Everyone's water is different and everyone's local soil can be different. What works for some people will not work for someone else. In fact each tank can be a little different with some plants doing well in one tank but not the other. I have soft well water - little or no kh or gh.
Hi Dr Novak. Thank you for this video. Very timely for my situation. I completed the Sera Baktopur(contains methylene blue & Acriflavin) treatment on Sunday, did a 50% water change and although there is an improvement, a few white patches on the tail are still there on the Shubunkin, I have therefore started the malachite green treatment as per your email. All the fish are otherwise healthy and feeding well. I will update you on the progress. With regards to the aquarium in the video, whichever system he follows, it will require patience and even with the anoxic system it could take about 4 to 8 months depending on his tank conditions & bio load, for the bcbs & plenum to mature and show a reduction in Nitrates. Some benefits such as fish health & spawning behavior may be apparent sooner. In my case despite the current infection which was inevitable given the fish were in a confined tub for 2 months, nitrates were zero and despite the current medication, the Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates are still zero showing that the bcb bags are working perfectly and have not been affected by the medication. However, some of the bcb bags were made in July 2022 and have taken about 8 months for these to fully mature and finally bring nitrates down to zero or undetectable levels by the test strips.
So true. I gave my goldfish a methylene blue and salt bath for 1/2 hr in a bucket 2x in one week. It has been about 3 weeks since. One had a red dot on its tail. Prazi or salt or cycpro didn't make it disappear. It is gone now, after a methylene blue bath w/salt bath. Waited 3 weeks between treatments. I realize that is a long wait. Even my 8yr old fantail goldfish is more lively after the methylene blue bath. This is a great treatment.
Do not worry about the name Dr novak. I am from Greece and it is difficult to pronounce 😊. And yes, English is not my first language . I can add that even with 70% of plants that he says, and floating plants that consume nitrates, feeding every second day, nitrates are way up. I guess FF's theory is based on feeding the fishes once per week. The BCB filter media I mentioned in the mail, is your filter media (kitty litter with iron) in a media bag. Let's hope it will work in a few weeks. I will send you an update when it does.
Would you recommend buying methylene blue powder and mixing it on my own to add to the tanks? I can´t buy the stuff for aquariums, but I can find the powder easily. I remember using the stuff in my tanks against ich in the late '80s and maybe even early '90s as a kid, but now I can't find it anywhere.
Dr novak, can I use fluval clearmax like a source of iron on a plenum? Or not? Because clearmax seems to contains oxide iron but Im not sure, I Watch your video on 20:00 minute and I saw that seems to be fluval clearmax Please tell me what do you think about it?
Doctor thank you for the video, what would be the recommended dosis of methylene blue in the tank? Is it recommend to add methylene blue in each water change ? The thing is that the botttle says 2 drops per liter (8 per gallon) and that dosage is for treatment tha dosage keeps the water blue, i would like to know the dosage to use it as a prophylactic please
💥💥 Hey Doc. I've done fish for a very long time and then stepped out for reasons. I've been listening to you and others about how to keep aquariums for a few months now and the discussions I have been listening to never (so far) properly discuss diffusion and how it improperly or properly affects the function of your biological filtration system. Wanna talk ?
I have made lots of videos on exactly how diffusion of ions works using a Plenum. I also have done a video from a professional at the Florida Tampa Bay Public aquarium, which explains what happens when you do not have anything to keep the substrate open. They have to physically four times a week. Stir up the substrate. Otherwise they will have ammonia spikes.
@anoxicfiltrationplenums 💥💥 Have you discussed the actual shape of their substrate? pebble vs crushed. Crushed will pack tight not allowing water flow especially with vibration present. Pebble shaped substrate acks like marbles, lots of water flow.
Thanks for the video. I know there are different opinions about keeping fish, can I still use a plenum in a 6-foot tank? How many uplifts should there be and can I keep loads of plants with a plenum filter and can I use a canister filter as well for extra filteration? Thank you.
Very interesting video. I have a tank running now for 2 years with the Father Fish deep dirted substrate method (more or less) although I had to improvise ingredients since I am in South Africa. The 1 inch bottom layer is a mixture of peat, organic potting soil, organic compost and a bit of bone meal. It is topped off with 2 inches of sand of about 1mm grain size, so not super fine. Never disturbed the substrate in all this time, fish are constantly breeding, plants have spread all over the tank (did not start off with 70%, more like 50, but now it is a jungle) Substantial amount of fish that are fed daily. There is an internal power filter and air driven filter in it, only media is sponges. I tested my nitrates, there was an initial spike to about 150 which I handled with water changes but after about 2 months it started going down. Now that tank only gets a 50% water change around every 6 weeks and the nitrates are always low, usually stay around 5ppm. I have done this now with 2 of my other tanks, same results. One took a bit longer for the nitrate to go down but it did the same thing after about 3 months. Having said that, another hobbyist contacted me who did the same thing and his is not working at all. Fish are fine but snails and shrimps keep dying, just like the guy in this video, even Malaysian Trumpet snails which I find bullet proof. I think there are a lot of variables here. He used soil out of his garden and added a lot more stuff to it, also used a thicker layer of it on the bottom. I have another 5 gallon where I followed your method and installed a plenum. Was hoping it would help with brown algae I am battling in that tank. Only been going now for less than 2 months, algae still the same. Pea puffers in that tank so probably something to do with the high protein food but I am sure it will kick in over time so I am gonna be patient with it. I think, like you say, nothing works exactly the same all the time for everyone.
All tanks go through cycling, and that could take a while before tank settles down for the hobbyist. For a pond that may take at least a year or two before the pond finally settles down. One of the worst culprits that we have is aquarium, fish food.
Those two chemicals are the only ones I have to treat my fish when needed for pretty much every ailment including ick and fungal infections. One of my angelfish recently got it's eye injured witch got infected turning it white and lost one of his fins and was acting very skittish like he couldn't see out of that eye. So I just treated the tank about 10 drops daily and changed a couple gallons of water per day until he healed up and now is perfectly healthy again in less than a week.
Dosage: How much Methylene blue or Malachite green to add (what is a little bit) - how much per gallon to act as only a prophylactic for fancy goldfish? Thank you!
Usually, if you buy the aquarium grade, it will say right on the bottle how much to use per gallon. And how much to use per day. However, you're only going to use it for one days worth until your next water change.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums i Good day Dr.Novak. I’m from the Philippines and it’s so hard to find a 100% ground clay cat litter here. All we have are the bentonite, pumice and the clumping ones. Is there other alternatives for the ground clay cat litter in BCB
Malachite green turns kitty litter green and killed the bacteria and my tank crashed from using it my plants started to die and now i cant keep the ph levels right .unless its the other chemicals they put in the general cure
Quick question in regards to running a plenum on my tank. Can I have a separate air stone purely for aesthetics or will it affect the anoxic filtration system?
Good day Dr.Novak. I’m from the Philippines and it’s so hard to find a 100% ground clay cat litter here. All we have are the bentonite, pumice and the clumping ones. Is there other alternatives for the ground clay cat litter in BCB?
Father fish once told me that plant roots want to live in anaerobic conditions. I. really and sent him a few things on plant roots and hydroponics. He told me all these things were wrong and he was right. At this point I'm convinced he's full of it. He's had a lady on a few videos that he claims is a micro biologist. I really don't think she is but who's to say. All I know is all the things I've read. Some of which you turned me on to contradict what both of them say. For me there's only two channels I take advice from. Your channel and kaveman Aquatics. The only no b.s. aquarium channels on UA-cam. Although he did make a video claiming seachem matrix lowered his nitrate to 40 ppm from 80+. I don't believe it. He's the only person on UA-cam or forums that's ever said they had a nitrate reduction from matrix or biohome. Fluval once told me in a conversation we had about one of their media's that no media can contain both nitrifying and de-nitrification in the same media. I believe this to be true. Both from what I've read and from my own trial of matrix. About the chemicals you mention in tire video. Could you give a dosage per gallon? Maybe what concentration the chemicals should be also? I looked them up and you can get them in different %.
When somebody advocates that everybody is wrong and they are the only ones that are right, I would stay clear from any information they would be giving me. He needs to learn a little bit more about hydroponics and aquatic plants.
I heard somebody on the internet say that one should not leave carbon running for a long time, it would turn into a "Nitrate bed" I use carbon like yourself in the canister with the BCB and everything else and leave it running for a long time. Would there be any truth to that persons statement? Looking forward to the next video :)
6 to 8 months to cycle a tank? By that time with my plenum/anoxic filtration, I'm running at mature levels with very few water changes and usually just top off. Setting up anoxic filters and rubbing this method just seems so simple, I have no idea why this isn't the default for more people. Unless I setup a breeding tank, I will always run my plenum and cat litter! Results on my four current tanks are so near perfect I just can't justify any other method. I literally only change a bucket or two of water each month only to replace what I pull out while siphoning up a little detritus or uneaten food.
As with most things, such as whole body exercise, following _only one_ system is more likely to have a more holistic "completeness" (in lack of better word) to it. For anyone that has tried baking, it's a fairly unforgiving science to get the proportions right, and if you mix two recipes without the proper knowledge and experience of baking it's highly likely to end up with a disappointment. The two recipes you mixed may not be particularly good as such, but is serviceable, and that's the result basically everyone is after. You still have to be critical of course, as this person experienced. But mix and match off of youtube advice might be bad.
Methylene blue also used to mark tissue to excise during surgery
Thank you Dr. Novak for sharing!
Yes, Dr. Novak, your videos always provide us with a wealth of information that is correct and proven to work. Thank you!
Everyone's water is different and everyone's local soil can be different. What works for some people will not work for someone else. In fact each tank can be a little different with some plants doing well in one tank but not the other. I have soft well water - little or no kh or gh.
Hi Dr Novak. Thank you for this video. Very timely for my situation. I completed the Sera Baktopur(contains methylene blue & Acriflavin) treatment on Sunday, did a 50% water change and although there is an improvement, a few white patches on the tail are still there on the Shubunkin, I have therefore started the malachite green treatment as per your email. All the fish are otherwise healthy and feeding well. I will update you on the progress.
With regards to the aquarium in the video, whichever system he follows, it will require patience and even with the anoxic system it could take about 4 to 8 months depending on his tank conditions & bio load, for the bcbs & plenum to mature and show a reduction in Nitrates. Some benefits such as fish health & spawning behavior may be apparent sooner. In my case despite the current infection which was inevitable given the fish were in a confined tub for 2 months, nitrates were zero and despite the current medication, the Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates are still zero showing that the bcb bags are working perfectly and have not been affected by the medication. However, some of the bcb bags were made in July 2022 and have taken about 8 months for these to fully mature and finally bring nitrates down to zero or undetectable levels by the test strips.
So true. I gave my goldfish a methylene blue and salt bath for 1/2 hr in a bucket 2x in one week. It has been about 3 weeks since. One had a red dot on its tail. Prazi or salt or cycpro didn't make it disappear. It is gone now, after a methylene blue bath w/salt bath. Waited 3 weeks between treatments. I realize that is a long wait. Even my 8yr old fantail goldfish is more lively after the methylene blue bath. This is a great treatment.
good afternoon dr. I would like to ask you if it is possible. In what specialty are you a doctor?
Do not worry about the name Dr novak. I am from Greece and it is difficult to pronounce 😊. And yes, English is not my first language .
I can add that even with 70% of plants that he says, and floating plants that consume nitrates, feeding every second day, nitrates are way up.
I guess FF's theory is based on feeding the fishes once per week. The BCB filter media I mentioned in the mail, is your filter media (kitty litter with iron) in a media bag. Let's hope it will work in a few weeks. I will send you an update when it does.
Would you recommend buying methylene blue powder and mixing it on my own to add to the tanks? I can´t buy the stuff for aquariums, but I can find the powder easily.
I remember using the stuff in my tanks against ich in the late '80s and maybe even early '90s as a kid, but now I can't find it anywhere.
Dr novak, can I use fluval clearmax like a source of iron on a plenum? Or not? Because clearmax seems to contains oxide iron but Im not sure,
I Watch your video on 20:00 minute and I saw that seems to be fluval clearmax
Please tell me what do you think about it?
yes you can
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums
ok thank you so much. greetings from Monterrey mexico. Your videos are very useful
Will methylene blue and malachite green in the aquarium kill the nitrifying bacteria in my filter?
no it will not
Hi Dr Novak , won’t methylene blue kill the beneficial bacteria in our plenum ?
No, it will not. It is not a chemical that kills bacteria.
Doctor thank you for the video, what would be the recommended dosis of methylene blue in the tank?
Is it recommend to add methylene blue in each water change ?
The thing is that the botttle says 2 drops per liter (8 per gallon) and that dosage is for treatment tha dosage keeps the water blue, i would like to know the dosage to use it as a prophylactic please
💥💥 Hey Doc. I've done fish for a very long time and then stepped out for reasons. I've been listening to you and others about how to keep aquariums for a few months now and the discussions I have been listening to never (so far) properly discuss diffusion and how it improperly or properly affects the function of your biological filtration system. Wanna talk ?
I have made lots of videos on exactly how diffusion of ions works using a Plenum. I also have done a video from a professional at the Florida Tampa Bay Public aquarium, which explains what happens when you do not have anything to keep the substrate open. They have to physically four times a week. Stir up the substrate. Otherwise they will have ammonia spikes.
@anoxicfiltrationplenums 💥💥 Have you discussed the actual shape of their substrate? pebble vs crushed. Crushed will pack tight not allowing water flow especially with vibration present. Pebble shaped substrate acks like marbles, lots of water flow.
Sir I want to do anoxic filtrration system for my 50 gallon 4 oronda tank. Please can you make a video for starting anoxic filteration in tank.
Already have such a video in my archives. You'll have to look in about two year old videos when I set up the goldfish aquarium in the Lanai.
Thanks for the video. I know there are different opinions about keeping fish, can I still use a plenum in a 6-foot tank? How many uplifts should there be and can I keep loads of plants with a plenum filter and can I use a canister filter as well for extra filteration? Thank you.
Very interesting video. I have a tank running now for 2 years with the Father Fish deep dirted substrate method (more or less) although I had to improvise ingredients since I am in South Africa. The 1 inch bottom layer is a mixture of peat, organic potting soil, organic compost and a bit of bone meal. It is topped off with 2 inches of sand of about 1mm grain size, so not super fine. Never disturbed the substrate in all this time, fish are constantly breeding, plants have spread all over the tank (did not start off with 70%, more like 50, but now it is a jungle) Substantial amount of fish that are fed daily. There is an internal power filter and air driven filter in it, only media is sponges. I tested my nitrates, there was an initial spike to about 150 which I handled with water changes but after about 2 months it started going down. Now that tank only gets a 50% water change around every 6 weeks and the nitrates are always low, usually stay around 5ppm. I have done this now with 2 of my other tanks, same results. One took a bit longer for the nitrate to go down but it did the same thing after about 3 months. Having said that, another hobbyist contacted me who did the same thing and his is not working at all. Fish are fine but snails and shrimps keep dying, just like the guy in this video, even Malaysian Trumpet snails which I find bullet proof. I think there are a lot of variables here. He used soil out of his garden and added a lot more stuff to it, also used a thicker layer of it on the bottom.
I have another 5 gallon where I followed your method and installed a plenum. Was hoping it would help with brown algae I am battling in that tank. Only been going now for less than 2 months, algae still the same. Pea puffers in that tank so probably something to do with the high protein food but I am sure it will kick in over time so I am gonna be patient with it. I think, like you say, nothing works exactly the same all the time for everyone.
All tanks go through cycling, and that could take a while before tank settles down for the hobbyist. For a pond that may take at least a year or two before the pond finally settles down. One of the worst culprits that we have is aquarium, fish food.
Those two chemicals are the only ones I have to treat my fish when needed for pretty much every ailment including ick and fungal infections. One of my angelfish recently got it's eye injured witch got infected turning it white and lost one of his fins and was acting very skittish like he couldn't see out of that eye. So I just treated the tank about 10 drops daily and changed a couple gallons of water per day until he healed up and now is perfectly healthy again in less than a week.
Dosage: How much Methylene blue or Malachite green to add (what is a little bit) - how much per gallon to act as only a prophylactic for fancy goldfish? Thank you!
Usually, if you buy the aquarium grade, it will say right on the bottle how much to use per gallon. And how much to use per day. However, you're only going to use it for one days worth until your next water change.
@@anoxicfiltrationplenums i Good day Dr.Novak. I’m from the Philippines and it’s so hard to find a 100% ground clay cat litter here. All we have are the bentonite, pumice and the clumping ones. Is there other alternatives for the ground clay cat litter in BCB
Malachite green turns kitty litter green and killed the bacteria and my tank crashed from using it my plants started to die and now i cant keep the ph levels right .unless its the other chemicals they put in the general cure
Quick question in regards to running a plenum on my tank. Can I have a separate air stone purely for aesthetics or will it affect the anoxic filtration system?
Good day Dr.Novak. I’m from the Philippines and it’s so hard to find a 100% ground clay cat litter here. All we have are the bentonite, pumice and the clumping ones. Is there other alternatives for the ground clay cat litter in BCB?
Father fish once told me that plant roots want to live in anaerobic conditions. I. really and sent him a few things on plant roots and hydroponics. He told me all these things were wrong and he was right. At this point I'm convinced he's full of it. He's had a lady on a few videos that he claims is a micro biologist. I really don't think she is but who's to say. All I know is all the things I've read. Some of which you turned me on to contradict what both of them say. For me there's only two channels I take advice from. Your channel and kaveman Aquatics. The only no b.s. aquarium channels on UA-cam. Although he did make a video claiming seachem matrix lowered his nitrate to 40 ppm from 80+. I don't believe it. He's the only person on UA-cam or forums that's ever said they had a nitrate reduction from matrix or biohome. Fluval once told me in a conversation we had about one of their media's that no media can contain both nitrifying and de-nitrification in the same media. I believe this to be true. Both from what I've read and from my own trial of matrix. About the chemicals you mention in tire video. Could you give a dosage per gallon? Maybe what concentration the chemicals should be also? I looked them up and you can get them in different %.
When somebody advocates that everybody is wrong and they are the only ones that are right, I would stay clear from any information they would be giving me. He needs to learn a little bit more about hydroponics and aquatic plants.
I heard somebody on the internet say that one should not leave carbon running for a long time, it would turn into a "Nitrate bed" I use carbon like yourself in the canister with the BCB and everything else and leave it running for a long time. Would there be any truth to that persons statement? Looking forward to the next video :)
6 to 8 months to cycle a tank? By that time with my plenum/anoxic filtration, I'm running at mature levels with very few water changes and usually just top off. Setting up anoxic filters and rubbing this method just seems so simple, I have no idea why this isn't the default for more people. Unless I setup a breeding tank, I will always run my plenum and cat litter! Results on my four current tanks are so near perfect I just can't justify any other method. I literally only change a bucket or two of water each month only to replace what I pull out while siphoning up a little detritus or uneaten food.
As with most things, such as whole body exercise, following _only one_ system is more likely to have a more holistic "completeness" (in lack of better word) to it. For anyone that has tried baking, it's a fairly unforgiving science to get the proportions right, and if you mix two recipes without the proper knowledge and experience of baking it's highly likely to end up with a disappointment. The two recipes you mixed may not be particularly good as such, but is serviceable, and that's the result basically everyone is after. You still have to be critical of course, as this person experienced. But mix and match off of youtube advice might be bad.
So you have no goldfish right now. Why not? Will you ever have a pond again?
Do you have goldfish? In fact I have three them that I've been over in my tank for almost 2 years