I think it’s always a good idea to cap your soil with sand. I think it looks better plus it locks the nutrients down to prevent algae. It also gives you more depth for planting without having to use so much soil. Cap your fluval stratum people 👍🏻
I used aquasoil and topped it off with aquarium sand. All my plants melted. Bought new plants, melted again. After a while the soil and sand have mixed for a black and white color. I finally gave up and covered it with an artificial grass carpet and used artificial plants.
When I did organic soil, I had a lot of plant growth upfront at the start which gradually just slowed as nutrients became depleted after a few years. The dirt setup didn't really allow waste to go down into the substrate and replenish the nutrients as they were being used and over time just became more trouble than it was worth. Eco-complete was the opposite, barely any nutrient up front but lots of nutrients once the tank was well established (between year 1 and year 2 for mine) and the amount of available nutrients doesn't seem to be going away. The substrate is coarse enough that food and other organics easily gets deep down into the substrate and rots/decays away and becomes fertilizer that feeds the roots. It's almost the perfect substrate if you can deal with that first couple years of basically little to no growth. Also, the worse part of Eco-complete is the roughness. New plants seem to have a harder time spreading their roots through the material. Cost was why I never tried Fluval Stratum.
Semi-Newbie fish keeper over here, I have a 40g community tank with an undergravel mated to a fluval 205, the current substrate I have is very large gravel (like backyard type gravel), which I believe is the primary reason why my plants aren't doing as best as they probably should. I've been thinking about different substrates that would make my plants do better, but I also don't want to completely ditch my undergravel system, so basically I'm looking for substrates that won't turn into muck and clog everything up). Do you have any suggestions?
GOOD VIDEO HAVE YOU DEALT WITH OR TRIED THE UNS PRODUCTS AT BULK REEF SUPPLY ULTUM NATURE SYSTEMS? THINKING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT FOR MY FIRST PLANTED TANK EVER
I think the reason why the number one is the number one is because each manufacturer cannot copy the other manufacturer. Therefore, a variety of every manufacturer makes the perfect product, but because each manufacturer has their own blend there are some nutrients that are left out.
I always do Eco Complete with root tabs. Fluval Stratum messes up the water chemistry and is terrible for neocaridna shrimp because it eats all the carbonates in the water.
I need help. So I set up my 125 gal fresh water tank with driftwood and rocks and fluval stratum. I moved all my plants into the 125 from the 75 gal which were doing amazing. While they were in the 75, they were planted in gravel and I fertilized them with root tabs. After a week in the 125, they are melting and I am getting a milky slam on the driftwood. I have been adding excel and stability. I understand the tank needs to be cycled. But I thought loading it with plants it would be ok. What am I missing?
I’m still new, but i know enough that melting means they’re dying because of something. It could be from lightning, or lack of nutrients. You could ask the question in a subreddit about planted aquariums, they’re always helpful!
Okay so, dumb questions here, but I'm new to this, I have coloured gravel in my tank, 1st question is can I plant in that? If not question 2 can I add a substrate and then replace the gravel on top of it? If so what would be the best option? Litteraly looking for guidance here
Im a semi beginner too, but I’ve had gravel too. It honestly depends on the plant. Some plants will do much better in those environments than others. I would recommend looking into plants that do well in gravel, and then trying it out!
@@zachnetluch5722I’m happy with it. If I had a bunch of tanks I wouldn’t spend that money but it’s my main setup, 4 ft long. I use a powerhead too so I avoided sand and I wanted darker colors. After dialing in the light I found out jungle Val loves it and I threw in Anubias. I mostly wanted to have a hill stream kinda look.
A while ago, I decided to upgrade from a simple, bitter tank to plants, but I faced a problem with the aqua soy that spewed sand, so I got up and dried it, and then when I put it in the tank with some plants, the water stung, so I turned on the filter now. Is this normal? + Ammonia in the tank: 1 on the strip for the test
What is inside the lasagna substrate mix? I am setting up a 300g with a 150g Sump. The sump will have a refugium, but I want to add a plant to the 300g as well.
It would be too crazy to place a bottom layer of small pumice stones, and on top of this use a mix of gravel with nutrients + fluval stratum, and cover it with fine volcanic gravel for the top aesthetic finish 🤔 (it will be like: 1-2kg of pumice stones + 8kg stratum + 3kg of gravel with nutrients + 8kg of fine volcanic gravel). i have a new 38gal tank (80long x 45 high x 40 width), come from having a 13 gallon tank. ill pass my 2 garra flavatras to that 38gal, and planning to add another 3 so that a group can be formed.
I was thinking about doing BDBS and fluorite black trying to make a substrate lasagna mix. Trying to find out other people’s opinion on that mix so their isn’t any pockets that form or anything.
If u still read these let me ask why do people change out aqua soil when it breaks down u can lose plants wouldn't it be better after break down to just add root tabs
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I think it’s always a good idea to cap your soil with sand. I think it looks better plus it locks the nutrients down to prevent algae. It also gives you more depth for planting without having to use so much soil. Cap your fluval stratum people 👍🏻
Can you use any sand??
Hell no. Stratum works best uncapped. If you have algae problems, you don’t have enough plants or you have to much light
@@FamFon1 Use all purpose sand or pool filter sand, and rinse it well.
Don't use play sand. It is far too fine.
I used aquasoil and topped it off with aquarium sand. All my plants melted. Bought new plants, melted again. After a while the soil and sand have mixed for a black and white color. I finally gave up and covered it with an artificial grass carpet and used artificial plants.
@@FamFon1 Needed. If you put the earth down first. 7 to 10 centimeters of sand.
Straight to the point! Great video & thanks for the tips!
I've always used seachem as the base and a thick layer of fluval on top. It always does really good to be fair.
Omg this is awesome this is exactly the video i needed you are great thanks
When I did organic soil, I had a lot of plant growth upfront at the start which gradually just slowed as nutrients became depleted after a few years. The dirt setup didn't really allow waste to go down into the substrate and replenish the nutrients as they were being used and over time just became more trouble than it was worth.
Eco-complete was the opposite, barely any nutrient up front but lots of nutrients once the tank was well established (between year 1 and year 2 for mine) and the amount of available nutrients doesn't seem to be going away. The substrate is coarse enough that food and other organics easily gets deep down into the substrate and rots/decays away and becomes fertilizer that feeds the roots. It's almost the perfect substrate if you can deal with that first couple years of basically little to no growth. Also, the worse part of Eco-complete is the roughness. New plants seem to have a harder time spreading their roots through the material.
Cost was why I never tried Fluval Stratum.
I'm really curious have you tried having an undergravel plenum and used Safe-T-Sorb as your substrate? What were the results?
Great research. Thank you for sharing
Your place is so beautiful 🤩
Glad to see you back making videos even though they are voiceover clips from your prior videos.
Thanks for the tips! Im new and looking at all the bags of substrate just scratching my head. Can I mix some sand in with stratum and eko complete?
Why don't you want to make the channel recipe primer - Father Fish - it's for years.
i dont know if that is your living room or man cave or garage but that is one awesome room. love the tv placement
Hi there. So after laying the fluval( I am using a small glass container for plants only) can I add some sand on the top?
You're EXACTLY LIKE ME in a very uncommon way! Thanks for doing the heavy lifting. I am going to watch more videos after this.
Great video. Great channel 👏
I was literally about to ask "Can you mix some of these" and then got to your #1 😂
I really enjoy your content!
Seachem Flourite is basically just as expensive as Fluval Stratum.
Can we get the Lasagna recipe? Also how come Samurai Soil is linked but not discussed? Is it used in the Lasagna?
Semi-Newbie fish keeper over here,
I have a 40g community tank with an undergravel mated to a fluval 205, the current substrate I have is very large gravel (like backyard type gravel), which I believe is the primary reason why my plants aren't doing as best as they probably should. I've been thinking about different substrates that would make my plants do better, but I also don't want to completely ditch my undergravel system, so basically I'm looking for substrates that won't turn into muck and clog everything up). Do you have any suggestions?
hey man, is it okay to use soil as a base and then put gravel on top of it for decoration?
I’ve done this successfully with aqua soil, I haven’t tried it with fluval stratum though.
The soil should be covered with 7 cm of sand. - 10 cm.
Would mixing the stratum and the lava rock one be a good idea?
Luv the videos 😍😍😍😍😍 can you do some more plant videos for house plants
The mixture causes root spread. The sand/dirt/rock mixture allows nutrients to flow and settle into it and roots to move more easily.
GOOD VIDEO HAVE YOU DEALT WITH OR TRIED THE UNS PRODUCTS AT BULK REEF SUPPLY ULTUM NATURE SYSTEMS? THINKING ABOUT THIS PRODUCT FOR MY FIRST PLANTED TANK EVER
Do organic potting soil tanks last long? I heard without extra ingredients they are done in a year? Ty
Why don't you want to make the channel recipe primer - Father Fish - it's for years.
I think the reason why the number one is the number one is because each manufacturer cannot copy the other manufacturer. Therefore, a variety of every manufacturer makes the perfect product, but because each manufacturer has their own blend there are some nutrients that are left out.
I always do Eco Complete with root tabs. Fluval Stratum messes up the water chemistry and is terrible for neocaridna shrimp because it eats all the carbonates in the water.
My plants are doing pooy in Fluval Stratum. But in my other tank with potting soil capped with eco-complete, plants are thriving.
I need help. So I set up my 125 gal fresh water tank with driftwood and rocks and fluval stratum.
I moved all my plants into the 125 from the 75 gal which were doing amazing. While they were in the 75, they were planted in gravel and I fertilized them with root tabs.
After a week in the 125, they are melting and I am getting a milky slam on the driftwood. I have been adding excel and stability. I understand the tank needs to be cycled. But I thought loading it with plants it would be ok. What am I missing?
I’m still new, but i know enough that melting means they’re dying because of something. It could be from lightning, or lack of nutrients. You could ask the question in a subreddit about planted aquariums, they’re always helpful!
For the lasagna choice are you layering or mixing the substrates ?
Mixing
@@PalmerAquaticswhat % on your mixture of each substrates please
Okay so, dumb questions here, but I'm new to this, I have coloured gravel in my tank, 1st question is can I plant in that? If not question 2 can I add a substrate and then replace the gravel on top of it? If so what would be the best option? Litteraly looking for guidance here
Im a semi beginner too, but I’ve had gravel too. It honestly depends on the plant. Some plants will do much better in those environments than others. I would recommend looking into plants that do well in gravel, and then trying it out!
Can I use Hydroton Clay Pebbles as substrate fo my aquatic plants ? Have you tried that ??? I know it'll float so I top it with sand or lava rocks.
I did the same. Stratum mixed with a bit of Eco Complete and Flourite.
The Stratum looks too fake, so I just wanted to combine them for aesthetics.
How did it work for you?
@@zachnetluch5722I’m happy with it. If I had a bunch of tanks I wouldn’t spend that money but it’s my main setup, 4 ft long. I use a powerhead too so I avoided sand and I wanted darker colors. After dialing in the light I found out jungle Val loves it and I threw in Anubias. I mostly wanted to have a hill stream kinda look.
New bestie 🤸🏻♀️
Have you ever thought of using fugal stratum with a covering of sand?
So yeah nutrient rich, but which is easier for planting? I’ve tried flourite and the plant roots just don’t anchor, they keep getting dug out.
How often would you have to change out a fluval stratum?
Ive had the best luck growing plants was echo complete capped with blasting sand
Hi . Can I cap the fluval stratum with sand for a more aesthetic look ?
Yes
Hey mate I've just started a new tank with nisso shrimp soil and it's keeping the pH low is this ok for cycling
I don’t know :(
Could I add the fluval to an already existing, established, gravel tank with two female guppies and some plants? If so, how?
I have a 210 gal can you tell me how much i need of each bag for the mix please? And what potting soil did you use and does it release alot of amonia?
Why don't you want to make the channel recipe primer - Father Fish - it's for years.
Bought and sold, and I'm not talking your products...
A while ago, I decided to upgrade from a simple, bitter tank to plants, but I faced a problem with the aqua soy that spewed sand, so I got up and dried it, and then when I put it in the tank with some plants, the water stung, so I turned on the filter now. Is this normal? + Ammonia in the tank: 1 on the strip for the test
How do Pygmy corydoras do with Fluval Stratum…do they need a sand cap?
My Peppered Cory's love foraging though the Fluval stratum. It doesn't seem to hurt their barbs at all. I think it would fine for your pigmys as well.
What is inside the lasagna substrate mix? I am setting up a 300g with a 150g Sump. The sump will have a refugium, but I want to add a plant to the 300g as well.
Why don't you want to make the channel recipe primer - Father Fish - it's for years.
It would be too crazy to place a bottom layer of small pumice stones, and on top of this use a mix of gravel with nutrients + fluval stratum, and cover it with fine volcanic gravel for the top aesthetic finish 🤔
(it will be like: 1-2kg of pumice stones + 8kg stratum + 3kg of gravel with nutrients + 8kg of fine volcanic gravel).
i have a new 38gal tank (80long x 45 high x 40 width), come from having a 13 gallon tank.
ill pass my 2 garra flavatras to that 38gal, and planning to add another 3 so that a group can be formed.
At the beginning of the episode what size are the planted tanks behind him ?
Thanks for the post. Yes, I agree. Lasagna is the best substrate.
would you still recommend a layer of inert sand on the lasagna layer?
I would. It would tie everything together.
I was thinking about doing BDBS and fluorite black trying to make a substrate lasagna mix. Trying to find out other people’s opinion on that mix so their isn’t any pockets that form or anything.
Does Stratum need to be replaced?
Personally I like UNS controsoil
Can you put Sand on top of fluval substrate
No. It will fall right through it. Theres no need to either. Trust the stratum by itself 🙏
Who doesn't love Lasagna?
This video kept getting more expensive. How much does the lasagna cost to make?
We all love lasagna 🫶
I am gonna be doing two bags of organic potting soil then coconut Peet then aquarium gravel on top, thoughts??
Why don't you want to make the channel recipe primer - Father Fish - it's for years.
the iron contained in first substrate mixed with others, thats the perfect lasagna
I’m leaning towards lasagna substrate
What about tropica.
What about actual aquatic soil that you use in ponds ?
If u still read these let me ask why do people change out aqua soil when it breaks down u can lose plants wouldn't it be better after break down to just add root tabs
You used way too much soil in the walsted one. Try only one inch of potting soil next time. It should go right up to the rim.
Deeper the soil the better
@@CartelFund Earth 2.5 cm. and fill with sand 8 cm.
Anyone here has a feedback for brightwell??
I cap my fluval
Video link on how to make the lasagna? Ratios?
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Fish poop!!!
Yeah.... One piece
First
Is this a paid video to expose number 1