I think we need to discuss this theres a lot on here I would not agree with and the only way to fix these continuous misunderstanding is to talk to people who think its harder than what it really is. Its not just cause of what I know and a lot of the caveats are questionable or completely misunderstood by people due to what get heard down the grapevine. I appreciate you diving into this.
@@BentleyPascoeAwesome we could set up a Go Live Together on here just let me know when works best for you or just send email. I think it’s really important for hobbyists to discuss.
Hey Ben, greetings from India and thanks for the video. I am a beginner and setup my first ever tank using Father Fish method Heavily planted, No filter, No water change, No gravel vac, No air stone(FF suggests sponge filter though), No heater (I live in tropical country and keep tropical fish). It's been 5 months and both plants & livestock thriving with no deaths. I do not agree with one point which you mentioned about only experienced hobbyists can handle these type of setups. 5 months ago, i have zero knowledge about fish keeping (I used to think that planted tank means the tank which is not mobile and planted at only one place permanently 😀). when i was about to start the hobby, i did lot of research, gone through tons of methods available in TH-cam and other social media platforms and gained BASIC knowledge to setup this type of tank. I agree that my region totally supports water and weather conditions you mentioned and it is also one of the prime reason why i am able to achieve success. I learnt a lot from Father Fish, Fishtory Alex & LRB and would like to thank them for driving people like me at other side of the globe.
Agreed. This guy says a lot of good stuff, but he's also quite patronising saying that pretty much everyone who is not experienced is doomed to fail and lose all their fish. I've never had a tank or fish before, but wanted to have a tank with basically no maintenance and no cost except the initial purchase cost of the tank, fish, soil and plants and tub of fish food. I didn't think it was possible as everyone talking about how you need to change the water every 2 seconds and install filters, heaters, big bright lights etc. I stumbled into walstead method step by step youtube channel who has a tank for well over year without any maintenance other than trimming the plants and the fish are fine. I picked up a tank off facebook and basically followed his advice and just like you, no issues whatsoever, fish and snails all appear to be happy. I don't know why all these youtube channels talk about it like it's some kind of wizardry. I'm new to it (well 2 years now) and it's as simple as making sure you have enough plants and light to produce enough oxygen for the amount of fish you have = win. That's it.
@@wagmiorngmi 1.2 years and 9 months of keeping successful tanks using FF..and i am very happy with the results..i feed my fish once in 10 days (due to my unavailability) and FF is a perfect setup for my life style..Thanks for your inputs and congrats on your success ..
I was taught the hobby by my grandmother born in 1902. For the slow kids in the back that’s before there was electricity in the house and everyone traveled at the speed of horse. I use sponge filters lots of plants and sand I pull out of a nearby pond. After about 3 months (sometimes as much as 6 months) the tank balances ( meaning I go through just about every algae known to the hobby) but after that you just top it off once a week. Tank maintenance is mainly gardening. Cutting back the stem plants and digging out the Val runners etc. A main ingredient most don’t understand or find unexpected is the micro bugs. That’s one reason the pond sand is so important is full of micro creatures that are a huge part of the ecocycle. Its no different with terrestrial gardening. You grow soil and the plants will take care of themselves. There are many methods of in the hobby. This is simply the method that works for me for the results I want. I want a piece of nature in glass box and I want to spend much more time enjoying it, learning from it and watching it constantly transform itself with the least amount of effort. If you let Mother Nature do the grunt work you can spent more time enjoying. Thank you for you knowledge and skill set.
I agree mate I have kept tanks for 15 odd years, I chuck water ,wood, heavily plant and a sand substrate with some gravels underneath. Granted I use a canister filter for flow as my cichlids love it but after a month or so the tank looks after itself besides becoming overgrown. I also keep Barra and Oscars with other smaller fish but because I feed them well with live feeders and there is so much habitat they never attack each other
Great comment! 40 year fish keeper here, everything from HOB and canister filtered gravel systems with lots of maintenance, but also success with lots of breeding. Then to salt water reef and coral systems with all sorts of supplements, filters, sumps, algae scrubbers. Now back to the most simple, no tech, sand and muck and compost/earth bottom sand on top and local pond water sourced... Sponge filter to move water (silent) and lots of plants. Live foods from nature when possible and frozen otherwise. The biggest two maintenance jobs are pruning all the plants that grow like crazy, and topping off the water. Wow, the natural ecosystem is awesome. Almost 1 year set up, I've not tested a single parameter at all! @fatherfish got me going this way and I LOVE not vacuuming the substrate, plants growing like I've never had before, and lively fish without all the hands on work. Keep it up !
I'm about to cry knowing this series is over. I loved each week! Didn't agree with every pro/coin but that's what makes this hobby so awesome. God, it would be boring if we all only got the same tank, same substrate, same filter, and same fish. It would sure make diagnosing problems easy, but so boring. Since you asked about favorites keeping in mind each of our own tanks and fish stock: 1. Undergravel because it is simply better than every other filter ever created! And I truly am a grandfather hahaha 2. HOB, but really hyped about the Tidal 110s, although I do have one 75 as well. 3. Sponges are ok at best, but I'm not in love with them. 4. Box filters are so underrated and so good at what they do! I setup two after watching that week. Had them in the past and sort of forgot about them. The water in those two tanks is insanely clear with boxes running filter floss! Additionally I'm looking at possibly running a matten filter in the near future. Thanks again for all the perspectives!
One of the best videos about filtration I've ever seen since I started on the hobby, on 2016. Congratulations and thank you. There is no need for us to fight between wich one is the best or the correct or the worng method. I believe the same as you, everyone should figure out what is best for than and, along side with that, the more knowlegde we have out there the better. And information doens't need to come with a veredict about what is or isn't "the truth", just needs to be honest.
Bentley, you hero! So many channels talk about a filterless setup without considering the water chemistry! My water is similar to yours, I use things to buffer my water but overtime still gets overwhelmed and without water changes I get pH crashes. One thing people also don't mention is that the nitrogen cycle stalls at lower pH levels. It's also difficult to say to what extent the cycle takes place in a planted aquarium, from my very basic understanding of botany and chemistry plants find the nitrogen in ammonia way more readily available than in nitrate and nitrite. For me filters are there to push water around (I always fail with poor flow, bba, cyano...) and for redundancy.
Thank you for the series Bentley. I am UGF for larger and planted tanks, box and sponge for breeding. I have used everything and always return to my roots because it works flawlessly.
I agree with your ideaology on this for the most part. I think some people are just naturally more intuitive...More inclined to travel roads less traveled successfully....just because they are constantly observing and thinking "what if"....or I wonder. Ultimately, you nailed it.....Know yourself and some idea of what you want to accomplish within the time you have to give and your budget. Great series Bentley! I would add one more thing ....Its something Ive really been thinkinng about lately. Are we within this planted Nature tank boom, doing a disservice to some new people coming into the hobby? In our zeal for the love of the planted tank preaching to strongly thats its a neccessity or giving that impression without meaning to? With so much to learn, would it not be easier for some who are nervous about it all to simply lay some gravel or sand ...put in their fake decorations...their low light fish light, and filtration of choice? At this point, they have three rules to follow.... Don't overstock, don't overfeed, and do water changes....no more than 50 percent if possible. They dont even have to completely understand why beyond not killing their fish. They can enjoy their tanks and slowly learn everything else that is out there at their leisure....if they so choose. I just hate seeing people new to the hobby proudly showing off their aquariums and get dissed for not having live plants.....wish influencers addressed this more and remembered planted tanks arent for everyone....and Im not just talking about cichlid and monster fish keepers....It can be fear, funds, and a miriad of other reasons. Regardless, unplanted community tanks can be successfully done, and may be the best choice starting out for some.... Would love to see you do a talk on this....
Hi Ben, new subscriber here. I have not had a tank in over 20 years and boy have things changed. Anyway, a lot to learn, relearn, and unlearn but I need another glass toy box before I pass
I have always used sponge filters and / or HOB, but I am setting up a 54 corner and will be using a canister. Mainly because I'm not diving for a sponge, and there's no room for a HOB. I'm stocking with nano fish and heavily planting it. I'm trying for once a month servicing it. I'm hoping to find that sweet spot.
I started adding box filters a while before the series started and im absolutely in love with them. So much so I removed a HOB from my 10g in favor of a box, started a 15g run off box filters, and recently turned off my canister on my 36g in favor of a large box filter. Altho, I might add another for 'insurance'. With the lower flow my angel fish sure seems happier! The same angel fish the know your water video helped save. Thanks Again!!!
I think my favorite part of this series is casually crowd sourcing the research for "x filter rocks" by having all the armchair experts type comments on the "x filter sucks" video the week before 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks Bentley, can't wait to see whats next!
heaters of the type that can be totally submerged and mounted horizontally in the aquarium will circulate the water just by the convection currents they create
LRB is one of the only people on the internet that I believe is doing this no filter no water change stuff in a sustainable way. And unlike some people's videos you don't watch him and say "yea I can do that" you say: How is this magic man pulling this off! Which is important in my opinion. You can speak only the truth and still mislead people if you are not careful. I appreciate him for not making it look easy.
Hello! Nice video. I had a question in mind, I've got 78" long 243 gallons tank. And 2 canister filters and a wavemaker. What would be the optimal placement for them? I'm asking you cuz you seem to be the only one who'd know
You’re dead on right B! This works if you’re experienced enough AND are nearly constantly around your tanks to see how the systems are doing. The equipment is a safety net for those of us who can’t be helicoptering around our tanks which may be overstocked and/or underplanted. Even with planted tanks remember that plants will consume oxygen at night and release CO2 just like fish. That’s why flow is key at night.
Yep. Many people forget the role that WIND plays in circulating gases and nutrients in natural bodies of water. Without the influence of surface agitation, gas exchange would be very slow and in the absence of any thermal circulation, would create areas of stagnation. Our aquatic biota would be very depauperate compared to what it is now if it were not for water flow, agitation and circulation. Many of our setups need aeration, filtration and flow.
All of them are roughly similar. Find the best value. Personally I like seachem flourish, but that's because I tend to have problems planting the capsule types in a tank full of water. Personal choice, almost no actual difference in them.
Hello Bentley! Another interesting video I enjoyed. I have a 135 gal that I'm keeping lightly stocked and moderately planted without C02. I have been running a Oase 850 filter because of the ease of maintenance, I clean the pre-filters every 3 weeks and the total canister every 6 months. I do 25% water changes every week but now cut it back to every other week to bring up my nitrates for the plants (was at 0 PPM nitrates now about 10) I am using a submerged spray-bar pointing up at an angle and a Oase surface skimmer for good gas exchange instead of bubbles. So far everything is working out and I'm learning the planted part of the hobby with help from your videos. I have noticed some tiny snails at night that must have been on a plant, is this a concern? never had snails in a tank before. Any advice is always helpful. Peter
Next I want a series on different rainbowfish species stories. How / when were they first discovered? How did they enter the hobby? What kind of catch location variants are there? Etc…
What about no filter, just constant fresh water flow? That would be a cool system. Maybe that could be like the two hour movie after a series to tie things up.
I have a pond with no filtration and I keep it under stocked with tons of plants aquatic to semi aquatic and it’s cool when the sun is at highest and you can see bubbles coming out of the algae and plants
I was going to jump to sump but the cost felt to high and I wasn’t comfortable with my knowledge so far on a system that big. So instead I’ve move to canisters filters two fx6s(yes I know how silly that sounds when I was just complaining about cost lol) and they actually seem okay. I plan on filling a 125 gallon with a ton of plants(along the back of the tank mostly), rainbow fish, Corydoras , my clean up crew, plus whatever peaceful tetra I decide I want to breed along with the others. So I needed a ton of filtration and plants. I am hoping it goes well lol
Best filtration system I ever had was under gravel filter with the HOB tube attached to the uplift tube. I had two oscars, a catfish, and some other random fish in a 55 gallon. The water was clear and I didn't have to clean my HOB that often, because the gravel was like a pre filter. TBH I hate HOBs, but they do good work. Just noisy and if they lose their prime. Nowadays I'm pretty much Sponge filter, internal, or canister. In that order.
Hey Bentley I live in Florida and only thing I will disagree is not adding fertilizer I have outdoor 300 gallon pond with tons of plants from lilies to jungle Val my substrate is playsand with crush limestone and oak leafs that fall into the pond sorry back to the topic when I don’t add fertilizer for three months the plants will start to look sad and yellow I thought it was a nitrogen deficiency but my nitrates seem a little high but that’s bc I feed heavy every other month and my nitrate will drop within days I like how they bubble in afternoon I thought you needed co2 and I’m not spending that kind of money to run co2 in a pond love your videos
I have every filter method and a few non filter tanks besides a box filter and I'm a bit partial to under gravel filter rather air drivin HOB drivin or even running a canister filter hooked up to the lift tube my plants do amazing water stays crystal clear and the matinanace only requires a gravel vac in open non planted areas every once in a while and if using HOB or canister pulling through the UG filter almost never have to service HOB/Canister ever!
My tanks easily have been getting to 32c in the last few months and they have no heaters 😢 no filter no air pump but with semi regular water changes, i only keep guppies and shrimp though and never had a death. I have perfect water for this though.
I have a 75 gal & when I set it up LAST yr a few mons later I had some major health issues put me in the hosp for 6 mons, & recovery was another 4 mons from that so that's what? a yr with out any water changes I have plants going in the tank I lost all my rainbow shiners for whatever reason but I still have my yo yo loaches, & albino cory's along with some danio's still going strong. I had a heavy duty filter system going & it got clogged up while I was in the hosp, & I had to tell hubby to get it cleaned out to make it run again, but that went no where till I could get strong enough to get out long enough to fix it. So it's been a yr since I have had the chance to do anything with my tank the tank is running pretty good till I can get my cabin back up & running again where I can tare the tank down & redo the whole thing over again. I had a ugf going when I 1st set it up but that didn't last too long either so I'm taking it out & doing something different where I don't have to change the filter every few dys or wks cause my health isn't up to it but I'm working on that as we speak, as well as getting the cabin back running again, sealing it all up where I CAN move back in it like I was. But as far as what the tank looks like NOW, it has no algae growing in it with all the ramshorn snails living in the tank, the water is as clear as can be the yo-yo loaches are growing, the fish are thriving, & the lid I have on it keeps it from losing ANY water from the tank so all in all it's thriving.
I have a 20 long I've run in this fashion and it's been going for about 10 years now, right next to my bed. Black diamond (coal slag) substrate, 6 types of moss, a single java fern that barely grows, some dust algae, with a pretty consistent amount (20-30) endler hybrids that get fed every other day. Water is always clear and the fish are always active. Now, I have tanks at home and tanks at work and this is a home tank. No one sees it and I don't even show it to friends that come over. The reason for this is that people will see my other tanks and then this one and think the same principles will apply, even though they are obviously wildly different. They won't. I can't even use my tap water in my tanks, it's all store bought. I've done multiple setups, including multiple successful Walstad tanks of varying sizes. It's a balancing act and if you get it wrong, your livestock pays. I can't allow that to happen, but like you said, that comes with experience to know what works and what doesn't. I'm glad LRB has found that 'equilibrium' and I'm even more glad that he's doing so well! On a side note, that tank I spoke of is getting broken down soon and all those endlers are going into a tank at work. Having it run successfully for so long was great, but it's time to put them into a new home! Of course, I'll be bringing some of the moss they've grown a symbiotic relationship with.
Sure it works if you have 300 tanks and only a few fish in each. Doesn’t work for my heavily stocked and heavily planted 135 gal community tank. And no I do not go by the inch per gallon rule. More like a fish per gallon. Tetras, Rasboro’s, 1 Big Angel, 1 Electric Blue Acara and lots of Cory’s on the bottom. Plus about 500 Red Cherry Shrimp.
I respect this type of minimization of technology in aquarium keeping. However you will not see public aquaria for example using this approach because few people would visit. Beautiful, display aquariums with high fish stocks are what most aquarist want which requires technology for fish survival. A small "niche" segment of aquarium keepers will continue to pursue this approach.
I remember when light fixtures were expensive, but electricity was dirt cheap, but now the lighting fixtures are cheap and the electricity is expensive. Can't really win. I have rainbows, bristlenose, kuhli, and clown loaches in a 400 gallon system. I have a sump for mechanical, canisters for bio, along with plants, and a 24/7 drip water change system. Lots of redundancy.
its called passive hydroponics. Principles of Passive Hydroponics: In passive hydroponics, water is provided only beneath the plant roots, and it doesn’t recirculate. The nutrient-rich water remains in the system until the plants use it. There are two main types of passive hydroponics: Soilless Passive Hydroponics: In this approach, all the plant’s nutrients are available solely through the water in the reservoir. No traditional soil is used. Soil-Based Passive Hydroponics: Here, a soilless potting mix (referred to as ‘soil’ in the hydroponic world) is used. Both the media (potting mix) and the reservoir can hold nutrients or supplements. The choice of growing media depends on the method you select. Methods of Passive Hydroponics: Kratky Method: In this method, plants are suspended directly over the nutrient solution. As the root system grows, it consumes the reservoir supply, causing the water level to drop. The roots chase the water down. Wicking System: Similar to capillary action in natural plants, this method allows an oxygen zone between the growth media and nutrient solution. Wicking brings the water to the plant, and various materials like cotton, wool fabric, natural rope, or oil lamp wicks can be used. Both methods can be applied to single or multiple plant systems.
I was growing massive amounts of water sprite in my sump to achieve a zero water change tank, and a pH crash is exactly what happened. My Oscar started to get hole in the head- there was zero minerals in the water. I had low nitrates but all the calcium was gone. The water sprite stripped everything out of the water. pH went from 8.0 to 6.5. So I had to do multiple water changes over a afew days to bring back the pH. Over time, the hole in the head healed, but he had a scar from it for the rest of his life
Glad he's ok! This is a good lesson that even with some things like "0 water change" we still need to test/monitor and occasionally water change or mineralize in some way.
@madprunes, Bentley did the UGF near beginning of this filter series it’s still up on his channel..I’m new to freshwater fish(3yrs), I have 2UGF (PennPlex)running 10&29G❤️them.Low Maint. CleanUpLift Tube when 2 much gunk. My only con:Freak Acc.”My Grn Em. Cory wedged inside, “His tail end up”🥲 Now I put them Top grill caps on ends(not in past cuz NO use Charcoal.BtW my 29G I had 20Rusties Mom/Dad(+)4Gen(fry&upAmmon0,Nitrite0Nitrates upto 80@X’s(do H2O change when do) Rock Piles/gravel&SandCap over UGF..got cpl Pothos starting&few Java&annubias…glad to meet another UGF user👍 @Bentley enjoy ur videos&this series😀&LRB learned my rock piling breeding from him!
@@BentleyPascoe hahaha it was more the end of the video where you didn't recommend them I still think they need more hype and love, your good and bad videos were excellent and I look forward to more of your videos in the future. I recently setup a tank running two UGF plates for a Paratya shrimp colony since where I live we can't import shrimp and there are none available in stores, so it's an adventure, so far I let the tank overgrow with hair algae, added heaps of plants, and the shrimp are on their second week in there, they have absolutely demolished the forest of hair algae.
His setup and amount of tanks aren't the norm. The average hobbyist doesn't have 300+ aquariums, and just that many sponge filters alone would be over $3k not even considering tubing, valves and everything else. Can it work? Yes, Lucas is proof of that. Is it ideal? I'd say no. The minimum for me is a air stone, i have a 100gal,150gal and two (2) 300gal Rubbermaid totes in my backyard that only use airstones and have been this way for year's. I've tried taking out the airstones and in the winter it's ok, BUT here in the Florida summer the water gets way too hot not to have one running. So i just keep the airstones going year round. No point in taking them out for 3 months out of the year.
Except LRB is now installing a water change system. I was surprised by that but I guess it's because he's ramping up breeding?? I have water similar to yours, so I'm constantly buffering water with aragonite but other than that I follow more of a walstad/ fishstory/ lrb deep substrate but using more of your lasagna style hybrid of everyone😂. I don't need to vacuum substrate and only do water top offs but I think I'm really helped by shrimp in all my tanks to keep things clean and heavily planted tanks with very, very light stocking/ bioload. On a totally different note, Bentley, if I remember correctly your dog Shantoto needed a tplo operation? My pup was just diagnosed with a tear in one of the ligaments and this surgery is needed(?). I'm literally freaking out and also financially destitute after paying my whole savings plus grocery money $837 just to get exam, X-rays and the diagnosis. So I'm trying to find more info on dogs that have or had not had the surgery. Vet said $4,419.00 for the surgery!!!
She had a ligament tear from dislocation then eventually needed the more aggressive surgery where they removed the ball at the top of the leg that would socket in
@@BentleyPascoe I just don't know how well be able to get the surgery at this point. I've been all over looking for charities that might help but they're for older dogs and small dogs. More research today to see if I can find some charity that we might qualify for. For some reason a few of these charities or grants don't cover this surgery?!? And vet says if she doesn't get surgery she'll be lame and end up probably tearing the other knee ligaments as well at some point because she'd be putting all her weight on the good leg. 😔
Artificial filtration is just that. The next best mechanical thing will not defy water chemistry and the beneficial bacteria that is required for a stable environment. A plenum with anoxic conditions will surpass all of the pros and cons of your filter series if the goal is stability. Stability being a complete nitrogen cycle. I am a subscriber and enjoy your content yet I think this filter series thing was kinda a waste of time especially for newer hobbyist. A plenum works for any size aquarium as a foundation. That's the key. Start with a solid foundation and then add mechanical filtration for water movement and surface agitation.
I don't really agree with the most thats been said. You were kind of missing the concept off white LRB is trying to achieve. I noticed to preachers a lot about TDS and he doesn't Chase pH. Nature goes through cycles,and humans attempts is what causes more problem than good
I don't understand this trend of "Look I can get away with it with no filter, no light, no fertilizer etc". Lucas can do it cause he does not care how his aquariums look and just wants to breed a small batch of fish in each. The noobs are just gonna get burned trying x goldfish with no filter. This balance game to spend just as much as you need and have your aquarium blow up when 2 fish die is silly.
I have a pond with no filtration and I keep it under stocked with tons of plants aquatic to semi aquatic and it’s cool when the sun is at highest and you can see bubbles coming out of the algae and plants
I think we need to discuss this theres a lot on here I would not agree with and the only way to fix these continuous misunderstanding is to talk to people who think its harder than what it really is. Its not just cause of what I know and a lot of the caveats are questionable or completely misunderstood by people due to what get heard down the grapevine. I appreciate you diving into this.
Would love to!
@@BentleyPascoeAwesome we could set up a Go Live Together on here just let me know when works best for you or just send email. I think it’s really important for hobbyists to discuss.
@LRBaquatics absolutely, I'll shoot you an email and we can figure out a good time
YEEEEEEESSS PLEASE :)
Another great livestream coming soon 😊🎉
Hey Ben, greetings from India and thanks for the video. I am a beginner and setup my first ever tank using Father Fish method Heavily planted, No filter, No water change, No gravel vac, No air stone(FF suggests sponge filter though), No heater (I live in tropical country and keep tropical fish). It's been 5 months and both plants & livestock thriving with no deaths. I do not agree with one point which you mentioned about only experienced hobbyists can handle these type of setups. 5 months ago, i have zero knowledge about fish keeping (I used to think that planted tank means the tank which is not mobile and planted at only one place permanently 😀). when i was about to start the hobby, i did lot of research, gone through tons of methods available in TH-cam and other social media platforms and gained BASIC knowledge to setup this type of tank. I agree that my region totally supports water and weather conditions you mentioned and it is also one of the prime reason why i am able to achieve success. I learnt a lot from Father Fish, Fishtory Alex & LRB and would like to thank them for driving people like me at other side of the globe.
awesome! i’m also learning so much about setting up my first tank w no experience using the same method you mentioned.
Agreed. This guy says a lot of good stuff, but he's also quite patronising saying that pretty much everyone who is not experienced is doomed to fail and lose all their fish. I've never had a tank or fish before, but wanted to have a tank with basically no maintenance and no cost except the initial purchase cost of the tank, fish, soil and plants and tub of fish food. I didn't think it was possible as everyone talking about how you need to change the water every 2 seconds and install filters, heaters, big bright lights etc. I stumbled into walstead method step by step youtube channel who has a tank for well over year without any maintenance other than trimming the plants and the fish are fine. I picked up a tank off facebook and basically followed his advice and just like you, no issues whatsoever, fish and snails all appear to be happy. I don't know why all these youtube channels talk about it like it's some kind of wizardry. I'm new to it (well 2 years now) and it's as simple as making sure you have enough plants and light to produce enough oxygen for the amount of fish you have = win. That's it.
@@wagmiorngmi 1.2 years and 9 months of keeping successful tanks using FF..and i am very happy with the results..i feed my fish once in 10 days (due to my unavailability) and FF is a perfect setup for my life style..Thanks for your inputs and congrats on your success ..
I was taught the hobby by my grandmother born in 1902. For the slow kids in the back that’s before there was electricity in the house and everyone traveled at the speed of horse. I use sponge filters lots of plants and sand I pull out of a nearby pond. After about 3 months (sometimes as much as 6 months) the tank balances ( meaning I go through just about every algae known to the hobby) but after that you just top it off once a week. Tank maintenance is mainly gardening. Cutting back the stem plants and digging out the Val runners etc. A main ingredient most don’t understand or find unexpected is the micro bugs. That’s one reason the pond sand is so important is full of micro creatures that are a huge part of the ecocycle. Its no different with terrestrial gardening. You grow soil and the plants will take care of themselves.
There are many methods of in the hobby. This is simply the method that works for me for the results I want. I want a piece of nature in glass box and I want to spend much more time enjoying it, learning from it and watching it constantly transform itself with the least amount of effort. If you let Mother Nature do the grunt work you can spent more time enjoying.
Thank you for you knowledge and skill set.
I agree mate I have kept tanks for 15 odd years, I chuck water ,wood, heavily plant and a sand substrate with some gravels underneath. Granted I use a canister filter for flow as my cichlids love it but after a month or so the tank looks after itself besides becoming overgrown. I also keep Barra and Oscars with other smaller fish but because I feed them well with live feeders and there is so much habitat they never attack each other
Great comment! 40 year fish keeper here, everything from HOB and canister filtered gravel systems with lots of maintenance, but also success with lots of breeding. Then to salt water reef and coral systems with all sorts of supplements, filters, sumps, algae scrubbers. Now back to the most simple, no tech, sand and muck and compost/earth bottom sand on top and local pond water sourced... Sponge filter to move water (silent) and lots of plants. Live foods from nature when possible and frozen otherwise. The biggest two maintenance jobs are pruning all the plants that grow like crazy, and topping off the water.
Wow, the natural ecosystem is awesome.
Almost 1 year set up, I've not tested a single parameter at all!
@fatherfish got me going this way and I LOVE not vacuuming the substrate, plants growing like I've never had before, and lively fish without all the hands on work.
Keep it up !
Great ending to the series, I appreciate all the time you put into it. Looking forward to the live with you and LRB.
I'm about to cry knowing this series is over. I loved each week! Didn't agree with every pro/coin but that's what makes this hobby so awesome. God, it would be boring if we all only got the same tank, same substrate, same filter, and same fish. It would sure make diagnosing problems easy, but so boring.
Since you asked about favorites keeping in mind each of our own tanks and fish stock:
1. Undergravel because it is simply better than every other filter ever created! And I truly am a grandfather hahaha
2. HOB, but really hyped about the Tidal 110s, although I do have one 75 as well.
3. Sponges are ok at best, but I'm not in love with them.
4. Box filters are so underrated and so good at what they do! I setup two after watching that week. Had them in the past and sort of forgot about them. The water in those two tanks is insanely clear with boxes running filter floss!
Additionally I'm looking at possibly running a matten filter in the near future.
Thanks again for all the perspectives!
One of the best videos about filtration I've ever seen since I started on the hobby, on 2016.
Congratulations and thank you.
There is no need for us to fight between wich one is the best or the correct or the worng method. I believe the same as you, everyone should figure out what is best for than and, along side with that, the more knowlegde we have out there the better.
And information doens't need to come with a veredict about what is or isn't "the truth", just needs to be honest.
Bentley, you hero! So many channels talk about a filterless setup without considering the water chemistry! My water is similar to yours, I use things to buffer my water but overtime still gets overwhelmed and without water changes I get pH crashes. One thing people also don't mention is that the nitrogen cycle stalls at lower pH levels.
It's also difficult to say to what extent the cycle takes place in a planted aquarium, from my very basic understanding of botany and chemistry plants find the nitrogen in ammonia way more readily available than in nitrate and nitrite.
For me filters are there to push water around (I always fail with poor flow, bba, cyano...) and for redundancy.
Thank you for the series Bentley. I am UGF for larger and planted tanks, box and sponge for breeding. I have used everything and always return to my roots because it works flawlessly.
I came back into the hobby after two decades, and I was shocked at how UGF have fallen out of fashion.
I don't get it.
I agree with your ideaology on this for the most part. I think some people are just naturally more intuitive...More inclined to travel roads less traveled successfully....just because they are constantly observing and thinking "what if"....or I wonder.
Ultimately, you nailed it.....Know yourself and some idea of what you want to accomplish within the time you have to give and your budget.
Great series Bentley!
I would add one more thing ....Its something Ive really been thinkinng about lately.
Are we within this planted Nature tank boom, doing a disservice to some new people coming into the hobby? In our zeal for the love of the planted tank preaching to strongly thats its a neccessity or giving that impression without meaning to?
With so much to learn, would it not be easier for some who are nervous about it all to simply lay some gravel or sand ...put in their fake decorations...their low light fish light, and filtration of choice? At this point, they have three rules to follow.... Don't overstock, don't overfeed, and do water changes....no more than 50 percent if possible.
They dont even have to completely understand why beyond not killing their fish. They can enjoy their tanks and slowly learn everything else that is out there at their leisure....if they so choose.
I just hate seeing people new to the hobby proudly showing off their aquariums and get dissed for not having live plants.....wish influencers addressed this more and remembered planted tanks arent for everyone....and Im not just talking about cichlid and monster fish keepers....It can be fear, funds, and a miriad of other reasons. Regardless, unplanted community tanks can be successfully done, and may be the best choice starting out for some....
Would love to see you do a talk on this....
I like the concept, guess we'll have to talk about it!
Excellent video. Very well explained. 👏👏👏👍
This has been a really great series, Bentley. Thank you!
Hi Ben, new subscriber here.
I have not had a tank in over 20 years and boy have things changed.
Anyway, a lot to learn, relearn, and unlearn but I need another glass toy box before I pass
I have always used sponge filters and / or HOB, but I am setting up a 54 corner and will be using a canister. Mainly because I'm not diving for a sponge, and there's no room for a HOB. I'm stocking with nano fish and heavily planting it. I'm trying for once a month servicing it. I'm hoping to find that sweet spot.
I started adding box filters a while before the series started and im absolutely in love with them. So much so I removed a HOB from my 10g in favor of a box, started a 15g run off box filters, and recently turned off my canister on my 36g in favor of a large box filter. Altho, I might add another for 'insurance'. With the lower flow my angel fish sure seems happier! The same angel fish the know your water video helped save. Thanks Again!!!
Great video as always. I am a big fan of Lucas.
Love Lucas! He's a really fun guy to talk with
I think my favorite part of this series is casually crowd sourcing the research for "x filter rocks" by having all the armchair experts type comments on the "x filter sucks" video the week before 🤣🤣🤣
Thanks Bentley, can't wait to see whats next!
Shhh don't give away my secrets 🤣
I have 6 tanks like this. Lower stocking than LRB in most cases though. Makes the hobby much more manageable
heaters of the type that can be totally submerged and mounted horizontally in the aquarium will circulate the water just by the convection currents they create
Great series. For now I’ll stick with my hob & sponge filter. Interested in sumps and box filters. Maybe above tank sumps will change things up.
Brilliant video...really enjoyed it...Thanks Bentley..
So many good points you made..
LRB is one of the only people on the internet that I believe is doing this no filter no water change stuff in a sustainable way. And unlike some people's videos you don't watch him and say "yea I can do that" you say: How is this magic man pulling this off!
Which is important in my opinion. You can speak only the truth and still mislead people if you are not careful. I appreciate him for not making it look easy.
Also the filter series were great. I watched all of your recent filter videos and was eagerly waiting for the next one
Hello! Nice video. I had a question in mind, I've got 78" long 243 gallons tank. And 2 canister filters and a wavemaker. What would be the optimal placement for them? I'm asking you cuz you seem to be the only one who'd know
You’re dead on right B! This works if you’re experienced enough AND are nearly constantly around your tanks to see how the systems are doing. The equipment is a safety net for those of us who can’t be helicoptering around our tanks which may be overstocked and/or underplanted. Even with planted tanks remember that plants will consume oxygen at night and release CO2 just like fish. That’s why flow is key at night.
Yep. Many people forget the role that WIND plays in circulating gases and nutrients in natural bodies of water. Without the influence of surface agitation, gas exchange would be very slow and in the absence of any thermal circulation, would create areas of stagnation. Our aquatic biota would be very depauperate compared to what it is now if it were not for water flow, agitation and circulation. Many of our setups need aeration, filtration and flow.
hey bentley, im going to rescape my tank thats been setup for a year, what brand of root tabs should i get?
All of them are roughly similar. Find the best value. Personally I like seachem flourish, but that's because I tend to have problems planting the capsule types in a tank full of water. Personal choice, almost no actual difference in them.
@@BentleyPascoe thank you!
Remember when when the shrimp Jesus was in Indiana.same result with no filter.im pretty sure he’s got it figured out.
Hello Bentley! Another interesting video I enjoyed. I have a 135 gal that I'm keeping lightly stocked and moderately planted without C02. I have been running a Oase 850 filter because of the ease of maintenance, I clean the pre-filters every 3 weeks and the total canister every 6 months. I do 25% water changes every week but now cut it back to every other week to bring up my nitrates for the plants (was at 0 PPM nitrates now about 10) I am using a submerged spray-bar pointing up at an angle and a Oase surface skimmer for good gas exchange instead of bubbles. So far everything is working out and I'm learning the planted part of the hobby with help from your videos. I have noticed some tiny snails at night that must have been on a plant, is this a concern? never had snails in a tank before. Any advice is always helpful. Peter
Next I want a series on different rainbowfish species stories. How / when were they first discovered? How did they enter the hobby? What kind of catch location variants are there? Etc…
I think I will stick to my filters and water changes its been working for me. I like my aquariums to b nice to look at.
Very informative! Thanks
What about no filter, just constant fresh water flow? That would be a cool system. Maybe that could be like the two hour movie after a series to tie things up.
🤣 this guy...
Constant water changes are a thing works great.
I have a pond with no filtration and I keep it under stocked with tons of plants aquatic to semi aquatic and it’s cool when the sun is at highest and you can see bubbles coming out of the algae and plants
Good discussion Bentley
I was going to jump to sump but the cost felt to high and I wasn’t comfortable with my knowledge so far on a system that big. So instead I’ve move to canisters filters two fx6s(yes I know how silly that sounds when I was just complaining about cost lol) and they actually seem okay. I plan on filling a 125 gallon with a ton of plants(along the back of the tank mostly), rainbow fish, Corydoras , my clean up crew, plus whatever peaceful tetra I decide I want to breed along with the others. So I needed a ton of filtration and plants. I am hoping it goes well lol
Best filtration system I ever had was under gravel filter with the HOB tube attached to the uplift tube. I had two oscars, a catfish, and some other random fish in a 55 gallon. The water was clear and I didn't have to clean my HOB that often, because the gravel was like a pre filter. TBH I hate HOBs, but they do good work. Just noisy and if they lose their prime. Nowadays I'm pretty much Sponge filter, internal, or canister. In that order.
Hey Bentley I live in Florida and only thing I will disagree is not adding fertilizer I have outdoor 300 gallon pond with tons of plants from lilies to jungle Val my substrate is playsand with crush limestone and oak leafs that fall into the pond sorry back to the topic when I don’t add fertilizer for three months the plants will start to look sad and yellow I thought it was a nitrogen deficiency but my nitrates seem a little high but that’s bc I feed heavy every other month and my nitrate will drop within days I like how they bubble in afternoon I thought you needed co2 and I’m not spending that kind of money to run co2 in a pond love your videos
@@anthonyruth5606 you might just need a little more surface agitation to get some small gas exchange to help
I have every filter method and a few non filter tanks besides a box filter and I'm a bit partial to under gravel filter rather air drivin HOB drivin or even running a canister filter hooked up to the lift tube my plants do amazing water stays crystal clear and the matinanace only requires a gravel vac in open non planted areas every once in a while and if using HOB or canister pulling through the UG filter almost never have to service HOB/Canister ever!
Preach it my brother
My tanks easily have been getting to 32c in the last few months and they have no heaters 😢 no filter no air pump but with semi regular water changes, i only keep guppies and shrimp though and never had a death. I have perfect water for this though.
Internal sub filter for me, simply the best
Simple, powerful, no leaks, low maintenance
I have a 75 gal & when I set it up LAST yr a few mons later I had some major
health issues put me in the hosp for 6 mons, & recovery was another 4 mons
from that so that's what? a yr with out any water changes I have plants going
in the tank I lost all my rainbow shiners for whatever reason but I still have
my yo yo loaches, & albino cory's along with some danio's still going strong.
I had a heavy duty filter system going & it got clogged up while I was in the
hosp, & I had to tell hubby to get it cleaned out to make it run again, but that
went no where till I could get strong enough to get out long enough to fix it.
So it's been a yr since I have had the chance to do anything with my tank
the tank is running pretty good till I can get my cabin back up & running
again where I can tare the tank down & redo the whole thing over again.
I had a ugf going when I 1st set it up but that didn't last too long either
so I'm taking it out & doing something different where I don't have to
change the filter every few dys or wks cause my health isn't up to it
but I'm working on that as we speak, as well as getting the cabin back
running again, sealing it all up where I CAN move back in it like I was.
But as far as what the tank looks like NOW, it has no algae growing in it
with all the ramshorn snails living in the tank, the water is as clear as can be
the yo-yo loaches are growing, the fish are thriving, & the lid I have on it
keeps it from losing ANY water from the tank so all in all it's thriving.
I had a no filter tank for the longest, i eventually added one because i wanted co2 movement once i added co2
I have a 20 long I've run in this fashion and it's been going for about 10 years now, right next to my bed. Black diamond (coal slag) substrate, 6 types of moss, a single java fern that barely grows, some dust algae, with a pretty consistent amount (20-30) endler hybrids that get fed every other day. Water is always clear and the fish are always active. Now, I have tanks at home and tanks at work and this is a home tank. No one sees it and I don't even show it to friends that come over. The reason for this is that people will see my other tanks and then this one and think the same principles will apply, even though they are obviously wildly different. They won't. I can't even use my tap water in my tanks, it's all store bought. I've done multiple setups, including multiple successful Walstad tanks of varying sizes. It's a balancing act and if you get it wrong, your livestock pays. I can't allow that to happen, but like you said, that comes with experience to know what works and what doesn't. I'm glad LRB has found that 'equilibrium' and I'm even more glad that he's doing so well!
On a side note, that tank I spoke of is getting broken down soon and all those endlers are going into a tank at work. Having it run successfully for so long was great, but it's time to put them into a new home! Of course, I'll be bringing some of the moss they've grown a symbiotic relationship with.
Sure it works if you have 300 tanks and only a few fish in each. Doesn’t work for my heavily stocked and heavily planted 135 gal community tank. And no I do not go by the inch per gallon rule. More like a fish per gallon. Tetras, Rasboro’s, 1 Big Angel, 1 Electric Blue Acara and lots of Cory’s on the bottom. Plus about 500 Red Cherry Shrimp.
Lucas is awesome 😎
good job
Go hawks!!!! I’m
From the tri cities and recently started my first aqua scape and love it
Welcome to the addiction fellow Hawks fan!
I respect this type of minimization of technology in aquarium keeping. However you will not see public aquaria for example using this approach because few people would visit. Beautiful, display aquariums with high fish stocks are what most aquarist want which requires technology for fish survival. A small "niche" segment of aquarium keepers will continue to pursue this approach.
I remember when light fixtures were expensive, but electricity was dirt cheap, but now the lighting fixtures are cheap and the electricity is expensive. Can't really win. I have rainbows, bristlenose, kuhli, and clown loaches in a 400 gallon system. I have a sump for mechanical, canisters for bio, along with plants, and a 24/7 drip water change system. Lots of redundancy.
I like your plants for profit series ,we need a 2024 plants for profit update 👍
its called passive hydroponics.
Principles of Passive Hydroponics:
In passive hydroponics, water is provided only beneath the plant roots, and it doesn’t recirculate. The nutrient-rich water remains in the system until the plants use it.
There are two main types of passive hydroponics:
Soilless Passive Hydroponics: In this approach, all the plant’s nutrients are available solely through the water in the reservoir. No traditional soil is used.
Soil-Based Passive Hydroponics: Here, a soilless potting mix (referred to as ‘soil’ in the hydroponic world) is used. Both the media (potting mix) and the reservoir can hold nutrients or supplements.
The choice of growing media depends on the method you select.
Methods of Passive Hydroponics:
Kratky Method: In this method, plants are suspended directly over the nutrient solution. As the root system grows, it consumes the reservoir supply, causing the water level to drop. The roots chase the water down.
Wicking System: Similar to capillary action in natural plants, this method allows an oxygen zone between the growth media and nutrient solution. Wicking brings the water to the plant, and various materials like cotton, wool fabric, natural rope, or oil lamp wicks can be used.
Both methods can be applied to single or multiple plant systems.
I was growing massive amounts of water sprite in my sump to achieve a zero water change tank, and a pH crash is exactly what happened. My Oscar started to get hole in the head- there was zero minerals in the water. I had low nitrates but all the calcium was gone. The water sprite stripped everything out of the water. pH went from 8.0 to 6.5. So I had to do multiple water changes over a afew days to bring back the pH. Over time, the hole in the head healed, but he had a scar from it for the rest of his life
Glad he's ok! This is a good lesson that even with some things like "0 water change" we still need to test/monitor and occasionally water change or mineralize in some way.
Used sub sand in the 60's. I went back to them, with kitty litter and a gravel cap. Also use cannisters. Oh by the way I Geandpa.
I am Grandpa, old age keeps me from editing my text.
I wish there was a freshwater Porifera that lives on only fish waste, so we could boast "I have a living sponge filter" :)
And once again the poor UGF gets forgotten, even though it rarely needs cleaning, can handle a decent bioload, and is extremely simple.
I did two videos on it... Can't say it's forgotten, I also mentioned it in this video.
@madprunes, Bentley did the UGF near beginning of this filter series it’s still up on his channel..I’m new to freshwater fish(3yrs), I have 2UGF (PennPlex)running 10&29G❤️them.Low Maint. CleanUpLift Tube when 2 much gunk. My only con:Freak Acc.”My Grn Em. Cory wedged inside, “His tail end up”🥲
Now I put them Top grill caps on ends(not in past cuz NO use Charcoal.BtW my 29G I had 20Rusties Mom/Dad(+)4Gen(fry&upAmmon0,Nitrite0Nitrates upto 80@X’s(do H2O change when do) Rock Piles/gravel&SandCap over UGF..got cpl Pothos starting&few Java&annubias…glad to meet another UGF user👍
@Bentley enjoy ur videos&this series😀&LRB learned my rock piling breeding from him!
@@BentleyPascoe hahaha it was more the end of the video where you didn't recommend them I still think they need more hype and love, your good and bad videos were excellent and I look forward to more of your videos in the future. I recently setup a tank running two UGF plates for a Paratya shrimp colony since where I live we can't import shrimp and there are none available in stores, so it's an adventure, so far I let the tank overgrow with hair algae, added heaps of plants, and the shrimp are on their second week in there, they have absolutely demolished the forest of hair algae.
My only criticism, u said "echo" system , its eco like "go" 😂
Has anyone told you, today, that you are brilliant, Bentley? Because, you are! And I'll say it to your face!!😅
Thank you
His setup and amount of tanks aren't the norm. The average hobbyist doesn't have 300+ aquariums, and just that many sponge filters alone would be over $3k not even considering tubing, valves and everything else. Can it work? Yes, Lucas is proof of that. Is it ideal? I'd say no. The minimum for me is a air stone, i have a 100gal,150gal and two (2) 300gal Rubbermaid totes in my backyard that only use airstones and have been this way for year's. I've tried taking out the airstones and in the winter it's ok, BUT here in the Florida summer the water gets way too hot not to have one running. So i just keep the airstones going year round. No point in taking them out for 3 months out of the year.
I'm going to stick with my plenum and anoxic filtration. 10 tanks running this way, just do water top offs and trim the plants.
This was a fun series but i have a bias as an equipment hoarder.
Except LRB is now installing a water change system. I was surprised by that but I guess it's because he's ramping up breeding?? I have water similar to yours, so I'm constantly buffering water with aragonite but other than that I follow more of a walstad/ fishstory/ lrb deep substrate but using more of your lasagna style hybrid of everyone😂. I don't need to vacuum substrate and only do water top offs but I think I'm really helped by shrimp in all my tanks to keep things clean and heavily planted tanks with very, very light stocking/ bioload.
On a totally different note, Bentley, if I remember correctly your dog Shantoto needed a tplo operation? My pup was just diagnosed with a tear in one of the ligaments and this surgery is needed(?). I'm literally freaking out and also financially destitute after paying my whole savings plus grocery money $837 just to get exam, X-rays and the diagnosis. So I'm trying to find more info on dogs that have or had not had the surgery. Vet said $4,419.00 for the surgery!!!
She had a ligament tear from dislocation then eventually needed the more aggressive surgery where they removed the ball at the top of the leg that would socket in
Just remember l, follow the recovery advice as perfectly as possible! Had to look it up, Shani had FHO
@@BentleyPascoe oh, so even more invasive. Poor sweetie.
@@BentleyPascoe yes, for sure. I saw your posts when you started being able to take her out for walks again.
@@BentleyPascoe I just don't know how well be able to get the surgery at this point. I've been all over looking for charities that might help but they're for older dogs and small dogs. More research today to see if I can find some charity that we might qualify for. For some reason a few of these charities or grants don't cover this surgery?!? And vet says if she doesn't get surgery she'll be lame and end up probably tearing the other knee ligaments as well at some point because she'd be putting all her weight on the good leg. 😔
Artificial filtration is just that. The next best mechanical thing will not defy water chemistry and the beneficial bacteria that is required for a stable environment. A plenum with anoxic conditions will surpass all of the pros and cons of your filter series if the goal is stability. Stability being a complete nitrogen cycle. I am a subscriber and enjoy your content yet I think this filter series thing was kinda a waste of time especially for newer hobbyist. A plenum works for any size aquarium as a foundation. That's the key. Start with a solid foundation and then add mechanical filtration for water movement and surface agitation.
Bryan, how long have you been running your tank with a plenum and do you have any videos of it? Thanks
Interesting....
I will never ever go back to using canisters...
I don't really agree with the most thats been said. You were kind of missing the concept off white LRB is trying to achieve. I noticed to preachers a lot about TDS and he doesn't Chase pH. Nature goes through cycles,and humans attempts is what causes more problem than good
I don't understand this trend of "Look I can get away with it with no filter, no light, no fertilizer etc". Lucas can do it cause he does not care how his aquariums look and just wants to breed a small batch of fish in each. The noobs are just gonna get burned trying x goldfish with no filter. This balance game to spend just as much as you need and have your aquarium blow up when 2 fish die is silly.
No fisch
Way back Lucas kontrolled his tanks by putting many many chemicals in to his water! Not an option in my view on aquarium keeping thou.
The water variation sucks that’s why I use salt and osmosis I can’t trust the water supply quality
I’m getting tired of hitting the like button 😂😅
Cracked to code?
Many aquarists are searching to do less work
@@BentleyPascoe there's a typo in your title is what BassMan is saying.
@@KoroWerks 🤣 that's what I get for working at midnight
I don't buy this latest trend of no filters no water changes, I think it's a dangerous trend.
Pascoe Bentley
I have a pond with no filtration and I keep it under stocked with tons of plants aquatic to semi aquatic and it’s cool when the sun is at highest and you can see bubbles coming out of the algae and plants