I'm busy with a new tank right now. I've chucked my spider wood in a bucket to waterlog them so I don't have to glue them to the rocks. If I'm going to dark start the tank, must I add the wood to the hardscape and then fill it, or can I exclude it and add ot after the 3 weeks?
@@marcel5427 This is usually a fungus (but sometimes bacteria) and is harmless to you and your fish. You can remove it with a toothbrush, but it may return a few times before disappearing permanently. This is not only during the dark start!! It can happen anytime! My fishes try to eat it!
Dark start is perfect! The owner of aquarium design shop in Zaandam also recommended me this. Aquarium is super stable and plants grow very healthy after a dark start of 4 weeks. Also one more benefit: it’s easy to tweak your hardscape layout during the dark start 👍
So I'm in the process of doing the dark start and I found something out that might help other folks here. Consider the temperature of the water. Beneficial bacteria grows best around 72 to 75 degrees. So consider using a heater if you can. Also, I have placed an air stone in the tank as well. It provides the bacteria more oxygen so they can grow even more rapidly. Currently I am at 2 weeks and my tank still has plenty of ammonia, some signs of nitrite and a plenty of nitrate. Which tells me it's working just fine. I might consider doing a water change because too much ammonia might hinder the bacteria. I might be a bit late to that game. Ah well. Good luck to all!
Im only a week in and my ammonia is at 8ppm and 0 NO2 and NO3... I dont have an airstone but do have a heater. Was expecting to see at least a few NO2 and NO3 ppm to show the cycle is at least started but I guess my bacteria are lazy.
@@drhee9 thats a good start bud but I highly recommend an air stone. All living things in that tank, including bacteria, requires oxygen. Good luck and cheers!
Hey, I have been binge-watching your channel lately and just want to thank you for all the information! It was a long time ago that I started my aquarium hobby but ended it because of failures. Now I have been excited again and starting up the hobby. I am currently in the last days of my dark start with aqua soil. I measure no ammonia anymore and can't wait to get started. Also thanks to your channel I have upped my game and bought everything I need to get a good start. Hope my big investments (new gear, co2 etc) are going to pay off. Let's hope!
I've already done the DSM!!! It's amasing result😃 I knew this method from Juris Pro Tipe. I think He mentioned Your case. After I planted the tank and put a lifestock in, fish (Ramiresi) started to lye their eggs. This is a "must have (or done)" process to start a helthy tank🤗💯💯💯
Each time I see an interesting video here the algorythm shoots me another one that makes me learn new things. Since budget is a bit tight for me since I'm starting. A dark start seems like the best thing to do before buying plants! Thank you so much for all the content you are posting
On 28th December 2023, I have setup an aquarium following dark start method. But I followed my method which I tweaked according to my understanding. I started the light on 5th February , 2024 after 40 days but I have done four 90 percent water change in between, I have also added fish food and bacteria after each water change. The first water change was on 21st January, 2024. I have added plants on 7th February, 2024. 4 different varieties of rotala, hygrophila polysperma, reckini mini, ludwigia purple and mini sp red. I have also added DIY co2 on 9th February with liquid fertilizers and liquid carbon. I have not encountered the diatoms or any kind of algae. But for the last 10 days, green algae and some filament algae started growing, so I cut down my fertilizers and light and added alganil solution for 2 days and every algae disappeared. My dutch style aquarium is growing without any issues. It is a low/semi low tech dutch style aquarium. I have used fatherfis tweaked walstad setup combined with dark start method and I think I am successful with this one. Only key thing was the patience. I have continued with 50 percent weekly water change and from this week will start by dosing diy powder fertilizer with chelated iron and pgr1 and pgr 2 dosing.
I am so so glad to have come across this video, it might just save me a ton of headache :) Thanks for making this method well known to everyone in these types of videos, It helps a lot!
How I wish I had found this video three weeks ago!!! My current tank is cycled but I lost a LOT of plants to melting. This would have been a much better option and one I will definitely be trying in the future!!
Same here, my 5-gallon tank is already covered with algae (green and brown)... and my 12 neon tetras died last month and some of the plants are starting to melt / die 😔😔😔. But i'm still doing my best to keep it running.
Hello everybody. I already did, and still do this. And I only got to know your channel a few days ago. It really is the best method for cycling, and without any work. Just be patient. Thank you.
Hey man since you have a picture of a Betta,I was wondering do you own 1? I have a community tank with a male Betta,6 Neon Tetras and 4 Albino Cory Catfish,and I was wondering when I put the aquasoil in and put my sand over it,I put my filter in,do I also go ahead and put in my Tetra Safe Start?? Ot says Cycles New Aquariums, start up,removes Ammonia,starter bacteria, freshwater Aquariums,I've actually never used it yet!?? And the 2nd question would be do I also add my heater,and let it cycle through with both the filter running 100% of the time and the heater running 100% of the time,because my tank will indeed have to end up having a heater,and I don't want to throw anything off by adding anything I don't need to at the beginning and I really don't want to throw anything off after it's Cycles!!?? Please Help
@@michellebreeden4962 Hi... Sorry for the delay in replying. ... It was in my work .... For your two questions, I didn't understood very well. As I understand it, you already have your tanks working, and you've never used the products you should ... I did not understand. Some questions for you. - What is the size of your community aquarium? - How long has it been active? - Do you have plants? I have a tank with 26 liters, and with only 1 Betta. ( a girl ). All my tanks have heaters (26 degrees Celsius), filters working 24 hours a day, And in my cycling process: Fertile substrate covered with river sand + Rocks + water treated with Prime + Biology accelerator + filter and heater on 24 hours a day, and no lighting... None. It's a very long process...about 50 days. But, I don't have algae, from start to finish. Afterwards, I place the plants, and turn on the lighting. And then I put the fish. I apologize, but I didn't understand very well.
@@michellebreeden4962 Hello ... again ... In order for an aquarium to be able to have the little fish you want, it must have a filter, a heater with a thermostat, and if it has plants, adequate lighting. If you live in a cold place, depending on the plants, if you have a constant temperature of 25 degrees, I think it would be ideal. If you don't have plants, I think a temperature of 26 degrees would be ideal. I think you mixed acid water fish with alkaline water fish ( Betta ). Research your fish's needs before you buy. Here in my city, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, it's very hot, and in summer, the heater with a thermostat, is almost not turned on. And the problem is trying to cool the water. Hope you do an Ammonia and Nitrite test to check your tank's water condition. If you still have any questions, I'll answer them, or other people, too. Good luck. Jorge Luiz
Yes , the Dark Start is definately the wiser way to start an aquarium! After the Dark Start , it is also beneficial to start the Bac Start , where we drained the tank & filled up with treated water plus the plants , lighting , filters & healthy bacteria but minus the fishes for another 3 to 4 weeks with weekly water changes before adding in the fishes species , group by group! Thank You So Much for the Valuable Tutorials! Stay Safe & Stay Grateful! 🇨🇭 p.s. Becareful with the DeChlorine , it is colourless & many fishes died from DeChlorine over dose! Sunning the water for a day , will lessen the Chlorine in the water , and is Safe to use without the need to add the colourless but corrosive DeChlorine! 🕯🌷🌿🌍
I had read that some of the plants I wanted to use in my first tank were sensitive to ammonia and I knew that the parameters could be pretty weird in the beginning. That is why I did exactly this. It took about four weeks. I had a fair bit of hair algae after planting, but nothing a little maintenence and a shrimp colony couldn't deal with.
Well, this changes things! After awaiting LFS to get plants and therefore not wanting to set tank up, it's now set up and ticking over as of an hour or so ago. I will accelerate it slightly as a neighbour is giving me some of his mature water to add to my little tank. Tank is covered too, just to make sure. Luckily it's small! Am using a small layer of Fluval stratum on the bottom, then flourite black as the rest. I aim to have no substrate visible. Establish plants and cleanup crew first, then add stock once plants have taken hard. Nice video - mind, I learn a lot from all your content - thnaks for taking the time to make them.
Just came across this and will use it with my next tank. It means I can spread the cost of tank, equipment, substrate, etc. over longer time .... much easier.
I'm almost 3 weeks in. I caved and did water changes because I wasn't using a skimmer, and it was driving me nuts. I installed one tonight after a water change. I hope to plant this weekend. Thanks, MJ. I'm always down for an experiment.
The dark start method seems to be the best way to start! Thanks a ton for sharing! 🙏🏽😇 I love your videos! They are clean, crisp and to the point! Appreciate all the time and effort behind sharing such invaluable pearls of wisdom 😇❤🙏🏽
Fabulous information! I've avoided "fish in" cycling, so I'm used to waiting for weeks to put fish into a tank, so this 3 week wait wouldn't bother me a bit. I've dealt with the plant melt issue with new tanks, and doing this will help me avoid that. Thank you for sharing this!
So much useful info. You really know your stuff. Use a sheet of bubble wrap instead of tissue as it will float. Use a heater at 28*C to speed up growth of beneficial bacteria.
I love your method of sharing your experience with a CO2 reactor. Super concise and to the point. Pros and Cons were excellent!!! Thank you for taking the time to share.
I've just done this. Due to a house move I set up the tank with the hard scape and it was left to cycle for nearly 6 weeks ( also did a few water changes and used Seachem Stablity). Finally added plants last weekend and look to add my first fish this weekend.
I did this with my first aquascape but I put the soil in 3 different buckets for about 3 weeks in a dark room. I had literally no algae. Dark start is the best method for sure man, very clear explanation! Thanks
@@kalbekanani2279 hi did you just let the soil sit in the water? no filters in the buckets? i'd like to try too as i've got a bag of aquasoil ready to cycle and use buckets first before scooping into the tank.
I just started a dry start trying to grow moss on driftwood but just saw this dark start method. I added soil into my dry start so I should remove the soil and put them into a pail, fill with water and cover it up for 3weeks for dark start?
Going to start a new tank with plants, going to try the dark start method this time. Had been struggling so much with algae and didn’t know the reason.
Great video, straight to the point! My aquarium is cycling for a week now, i'm going to wait a month after adding plants and fishes... The only doubt left about it is: after the cycling is over shoul'd i change the water for a new one after drained? Or should i use the old one? Thanks a lot for the information.
@@MJAquascaping started this on one of my cubes on the 16th December, and just tested the water parameters. It would appear to be cycled … is this possible in 13 days? I think I will leave it for the full three weeks anyway. Better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes. 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
"Diana Walstad Method" her book " Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist" books explain how to make DIY without any high tech system or aqua soil self-cleaning planted aquariums, without changing the water for 6 months. She said it takes 2-4 weeks for garden soil to reach a stable state after submerging into water.
@@MJAquascaping Yes 👍, It is an amazing book all the things you mentioned are exactly like she wrote in her book. Plus all the facts are backed and checked by scientists and experts of respective fields like soil, plants, water, lighting, microorganism, fishes, algae, etc.
@@MJAquascaping Please pin my comment so all the people who want to make DIY planted aquascape without aqua soil or high-tech equipment will know about this book. 😊
Already started up my 15 gal, using the dark start method, and I am setting up my 46gal the same way. After 4 weeks and water testing is good, I will plant. Plan on going fishless for another month or so, while the plants are getting establish and filling out. During this time, I will feed the tank a little fish food daily, to keep the bacteria fed. Can't wait for the results!!
Man I wish I knew about this a month ago. Just started and planted a 125 gallon. Almost all the plants melted and algae went nuts. Unfortunately I also didn’t know about daily water changes so it was only changed about every 4 - 7 days. Hopefully my cleanup crew can take care of it.
During the cycling process, minerals in the water may depleted so cycle may stall. Cycling also crashes Ph most of the time so water changes or adding crushed coral is a must whenever ph crashes. Not to mention that high amount of ammonia can kill beneficial bacteria. Cycle may not even start in this case. So waiting for 3 weeks may be just waste of time. It is better to test the water often to see whet to do imo. Especially before adding any fish.
this is awesome :) do you recommend dosing your tank with beneficial bacteria? i'm just wondering if that helps get the right bacterial colonies forming.
Hi everyone! How does colony of beneficial bacteria colonise your filter and aquarium if there's no amonijum to feed bacteria. Does soil like Tropica soil contain organic materials that would start to break and feed aquarium bacteria with amonijum during dark period. Thanks.
I am in week 2 of my dark start. So far so good. It is a conversion from a salt take to fresh water aquascape. Will put the video up on You Tube when complete.
great video man. I think I am gonna do it. as a new aquascaper there is a lot of options and opinions out there on how to start and set up a planted aquascape but this makes since to me. i'll use bacteria and just skip the water chances for 3 weeks even tho I bought nice stuff you help with that. this method seems like it's a better way for the new scaper. I dont want plant meld from my TC plants.
Very instructional video, straight to the point, as always. I'll be using this method as well for my new tank. I think it should be the new standard in planted aquariums.
So, if i planning to use bacteria starter, should i put them in the start, or after the darkstart end? If i put it in the start, should i put fish food everyday to make bacteria growth faster? From what i learn that the beneficial bacteria eat amonia from left over food. Anyway, thanks for give us insight about this method. I do really like this video! ❤❤
Very interesting setup. I'm going to do another tank soon, I'm going to try this method. Should test my patience because I hate to wait for anything. Thanks
I used this a few months ago and found it to work very well. I was starting up the tank in the winter and it was too cold to order plants (we had about 2 weeks straight of sub zero fahrenheit temps). It ended up working out great because by the time I could order plants the tank was fully cycled and I was able to add my clean up crew at the first sign of algae growth. Will definitely use this technique again.
@@Rycraft5v8 I have a 280 lt tank which is not easy to keep it running. But the small fish tanks, I can do it. They are only 30 lts. So I will start them with the dark start (small ones) and the larger tank with the dry start. How´s that Ryan? Thanks so much for replying so fast.
@@marcel5427 I have never done a dry start but have read dry start should really only be used if you plan on injecting CO2. Dry start is good to let the plants take root but eventually you will flood the tank with water and if the plants are not getting injected CO2 when the tank is full of water they will have to likely go through the conversion process to emersed growth.
My mom asked me the same thing lol. She was watching me put flakes in my take right after I set it up and I had to explain the entire process to her and it took like an hour because I basically explained to her the entire hobby.
Was that really needed to feed ? Or just leave it as it is dark method. Btw if my aquarium was in outdoor. Should i cover it until it is totally dark?? Please I need the answers. Thank Man
@@superjuned You feed the tank to build bacteria that will transform the amonia to nitrite and then the nitrite to nitrate. Making it safe for fish. About keeping it dark, that is to prevent algae from growing. If the tank is outside, that means it is probably in the sun or, at the least, getting ambient light from the sun. because of that, I would cover it until the excess nutrients are reduced and you are able to put plants in the tank. At that time, hopefully any nutrients in the tank will be used by the plants and not algae.
Great video Mark! I’m about to try this method for my first time! I’m looking forward to not having tons of water changes at the beginning I am already a busy guy!
MJ I am sorry I do not wish to manipulate your time, but I have done a few questions which will help me a lot. I will condesate them here: If I do a Dark Start Mode, can later, before planting the plants and after I empty the tank to start filling it up again after the 3 weeks in the dark, to prepare the three types of moths, that you blend together, and brush them on stones and branches and then wait till they germinate? with lights, and just spraying water? and then.. only then start filling up the tank? In resume, do a dark start mode and then a dry start for the plants? How´s that? Can any bacteria survive the 2 weeks period without water? or I could leave just a slight bit of water?
Hey Marcel! No I don't think it's possible to do a dry start after a dark start. The beneficial bacteria will not survive the drystart, so it's a little bit pointless
@@MJAquascaping that's what I thought. I will have to.manually insert all the plants not as you instructed on the dry Mode. Oh well. Can't have it all right? Dankeee
Thank you so very much for your dark Start Method!I am planning still for my new 450 l and 54 liter Aquariums. Now I can look much more forward,as I'm 65 and my tanks are all in de kelder.Much lesser work for me this way!Danke!
The stuff on wood is not fungus, it's bacteria. In my first aquarium I tried the dark start method, it worked really well. Then I started the second aquarium the "classic" way, worked also great and for the third aquarium I tried a Fisch in cycle, which also worked great. I love trying new things and experimenting. I can't say which method I like the most. But I'm not patient enough for the dark start method even with it's benefits.
Great information Learned a couple of things I didn't know and will definitely put it to good use. Thank you for the heads up and the very informative knowledge you shared with us in this video.
Shame my new plants are turning up tomorrow for my new tank hopefully i may be able to fit them in a tiny nano tank to keep them whilst i do this method
What a great explanation! I was going to cycle with plants, but given the costs of starting a new tank (and returning to the hobby after many years) an option to cycle without stressing plants or fish sounds good to me. So if you're using an aqua soil there's no need to feed because of all the nutrients in the soil, right? You'd only need to add fish food if you were doing an inert substrate? Excited to return to a hobby that brought me a lot of joy years ago. A lot of advances since then :)
How many times should you 'feed' your tank during a dark start with an inert substrate? :) I would like to try the dark start... I really like to avoid algea! But is adding the sand at te bottom, my wood and my stones and some water really enough to cycle my filter?
Thanks so much for this video. Exactly what I'll do this time. Will use a CO2 reactor too, but as with a sump tank will use the reactor with its own dedicated pump... not the return pump. Enjoying your videos.
Hi, I'm planning to do this method. Last time I had a lot of problems with algae and the white fungus. I used Dennerle Scaper's soil. However I have some questions about water changes. You said we dont need to do it, but I'm a little doubtful, can you tell me more about your experience?. Maybe 2 water changes per week will be ok?. Thanks anyway. Cheers.
great video as usual i actually always do this but in a different way i would soak everything in a closed buckets for two weeks in the sun and just rinse them before putting into tank that includes my soils which are mostly diy soils and eureka.... magic with some extra used water from an existing tank
Cool ideas. Thinking about things. Consideration. These will lead us to success. Versus impulsively driving toward your goals with passion as your guide.
Wow. Now I have new method to scape ❤️❤️❤️it's really best . Lot of save of water is big benefit .second is algee. You always share best tips with us. ❤️❤️You are the best ❤️
No more water changes! What to do with all that extra time? How about smashing that like button?
I'm busy with a new tank right now. I've chucked my spider wood in a bucket to waterlog them so I don't have to glue them to the rocks. If I'm going to dark start the tank, must I add the wood to the hardscape and then fill it, or can I exclude it and add ot after the 3 weeks?
Would you happen to know what´s a white thin layer of hair sort of, on top of my branch inside of a dark mode going fish tank? Wd it be algee?
@@marcel5427 This is usually a fungus (but sometimes bacteria) and is harmless to you and your fish. You can remove it with a toothbrush, but it may return a few times before disappearing permanently. This is not only during the dark start!! It can happen anytime! My fishes try to eat it!
@@ranjanghosh4321 Thank you Ranjan. I am patiently waiting. On my second week now. 2 more to go. Wish me luck.
you said "no lights" during the three weeks, what about natural lights? should i black it out?
Dark start is perfect! The owner of aquarium design shop in Zaandam also recommended me this. Aquarium is super stable and plants grow very healthy after a dark start of 4 weeks. Also one more benefit: it’s easy to tweak your hardscape layout during the dark start 👍
Joris, I am thinking you do not turn your filter system on, like Sump or Hang ons, right?
Joris do you or have you run any citric acid c02 systems and if so how do you find them?
@@marcel5427 Did you get an answer regarding the filter needing to be on or off?
@@kevinb1155 need to turn on the filter
Dark start finally.. very well explained.
So I'm in the process of doing the dark start and I found something out that might help other folks here. Consider the temperature of the water. Beneficial bacteria grows best around 72 to 75 degrees. So consider using a heater if you can. Also, I have placed an air stone in the tank as well. It provides the bacteria more oxygen so they can grow even more rapidly. Currently I am at 2 weeks and my tank still has plenty of ammonia, some signs of nitrite and a plenty of nitrate. Which tells me it's working just fine. I might consider doing a water change because too much ammonia might hinder the bacteria. I might be a bit late to that game. Ah well. Good luck to all!
Im only a week in and my ammonia is at 8ppm and 0 NO2 and NO3... I dont have an airstone but do have a heater. Was expecting to see at least a few NO2 and NO3 ppm to show the cycle is at least started but I guess my bacteria are lazy.
@@drhee9 thats a good start bud but I highly recommend an air stone. All living things in that tank, including bacteria, requires oxygen. Good luck and cheers!
No heater please
Hey, I have been binge-watching your channel lately and just want to thank you for all the information! It was a long time ago that I started my aquarium hobby but ended it because of failures. Now I have been excited again and starting up the hobby. I am currently in the last days of my dark start with aqua soil. I measure no ammonia anymore and can't wait to get started. Also thanks to your channel I have upped my game and bought everything I need to get a good start. Hope my big investments (new gear, co2 etc) are going to pay off. Let's hope!
Well it has been a few months and my scape does so well! I love it. Aaand now I have 5 tanks running :D hahahaha
MJ: all you need for this method is patience
Me: …Damn.
😂
I've already done the DSM!!! It's amasing result😃 I knew this method from Juris Pro Tipe. I think He mentioned Your case. After I planted the tank and put a lifestock in, fish (Ramiresi) started to lye their eggs. This is a "must have (or done)" process to start a helthy tank🤗💯💯💯
Each time I see an interesting video here the algorythm shoots me another one that makes me learn new things. Since budget is a bit tight for me since I'm starting. A dark start seems like the best thing to do before buying plants! Thank you so much for all the content you are posting
On 28th December 2023, I have setup an aquarium following dark start method. But I followed my method which I tweaked according to my understanding. I started the light on 5th February , 2024 after 40 days but I have done four 90 percent water change in between, I have also added fish food and bacteria after each water change. The first water change was on 21st January, 2024. I have added plants on 7th February, 2024. 4 different varieties of rotala, hygrophila polysperma, reckini mini, ludwigia purple and mini sp red. I have also added DIY co2 on 9th February with liquid fertilizers and liquid carbon. I have not encountered the diatoms or any kind of algae. But for the last 10 days, green algae and some filament algae started growing, so I cut down my fertilizers and light and added alganil solution for 2 days and every algae disappeared. My dutch style aquarium is growing without any issues. It is a low/semi low tech dutch style aquarium. I have used fatherfis tweaked walstad setup combined with dark start method and I think I am successful with this one. Only key thing was the patience. I have continued with 50 percent weekly water change and from this week will start by dosing diy powder fertilizer with chelated iron and pgr1 and pgr 2 dosing.
I am so so glad to have come across this video, it might just save me a ton of headache :)
Thanks for making this method well known to everyone in these types of videos, It helps a lot!
How I wish I had found this video three weeks ago!!! My current tank is cycled but I lost a LOT of plants to melting. This would have been a much better option and one I will definitely be trying in the future!!
Hi sorry its a bit late but may I know how are your plants doing after the initial melts?
Same here, my 5-gallon tank is already covered with algae (green and brown)... and my 12 neon tetras died last month and some of the plants are starting to melt / die 😔😔😔. But i'm still doing my best to keep it running.
I have been starting my tanks this way for 25years. I didn't know it had a name and I just thought everyone did it this way.
Hello everybody. I already did, and still do this.
And I only got to know your channel a few days ago. It really is the best method
for cycling, and without any work. Just be patient. Thank you.
Hey man since you have a picture of a Betta,I was wondering do you own 1? I have a community tank with a male Betta,6 Neon Tetras and 4 Albino Cory Catfish,and I was wondering when I put the aquasoil in and put my sand over it,I put my filter in,do I also go ahead and put in my Tetra Safe Start?? Ot says Cycles New Aquariums, start up,removes Ammonia,starter bacteria, freshwater Aquariums,I've actually never used it yet!?? And the 2nd question would be do I also add my heater,and let it cycle through with both the filter running 100% of the time and the heater running 100% of the time,because my tank will indeed have to end up having a heater,and I don't want to throw anything off by adding anything I don't need to at the beginning and I really don't want to throw anything off after it's Cycles!!?? Please Help
@@michellebreeden4962 please ... Wait some minutes ...
@@michellebreeden4962 Hi... Sorry for the delay in replying. ... It was in my work .... For your two questions, I didn't
understood very well. As I understand it, you already have your tanks working, and you've never used the products you should ... I did not understand. Some questions for you.
- What is the size of your community aquarium?
- How long has it been active?
- Do you have plants?
I have a tank with 26 liters, and with only 1 Betta. ( a girl ).
All my tanks have heaters (26 degrees Celsius), filters working 24 hours a day,
And in my cycling process: Fertile substrate covered with river sand + Rocks + water treated with Prime +
Biology accelerator + filter and heater on 24 hours a day, and no lighting... None.
It's a very long process...about 50 days. But, I don't have algae, from start to finish.
Afterwards, I place the plants, and turn on the lighting. And then I put the fish.
I apologize, but I didn't understand very well.
@@michellebreeden4962 Hello ... again ... In order for an aquarium to be able to have the little fish you want, it must have a filter, a heater with a thermostat, and if it has plants, adequate lighting. If you live in a cold place, depending on the plants, if you have a constant temperature of 25 degrees, I think it would be ideal. If you don't have plants, I think a temperature of 26 degrees would be ideal. I think you mixed acid water fish with alkaline water fish ( Betta ). Research your fish's needs before you buy. Here in my city, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, it's very hot, and in summer, the heater with a thermostat,
is almost not turned on. And the problem is trying to cool the water.
Hope you do an Ammonia and Nitrite test to check your tank's water condition.
If you still have any questions, I'll answer them, or other people, too. Good luck. Jorge Luiz
I've always wanted a planted tank I'll definitely use this method. It's exactly what I do for my reef tanks when I first set them up.
what a coincidence, I am going to start a planted tank in about a week
Most importantly we save a lot of time changing the water.... Wish I knew this when I started... Thanks for the video ... Peace
Yes , the Dark Start is definately the wiser way to start an aquarium! After the Dark Start , it is also beneficial to start the Bac Start , where we drained the tank & filled up with treated water plus the plants , lighting , filters & healthy bacteria but minus the fishes for another 3 to 4 weeks with weekly water changes before adding in the fishes species , group by group! Thank You So Much for the Valuable Tutorials! Stay Safe & Stay Grateful! 🇨🇭 p.s. Becareful with the DeChlorine , it is colourless & many fishes died from DeChlorine over dose! Sunning the water for a day , will lessen the Chlorine in the water , and is Safe to use without the need to add the colourless but corrosive DeChlorine! 🕯🌷🌿🌍
I had read that some of the plants I wanted to use in my first tank were sensitive to ammonia and I knew that the parameters could be pretty weird in the beginning. That is why I did exactly this. It took about four weeks. I had a fair bit of hair algae after planting, but nothing a little maintenence and a shrimp colony couldn't deal with.
Well, this changes things! After awaiting LFS to get plants and therefore not wanting to set tank up, it's now set up and ticking over as of an hour or so ago. I will accelerate it slightly as a neighbour is giving me some of his mature water to add to my little tank. Tank is covered too, just to make sure. Luckily it's small! Am using a small layer of Fluval stratum on the bottom, then flourite black as the rest. I aim to have no substrate visible. Establish plants and cleanup crew first, then add stock once plants have taken hard.
Nice video - mind, I learn a lot from all your content - thnaks for taking the time to make them.
See if your neighbor can give you a dirty filter sponge. Squeeze it out in your tank and you will be miles ahead already!
Just came across this and will use it with my next tank. It means I can spread the cost of tank, equipment, substrate, etc. over longer time .... much easier.
I'm almost 3 weeks in. I caved and did water changes because I wasn't using a skimmer, and it was driving me nuts. I installed one tonight after a water change. I hope to plant this weekend. Thanks, MJ. I'm always down for an experiment.
The dark start method seems to be the best way to start!
Thanks a ton for sharing! 🙏🏽😇
I love your videos! They are clean, crisp and to the point!
Appreciate all the time and effort behind sharing such invaluable pearls of wisdom 😇❤🙏🏽
I'm going to apply this method following your instructions. I'm sure I will get a very good result! Many thanks MJ!
I just got a new 80x40x40 tank and planning of using the Dry start method. Good thing i saw your video. Definitely will go for the dark side 😁👍🏻
Good luck!
@@MJAquascaping thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏
My last tank set up resulted in a lot of melted plants, esp my MC. The next one is definitely going to be DSM. Thanks for the video!
I can confirm that cycling my tank with no plants was an amazing choice. I have had zero algae since I got my plants and fish!
Did u change water at all ? :)
Fabulous information! I've avoided "fish in" cycling, so I'm used to waiting for weeks to put fish into a tank, so this 3 week wait wouldn't bother me a bit. I've dealt with the plant melt issue with new tanks, and doing this will help me avoid that. Thank you for sharing this!
Just setting up a new tank at the weekend, what a suprise! I was worried about water changes, now I'm not!
I'm still waiting for my plants, and every video is so helpful. Thank you.
I have tropica soil and they say change water twice a week for 4 weeks.
Yeah this is a good solution while you are waiting for plants!
Nice explanation, thanks for considered the FAQ that lots of people would like to know,
I can see you spend much effort on your channel, keep going 😁
So much useful info. You really know your stuff.
Use a sheet of bubble wrap instead of tissue as it will float.
Use a heater at 28*C to speed up growth of beneficial bacteria.
I love your method of sharing your experience with a CO2 reactor. Super concise and to the point. Pros and Cons were excellent!!! Thank you for taking the time to share.
thank you bros! I always have problems with algae at the first two weeks.
I am doing a dark start and it is my end of the first week. Waiting for another 2 weeks. Thanks MJ for encouraging me to go with this method....
I've just done this. Due to a house move I set up the tank with the hard scape and it was left to cycle for nearly 6 weeks ( also did a few water changes and used Seachem Stablity). Finally added plants last weekend and look to add my first fish this weekend.
That is awesome!
I did this with my first aquascape but I put the soil in 3 different buckets for about 3 weeks in a dark room. I had literally no algae. Dark start is the best method for sure man, very clear explanation! Thanks
That is awesome!
Did u add water or anything else in the buckets?
@@Joshua-uq9zw yes of course, only water
@@kalbekanani2279 hi did you just let the soil sit in the water? no filters in the buckets? i'd like to try too as i've got a bag of aquasoil ready to cycle and use buckets first before scooping into the tank.
I just started a dry start trying to grow moss on driftwood but just saw this dark start method. I added soil into my dry start so I should remove the soil and put them into a pail, fill with water and cover it up for 3weeks for dark start?
Going to start a new tank with plants, going to try the dark start method this time. Had been struggling so much with algae and didn’t know the reason.
Great video, straight to the point!
My aquarium is cycling for a week now, i'm going to wait a month after adding plants and fishes...
The only doubt left about it is: after the cycling is over shoul'd i change the water for a new one after drained? Or should i use the old one?
Thanks a lot for the information.
It'll be good to drain the water and use new conditioned water. I hardly had any plants melt with this method. Gonna do this for a new tank again!
Definitely going to try this … I have 2 x 45cm cubes sitting there waiting. Way to go! 🤗
Good luck!
@@MJAquascaping started this on one of my cubes on the 16th December, and just tested the water parameters. It would appear to be cycled … is this possible in 13 days? I think I will leave it for the full three weeks anyway. Better to be safe than sorry, as the saying goes. 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
"Diana Walstad Method" her book " Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist" books explain how to make DIY without any high tech system or aqua soil self-cleaning planted aquariums, without changing the water for 6 months. She said it takes 2-4 weeks for garden soil to reach a stable state after submerging into water.
I have to read that book!
@@MJAquascaping Yes 👍, It is an amazing book all the things you mentioned are exactly like she wrote in her book. Plus all the facts are backed and checked by scientists and experts of respective fields like soil, plants, water, lighting, microorganism, fishes, algae, etc.
@@MJAquascaping Please pin my comment so all the people who want to make DIY planted aquascape without aqua soil or high-tech equipment will know about this book. 😊
@@MJAquascaping
Hint
" Fatherfish You Tube Channel Disects The Book ."
Already started up my 15 gal, using the dark start method, and I am setting up my 46gal the same way. After 4 weeks and water testing is good, I will plant. Plan on going fishless for another month or so, while the plants are getting establish and filling out. During this time, I will feed the tank a little fish food daily, to keep the bacteria fed. Can't wait for the results!!
Great timing! I'm doing Dark Start Method rn. Just waiting for my driftwood to be waterlogged before I can flood. ❤️
Good luck!
@@MJAquascaping Any tips so I can fasten the DW to sink? I've been soaking it for entirely 1 week now..
Man I wish I knew about this a month ago. Just started and planted a 125 gallon. Almost all the plants melted and algae went nuts. Unfortunately I also didn’t know about daily water changes so it was only changed about every 4 - 7 days. Hopefully my cleanup crew can take care of it.
Sorry to hear that.. hope you can turn it around.
During the cycling process, minerals in the water may depleted so cycle may stall. Cycling also crashes Ph most of the time so water changes or adding crushed coral is a must whenever ph crashes. Not to mention that high amount of ammonia can kill beneficial bacteria. Cycle may not even start in this case. So waiting for 3 weeks may be just waste of time. It is better to test the water often to see whet to do imo. Especially before adding any fish.
Hi from Thailand I use this method to setup my tank it perfect! Thank you very much.
this is awesome :) do you recommend dosing your tank with beneficial bacteria? i'm just wondering if that helps get the right bacterial colonies forming.
Yeah that always helps
Hi everyone! How does colony of beneficial bacteria colonise your filter and aquarium if there's no amonijum to feed bacteria. Does soil like Tropica soil contain organic materials that would start to break and feed aquarium bacteria with amonijum during dark period. Thanks.
I am in week 2 of my dark start. So far so good. It is a conversion from a salt take to fresh water aquascape. Will put the video up on You Tube when complete.
great video man. I think I am gonna do it. as a new aquascaper there is a lot of options and opinions out there on how to start and set up a planted aquascape but this makes since to me. i'll use bacteria and just skip the water chances for 3 weeks even tho I bought nice stuff you help with that. this method seems like it's a better way for the new scaper. I dont want plant meld from my TC plants.
ill probably do this method on my next (1st) planted aquarium! thanks MJ killing it as always
Very instructional video, straight to the point, as always. I'll be using this method as well for my new tank. I think it should be the new standard in planted aquariums.
I'm going to give a dark start a try with my next set up. Thank you for sharing this with technique.
Best tips i ever heard.. thx MJ
Very welcome!
I loved the back sont !
So, if i planning to use bacteria starter, should i put them in the start, or after the darkstart end? If i put it in the start, should i put fish food everyday to make bacteria growth faster? From what i learn that the beneficial bacteria eat amonia from left over food.
Anyway, thanks for give us insight about this method. I do really like this video! ❤❤
That's a great idea. I'll have to give it a try.
Just set up a new tank and using this method. Best way to reduce cha ces of melt.
Currently running a dark start. Rather than waiting 3 weeks, i think il wait until the ammonia reads zero before planting and adding in live stock👍
Very interesting setup. I'm going to do another tank soon, I'm going to try this method. Should test my patience because I hate to wait for anything.
Thanks
good luck!
Great idea! Starting up a new high-tech 29 gallon now, will use your dark start. Thanks.
Additionally you can add just a small portion of food to kick start the ammonia proccess
I used this a few months ago and found it to work very well. I was starting up the tank in the winter and it was too cold to order plants (we had about 2 weeks straight of sub zero fahrenheit temps). It ended up working out great because by the time I could order plants the tank was fully cycled and I was able to add my clean up crew at the first sign of algae growth. Will definitely use this technique again.
Perfect!
Ryan Plunkett, did you turn the filter on or you kept it off?
@@marcel5427 I kept the filter running the whole time to start the cycling process.
@@Rycraft5v8 I have a 280 lt tank which is not easy to keep it running. But the small fish tanks, I can do it. They are only 30 lts. So I will start them with the dark start (small ones) and the larger tank with the dry start. How´s that Ryan? Thanks so much for replying so fast.
@@marcel5427 I have never done a dry start but have read dry start should really only be used if you plan on injecting CO2. Dry start is good to let the plants take root but eventually you will flood the tank with water and if the plants are not getting injected CO2 when the tank is full of water they will have to likely go through the conversion process to emersed growth.
I will start this method for my new aquarium Thank you
Good luck!
This is interesting. I do get a ton of algae over the first few months, I blame soil for being too nutrient rich. I will have to look into this!
Give it a try David! I'm sure you will see a difference
In the process of putting a new tank together and definitely will try this.
Just in time before I start with this hobby!
I'm also doing this method, my wife often asking me why do I feed an empty tank with fish food. lol.
😁
Because the tank is not empty? 😂😂
My mom asked me the same thing lol. She was watching me put flakes in my take right after I set it up and I had to explain the entire process to her and it took like an hour because I basically explained to her the entire hobby.
Was that really needed to feed ? Or just leave it as it is dark method. Btw if my aquarium was in outdoor. Should i cover it until it is totally dark?? Please I need the answers. Thank Man
@@superjuned You feed the tank to build bacteria that will transform the amonia to nitrite and then the nitrite to nitrate. Making it safe for fish. About keeping it dark, that is to prevent algae from growing. If the tank is outside, that means it is probably in the sun or, at the least, getting ambient light from the sun. because of that, I would cover it until the excess nutrients are reduced and you are able to put plants in the tank. At that time, hopefully any nutrients in the tank will be used by the plants and not algae.
Super duper nice planted tanks there WOW
Great video Mark! I’m about to try this method for my first time! I’m looking forward to not having tons of water changes at the beginning I am already a busy guy!
Good luck!
Thank you!
You explained it the best I find a lot of videos where they're just talking too much and explaining everything which gets kinda complicated.
Thank you so much for this information. It will be a great help as I am setting up an aquarium very soon.
Just begun 3 week Dark Start. 1st ever aquascape. Hopefully after removing it's covering, I'll still like my hardscape design. Thanks from: PA-USA
MJ I am sorry I do not wish to manipulate your time, but I have done a few questions which will help me a lot. I will condesate them here: If I do a Dark Start Mode, can later, before planting the plants and after I empty the tank to start filling it up again after the 3 weeks in the dark, to prepare the three types of moths, that you blend together, and brush them on stones and branches and then wait till they germinate? with lights, and just spraying water? and then.. only then start filling up the tank? In resume, do a dark start mode and then a dry start for the plants? How´s that? Can any bacteria survive the 2 weeks period without water? or I could leave just a slight bit of water?
Hey Marcel! No I don't think it's possible to do a dry start after a dark start. The beneficial bacteria will not survive the drystart, so it's a little bit pointless
@@MJAquascaping that's what I thought. I will have to.manually insert all the plants not as you instructed on the dry Mode. Oh well. Can't have it all right? Dankeee
Thank you so very much for your dark Start Method!I am planning still for my new 450 l and 54 liter Aquariums. Now I can look much more forward,as I'm 65 and my tanks are all in de kelder.Much lesser work for me this way!Danke!
Superb idea MJ!!! This is very good idea, let the aquarium mature first, then planting. Maybe adding bacteria will quicker the cycling process.
The stuff on wood is not fungus, it's bacteria.
In my first aquarium I tried the dark start method, it worked really well. Then I started the second aquarium the "classic" way, worked also great and for the third aquarium I tried a Fisch in cycle, which also worked great. I love trying new things and experimenting. I can't say which method I like the most. But I'm not patient enough for the dark start method even with it's benefits.
Great information Learned a couple of things I didn't know and will definitely put it to good use. Thank you for the heads up and the very informative knowledge you shared with us in this video.
Useful vid, thanks! Will have to try it on my next planted tank!
Hi, you have some kind of perls in 0:21, what is this? Thank you so much for your advise! I'm going to follow this cycle in the upcoming days. Cheers
Shame my new plants are turning up tomorrow for my new tank hopefully i may be able to fit them in a tiny nano tank to keep them whilst i do this method
I'm doing my 1st ever Auquascape tank, and going the dark start method. Now I wait :)
Awesome! Good luck man!
Thanks for the information. Will try it with this new ideas. Had tried more.. but my plants get melting.
Hope it grow healthy this time. Thanks! 🙏
What a great explanation! I was going to cycle with plants, but given the costs of starting a new tank (and returning to the hobby after many years) an option to cycle without stressing plants or fish sounds good to me.
So if you're using an aqua soil there's no need to feed because of all the nutrients in the soil, right? You'd only need to add fish food if you were doing an inert substrate?
Excited to return to a hobby that brought me a lot of joy years ago. A lot of advances since then :)
Yep exactly! Only need to add fish food with an inert substrate. Welcome back to the hobby!
How many times should you 'feed' your tank during a dark start with an inert substrate? :)
I would like to try the dark start... I really like to avoid algea! But is adding the sand at te bottom, my wood and my stones and some water really enough to cycle my filter?
Thanks so much for this video. Exactly what I'll do this time. Will use a CO2 reactor too, but as with a sump tank will use the reactor with its own dedicated pump... not the return pump. Enjoying your videos.
Hi, I'm planning to do this method. Last time I had a lot of problems with algae and the white fungus. I used Dennerle Scaper's soil. However I have some questions about water changes. You said we dont need to do it, but I'm a little doubtful, can you tell me more about your experience?. Maybe 2 water changes per week will be ok?. Thanks anyway. Cheers.
Really no need to do any water changes! You can do it of course, but it really is not necessary
Very helpful and informative channel, thanks 👍
Glad you think so!
Brilliant thank you MJ for sharing explaining and showing us followers this method, Thank you very much.
No problem 👍
This is an awesome information. I am starting my first aquascape tank. This would be a great start for me.
This is what i need to watch..thanks dude,my plants leaves always have algae anda ended up died
Will definitely try this with the next tank I set up
Good luck!
This is a very good tip.Thank you and Happy aquascaping 🐟🐠
I should have watched this a long time ago this is very informative MJ thanks for this ❤️
great video as usual i actually always do this but in a different way i would soak everything in a closed buckets for two weeks in the sun and just rinse them before putting into tank that includes my soils which are mostly diy soils and eureka.... magic with some extra used water from an existing tank
Cool ideas. Thinking about things. Consideration. These will lead us to success. Versus impulsively driving toward your goals with passion as your guide.
Hi my tank is already 1 week on cycling,can I still add more aqua soil during the cycling process? Thanks Mj you're the best 🙏
Thank you soo much good information I will try this with my new setup
Great video as usual. Keep grinding!
Always!
Wow. Now I have new method to scape ❤️❤️❤️it's really best . Lot of save of water is big benefit .second is algee. You always share best tips with us. ❤️❤️You are the best ❤️
Most welcome 😊
Oke, I will Change My Method with the New One 🙌
Muy interesante, sí señor.Estupendo vídeo.
Awesome information about dark start method 👍love from India 🇮🇳