is less expensive than some other brands), I would say the Fluval Stratum had the best overall results.
Fascinating stuff! I'd assumed I did something right because my tank has been crystal clear with excellent plant growth for many months now, but I guess that fluval stratum seems to influence that in this experiment. Maybe I just got lucky, haha. I dislike planting in it (a lot of plants struggle to stay planted until their roots dig in), but otherwise it has been a wonderful substrate to get started with.
Hope you kept this one going, love to see if the results change after months 3 and 4. After that duration, does the difference even matter or do they all start to level out? Which one causes the most work, most melt, etc.. Love the content, keep it coming.
This is genuinely a great experiment, keep this one going and add a couple of snails, shrimp and micro fish like Chilli Rasbora. You shouldn’t need a filter with all those plants and low bio load 👍
Tank #6 seems like a clear winner. Not sure why MJ was reluctant to declare that. I am also wondering what was more beneficial in Tank #6 since the other tank with same pond soil kinda failed. Was it the aquasoil that worked the best or because it was combined with aquasoil? What were the ingredients in each substrate? Looks like Fluval stratum has higher iron (hence the bright red)
It also depends on nutrients leaching from the pond soil and how well the upper layer capped it. I think with #4 the nurtrients were leaching too much and with #6 pond soil nutrients didn't saturate aquasoil that much yet. Frankly I have no idea, if that changes in 2-3 months or later after the aquasoil falls apart.
Awesome video , glad too see Fluval looking good. I think maybe now try CO2 on the tanks and give another few weeks, or even top 4. Awesome video again MJ Aquascaping
Great channel and love to see these kind of tests. For me No. 2 is the prevered one and looks the most natural. Was hoping that you would also test the ADA aqua soil amazonia 2 Maybe you can add this one together with 2 other prefered soils (No 2 and 6) and start adding CO2
Very useful video, thank you! I've been using Flourite in my 10 gal (expensive stuff) which is like gravel but much finer. I've noticed the roots are much more developped, a lot more rizome as well, and my plants are thriving! I'd like to see Fourite topped with gravel :)
Keep it going. I’d be interested in seeing the same test but with distilled water. This would help create a more neutral base for others to reference against.
Greatful i saw this video. I bought aquasoil and considered burying in root tabs . I think I'll hold off for a bit on the root tabs until the plants get some of the nutrients from the aqua soil eaten up first
The reason tank #6 is doing so well is the decomposition of the pond soil is releasing CO2 - thus it's maximizing the efficacy of the aquasoil cap and its own nutrients. It's basically injecting itself with CO2. Also the high cation exchange capacity of the aquasoil is going to work well to stabilize (almost like it's storing) the excess release of nutrients being released by the pond soil as it decomposes. This experiment turned out exactly like I thought it would but I'm super happy to see it being validated.
And the results are even more telling considering that the pond soil you used isn't all that impressive on it's own - if you sourced a better potting soil mixture and then used another aquasoil or volcanic/clay derivative with a high CAC you will see even better results. This I think is the secret behind not needing to dose liquid ferts and increasing the longevity of some aquasoils since they eventually lose their effectiveness after a year or so.
Something I would want to experiment with is the comparison between gravel + pond soil, sand + pond soil, aquasoil + pond soil, and high CEC cap (such as SafeTSorb, montomorillite clay, etc) + pond soil, to figure out whether it's actually the CEC capacity or something else inherent to the aquasoil, because the pond soil alone should have plenty of CEC capacity as organic substrates rank among the highest in that regard. Additionally, one could try this with mineralized topsoil.
Going to have to agree with you on the root tabs. Only using 2 would have probably had better results in the gravel compartment, as it was probably too many nutrients for all those plants to handle.
Thank you. Very interesting. My two thoughts: A) What do you mean by "pond soil?" Actual dirt from outdoor pond? And 2) Fluval is popular in US for sure but there is also an undercurrent of disrespect that serious hobbyists have for Fluval, which makes your findings a bit of a surprise.
This video has been the best option for everyone who wants to try all these types of substrate. Though I'm curious if the results of the white sand would have been different if you were used a darker type of sand
Due to random variability, you need to replicate each test as a way to account for variation. Choose the two best, and replicate those three times each, thereby using all your six tanks.
Number 5 even had leeches which reminds me of snail leeches. Basically not kill able if you have it in a large aquarium. Very scary to see those. Tank 6 looks the best in my opinion and the fluval substrate is nice aswell I guess. Great video!
I'm definitely going to recreate this with some UNS contrasoil. It's the most expensive substrate by weight I can find and I'm really curious as to how it really stacks up. So I'm very happy that you helped me narrow it down to other two comparison substrates instead of 6 or 7
Great experiment! Thx for doing it. Would also be good to know which substrate is most beneficial for keeping healthy fish with the least amount of water changes. 😅
Outstanding video/information. One question though. Is the pond soil a product from a supplier? Or is it actually where you’ve taken a bucket to a pond and got some of the substrate from the bottom of the pond?
This was a great experiment and very useful for us fellow aquascapers. My assessment of the results for Tank 6 is that the combination of both pond soil and aquasoil without the gravel cap meant an excess of all necessary nutrients were distributed through the tank in a balanced way, resulting in what I can only describe as an EI (Estimative Index) Substrate solution. In contrast, the tanks with just aquasoil would have been lacking in some nutrients so the balance was off and for the gravel capped tanks, the combination of high light and white gravel in addition to the aquasoil/pond soil being capped prevented enough nutrients from leeching into the water column, forcing the developing roots to the the most work for nutrient uptake. I'd like to see you take the results of this experiment to a bigger scale. How would the substrate setup for Tank 6 cope on a larger scale with CO2 injection? This would be interesting to see.
I say keep it going, so we can have results in a couple of months and see if things remain the same. I'm based in Canada and use Fluval Stratum with Seachem Flourite in 2 tanks (10, 5G). I have good, stable results with water parameters and plant growth. I don't use Co2. In my 1st aquascape tank (15G), I used a (too) thick layer of Fluval Stratum and capped it with natural colored sand and have a permanent issue with diatoms. It's under control because I have 2 nerite snails, 3 otocinclus and a 4 large amano shrimps (+ 2 juveniles, the otos had babies!!) It's not happening in my other 2 nano tanks. One thing to consider with Fluval Stratum is if you have soft water like I do, you'll get quite brutal pH swings, I'm talking 1 full point within a few hours. I had issues with this in the beginning because my tap water reads 1KH, 4GH and pH7. My tank would drop from pH7 to 6 in a matter of hours after a water change, it was absolutely crazy. I have to add crushed coral to my tanks for a couple of weeks. My pH doesn't go higher than 7.5 but I usually remove the crushed coral once it hits that mark and let the water slowy return to 6.8-7. I check my pH like a hawk with a pH pen, the colors are also very close together in the API master kit and I find they're hard to read.
This is a great experiment, I think the fluval is a surprise and the pond soil( is it the soil or the aqua soil topping, and which aqua soil disbuds use). Keep the experiment going putting the best 2 up against the market leaders ADA, Tropica, and Dennerle. You could also trial use of base substrates such as power sand.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
Should we start a new experiment? Or keep this one going?
Everything I'm using for this experiment (affiliate links)
Tank
US: bit.ly/3qE968B
EU: bit.ly/3S0rJ2J
Light
US: bit.ly/3dVYmPQ
EU: bit.ly/3D7RAB1
AQUARIO NEO SOIL
US: bit.ly/3Hopkda
EU: bit.ly/3fxvcHp
FLUVAL STRATUM
US: amzn.to/3fqiKJr
EU: amzn.to/3SruUQL
WIO WETLAND EONIAN
EU: bit.ly/3Ci1uPv
🚨Watch this next!🚨
Inspiration playlist! th-cam.com/play/PLrlvf56gZy-ipL3105SdfKsUBrMUSttoh.html
CO2 buying guide! th-cam.com/video/dIVrr1yS3sU/w-d-xo.html
How to SETUP your CO2! th-cam.com/video/qSHZ4F2PI2o/w-d-xo.html
Simple fertilizer dosing! th-cam.com/video/I_KBOUM1RXM/w-d-xo.html
👉🏻Cool Aquascaping T-shirts: mosscotton.com/ Code: mjaqua10
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#plantedtank #aquascape #mjaquascaping
keep it going for a few more months! See what happens long term.
How about a deep dive into the two top, unexpected contenders? Maybe scape two tanks, one with pond soil + aquasoil and another with Fluval and see how they compare to each other and your past history with the Neo stuff. New scapes!
Keep it going for at least 90 days.
I'd say keep it going a touch longer. I also suggested in another video for a comparison of, still water, moving water (agitated but no added air/co2), normal air agitated and co2 added to see if ambient air will have any effect on plant growth vs not having any at all. C02 and stagnate is control in this test.
I think the test should run at least 3 month. But you should handle each aquarium individual to see if ist possible to get similar results
I'm a chemist and for a quick experimental set up this is genuinely impressive.
Yes! Bio-engineer here. I like how he really tried to keep most variables constant.
The only problem here is lack of reps... But the results are very interesting anyway
@@aquapucci Yeah, its not even powered...
Can help me with me chem test😭
@@aquapucciwhats reps .sorry am lost
Number 2 for me! Internodal distance looks good and all round health and colour looks excellent. Interested to see Fluval stratum compared head to head with Tropica soil and Ada Aquasoil with and without CO2. There’s your next 6!
UNS Controsoil if possible!
oh yes, both Tropica soil and soil powder that goes underneath inert substrate!
This needs to be done for sure.
Many of us use fluval stratum for above ground plant medium for starter plants. It works great for Hoyas and really small plants with delicate roots.
I think would be interesting to go ahead and add co2 in selected top 4 aquarium...
Yup! Maybe redo the root cap one with less of them and add co2.
Please continue with adding co2! Great light+great soil+ co2 = i wanna see these results! Only way to properly gauge, in my opinion! Thanks for this experiment so far!
Hell yeah !!
Add co2🙏✌️✌️
Such an underrated channel. Usually channels with videos of this level of production have many more subscribers, but I imagine it’s just a matter of time :)
Man you have the best channel. Idk why you have so few subscribers for this quality. I love love love that you use scientific method, you get straight to the point with no personality selling and you’re really talented with this hobby. You have to keep this set up going. Add more time then right before worse tank plants get to unsalvageable add co2
Keep it going. You have so much experience with all different sorts of aquariums, your opinion on just which substrate might be better in which situation would be very helpful. I’m going to set up two large aquariums in the near future, I’d love to have an idea going in what would be the best substrate for what I want to do. Thanks for your terrific videos!!
Now i know which soil I will buy for my next tank - FluvaL Stratum. I got no idea why i did not see this video before, but I love results with this tank. Awsome colours and health of all plants, almost no issues with algae and fact that lack of CO2 is not making a mess is huge win for me. Thanks for this video. I plan to rescape my tank in ner future, so this will be way to go. Now only design is left to choose and I am not best designer lol.
Very good info, thank you. I have sand substrate and my tank went through a huge crash or two in the past month. I decided to add some stratum to the tank that has just inert sand. I wish I could replace it all, but I am going to leave the sand and just add stratum to it and let the fish decide what to do with it when they are able to get back into it. Theyve been in a hospital tank since the crash that happened after a water change. My plants have never grown very well, and when they did, I ended up getting staghorn algae. I do water changes 10-25% every week, but my water changes constantly because we get our water trucked in and I have a water softener. I am so annoyed with this situation, but I dont want to give up on fishkeeping. I really don't know what to do at this point. I am still water changing every week without fish in the tank, as it had to go through the nitrogen cycle again after the crash. I probably should have just started all over again. My water comes out at 6.0 or less pH - what can I add to my tank to buffer the pH to stay around 7.0 pH? Eggshells?
Keep them going. Add 1 or 2 white cloud minnows or similar to each tank and add a little maintenance as you would with your other tanks. Fascinating experiment.
I have been using pond soil from brico for 2 years and my 60 liter Aquarium with no co2 and low dosage of nutrions are really awesome! In my experience it went really well with pond soil.
That's a huge amount of growth difference. Perhaps for the next one you could try soil's and us the walstad method.
your timing couldn't have been more perfect. In the planning process of setting up 2 tanks right now with different requirements, had this exact question, watched part 1 yesterday, and here you are today. Thanks so much!!
I say keep it going for maybe another 2 or 3 months to see how the substrates do over the longer period. Very interesting experiment.
I think you should start again, but keep the fluval and tropica and put them up against some other brands/mixes. Like a tournament. Like others have mentioned, I think you should try and control the lighting more to make it more consistent across all the tanks. Using black plastic dividers or something.
I would love to see you keep it going for a while longer. As someone who had her first aquascape in June and then had to move, I'm still setting up my new one. I use fluvall stratum and I'm gratified to see that it is performing well so far. I have never had nitrates, nitrites, or ammonia at high levels.
It would be great to see a runoff between the Fluval & the Pond Soil in full Walstad method tanks!
i think ill go with pond soil on bottom and fluval on top of it.
maybe 1 inch pond soil, and 2 inch fluval.
ill pass from a 13gallon tank, upgrade to a 31gallon tank.
+ So i want to start the best as possible.
it would be interesting to see this experiment again with more heavy root feeder like carpeting plants, crypts and swords. also im really surprised the root tabs caused the most nitrate and not number 6.
I invested in a digital pH sensor and I will never go back to the chemical one. It is super accurate and easy as long as you care for it, basically don’t drop it or leave it dirty or anything. ❤ Great video, and I will definitely try your plant substrate method.
Keep it going, at least through the 3 month mark. I think that's a good amount of time to see how it's going to perform longer term. 2 weeks, things are still settling down to an equilibrium. Great info!
Your videos are always the best man.. less talking and more things to show.. sometimes i don't understand the other TH-camrs who always talk and explain things like we want to see their faces all the time.. we want results like yours.. good job man.
I used aquasoil and fine round pebble sand. Had to clean the sand a lot though, but it's a dark colour with specks of other lighter colours. Looks like teeny tiny micro pebbles. Has worked fantastic. I cut the plants back weekly. No ferts and no C02 at all. The only issue is diatoms, no algae at all. But it's a shrimp and snail only tank and full of baby shrimp that graze on the diatoms, so guess that's great. It is a deep bed with red scoria at the bottom then the aquasoil and then the sand. I have to say the sand is so much easier to plant in that aquasoil, so glad I did it this way.
This was very helpful in moving forward with my tank, I bought the fluval soil and now I know what to expect, love this thank you ❤
I’m thinking about using stratum in my next tank, did you like using it and was it easy to work with?
Eu mantinha a experiência pelo menos mais um mês.
Estou realmente surpreso que as abas de raiz causaram mais nitrato e não o número 6. O número 6 é uma excelente surpresa.
Abraço desde Portugal!
I kept the experience for at least another month.
I'm really surprised that the root tabs caused more nitrate and not the number 6. The number 6 is an excellent surprise.
Hugs from Portugal!
Nice experiment! I would have added a cryptocoryne in each of the compartments. Just to compare a pure root feeder versus stem plants which receive most of their nutrients from the water instead of the soil.
Brilliant experiment! I really appreciate your methodology 👍
My suggestion for a follow up test: take results from 4, 5, 6, and now run similar setups with base layer of pond soil, but this time 1st capped with inert black gravel / 2nd with smaller amount of pond soil and capped with sand layer 3 times thicker than soil / 3rd keep same as original #6. Maybe you’ll find an even better substrate combo.
I think you should keep this going. No need for many major changes just keep it going with water changes and algae growth. I would like to see which substrate “exhausts” the substrate over time
I think it would be great to try this with RO water or distilled. It was great that you tested pH since that will affect certain plant growth too and I'm not sure what you're water is out of the tap. Obviously different aquasoils will lower the pH to differing levels, but it would be interesting to see how much that might have had an effect. Really great video!
You sir are legendary! I can’t tell you how many questions I’ve had that you answer in each video. Thank you for your content, it helps a lot when one doesn’t have access to be able to run my own experiments!
The way capped dirt works is the nutrients leaching slowly into the water. Too thin layer of sand (soft gravel) and nutrients cause algae calamity. With recommended 2"/5cm thickness the nutrients seep slowly and the plants need to reach nutrient-rich levels with their roots. So the plants won't grow fast from the start, but over the months that would change.
As the experiment goes, I think #4 wasn't capped properly and #6 may see some issues in the 1-2 months, but maybe not. Aquasoil also falls apart after some time. I'd say the best substrate would be thick bed starting with rich soil, thick layer of sand, some aquasoil and thin capping of sand. That is if I were to start a large planted aquarium going for years. For nano-tanks I'd go with pure aquasoil.
i think we should also consider the plants in the middle of each tank getting more light then the ones on the outer side since they have 2 connecting led sides and the others only have 1 side, which could be also a factor of to much light to much algae orso
Would make the Fluvol even more impressive considering how crystal clear and free from algae it was
Doesnt make sense actually
Nice video and good to see different soils and substrates work differently for a low tech setup. My guess would be due to the high ph in your water that was always lowered by your co2 usage in your other tanks, making it ideal for the plants. The pond soil + aqua soil could’ve better results due to the fact that the ph was lower and is favorable for plant growth.
been waiting for this video!! excited to see what the results are
I'm towards the end and holy cow those weird worms in tank #5 are pretty gross... burn it with fire!!
Fish absolutely love them! Mine smash them whenever they pop up
@@IndoorEcosystem But I am perplexed. Root caps are "sterile" looking, and sand is relatively sterile. I can only surmise that the transplanted plants had some eggs or something on them.
@@snackymcgoo1539mosquito?!
Keep it going for another month, the fluval stratum is the one I use. Of course it is the most expensive here in the USA
I would like you to keep this experiment running until nutrient deficiencies start appearing in the tanks, this would help to evaluate which one is the best in the long term. Thanks for this experiment and all your videos, really interesting and useful!
Didn’t expect root tabs to be so nutrient rich. The fluval substrate looks perfect for low tech setups.
I must say man, I trust completely in your reading, incredible results aaaand work!!! Thank you so much for this, you're awesome man
6 is the winner. Brilliant observation about the light reflecting off the white gravel increasing illumination❤
Good start and good video. The thing with substrate is that in nature it is stratified and has a complex structure. The other thing is that plant choice is important. #6 did better because the substrate was more complex. Add a little clay to the bottom and some buried rock/gravel (not sand) structure, and it would win by even more and with more types of plants.
Your guess with the light coloured sand and more algae makes so much sense. So obvious that I never thought about that context 😀
Yes, thats a huge drawback for me, since i love using sand on top.
I can't find aquasoil in my area so I used Fluval Stratum and I love it, everything grows very well, even a year and half later. Advice, put on a good 2-3 inches of substrate to let the roots sink in deep.
Hi Mark, all good stuff. Think you are spot on ref. substrate colour and reflected light, once put a mirror on the back of a tank, not a good idea, loads of algae. High Nitrates are blamed consistently for eutrophication of rivers so I am also sure you are right on the issue of Nitrate leaching and spiking the water column. The Phosphate readings surprise me as well. Iron is hard to measure and it contributes to a healthy green in plants, not as simple as red iron = red plants as some think. Red plants tend to like low Nitrate levels and softer water - not just more acidic water. The water softening effect from the most effective substrate mix also needs to be factored in, especially for the unlocking of limited dissolved CO2. All not easy to do. Thanks again, but, I'm too old to think about a PhD in chemistry!
Very helpful test, I am looking to start a 10 gallon moderate to heavy planted.Looking to do low tech, so I think Fluval Stratum will be the way to go.This was a great help in seeing different setups and the results from each.
I love these kind of experiments. No other creator is doing it.
Appreciate all the effort and the scientific unbiased approach to the tests! As a next step you may compare Aquasoil and Fluval with different amount of light and CO2. Thank you for the great content!
Thank you for your time In doing this. Been on the fence about getting back in the hobby after a long time. Leds weren't around. Big changes. I was spoiled my buddy owned a pet store. Do some plumbing repairs did his ro system Work a Sat and would get everything in trade for cost.
Enjoy your channel and appreciate your time
This substrate head-to-head test was EXTREMELY helpful. Something I think I might want to see is a reset. clean them all out, re-soil, and re-plant with new plants. And this time add some fish, shrimp, or something to put a small bio load on the tanks. Fish will also introduce a small level of CO2 as well I think. This may change results somewhat. Also less of those nutrient additives in tank 5. So far i'm excited about how well the Fluval Strata did as that is probably the easiest to find in my area.
An interesting follow up would be: How would you fix each tank (not changing the substrate) for example: how would you set the light, or dose nutrients, or ad co2, etc… to make each substrate work?
I use Fluval for my plant cuttings. When I want to propagate some, I'll keep them in water until I see roots forming. After that, I add 1-2 TBSP. Never had algae issues.
I think tank # 6 would be perfect for people who want to submit their tanks for competition. You can get insane and healthy plant growth really quick, but that also would lend itself to higher maintenance. # 1 I think would be ideal for the more permanent tank in your living room as it can grow plants well, clearly, but it's not going to give insane explosive growth and cause a big chore every weekend.
I personally use stratum with a thin layer of gravel and sand to keep the tank looking bright. Stratum is also just incredible for terrestrial plant. I use a bit of it in all my terrariums and vivarium.
Great experiment. Thanks for doing this. I do want to point out that there is a variable for which you didn't account. The middle chambers are getting more light than the side chambers. They get direct light from above and some from the lights above both chambers beside them while the side chambers only get light from above and one side.
It is interesting that despite this, you still got the best growth in a side chamber.
Epic video! Going to be adding some multipurpose compost to a tank and adding plants. Going to top it off with gravel, cheap stuff from the garden store, and cap with some decorative sand.
Hopefully the plants will grow well and then I can add some livestock when the nitrates calm down.
Fluval stratum is good, I'm using it but the soil is quite light. Hard to plant if you shallow plant. Need to put more soil so you can push it in further.
Definitely keep it for another few weeks to see one more update.
Please keep this experiment going. It’s extremely helpful. I noticed when I was doing aqua soil mix with pond soil eventually all my aquariums pH level shot up to 8.4, even ones that I was using distilled water in. I reset all but one with just aqua soil it’s actually the flu Stratham, the pH is staying low and not shooting up. I’m curious to see results of all of these different substrates.
Plz keep going. To me the stratum is looking the best. Which is what I like. Thank you for this experiment.
I have a low tech tank so the information regarding fluval stratum was very helpful. Thanks!
Give it some time; be fun to see the change in a couple weeks. Thanks for doing these tests!
Going by these results, I like the Fluval Stratum results best. That ludwigia is just poppin'! The plants looked bushier instead of leggy like some of the other tanks and it appears to be more of a sustained growth, instead of a growth spurt.
For a beginner/low-tech tanks as well as for the price ( Stratum is more easily found and is less expensive than some other brands), I would say the Fluval Stratum had the best overall results.
I was definitely looking forward to your results! Thank you for doing this experiment.
Great experiment! Thanks so for your hard work!
most underrated channel! keep up the good work
Fascinating stuff! I'd assumed I did something right because my tank has been crystal clear with excellent plant growth for many months now, but I guess that fluval stratum seems to influence that in this experiment. Maybe I just got lucky, haha. I dislike planting in it (a lot of plants struggle to stay planted until their roots dig in), but otherwise it has been a wonderful substrate to get started with.
Hope you kept this one going, love to see if the results change after months 3 and 4. After that duration, does the difference even matter or do they all start to level out? Which one causes the most work, most melt, etc.. Love the content, keep it coming.
This is genuinely a great experiment, keep this one going and add a couple of snails, shrimp and micro fish like Chilli Rasbora. You shouldn’t need a filter with all those plants and low bio load 👍
Tank #6 seems like a clear winner. Not sure why MJ was reluctant to declare that. I am also wondering what was more beneficial in Tank #6 since the other tank with same pond soil kinda failed. Was it the aquasoil that worked the best or because it was combined with aquasoil? What were the ingredients in each substrate? Looks like Fluval stratum has higher iron (hence the bright red)
It also depends on nutrients leaching from the pond soil and how well the upper layer capped it. I think with #4 the nurtrients were leaching too much and with #6 pond soil nutrients didn't saturate aquasoil that much yet. Frankly I have no idea, if that changes in 2-3 months or later after the aquasoil falls apart.
This has helped me A LOT my resolutions for this year os to start a planted tank n I've been debating on what soil to get
Awesome video , glad too see Fluval looking good. I think maybe now try CO2 on the tanks and give another few weeks, or even top 4. Awesome video again MJ Aquascaping
Great channel and love to see these kind of tests. For me No. 2 is the prevered one and looks the most natural.
Was hoping that you would also test the ADA aqua soil amazonia 2
Maybe you can add this one together with 2 other prefered soils (No 2 and 6) and start adding CO2
Very useful video, thank you!
I've been using Flourite in my 10 gal (expensive stuff) which is like gravel but much finer. I've noticed the roots are much more developped, a lot more rizome as well, and my plants are thriving! I'd like to see Fourite topped with gravel :)
Interesting experiment!
I would like to see you continue this experiment by trying to fix the issues with each tank.
Keep it going. I’d be interested in seeing the same test but with distilled water. This would help create a more neutral base for others to reference against.
Keep it going for a few months!!!
Greatful i saw this video. I bought aquasoil and considered burying in root tabs . I think I'll hold off for a bit on the root tabs until the plants get some of the nutrients from the aqua soil eaten up first
I just planted a 9 gallon tank with Fluval Stratam (spelling?). So far, so good.
The reason tank #6 is doing so well is the decomposition of the pond soil is releasing CO2 - thus it's maximizing the efficacy of the aquasoil cap and its own nutrients. It's basically injecting itself with CO2. Also the high cation exchange capacity of the aquasoil is going to work well to stabilize (almost like it's storing) the excess release of nutrients being released by the pond soil as it decomposes. This experiment turned out exactly like I thought it would but I'm super happy to see it being validated.
And the results are even more telling considering that the pond soil you used isn't all that impressive on it's own - if you sourced a better potting soil mixture and then used another aquasoil or volcanic/clay derivative with a high CAC you will see even better results. This I think is the secret behind not needing to dose liquid ferts and increasing the longevity of some aquasoils since they eventually lose their effectiveness after a year or so.
Something I would want to experiment with is the comparison between gravel + pond soil, sand + pond soil, aquasoil + pond soil, and high CEC cap (such as SafeTSorb, montomorillite clay, etc) + pond soil, to figure out whether it's actually the CEC capacity or something else inherent to the aquasoil, because the pond soil alone should have plenty of CEC capacity as organic substrates rank among the highest in that regard. Additionally, one could try this with mineralized topsoil.
I use fluval stratum it's a bit hard to plant because the substrate is light but always gave me good results.
Are you using it in a high tech set up or? just want to know how it performs in comparison with Seachem black humate, ADA, etc
Going to have to agree with you on the root tabs. Only using 2 would have probably had better results in the gravel compartment, as it was probably too many nutrients for all those plants to handle.
Perfect opportunity to continue your algea experiments!
Thank you. Very interesting. My two thoughts: A) What do you mean by "pond soil?" Actual dirt from outdoor pond? And 2) Fluval is popular in US for sure but there is also an undercurrent of disrespect that serious hobbyists have for Fluval, which makes your findings a bit of a surprise.
The pond soil is very similar to regular potting soil. The stuff I bought was actually specifically for pond lilies.
@@MJAquascaping thank you for clarifying. In US when I hear pond soil I think of the goldfish pond by my house!
This video has been the best option for everyone who wants to try all these types of substrate. Though I'm curious if the results of the white sand would have been different if you were used a darker type of sand
Will be setting up a 16g soon. Ive been waiting for this video!!!!!!! Definitely want to go with pond soil and aqua soil!
Good luck! Just make sure to cap the pond soil properly!
Due to random variability, you need to replicate each test as a way to account for variation. Choose the two best, and replicate those three times each, thereby using all your six tanks.
Its always great to experiment. Maybe try again but with some different substrate brands like UNS controsoil and ada amazonia
I agree, I think it would be great to see UNS controsoil vs Ada vs Fluval. And maybe after a few weeks start with your DIY co2 injection.
Number 5 even had leeches which reminds me of snail leeches. Basically not kill able if you have it in a large aquarium. Very scary to see those. Tank 6 looks the best in my opinion and the fluval substrate is nice aswell I guess.
Great video!
Great experiment, keep them going. I learn so much from you. Greetings from Greece
I'm definitely going to recreate this with some UNS contrasoil. It's the most expensive substrate by weight I can find and I'm really curious as to how it really stacks up. So I'm very happy that you helped me narrow it down to other two comparison substrates instead of 6 or 7
Great experiment! Thx for doing it. Would also be good to know which substrate is most beneficial for keeping healthy fish with the least amount of water changes. 😅
Thank you very much for these experiments! Finally some facts in the neverending substrate wars!
Outstanding video/information. One question though. Is the pond soil a product from a supplier? Or is it actually where you’ve taken a bucket to a pond and got some of the substrate from the bottom of the pond?
Very interesting in tank #6 I’d like to you do more research on that . Natural soul with aqua soil on top
I'd like to see it continue mate. I'm also very interested to see the difference with added co2 injection to them as part of the test...
Very informative, thank you for making such a great video!
This is a huge help! Great information and interesting.
This was a great experiment and very useful for us fellow aquascapers. My assessment of the results for Tank 6 is that the combination of both pond soil and aquasoil without the gravel cap meant an excess of all necessary nutrients were distributed through the tank in a balanced way, resulting in what I can only describe as an EI (Estimative Index) Substrate solution. In contrast, the tanks with just aquasoil would have been lacking in some nutrients so the balance was off and for the gravel capped tanks, the combination of high light and white gravel in addition to the aquasoil/pond soil being capped prevented enough nutrients from leeching into the water column, forcing the developing roots to the the most work for nutrient uptake.
I'd like to see you take the results of this experiment to a bigger scale.
How would the substrate setup for Tank 6 cope on a larger scale with CO2 injection? This would be interesting to see.
I say keep it going, so we can have results in a couple of months and see if things remain the same. I'm based in Canada and use Fluval Stratum with Seachem Flourite in 2 tanks (10, 5G). I have good, stable results with water parameters and plant growth. I don't use Co2. In my 1st aquascape tank (15G), I used a (too) thick layer of Fluval Stratum and capped it with natural colored sand and have a permanent issue with diatoms. It's under control because I have 2 nerite snails, 3 otocinclus and a 4 large amano shrimps (+ 2 juveniles, the otos had babies!!) It's not happening in my other 2 nano tanks. One thing to consider with Fluval Stratum is if you have soft water like I do, you'll get quite brutal pH swings, I'm talking 1 full point within a few hours. I had issues with this in the beginning because my tap water reads 1KH, 4GH and pH7. My tank would drop from pH7 to 6 in a matter of hours after a water change, it was absolutely crazy. I have to add crushed coral to my tanks for a couple of weeks. My pH doesn't go higher than 7.5 but I usually remove the crushed coral once it hits that mark and let the water slowy return to 6.8-7. I check my pH like a hawk with a pH pen, the colors are also very close together in the API master kit and I find they're hard to read.
Since tank no. 6 won this experiment, it would be a great idea to try making an aquascape with that substrate with co2 (or maybe not)
Excellent experiment man, in terms of growth I think #6 won but in terms of color and overall growth , Fluval Stratum won.
This is a great experiment, I think the fluval is a surprise and the pond soil( is it the soil or the aqua soil topping, and which aqua soil disbuds use). Keep the experiment going putting the best 2 up against the market leaders ADA, Tropica, and Dennerle. You could also trial use of base substrates such as power sand.