ADU Aquascaping is excited to announce their partnership with BucePlant! When ordering type "ADU15" into the code section and you will get 15% off of your first order, so make it count! To get to their website click on the BucePlant link that I have provided below! buceplant.com?rfsn=512608.61055d
Currently, the tank is no longer suffering from an algae outbreak. Methods such as ripping up infected plants and reducing the lighting can and will reduce algae. These methods coupled with manual removal of algae and consistent husbandry will stop the algae outbreak. No chemicals, no gadgets, no secrets. Just good husbandry and making light the limiting factor. This makes it easy, and that is why I made this video.
theAmdisen391 we don't want algae growing on plants and impeding growth. And algae scrubber filter is not necessary. There is always some algae, but an overly abundance of algae is a sign of polluted water.
awesome video and incredible tank, always been a fan of this scape, i love the way monte carlo spills over ledges like it, its one of the reasons i love the plant so much. well done man
+Glass Canvas Aquascape Yeah man, thanks! It carpeted in 2 weeks! It may be a UA-cam record! LOL Just such an easy plant to work with. I have some red going on in the back now. So I have one more variation of this scape coming, so stay tuned... Peace
Like the new intro. I have to agree, once we get the scape to the way we want it, it's hard to cut it all back to basically the beginning. It is healthy for the tank.
+Ontario Bushcraft Thanks, the halo ring that disappears in the intro is actually some effect malfunction that worked out. lol. Yeah, it sucks, but better than rescaping. I am adding some red to the background, so I guess I am going to do another variation of this tank.
Nice thanks for sharing. I will be starting my own planted tank soon. I will be checking out more of your videos. The last planted tank i have had was over 8 years ago.
Wow, Dave you weren't kidding, the same topic on the same day lol. Except your tank looks like a boss lol. Also, it makes me feel a little better knowing that even pros get algae sometimes. I absolutely love your tank though. Great video
+Maurice Aquariums Yeah man, total neglect and the tank become unhappy. It is doing better now, so the methods do work, and of course flow is always key as you mentioned...
+Laura Wrenn haha, it already is! Fissidens grows pretty quickly in my tank, but it is still the only plant struggling with algae, other than that the tank is doing pretty well.
this was the most helpful video ever. I'm am new to the fish world, I have a 2 gallon tank with a betta in it. I have 2 live plants and the older plant just started getting black specks on its leaves. When I first got my plants i rinsed off the roots, not so much the whole plant. so now I'll just clip off the leaves with the algae on it. I hope this works! thanks
+Aqua'Nico No problem. I hope this method helps. It is working in my tank. Stay diligent and do weekly maintenance. You don't have to use chemicals or gadgets to get rid of algae.
+BolivianFishKeeper I just meant to say another episode in the series. Check out my videos, I already have 3 moss videos in my moss series. Thanks for watching.
I have cut off many of the algae infested leaves, but it seems I should be a bit more aggressive and cut off most of them. The green spot algae on many of the anubias leaves has died and left the leaves rather motley looking. If I cut those off I'll be left with a naked rhizome. I think I need to start over with some new plants. Good video - thanks!
Went through a similar episode in my 75 when I was paying too much attention to my reefs. Shit got way to thick and over grown so I decided to start over. I actually stopped dosing all together now and it's just CO2 and light control
+mrpineapple 010 That is a good question. I have had them with Cockatoo Cichlids and they don't bother them much. What some fish will do is try and eat the eggs off the belly of the shrimp, but usually the shrimp will attack the fish. They are super hardy shrimp. I would go ahead and give it a try.
i like that aquarium a lot.well done.have also some javamoss on the driftwood.the moss grows so fast .before trimming you can see hardly any wood.only javamoss.
Mr Tombola thanks for the compliment. Yeah Java moss is one of my favorite even though it is pretty common. Can look great when trimmed. Christmas moss is another really nice one too. Thanks for watching!
+Judd97 yeah they are bumblebee Gobies. great fish to have, but can be hard to feed. You need micron golden pearl food and a current that sweeps across the substrate of your tank, so you have to set up the flow just right.
love the tank I just want to ask you I have just got myself the new fluval flex tank 34 L I am trying to aquascape it I have put in some plant substrate topped of with fine black gravel put in some grey stone with bits of white in. it the plants I have in at the moment are chain swords at the back near the water intake where the sump is at the front I have put some cryps in what other plants would you use to make a carpet I did have some carpet plants In but I got melt back and lost them as this tank as only been running just over a week and what kind of wood would you use I want to make like a tree with anubias and java fern with some willow moss or stringy moss would it look nice or just look a mess cheers happy fish keeping
I would use Monte Carlo for my carpeting plant if I were you. Very easy and hardy. Works great and grows quickly. Your tank is very very new, so be patient. You will experience a few different types of algae and diatoms as the tank balances and matures. Can take 6 weeks to 3 months to balance depending on your experience level and how you run your tank. Just stay very consistent with dosing and parameters, put lights on a timer, etc... You will want to use either Manzanita wood or dead Bonsai trees for making moss trees. Then use sponge and glue it to the branches, then glue the moss to the branch using super glue gel type. I hope this helps!
I'm planning to start making an environment for my bichir and aligator gar, but i dont like sands or small rocks since they make cleaning the water harder. Will it be hard to clean the water with those grass too? then, how long does it takes to grow the whole aquarium (of similar size with yours) with them?
Charlotte Valentine It can take between 3-6 months to mature depending on if you have pressurized CO2 or not. In a planted tank you don't do any deep substrate cleaning..Just light cleaning especially with the carpeting plants..If they like to dig plants up than the carpeting plant won't be a good idea. I am growing Monte Carlo in this setup. You can use sand as a substrate and just kick up the detritus with your hand right before you do a water change.
ADU Aquascaping both fishes seems to like river like environment and they like to hide under a structure. im still looking for simple yet elegant and fish friendly aquarium ideas, i bookmarked this as one of them. thank you!!
Charlotte Valentine you may want to try just using gravel as the substrate and planting on driftwood. You can plant Anubias, Java ferns, and bolbitis onto driftwood. That way you can have plants, but they don't go into the substrate. Also if you do plant in the substrate Amazon swords and cryptocoryne plants are both great hardy beginner plants.
What type glue are you using? I thought glue in any aquarium wood be toxic. What type of sand is your substrate? Is it all purpose sand or something else?
+Michael Wells If it is cyanoacrylate glue you can use it under water. It is the same exact glue that Seachem sells for corals and they advertise you can use it even under water. This is known throughout the hobby. Doesn't kill fish or shrimp. You can use it above water and let it cure as I did in the video if you are concerned, but really it doesn't matter. It is more dangerous to dose your tank with Flourish Excel.
Hi! Can you please give us a thought about the seachem purigen? Was that really necessarily for planted aquarium? What about you? Do you recommend or do you use it in your tank?
+ichisuke 03 It works well in planted tanks because it only traps organics and not your fertilizers, but really with good micron pads in your filter you don't need it. And in a Walstad, or true low tech type tank you actually want higher DOC dissolved organic carbon to help aid in the carbon cycle. Simply put it isn't necessary, but it may make your water crystal clear. I just use micron floss.
Were you using a "credit card" or some type of membership card to remove algae off the tank glass? EDIT: I also want to ask... My tank is infected with brown colored algae. It has been established for well over a year. There is algae on the leaves of bacopa. Algae on the back and side glass of the tank. Algae on my swords' leaves. And algae on my anubias. How should I combat this algae problem? (p.s. I do dose excel and ferts for the tank. Lighting is at 7 hours.) Thanks for your help and great video!
+Chaos2611 Yeah I just use an old credit card. you may want to start by implementing the practices that I talked about in the video. And you may need to cut certain leaves off, or plants. Is it diatom brown algae? Or Rhizo brown algae? Rhizo is stringy like hair algae.
Chaos2611 could be the water source that is causing it, or rocks. They usually will go away after other algae get established. It is weird. But in some harder water it can be persistent. I am pretty sure Oto cats like to eat it and maybe some other grazers. Bushynose plecos love it, but if you setup is delicate the pleco may ruin your tank, but in a lot of more hardy and robust planted tanks a bushynose pleco will do just fine.
+Rob Phillips It has to be cyanoacrylate glue. I use Loctite super glue Gel type. It is the same thing as Seachem Reef glue, which can be used underwater. It won't harm fish or plants.
question for ya. i see you super glued some moss to the drift wood after you drained the water for a change. how long after you glued on the moss do you fill the water back up?
+Bobby Hayes You can wait a few minutes. Cyanoacrylate glue is pretty stable in water. It won't harm fish or plants. It is the same thing as Seachem Reef glue, which can be used underwater.
I just finished my 10 gal set up and its running for 2 weeks then suddenly i have an algae bloom. My water is turning cloudy green. What should I do? Im using a 17 watts LED light and an improvise DIY filter. My filter is made up mostly of gravel and a media i bought from China that looks like a sheet of 2 fiber. Where should I adjust? Do i need to use a polyester media filter? Am running the lights 8 hrs a day.
Love your videos man. Just bought myself an OptiWhite 84 liter tank with LED light (cannot remember the brand, too lazy to walk over and find out atm). Bought two different nutrient substrates, and got lots of dragon rocks from my old tank. I am completly green (heh heh) on aquascaping, and this is my first try with proper utilities. It's expensive tho, so I am making drawings on how I want it to be.. finding plants and writing them down behid the paper so i'll remember the names. Soo scared to start, because i'm worried it won't turn out as pretty as I want it to be. That the mix of plants will look odd. At the same time I want to make my own design instead of copying someone elses. thanks for the informative videos :)
+MissStaleyHere yeah just give it a try and more than likely you will move plants around, and may get rid of ones that don't grow etc... just mess around with placement and textures. Thanks for watching.
I am using Loctite super glue the gel type. You can find it at wal-mart. It is nontoxic. It just gives off a little bit of ammonia as it cures, but nothing to worry about.
+DMAN D Usually water parameters are the main issue with dense growth. It seems like everyone says they are dosing CO2, dosing fertilizers, using adequate light, but can't get dense growth. I then ask what is your KH value? I would suggest getting it down to 3-4. If it is already I then ask what kind of flow do you have in your tank, and what kind of substrate are you using?
In my 40 gallon nature aquarium video I list most of the plants. The only difference is this setup had Monte Carlo for the carpet and Mini Pellia growing on the driftwood. Other than that all the plants are the same. If you check the video description of "40 gallon nature aquarium video" it will have the plant and fish list.
Have you ever added aquasoil to an already established tank? I didn't plan very well, thought I'd keep it low tech, so I'm using BDBS and root tabs...well, eventually went high tech, and my biggest weak spot now is the substrate. I ordered some Controsoil to add to the tank, the plan was to break it down, add the soil, then cap with my established sand. I know it can be done but the whole process is making me nervous. Do you have any tips or things to watch out for?
varanidguy Not with Controsoil. It will be fine. I actually added some Controsoil to the tank in the video after I added some sand. Made some adjustments and had no issues at the time.
There are different types of algae, some bad some good. Some will harm the health of your fish/invertebrate and some like bio-film are food sources for shrimp and catfish
clado is just the worst! For your light's optics you should just choose optics that minimizes light overspill at a desired height. For example, I use 80° at 22.5" from the substrate. I chose a range of heights first then chose the angle and finally adjusted the height ever so slightly to have 0 light spill. And your tank doesn't look flat! It looks really good! You should try out some super red plants to make things pop!
+Brandon C. hmmm, maybe I should get some red stems. The blyxa is getting pretty red, just can see it in the vid. I agree, that is what I was trying to do with my 80 degrees - reduce spill, but even at 24 inches I was getting mad pearling, but it started causing algae, and I don't want to reduce the duration or intensity. The lumens aren't high enough with this fixture to reduce the intensity, and the tank becomes too dark for my liking. So now I have more light spill, higher lumens, and less radiation. We will see how it goes, and I will try and keep up on the maintenance. Thanks for watching man.
You use a credit card as well it's the best thing to use, I have used magnetic algae scrapers on a glass tanks without sand and they scratched it I am scared to use them again.
Dave, First, let me preface what I am about to say..."I am in no way proclaim to be an expert when it comes to being intimate with another person's aquarium." And with that having been said...on with the show. lol I thought that you would have elected to reduce the amount of DOC-bound iron in the water column as a way of combating the algae. This would also help to prevent the use of any gimmicks or chemicals, such as Walstad promotes in her book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". And to not only reduce the intensity of light by reverting back to the 80 degree lens, but also to introduce some species of floating plants into the aquarium that would not only reduce the amount of light into the water column (which algae use for photosynthesis), but would also aid photoreduction of iron and have the effect of starving the algae of a most needed nutrient. Remember, both submerged aquatic plants and algae are basically shade organisms. In other words..."Starve them to Death! Advantages Algae have over Plants: 1. Better Adaption to low light. 2. Algal Adaption to the light Spectrum. 3. Better Adaption to High pH and Alkaline Water. 4. More Efficient Uptake of Nutrients from the water. 5.Greater Species Distribution. To quote Diana: "Let your plants drain the water of iron. It's one way plants can deprive algae of an important nutrient, and thus compete with them more effectively." Just my two pennies worth. ;-) "Party on dude!" P.S. Some "Salvinia auriculata" or "Pistia stratiotes" would look absolutely sick, floating around in that most excellent tank. lol
+Barefoots I am sure I have some iron bound to organic acids and humus, who doesn't, but I am dosing reduced iron, which has reducing properties for any other possible iron that has been oxidized, and probably helps keep itself from oxidizing. I have talked about REDOX, UV reduction, detritus minimizing, filter cleaning, polishing water etc... in my secret to balancing your tank video, but no one cares about that video. lol All of that is of course the technical reality of the science, but a high tech environment can be a bit different than an El Natural tank or a natural water way. I have pretty high root mass and very mature bacteria beds, which are keeping things reduced and moving growth forward, in simple terms. I may just look at it differently because I don't like to look at it as competing. But how is one going to get the plants to out compete the algae? Sometimes you should increase light because plants are more efficient at photosynthesizing, which trumps the advantages of algae. lol Good point nonetheless. I could do an insane video all on iron, KH, oxidation, bacteria use of iron, but most hobbyists just want simple explanations and methods. We know that making light the limiting factor and being consistent with husbandry will make plants healthy and limit algae growth. Healthy plants and mature substrates beat algae to the punch and counter oxidation, and an easy way to achieve this environment is consistency with general husbandry- as anecdotal as it is, it works. lol Just focus on growing plants- Tom Barr. I was neglecting my tank and running super high light with 80 degree lenses. I was not focusing! I was starving the plants of nutrients, pumping tons of CO2 and running tons of light. My plants were not functioning properly! The craziest thing of all, is that the University of Florida has conducted studies on water ways, and the comparison between areas with abundant plant growth vs areas void of plants, which exhibit algae growth, don't show many obvious or legitimate correlations as to why these different areas within the same water way exist side by side. A few correlations they theorize are, areas high in turbidity and low in current seem to have more algae than plants, so that argues that plants actually prefer more direct sunlight and movement to reduce turbidity. You would think that movement would create turbidity, but the craziest thing is that plant stocks reduce the turbidity by physically creating a shield that forces the particles to settle on the substrate as they run into the stocks, but this will only happen with current in the water. So, it seems that in areas with current the plants can get more a foot hold as they grow. As they grow the particles within their vicinity are forced down from their physical presence, but his will only happen if water is moving across the plant, which results in higher radiation, which increases the plants metabolism. Other science has shown that plants prefer nutrients to be moving across their leaves, now this is a result of evolution, because they prefer to grow in moving water ( true aquatics) so they adapted themselves to take up nutrients in moving water. True Aquatic plants intake almost just as much nutrients through their leaves as their roots, for some true aquatics the leaves are a larger mass than their roots. Maybe I should to a video on this! LOL
First off...thanks for the quick response. 😊 You are so right about many aquarist just wanting simple explanations & methods and just can't be bothered with anything that forces them to burn a few brain cells, that's human nature, innit? I had wondered if you were running pressurized CO2 in this tank or if it was a low tech tank. If you do do an insane video it would be received by some as good, but as you indicated, these type of videos are not always appreciated by the uninformed, but instead taken to be tedious and maybe boring. But, then again, this hobby truly is a science and the more we learn about making good water, and creating the proper environment, the better our plants and fishes are. To paraphrase Niel..."You may not like science, but you can't deny the fact that it is true." Yump, just concentrate on growing plants. Party on dude, you are almost to the end of the semester.😉
+electric water I have used them before, but won't reduce algae on leaves. Only water borne algae. This video is demonstrating how you can reduce algae without using chemicals or gadgets. Currently, the algae outbreak is subsiding and the tank is balancing once again. I was just neglecting it, so be consistent with weekly husbandry and make light your limiting factor, also thinning out the plants always helps. Just use good gardening techniques. Thanks for watching.
The algae break out isn't that bad for not doing anything for 3 weeks. It just shows that you can take a 3 week long vacation and not have to worry about the tank too much. :)
+j03yYunG Aquariums Yeah not too bad, but still sucks. I am adding red to the background, so I am doing another variation of the scape, stay tuned man... Checked out your vacation video and need your computer!! Send it my way man.
+Joan Smith No I haven't, I see people using it in their ponds, but I don't really need to. This approach that I did in the video will really help rid your tank of algae if for some reason you have been neglecting your aquarium. I try to stay away from chemicals, gadgets or the like when running my tanks. Just rely on good husbandry skills and making light the limiting factor- that is when I have time! haha. Thanks for watching.
+Joan Smith barley round that float in ponds are temporary partial fixes, then one has to remove the messy barley float before it to decays. ponds are very different than in home various gallons of fresh water aquariums. out door ponds are subject to warm rains verse cold rains or snow etc or needed extra water from a home which may have chlorinated water (thus run the that water over many rock or pebbled plant edge section to ="""de-chlorinate ""that water) less stress on pond fish and pond plants too. water changes with temperature changes just chronically make algae. outdoor ponds ~ the algae is not always a negative problem , sort of the same for indoor aquarium .types of algae is not the concern yet the 'over growth of algae' is . consider what barley does or added phosphate removers to algae types or even more air bubbles, less or more light(tube lighting or sunlight)water flow . ponds are very different ,just hope the eagles, raccoon's,deer could b e more helpful in saving a few koi,comets and pond plants. if you have used the barley rings etc , for how long and do you have fish in outdoor pond/s.
+theAmdisen391 You could do some type of algae scrubber filtration in say a Cichlid tank, but with a heavily planted aquarium they take the place of an algae filter. I was just showing that you can get algae if you neglect your tank. I was neglecting my tank and not taking care of it. Always better to prevent algae of course by taking care of your aquarium first. After I did the methods in the video the algae went away because I was keeping up on my husbandry. Thanks for watching.
ADU Aquascaping is excited to announce their partnership with BucePlant!
When ordering type "ADU15" into the code section and you will get 15% off of your first order, so make it count!
To get to their website click on the BucePlant link that I have provided below!
buceplant.com?rfsn=512608.61055d
Currently, the tank is no longer suffering from an algae outbreak. Methods such as ripping up infected plants and reducing the lighting can and will reduce algae. These methods coupled with manual removal of algae and consistent husbandry will stop the algae outbreak. No chemicals, no gadgets, no secrets. Just good husbandry and making light the limiting factor. This makes it easy, and that is why I made this video.
+ADU Aquascaping why not use a Algae filter when Algae is needed in a real water bio system ?
theAmdisen391 we don't want algae growing on plants and impeding growth. And algae scrubber filter is not necessary. There is always some algae, but an overly abundance of algae is a sign of polluted water.
awesome video and incredible tank, always been a fan of this scape, i love the way monte carlo spills over ledges like it, its one of the reasons i love the plant so much. well done man
+Glass Canvas Aquascape Yeah man, thanks! It carpeted in 2 weeks! It may be a UA-cam record! LOL Just such an easy plant to work with. I have some red going on in the back now. So I have one more variation of this scape coming, so stay tuned... Peace
Tank is looking fantastic. I'll take any of your bad tank days. Last night I did a huge trim on mine, so I know the feeling.
+pittbully13 thanks man, Yeah is sucks, but better than ripping down. It is really attacking my Fissidens, but everything else is doing a lot better.
Like the new intro. I have to agree, once we get the scape to the way we want it, it's hard to cut it all back to basically the beginning. It is healthy for the tank.
+Ontario Bushcraft Thanks, the halo ring that disappears in the intro is actually some effect malfunction that worked out. lol. Yeah, it sucks, but better than rescaping. I am adding some red to the background, so I guess I am going to do another variation of this tank.
Great stuff as usual Dave.
Nice thanks for sharing. I will be starting my own planted tank soon. I will be checking out more of your videos. The last planted tank i have had was over 8 years ago.
+AQUA NUT Thanks nut job for the feedback. :P And thanks for watching.
Great video plant bro! you make us learn somthing new every time owesome job...
Wow, Dave you weren't kidding, the same topic on the same day lol. Except your tank looks like a boss lol. Also, it makes me feel a little better knowing that even pros get algae sometimes. I absolutely love your tank though. Great video
+Maurice Aquariums Yeah man, total neglect and the tank become unhappy. It is doing better now, so the methods do work, and of course flow is always key as you mentioned...
ADU Aquascaping mines is a lot better as well. Algae Is almost all but gone.
Great tips Dave, you are a Boss!
+Brian's Fish Tanks Thanks B!
Very nice.
Great info Dave. The arch will grow back in no time :)
+Laura Wrenn haha, it already is! Fissidens grows pretty quickly in my tank, but it is still the only plant struggling with algae, other than that the tank is doing pretty well.
stunning plants
this was the most helpful video ever. I'm am new to the fish world, I have a 2 gallon tank with a betta in it. I have 2 live plants and the older plant just started getting black specks on its leaves. When I first got my plants i rinsed off the roots, not so much the whole plant. so now I'll just clip off the leaves with the algae on it. I hope this works! thanks
Great video, this tank looks awesome! Any chance you will do another video naming all the plants in the setup?
+Matthew Kluczinske Thanks man, I can put a plant list in the description of this video.
I have the same problème. Thanks for your vidéo.
+Aqua'Nico No problem. I hope this method helps. It is working in my tank. Stay diligent and do weekly maintenance. You don't have to use chemicals or gadgets to get rid of algae.
very nice
+James Feenan Thanks man. Currently the tank is doing better, so the methods do work. No chemicals, and no gadgets.
Moss series would be good .
Was planning to set up another tank w a variety of all mosses
+BolivianFishKeeper I just meant to say another episode in the series. Check out my videos, I already have 3 moss videos in my moss series. Thanks for watching.
Haha 5:30 little Shrimp be like "What the hell you doing to our home!" haha :D
+Najkstory FishFever haha, the shrimp was probably about to eat some detritus, that is why it is so mad. haha
Hay Dave
Could you give the link for the video that you mentioned in 4.57 please i cant find it
Thanks.
hello can you tell me what kind of gleu your using to glue the moss on the branches
+myckel slieker It is Loctite super glue gel. Cyanoacrylate.
+ADU Aquascaping thanks good to know for my next project.
I have cut off many of the algae infested leaves, but it seems I should be a bit more aggressive and cut off most of them. The green spot algae on many of the anubias leaves has died and left the leaves rather motley looking. If I cut those off I'll be left with a naked rhizome. I think I need to start over with some new plants. Good video - thanks!
+stormet54 You can start with a naked rhizome and it will grow back healthier. Just dose a good amount of trace and micro nutrients.
what type of moss? that grows on the wood branches? it is pretty! I want to put some in my tank!
beautiful
Went through a similar episode in my 75 when I was paying too much attention to my reefs. Shit got way to thick and over grown so I decided to start over. I actually stopped dosing all together now and it's just CO2 and light control
Hello! What size aquarium and how much light here (lumens or par)?
awesome video! thanks for sharing!!!
HEllo, mind if I ask what moss you have used?
What glue do you use in the tank
discus FishTV cyanoacrylate super glue gel
love the tanl, but where do you get drift wood as large and decorative like yours? and the glue ? any places online?
Manzanita wood.com I believe will have some. And I use Loctite super glue the gel type.
hey dave I was wondering will rosey barbs kill mono shrimps and what fish are compatible with them
+mrpineapple 010 That is a good question. I have had them with Cockatoo Cichlids and they don't bother them much. What some fish will do is try and eat the eggs off the belly of the shrimp, but usually the shrimp will attack the fish. They are super hardy shrimp. I would go ahead and give it a try.
i like that aquarium a lot.well done.have also some javamoss on the driftwood.the moss grows so fast .before trimming you can see hardly any wood.only javamoss.
Mr Tombola thanks for the compliment. Yeah Java moss is one of my favorite even though it is pretty common. Can look great when trimmed. Christmas moss is another really nice one too. Thanks for watching!
thank you.greetings from old germany
Hello! What are the small black and white striped fish that I can see moving around on the sandbed? Some type of goby?
+Judd97 yeah they are bumblebee Gobies. great fish to have, but can be hard to feed. You need micron golden pearl food and a current that sweeps across the substrate of your tank, so you have to set up the flow just right.
Hi Adu, what is a size this a tank?
Geneilson Duarte 40 gallon breeder
thanks
+Anh Tran No problem!
love the tank I just want to ask you I have just got myself the new fluval flex tank 34 L I am trying to aquascape it I have put in some plant substrate topped of with fine black gravel put in some grey stone with bits of white in. it the plants I have in at the moment are chain swords at the back near the water intake where the sump is at the front I have put some cryps in what other plants would you use to make a carpet I did have some carpet plants In but I got melt back and lost them as this tank as only been running just over a week and what kind of wood would you use I want to make like a tree with anubias and java fern with some willow moss or stringy moss would it look nice or just look a mess cheers happy fish keeping
I would use Monte Carlo for my carpeting plant if I were you. Very easy and hardy. Works great and grows quickly. Your tank is very very new, so be patient. You will experience a few different types of algae and diatoms as the tank balances and matures. Can take 6 weeks to 3 months to balance depending on your experience level and how you run your tank. Just stay very consistent with dosing and parameters, put lights on a timer, etc... You will want to use either Manzanita wood or dead Bonsai trees for making moss trees. Then use sponge and glue it to the branches, then glue the moss to the branch using super glue gel type. I hope this helps!
precioso
de los más bonitos que he visto.
Can I know what temperature you maintain your tank at
I'm planning to start making an environment for my bichir and aligator gar, but i dont like sands or small rocks since they make cleaning the water harder. Will it be hard to clean the water with those grass too? then, how long does it takes to grow the whole aquarium (of similar size with yours) with them?
Charlotte Valentine It can take between 3-6 months to mature depending on if you have pressurized CO2 or not. In a planted tank you don't do any deep substrate cleaning..Just light cleaning especially with the carpeting plants..If they like to dig plants up than the carpeting plant won't be a good idea. I am growing Monte Carlo in this setup. You can use sand as a substrate and just kick up the detritus with your hand right before you do a water change.
ADU Aquascaping both fishes seems to like river like environment and they like to hide under a structure. im still looking for simple yet elegant and fish friendly aquarium ideas, i bookmarked this as one of them. thank you!!
Charlotte Valentine you may want to try just using gravel as the substrate and planting on driftwood. You can plant Anubias, Java ferns, and bolbitis onto driftwood. That way you can have plants, but they don't go into the substrate. Also if you do plant in the substrate Amazon swords and cryptocoryne plants are both great hardy beginner plants.
hey dave since u use peroxide and grow riccardia ... how does ricca and peroxide work vs algae control.. i heard they melt
Manu M I don't use peroxide very much, and I didn't use any in this scape. This video is about how to help fight algae with maintenance
Manu M you can use it, but it can be risky
hey, how big is this tank? Measurements and gallon-age/litre-age would be awesome. Building one.
Equales Rex it is a 40 gallon breeder. 151 liters. 36" long, 18" wide, and 17" tall. Really nice dimensions for scaping
Sir what kind of moss are they and what tempareture is best for those moss?
Ranajit Kopti 76 F. Watch my moss series playlist
5:30 I think there's an Amano shrimp climbing out of the water right in the middle of the screen lol
What type glue are you using? I thought glue in any aquarium wood be toxic. What type of sand is your substrate? Is it all purpose sand or something else?
+Michael Wells If it is cyanoacrylate glue you can use it under water. It is the same exact glue that Seachem sells for corals and they advertise you can use it even under water. This is known throughout the hobby. Doesn't kill fish or shrimp. You can use it above water and let it cure as I did in the video if you are concerned, but really it doesn't matter. It is more dangerous to dose your tank with Flourish Excel.
Hi! Can you please give us a thought about the seachem purigen? Was that really necessarily for planted aquarium? What about you? Do you recommend or do you use it in your tank?
+ichisuke 03 It works well in planted tanks because it only traps organics and not your fertilizers, but really with good micron pads in your filter you don't need it. And in a Walstad, or true low tech type tank you actually want higher DOC dissolved organic carbon to help aid in the carbon cycle. Simply put it isn't necessary, but it may make your water crystal clear. I just use micron floss.
Where did you get the driftwood??
+Jason T From Tom Barr. His site is thebarrreport.com
Were you using a "credit card" or some type of membership card to remove algae off the tank glass?
EDIT: I also want to ask... My tank is infected with brown colored algae. It has been established for well over a year. There is algae on the leaves of bacopa. Algae on the back and side glass of the tank. Algae on my swords' leaves. And algae on my anubias. How should I combat this algae problem?
(p.s. I do dose excel and ferts for the tank. Lighting is at 7 hours.)
Thanks for your help and great video!
+Chaos2611 Yeah I just use an old credit card. you may want to start by implementing the practices that I talked about in the video. And you may need to cut certain leaves off, or plants.
Is it diatom brown algae? Or Rhizo brown algae? Rhizo is stringy like hair algae.
+ADU Aquascaping It's not long and stringy, which is kind of weird. I've had my tank for so long... How can i still have diatoms?
Chaos2611 could be the water source that is causing it, or rocks. They usually will go away after other algae get established. It is weird. But in some harder water it can be persistent. I am pretty sure Oto cats like to eat it and maybe some other grazers. Bushynose plecos love it, but if you setup is delicate the pleco may ruin your tank, but in a lot of more hardy and robust planted tanks a bushynose pleco will do just fine.
And I like the new intro
+Hugh Melton Thanks man, the Halo ring that disappears is actually some malfunction of an effect that actually worked out. lol
What type of super glue do you use? Is regular crazy glue safe?
+Rob Phillips It has to be cyanoacrylate glue. I use Loctite super glue Gel type. It is the same thing as Seachem Reef glue, which can be used underwater. It won't harm fish or plants.
super glue dose it need to be the a sertin kind?
+Mario Medina should by cyanoacrylate based glue
question for ya. i see you super glued some moss to the drift wood after you drained the water for a change. how long after you glued on the moss do you fill the water back up?
+Bobby Hayes You can wait a few minutes. Cyanoacrylate glue is pretty stable in water. It won't harm fish or plants. It is the same thing as Seachem Reef glue, which can be used underwater.
Why not use algae scrubber
GOOD MOVE !!
I just finished my 10 gal set up and its running for 2 weeks then suddenly i have an algae bloom. My water is turning cloudy green. What should I do? Im using a 17 watts LED light and an improvise DIY filter. My filter is made up mostly of gravel and a media i bought from China that looks like a sheet of 2 fiber. Where should I adjust? Do i need to use a polyester media filter? Am running the lights 8 hrs a day.
Love your videos man.
Just bought myself an OptiWhite 84 liter tank with LED light (cannot remember the brand, too lazy to walk over and find out atm). Bought two different nutrient substrates, and got lots of dragon rocks from my old tank. I am completly green (heh heh) on aquascaping, and this is my first try with proper utilities. It's expensive tho, so I am making drawings on how I want it to be.. finding plants and writing them down behid the paper so i'll remember the names. Soo scared to start, because i'm worried it won't turn out as pretty as I want it to be. That the mix of plants will look odd. At the same time I want to make my own design instead of copying someone elses. thanks for the informative videos :)
+MissStaleyHere yeah just give it a try and more than likely you will move plants around, and may get rid of ones that don't grow etc... just mess around with placement and textures. Thanks for watching.
Nice vid :) which glue are you using?
I am using Loctite super glue the gel type. Works really well.
what glue do u use?
I am using Loctite super glue the gel type. You can find it at wal-mart. It is nontoxic. It just gives off a little bit of ammonia as it cures, but nothing to worry about.
Wow how did you get your micro sword to grow that dense mine will not spread out.
+DMAN D Usually water parameters are the main issue with dense growth. It seems like everyone says they are dosing CO2, dosing fertilizers, using adequate light, but can't get dense growth. I then ask what is your KH value? I would suggest getting it down to 3-4. If it is already I then ask what kind of flow do you have in your tank, and what kind of substrate are you using?
ADU Aquascaping I found the problem was my fish kept pulling it up XD
this scape is BOSS!
+KALZONE850 Thanks man, I am adding red to the back, so I guess I am doing another variation of the scape.
how can I collect or make this woods?
This is manzanita wood.
It grows around ponderosa pine trees. Western US.
Can you give me total plants & moss list
In my 40 gallon nature aquarium video I list most of the plants. The only difference is this setup had Monte Carlo for the carpet and Mini Pellia growing on the driftwood. Other than that all the plants are the same. If you check the video description of "40 gallon nature aquarium video" it will have the plant and fish list.
Have you ever added aquasoil to an already established tank? I didn't plan very well, thought I'd keep it low tech, so I'm using BDBS and root tabs...well, eventually went high tech, and my biggest weak spot now is the substrate. I ordered some Controsoil to add to the tank, the plan was to break it down, add the soil, then cap with my established sand. I know it can be done but the whole process is making me nervous. Do you have any tips or things to watch out for?
varanidguy Controsoil will work and you do not have to crush it or cap it. In fact please do not do that. It will work better if you just add it as is
Even though the tank is already established? Replacing all of the substrate could cause an ammonia spike, no?
varanidguy Not with Controsoil. It will be fine. I actually added some Controsoil to the tank in the video after I added some sand. Made some adjustments and had no issues at the time.
Hmmm...so how many inches would you recommend? A second bag, according to the calculation they provide, should give 2 inches.
Also, my tap is naturall soft and I have to add equilibrium to the water to avoid plant deficiencies. Would the Controsoil negate that?
Algae. It's a bummer. Still looks great.
+MrHoney2U algae in the tank is like a mole on a person's face. Has to be in just the right spot.
+ADU Aquascaping still a lovely looking tank,what adhesive was you using to stick those plants on the wood
Dave! I can't find dragonstone anywhere, any suggestions?
Thanks!
+Mr Buddha I am the only person that sells ADU Dragon Stone, which is different than Ohko Stone
what type of super glue is this is it available in india boss if it is glass silicon paste ?
+Kavundampalayamvoice you want to use cyanoacrylate based glue.
Isin't algae good for the fish/tank? since it algae makes oxygen via photosynthesis
There are different types of algae, some bad some good. Some will harm the health of your fish/invertebrate and some like bio-film are food sources for shrimp and catfish
Calion Snow also this tank is a show tank so it's meant to be aesthetic as it's main priority. algae usually doesn't meet that priority
clado is just the worst! For your light's optics you should just choose optics that minimizes light overspill at a desired height. For example, I use 80° at 22.5" from the substrate. I chose a range of heights first then chose the angle and finally adjusted the height ever so slightly to have 0 light spill. And your tank doesn't look flat! It looks really good! You should try out some super red plants to make things pop!
+Brandon C. hmmm, maybe I should get some red stems. The blyxa is getting pretty red, just can see it in the vid. I agree, that is what I was trying to do with my 80 degrees - reduce spill, but even at 24 inches I was getting mad pearling, but it started causing algae, and I don't want to reduce the duration or intensity. The lumens aren't high enough with this fixture to reduce the intensity, and the tank becomes too dark for my liking. So now I have more light spill, higher lumens, and less radiation. We will see how it goes, and I will try and keep up on the maintenance. Thanks for watching man.
You use a credit card as well it's the best thing to use, I have used magnetic algae scrapers on a glass tanks without sand and they scratched it I am scared to use them again.
+DMAN D yep, always use this old thing. Like you mentioned helps to not scratch the glass.
what gallon is this?
40 gallon
Do you have bumblebee gobies in there? I thought they were only brackish!
smorc655 One strain is, but another strain can acclimate to freshwater. They are just hard to feed.
Dave,
First, let me preface what I am about to say..."I am in no way proclaim to be an expert when it comes to being intimate with another person's aquarium."
And with that having been said...on with the show. lol
I thought that you would have elected to reduce the amount of DOC-bound iron in the water column as a way of combating the algae. This would also help to prevent the use of any gimmicks or chemicals, such as Walstad promotes in her book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium".
And to not only reduce the intensity of light by reverting back to the 80 degree lens, but also to introduce some species of floating plants into the aquarium that would not only reduce the amount of light into the water column (which algae use for photosynthesis), but would also aid photoreduction of iron and have the effect of starving the algae of a most needed nutrient. Remember, both submerged aquatic plants and algae are basically shade organisms.
In other words..."Starve them to Death!
Advantages Algae have over Plants:
1. Better Adaption to low light.
2. Algal Adaption to the light Spectrum.
3. Better Adaption to High pH and Alkaline Water.
4. More Efficient Uptake of Nutrients from the water.
5.Greater Species Distribution.
To quote Diana:
"Let your plants drain the water of iron. It's one way plants can deprive algae of an important nutrient, and thus compete with them more effectively."
Just my two pennies worth. ;-)
"Party on dude!"
P.S. Some "Salvinia auriculata" or "Pistia stratiotes" would look absolutely sick, floating around in that most excellent tank. lol
+Barefoots I am sure I have some iron bound to organic acids and humus, who doesn't, but I am dosing reduced iron, which has reducing properties for any other possible iron that has been oxidized, and probably helps keep itself from oxidizing. I have talked about REDOX, UV reduction, detritus minimizing, filter cleaning, polishing water etc... in my secret to balancing your tank video, but no one cares about that video. lol
All of that is of course the technical reality of the science, but a high tech environment can be a bit different than an El Natural tank or a natural water way. I have pretty high root mass and very mature bacteria beds, which are keeping things reduced and moving growth forward, in simple terms.
I may just look at it differently because I don't like to look at it as competing. But how is one going to get the plants to out compete the algae? Sometimes you should increase light because plants are more efficient at photosynthesizing, which trumps the advantages of algae. lol
Good point nonetheless. I could do an insane video all on iron, KH, oxidation, bacteria use of iron, but most hobbyists just want simple explanations and methods. We know that making light the limiting factor and being consistent with husbandry will make plants healthy and limit algae growth. Healthy plants and mature substrates beat algae to the punch and counter oxidation, and an easy way to achieve this environment is consistency with general husbandry- as anecdotal as it is, it works. lol
Just focus on growing plants- Tom Barr. I was neglecting my tank and running super high light with 80 degree lenses. I was not focusing! I was starving the plants of nutrients, pumping tons of CO2 and running tons of light. My plants were not functioning properly!
The craziest thing of all, is that the University of Florida has conducted studies on water ways, and the comparison between areas with abundant plant growth vs areas void of plants, which exhibit algae growth, don't show many obvious or legitimate correlations as to why these different areas within the same water way exist side by side. A few correlations they theorize are, areas high in turbidity and low in current seem to have more algae than plants, so that argues that plants actually prefer more direct sunlight and movement to reduce turbidity. You would think that movement would create turbidity, but the craziest thing is that plant stocks reduce the turbidity by physically creating a shield that forces the particles to settle on the substrate as they run into the stocks, but this will only happen with current in the water. So, it seems that in areas with current the plants can get more a foot hold as they grow. As they grow the particles within their vicinity are forced down from their physical presence, but his will only happen if water is moving across the plant, which results in higher radiation, which increases the plants metabolism. Other science has shown that plants prefer nutrients to be moving across their leaves, now this is a result of evolution, because they prefer to grow in moving water ( true aquatics) so they adapted themselves to take up nutrients in moving water. True Aquatic plants intake almost just as much nutrients through their leaves as their roots, for some true aquatics the leaves are a larger mass than their roots. Maybe I should to a video on this! LOL
First off...thanks for the quick response.
😊
You are so right about many aquarist just wanting simple explanations & methods and just can't be bothered with anything that forces them to burn a few brain cells, that's human nature, innit?
I had wondered if you were running pressurized CO2 in this tank or if it was a low tech tank. If you do do an insane video it would be received by some as good, but as you indicated, these type of videos are not always appreciated by the uninformed, but instead taken to be tedious and maybe boring. But, then again, this hobby truly is a science and the more we learn about making good water, and creating the proper environment, the better our plants and fishes are.
To paraphrase Niel..."You may not like science, but you can't deny the fact that it is true."
Yump, just concentrate on growing plants.
Party on dude, you are almost to the end of the semester.😉
get yourself a UV sterilizer !does the job for me ;beautiful tank 👍
+electric water I have used them before, but won't reduce algae on leaves. Only water borne algae. This video is demonstrating how you can reduce algae without using chemicals or gadgets. Currently, the algae outbreak is subsiding and the tank is balancing once again. I was just neglecting it, so be consistent with weekly husbandry and make light your limiting factor, also thinning out the plants always helps. Just use good gardening techniques. Thanks for watching.
Can I get rid Black Beard Algae with this method?
Michael JM yes, also clean all detritus in tank and in filter. Increase O2 levels and circulation
The algae break out isn't that bad for not doing anything for 3 weeks. It just shows that you can take a 3 week long vacation and not have to worry about the tank too much. :)
+j03yYunG Aquariums Yeah not too bad, but still sucks. I am adding red to the background, so I am doing another variation of the scape, stay tuned man... Checked out your vacation video and need your computer!! Send it my way man.
+ADU Aquascaping Can't wait for the next variation of the scape. :)
I think it's more like...Fwooohhh!
have you tried barley to prevent algae?
+Joan Smith No I haven't, I see people using it in their ponds, but I don't really need to. This approach that I did in the video will really help rid your tank of algae if for some reason you have been neglecting your aquarium. I try to stay away from chemicals, gadgets or the like when running my tanks. Just rely on good husbandry skills and making light the limiting factor- that is when I have time! haha. Thanks for watching.
+Joan Smith barley round that float in ponds are temporary partial fixes, then one has to remove the messy barley float before it to decays. ponds are very different than in home various gallons of fresh water aquariums. out door ponds are subject to warm rains verse cold rains or snow etc or needed extra water from a home which may have chlorinated water (thus run the that water over many rock or pebbled plant edge section to ="""de-chlorinate ""that water) less stress on pond fish and pond plants too. water changes with temperature changes just chronically make algae. outdoor ponds ~ the algae is not always a negative problem , sort of the same for indoor aquarium .types of algae is not the concern yet the 'over growth of algae' is . consider what barley does or added phosphate removers to algae types or even more air bubbles, less or more light(tube lighting or sunlight)water flow . ponds are very different ,just hope the eagles, raccoon's,deer could b e more helpful in saving a few koi,comets and pond plants. if you have used the barley rings etc , for how long and do you have fish in outdoor pond/s.
Sorry for my bs I was out of order and my comments to you were undeserved, I sincerely apologise.
no worries!
MathDOA_uk not acceptable.
The more plant you have in the tank, the less algae you will have in the tank. - Daniel Wong
Algae filter then
+theAmdisen391 You could do some type of algae scrubber filtration in say a Cichlid tank, but with a heavily planted aquarium they take the place of an algae filter. I was just showing that you can get algae if you neglect your tank. I was neglecting my tank and not taking care of it. Always better to prevent algae of course by taking care of your aquarium first. After I did the methods in the video the algae went away because I was keeping up on my husbandry. Thanks for watching.
Hey Dave ,check your inbox.
+BM's Aquatics I responded, no Facebook right now man. They are watching me!! haha
That's some serious OCD.
j parks hahaha
What glue do you use in the tank
discus FishTV cyanoacrylate
what brand u using ?
sdq sdq Loctite super glue Gel type