The too early fertilizer & cutting too early is true for both land & aquatic plant. Too early fertilizer is useless because the plant is still adjusting to new environment. Cutting too early is in fact counterproductive because it reduce plant growth. My mistake is using less than 1/2 inch of sand cap for dirt tank. Need at least 3/4 inch of sand cap.
Thank you for your experience! I Never thought this way about plants, but it makes sense, for example after repotting. I have Never tried dirted tanks, but I have read the Book of Diana Walstadt about her method. Maybe I will try it one day, and I will definitely use a thick layer on top of the dirt now! 👍 What happened? Did the dirt float up because the sand wasnt thick enough?
@@passion4aqua Yes, with less than 1/2 inch sand cap a slight disturbance will leak the soil up. And aquasoil love to float too, but not as much as dirt. I put a layer of aquasoil on top of dirt layer thinking that they will hold the dirt down & need less sand cap , no they dont.
I too had attempted to grow Monte Carlo... The stuff will NOT stay anchored in regular aquasoil - no matter how deep you shove it into the substrate... I learnt that problem the hard (and very expensive) way. Unable to obtain fine grain aquasoil, I had a bag of playbox sand stowed away in my basement... Although probably not a option most seasoned aquascapers would choose but when you have no other option and your Monte Carlo is anxiously awaiting to be planted, yea gotta do what you gotta do! Physically; the sand I use and the stuff you used really is a dismal difference. As for fertilizing... I use two different brands; API's Leaf zone and THRIVE ALL- in - 1 w/ macro and micro nutrients. What ever one uses - regardless of the liquid fert brand, it really depends on the quantity of the plants in the tank. It's very easy to over fertilize and end up with a huge algae spike only because the very few amount of plants you have can't compete with the algae throughout the water column. Obtaining LOTS of plants Will naturally starve that ugly unwanted algae of nutrients.
Nice Story! Sand probably does the job even better! For me, i just wanted to keep the Look consistent, and I will probably use the rest of the Powder Soil as the only subtrate in smaller projects! And the amount of plants is really the key to prevent algae!
@@passion4aqua ....As I'm finding out very quickly.. I've been told "LOTS OF PLANTS and zero algae.. I understand this principle but it's not the plant that's expensive... you get the point! I'd like to try nice but it's expensive and I just don't think my aquarium is ready for that type of plant yet.
You are very Right, I also did this with my 100P Aquarium, lots of easy plants at the start, and when the tank is stable, I will swap out some of them for intermediate plants that I really want to try. But I would Not plant them From the very start!
Good tips for certain setups. 1) Rescaping tanks with established plants then dose straight away. 2) Use the larger soil grains if you plan to put soil into bags. Also get the right size bag holes. 3) If you are able to remove pieces f hardscape with BBA on them, then do it. Place affected pieces into a bucket of very hot water for 30 secs. This instantly kills BBA. Once cooled replace them but don't try to scrub of dead algae. This is free food for shrimps. No need for any chemical and this is the most effective way. BBA will turn red or white. 4) Finding the sweet spot with light power is important. To me this is key to success. 5) Keep on top of matenence
I only do multiple water changes per week during the first weeks, because the tank isn’t balanced at the start. For example, the soil leaches a lot of ammonia. After the first Weeks, I do 50% water changes a week, because from my experience the tank looks better that way (less algae), and my fertilizer recommends that to prevent buildups of certain nutrients. And because I always do it this way, it is no problem to leave the tank for 2 or 3 weeks without a water change when I am on vacation :)
well if you don't want to fail again, try capping your dirt with sand...plant many many plants...avoid too much CO2 (never is even better), control your lighting. Then add small fish, snails or shrimp but don't feed them everyday - only once in a month. Then you'll definitely succeed.
I don’t think that this approach would have avoided the problems I had, and I wouldn’t consider this tank failed, it just needed time to stabilize. In general, I think that the Low Tech Approach can work, but I don’t think that it is the best in every case. I do planted tanks because I want to have a clean look and colorful plants, especially rare and difficult ones. So for me, a low tech tank is not desirable… but it all depends on the personal preferences.
Masterline 1 and Masterline 2, it’s a really good fertilizer system. But it’s made for heavily planted tanks (like the one in the video and even heavier) with lots of fast growing stem plants. If this is what you want to do, I can only recommend it :)
A minor suggestion: as your title is about mistakes, you should list them out in your video instead of their opposite. Thank you for the good content though.
Of all the plants that I currently have, probably Limnophila sessiliflora! If I could choose every plant, either Cabomba furcata or Hygrophila lancea „Chai“.
Another last one: You are very new to planted tank & yet you invest in expensive equipment & brand & you don't even sure how long will you last in this hobby. Even if you have a lot of money to burn, that's not smart.
First, None of the Equipment on this Tank is More expensive than it has to be, for example the Chihiros A601 is one of the cheapest LED Lights if you want to have Strong lighting. Except the ADA Aquarium, which was a gift. Second, I am Not new to the planted Tank Hobby, it is Just the First Tank I have that I would consider a Dutch Style Tank, because it is the First Tank where I decided to only Focus on my plants and Not on hardscape. Before I have Done Nature Style and Diorama Layouts. I have been in this Hobby for 6 years Now and have done about 10 layouts in different Tanks, so I wouldnt consider myself a total beginner. But if your assumption would be correct, you are absolutely right, I also started with a simple AIO Starter Kit. I have a series planned on a budget, beginner tank, I think you will like that.
The point of having a hobby is to have FUN yourself, not to look/be smart. If someone give up after buying expensive things, thats a GOOD thing. Because somebody else get to buy those expensive things for cheaper price. And we learn more from a mistake than a success.
Money in the Aquarium Hobby is definitely a topic with Many layers! I will make some content about this for sure. Of course, it might be good to start without buying the best of everything to try out… However, if you want to get into Aquascaping because of Amanos Iwagumi Layouts, you will Not have fun Starting Low-Tech and you will quit without having tried out what you actually wanted to do. So you are Right of course, fun is the priority!
The too early fertilizer & cutting too early is true for both land & aquatic plant. Too early fertilizer is useless because the plant is still adjusting to new environment. Cutting too early is in fact counterproductive because it reduce plant growth.
My mistake is using less than 1/2 inch of sand cap for dirt tank. Need at least 3/4 inch of sand cap.
Thank you for your experience! I Never thought this way about plants, but it makes sense, for example after repotting.
I have Never tried dirted tanks, but I have read the Book of Diana Walstadt about her method. Maybe I will try it one day, and I will definitely use a thick layer on top of the dirt now! 👍
What happened? Did the dirt float up because the sand wasnt thick enough?
@@passion4aqua Yes, with less than 1/2 inch sand cap a slight disturbance will leak the soil up. And aquasoil love to float too, but not as much as dirt.
I put a layer of aquasoil on top of dirt layer thinking that they will hold the dirt down & need less sand cap , no they dont.
Thank you, I will keep this in mind!
I too had attempted to grow Monte Carlo... The stuff will NOT stay anchored in regular aquasoil - no matter how deep you shove it into the substrate... I learnt that problem the hard (and very expensive) way.
Unable to obtain fine grain aquasoil, I had a bag of playbox sand stowed away in my basement...
Although probably not a option most seasoned aquascapers would choose but when you have no other option and your Monte Carlo is anxiously awaiting to be planted, yea gotta do what you gotta do!
Physically; the sand I use and the stuff you used really is a dismal difference.
As for fertilizing... I use two different brands; API's Leaf zone and THRIVE ALL- in - 1 w/ macro and micro nutrients.
What ever one uses - regardless of the liquid fert brand, it really depends on the quantity of the plants in the tank. It's very easy to over fertilize and end up with a huge algae spike only because the very few amount of plants you have can't compete with the algae throughout the water column.
Obtaining LOTS of plants Will naturally starve that ugly unwanted algae of nutrients.
Nice Story! Sand probably does the job even better! For me, i just wanted to keep the Look consistent, and I will probably use the rest of the Powder Soil as the only subtrate in smaller projects!
And the amount of plants is really the key to prevent algae!
@@passion4aqua ....As I'm finding out very quickly.. I've been told "LOTS OF PLANTS and zero algae.. I understand this principle but it's not the plant that's expensive... you get the point! I'd like to try nice but it's expensive and I just don't think my aquarium is ready for that type of plant yet.
You are very Right, I also did this with my 100P Aquarium, lots of easy plants at the start, and when the tank is stable, I will swap out some of them for intermediate plants that I really want to try. But I would Not plant them From the very start!
Great job as always thanks for sharing
Thank you!!
It was a nice post my friend, nice aquarium, best regards 🙋👌👍👏
Thanks for your Support!!
@@passion4aqua 🙋👍👌
👍
Good tips for certain setups.
1) Rescaping tanks with established plants then dose straight away.
2) Use the larger soil grains if you plan to put soil into bags. Also get the right size bag holes.
3) If you are able to remove pieces f hardscape with BBA on them, then do it. Place affected pieces into a bucket of very hot water for 30 secs. This instantly kills BBA. Once cooled replace them but don't try to scrub of dead algae. This is free food for shrimps. No need for any chemical and this is the most effective way. BBA will turn red or white.
4) Finding the sweet spot with light power is important. To me this is key to success.
5) Keep on top of matenence
Those are Great tips! I will try out tip number 3!
Multiple Water Changes a week... What does this tank look like when you go on vacation for a week? Sounds like a very fragile balance.
I only do multiple water changes per week during the first weeks, because the tank isn’t balanced at the start. For example, the soil leaches a lot of ammonia. After the first Weeks, I do 50% water changes a week, because from my experience the tank looks better that way (less algae), and my fertilizer recommends that to prevent buildups of certain nutrients.
And because I always do it this way, it is no problem to leave the tank for 2 or 3 weeks without a water change when I am on vacation :)
well if you don't want to fail again, try capping your dirt with sand...plant many many plants...avoid too much CO2 (never is even better), control your lighting. Then add small fish, snails or shrimp but don't feed them everyday - only once in a month. Then you'll definitely succeed.
I don’t think that this approach would have avoided the problems I had, and I wouldn’t consider this tank failed, it just needed time to stabilize.
In general, I think that the Low Tech Approach can work, but I don’t think that it is the best in every case. I do planted tanks because I want to have a clean look and colorful plants, especially rare and difficult ones. So for me, a low tech tank is not desirable… but it all depends on the personal preferences.
What are the fertilizers you use?
Masterline 1 and Masterline 2, it’s a really good fertilizer system. But it’s made for heavily planted tanks (like the one in the video and even heavier) with lots of fast growing stem plants. If this is what you want to do, I can only recommend it :)
A minor suggestion: as your title is about mistakes, you should list them out in your video instead of their opposite. Thank you for the good content though.
Thanks for the Suggestion and the compliment! :)
What is your favorite plant?
Of all the plants that I currently have, probably Limnophila sessiliflora! If I could choose every plant, either Cabomba furcata or Hygrophila lancea „Chai“.
Einfach Matteo Pflanze
😂😂
Another last one: You are very new to planted tank & yet you invest in expensive equipment & brand & you don't even sure how long will you last in this hobby. Even if you have a lot of money to burn, that's not smart.
First, None of the Equipment on this Tank is More expensive than it has to be, for example the Chihiros A601 is one of the cheapest LED Lights if you want to have Strong lighting. Except the ADA Aquarium, which was a gift.
Second, I am Not new to the planted Tank Hobby, it is Just the First Tank I have that I would consider a Dutch Style Tank, because it is the First Tank where I decided to only Focus on my plants and Not on hardscape. Before I have Done Nature Style and Diorama Layouts. I have been in this Hobby for 6 years Now and have done about 10 layouts in different Tanks, so I wouldnt consider myself a total beginner.
But if your assumption would be correct, you are absolutely right, I also started with a simple AIO Starter Kit.
I have a series planned on a budget, beginner tank, I think you will like that.
The point of having a hobby is to have FUN yourself, not to look/be smart.
If someone give up after buying expensive things, thats a GOOD thing. Because somebody else get to buy those expensive things for cheaper price. And we learn more from a mistake than a success.
Money in the Aquarium Hobby is definitely a topic with Many layers! I will make some content about this for sure. Of course, it might be good to start without buying the best of everything to try out… However, if you want to get into Aquascaping because of Amanos Iwagumi Layouts, you will Not have fun Starting Low-Tech and you will quit without having tried out what you actually wanted to do. So you are Right of course, fun is the priority!