👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com I wasn't expecting this at all considering how well the topsoil walstad aquarium is going. That said...it needs to be addressed. Equipment (all links affiliate): LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3m3cEz9 UK amzn.to/3orIdRv GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13 MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2 AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1 STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL API® products Subscribe to API on UA-cam: ua-cam.com/users/apifishcare USA consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.com/stores/page/2193F555-CE5F-4A6B-BDC4-F315CB7F175D?channel=MDTanks UK consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/25663644-6C8C-432C-9E6A-0A85082C3E3C AQUARIAN® products Follow AQUARIAN on UA-cam: ua-cam.com/channels/NxaNWKoWr_ztSgXgPj9r8A.html Purchase AQUARIAN products here: aquarian.co.uk/where-to-buy/ AWESOME MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY ua-cam.com/channels/3uQXzXSPspf2LoGdtYGiHw.htmljoin FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/md_fishtanks/ FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES: admin@mdfishtanks.com #plantedtank #aquascape #mdfishtanks
Thank you for sharing. My dirt and sand tank smells terrible. Dirt has a lot of fertilizers, per the father fish method. I started with a lot of plants and 6 fish and everything died, first the fish, added more plants, the roots turned black and died too. A lot of money down the drain. 6 weeks later I removed all or most of the water and added more sand but the tank still smells like farts. I’m at the point that I’ll probably strip the entire tank down and remove the sand and dirt. So frustrating
This is not a failure. It's just in a different state, working out its own issues. Tanks go through these processes & work themselves out. You just need to let them do their thing.
I hope you do more content like this! The perfectly clear and balanced tanks are amazing, but seeing what can actually go wrong in that process is really helpful.
The “mist” at the bottom is a collection of very tiny crustaceans (rotifers) which are smaller than copepods. Shine a bright light and look really close, you’ll see them moving.
"Do Over" (LOL) Hydrogen sulfide is produced when bacteria break down plant and animal material, often in stagnant waters with low oxygen content such as bogs and swamps. In this video you can see the tank "off gas" a couple of times. So yeah- it's a swamp in a box. Like Tanner @SerpaDesign says - always check with your nose first. Good catch and way to stay on top of things.
You described exactly what it's like when semi-hydro plants (i.e. in leca and water) rot through their roots - can be from fert burn, root crush, no aeration etc. It stinks sooo bad, black roots, the fouling bacteria everything will eventually turn everything to putrid sludge. Glad you're breaking it down as it definitely wouldn't stay safe for long. But YAY - new build!
Okay, so, I'm very new to Walstad tanks. You might have noticed my comments on previous videos about the Walstad tank I did with my preschool students? It's okay if you haven't seen those comments ;) Anyway, I had that murkiness for a brief period of time, some of those white organics you are seeing, AND the rotten smell. It was a few plants that were dying. Once I removed those, did a few water changes over the course of three days, and also added in more root tabs and API leaf zone, it was fine. It cleared up nicely. My tank is a little greener than yours, and a bit darker because I gotta remove some of the water lettuce, but otherwise it's cycled nicely. I'm not doing water changes anymore and just cleaning the filter once a week cause it's a cheapo filter that does nothing more than make the water move a bit.
There’s too much organic matter under your substrate and not enough oxygen. You’re substrate has too much anaerobic bacteria causing a sulphur build up. Someone already gave a great tip on curing this.
It's definately the case. This video was made about a week ago, but you should see the topsoil tank now (and you will soon) that's the peak if you ask me. Topsoil plus root tabs and i've done barely any water changes and there is zero algae and great growth on all plants. carpet, stems, crypts, ferns and floating.
I made the compost mistake many years ago... Its a major headache. Aquatic soil for pond water lillies is much safer. Mostly clay and no organic waste.
@@MDFishTanks there’s a great experiment you can do to learn more about the process. It’s called a Winogradsky Column. Or you can just go by the wiki explanation. Unfortunately English isn’t my first language and as far as science goes my “im Layman’s terms” in English sucks.
Hi MD, I tried the same Walstad setup without filter and agitation. After approx 10 days the tank turned cloudy with a dense foggy layer close to the ground. At the same time gas evolved from the bottom layer with sulfur smell. I resolved the problem by adding a small 2 Watt USB power head close to the water surface to agitate the water column and entrain oxygen to the system. Cloudiness disappeared after a few days and the smell turned back to „natural“. Plants grow very well now, the water remains crystal clear. Good luck with this one. WS
I hope the fish will be safe. It's nice to see you coming out of your comfort zone to discover new ways to build ecosystem tanks and sharing your journey. Your previous videos helped me establish my tank successfully.
Good to know. I was wondering if the ultra nutrient level of compost would turn. If compost gets too wet it will make a really bad smell especially when turning until it dries back down to normal levels. I suspect that is what happened with the tank. In the video I did see some gas bubbles (Large) come up from the soil. Well as long as the fish are safe and healthy the only way to learn is do and watch. You watched and when trouble looked likely, not only could you see and hear the concern you had, you inspected and showed your findings leading us to the right decision. Again it was a good idea to try. Thanks for experiment and giving others some guidelines. Some UA-camrs would never admit that there was an issue or possible failure. Glad to see integrity in action.
I set up a high nutrient, dirted tank a few years back and noticed that the faster growing stem plants did well whereas the slower growing plants like cryptocorynes suffered root burn. In fact a lot of my foreground plants suffered and those that survived took a year to recover once the soil chemistry finally relaxed. With a lot of organics, you get anoxic layers that produce hydrogen sulfide so its necessary to poke the sand to release the built up gases. I used a chopstick for that task. Now that this tank has had time to mature, it has become a showpiece of aquatic beauty with insane plant growth and I maybe only do a partial water change once a year. Since setting up this tank, I've switched to a slightly more inert topsoil for my new tanks with fewer organics, however I do mix in some amendments and I cap it with an inch or 2 of sand to keep the nutrients out of the water column.
The compost already had a ton of nutrients so adding the root tabs likely caused a nutrient overload. I noticed the substrate releasing the hydrogen sulfide on its own so you definitely need to focus on that. If you don’t break it down first, of course. Start poking the substrate periodically to release the built-up gases. The more roots that grow into those pockets, the less build-up you’ll get.
The root tabs would def not have done this. It's definitely just highly organic compost. Won't be using again. But as said, it's good to try things and glad I monitored the tank everyday like I always say to.
@@MDFishTanks Yea i would think its something to do with the compost continuing to break down and release ammonia and there just isn't enough bacteria yet to deal with it. That rotten egg smell and the haziness in the water I've had happen before when I did a trimming back of a lot of floating Lili pads and a water change in the same day. So not only took out the plants which absorb the ammonia but took out all the beneficial bacteria that was on those plants.
@@MDFishTanks Ime you can use the packed nutrient compost but you have to mix it in with something coarser like gravel. It's not necessarily the nutrient overload that causes anaerobic substrate but the compactation of the very fine soil particles which kills any kind of oxygen seeping into the soil from the water column.
@@kova5581 I've had success with a) laying down gravel first at the bottom, b) a mixture of bagged garden soil and coconut peat at a 2:1 ratio and a very light sprinkle of Osmocote slow release potted plant fertiliser on top, c) capping with a generous layer of sand, d) both pothos and lots of floating plants. The peat bulks out the soil and makes it more permeable, it does release small gas bubbles regularly but there is no smell and the water is crystal clear. I think if there's no gas bubbles there's probably not much activity happening in the soil.
Wow luckily you were on the ball with this one..... and no fish were harmed..... just goes to prove even experts can make mistakes when experimenting ..... looking forward to your next video to see what you do too it to save the plants
I would definitely do frequent and regular water changes and believe that will eventually balance. A diatom filter could be used to clear the water, I used them 30 years ago when I first started dabbling with heavily planted CO2 injected tanks. Your attention to detail is to be admired😍and having the occasional problem as this is always helps to further our knowledge. I do hope you will try to solve the problem and let us know how you did it, starting again sounds a bit defeatist but may eventually prove necessary. Thanks once again for another great video.
Any excuse to tear it down and start again 😉 Seems like the sensible thing to do though, save the plants, and potentially stop any nasties getting into the water column. Appreciate you showing us the negatives too MD, and the rest of the tanks are looking stunning 👍
Don't know how something will work until you try. That's a definite strip down and start again. Bonus for us is that we get to see you do another tank 😆
Diana Walstad addresses some of the nasty sulfides that can result from anaerobic pockets in nutrient dense soils, and I've had mixed success combating them once they get started. In one tank, I was able to gently poke the gravel to release the nasty gases for the first month or so of rapid decomposition of the soil. I also increased flow in the tank to help aeration. But once it got to the point where roots were turning black, the plants began to melt and I even lost some fish and shrimp and there was no avoiding a teardown. That compost just has far too much decomposing organics, so I think you're going to be way better off with the topsoil!
as much as i love u and @fishshopmatt doing ur ting, i gotta say i learn a whole lot more from your solo vids, cos of your narrative explaining all the bits and bobs
black roots is probably root rot and in an aquarium setup, it might be due to how compacted the substrate is. Alternatively, it could be that you're just burning the roots with too many nutrients.
Sounds like a sulfur dioxide buildup. I get those on occasion. I just remove the lid, stir up my sand and do a partial water change. In my research on the issue, I learned a sulfur dioxide buildup can actually cause your tank to blow out and it mostly occurs in planted tanks with a sand substrate.
@@nigga12665 There is a tank full of them at my local fish shop it's really weird to watch the entire substrate moving with them it's kind of creepy to see!
Tell tale sign for me were the bubbles…..bubbles of death ☠️😂 can’t wait to see the new setup mate. Love the content, considering getting myself another setup after having a few years off.
I used mushroom compost in a tank I setup in May. Water changes daily or every other day for like 3 months. Poking pockets of sulfur dioxide gases trapped every few days for months, now I do it once a week. Plants have gone MAD. 12 gallon long tank with probably 500 shrimp that started from 7 and snails are all without a single issue amazingly.
@MD Fish Tanks have you checked out Kempf's work? Look up "bugs won't and can't eat healthy plants" and there are a load of podcasts and YT videos to get healthier plants (it's for terrestrial plants, and also works great for aquarium plants). My healthy plants aren't having issues with algae anymore. Barely issues with algae on the glass. As for the smell, I haven't had that happen again since I started adding burrowing snails. Stir up the substrate and integrate the mulm back into the soil, and plants stay healthier. I have amphipods, paramecium and snails in every tank now.
i find that alot of times Amano shrimp arent really interested in that kind of algae on the driftwood. I have noticed however when the algae is dying they certainly go for it. They are certainly prolific scavangers but some husbandry will be required if algae is growing and strong. its more the particles that get caught in the algae and mosses etc. that the shrimp love to forage for.
Definitely a good ide to tear down and rework - hydrogen sulphide is very toxic to the fish and shrimps, eventually the plants as well. Looking forward to seeing the rebuild
Bacteria bloom in the water column--too much nutrient leaking through the gravel from the soil. I've only had this work with a thick sandcap. And generally, I think filter-less is more trouble than its worth--nice in theory, easier to just have a sponge filter or HOB to get some water movement.
I had the exact same thing happen to my dirted tank 20G. A layer of white smoke floating on the front side of the aquarium. When i tried to do a water change, all my neon tetras started to swim in a groggy, drunk state. Some swam upside down. I had to net out all the fish and put them in a quarantine tank with clean water. Still dont know what that white smoke was...guessing it was a h2s layer.
I noticed in the build video you said you were going for (I believe) potting soil and came back with compost...totally different product with a different purpose. Maybe if you found a good potting soil you'd have better results. A bit concerned about chemicals and additives in that case, though. Potting soils aren't designed to be aquarium safe.
I reckon it is because that compost contains lots of plant matter. Fully ready compost should crumble and have no fibres, The stuff they sell like that is sold before it is ready - which is OK in gardens because then it breaks down in the soil. But rot spreads. If you want to learn about compost I suggest "No Nettles Required" by Ken Thompson, it changed the way we composted our acre market garden from all the "old gardeners tales"
Right, it needs redoing or at least putting everything but subtrate out, then adding layer of sand before replanting. Usually I hear dirtied tank should have at least 2 inches / 5 cm of sand to cap the soil and it's recommended to dose it with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria shots. The nutrients are supposed to slowly seep through, keyword slowly. From what I heard there's always a smoldering layer, but the plant would reach where it could get nutrients. That Myriophyllum is probably named after Mato Grosso state.
That hydrogen sulfide smell is from anoxic soil (anaerobic) which you know. Ponds normally have a thick layer of that black or grey anoxic mud which is the stuff that converts to oil in time. You just need a thicc aerobic layer for the roots...which would leave an inch of room from the rim.
I don't think the compost is bad if added as a secondary substrate. If anything it should have been mixed in with either top soil or aquarium soil as a boost in nutrients. But not as a sole provider. The roots are just getting over loaded. Maybe a 1 part compost to 3 parts aqua soil?
It’s fine just not with a gravel cap, the whole idea of a deep sand bed is sort of centered around this idea. The amount of iron in the root tabs led to rapid bacterial growth, anaerobic composting basically and the bacteria poo is the gas. I don’t doubt it if he waited a month this tank would do good.
ive just had the rotten egg smell in my tank every time i did a gravel clean so today i striped everything and did a major gravel clean stirred it all up moved fish to a temp tank moved filter to a bag with water 5hrs it had taken i had elora densa where the gravel had changed colour so ive took them out and just have my Anubis now
It seems to me you have the layers off on this one. You need to have a slow flow, so the gravel (or an undergravel filter/ plenum) should be on the bottom, and I like to use a layer of weed-block fabric on top of that, and then the nutrient layer, capped by an inch of sand. I personally would layer kitty litter type baked clay w/ laterite or red flourite under the nutrient layer for added ion exchange benefit.
Well, what doesn't kill you... I do love the experiments though. I say, after you break it down, just use a tiny touch of the compost. But use fresh compost, in case that compost is putrid and spoiled. Great video again MD. Keep'em coming please.
My planted tank looses so much water. I put the lid on it when I was on holiday and it did hold a lot more. And require top up a lot less but the condensation has sort of ruined my floating plants. Anyway I think it looks ugly with the lid. Any suggestions?
That gravel isn't holding anything down. You need a sand cap or a HUGE gravel cap. Yes, WAY less organics than sand/gravel. And the fish are definitely at risk of pathogenic infection and suffocation.
The bubbles that reach the surface are a sign that the compost is going through a process of overheating and therefore produces large quantities of gas.
Keep the compost aquarium! It’s important for us to see if its plausable and if it can recover itself. We would also like to see affordable techniques to recover it! That was the whole point of experimenting, we need to see it through!
Compost has too many organic contents in it which go into cycles constantly which inturn produce Heat that is why the root looks too black and burnt , probably go with the mixture of top soil and compost , I use top soil taken directly from the forest still experimenting, probably go with 1:2 ratio of compost and top soil
There's too many nutrients in the substrate. This can be fixed by adding more of a sand/gravel cap. The plants are going straight into the nutrient layer, which is not good for new plants. Too much.
What's the little adapter you have for filling the tanks back up after a water change? I've always just clamped my hosepipe to the side of the tank then spent 20 minutes afterwards putting all my substrate back where the flow has displaced it all.
….. the anaerobic bacteria is what then consumes the nitrates….. which is normally the last item that you need to get rid of in the nitrogen cycle for a no water change ecosystem…. What you need is deeper substrate. And slight increase in water movement. Your plants are used to a certain depth for their roots if you give more area they can spread better. Then increasing the water flow creates more aeration throughout the substrate allowing your plants to go to their desired place then the deeper substrate allows for the anaerobic bacteria to still grow and consume the nitrate…. I’ve setup a 75 gallon this way and a 60gallon breeder…. Don’t need the whole thing deep just at least two good 6 inch circles where the depth is at least 3-4 inches.
Question! I've had stratum soil in my tank for around 6 months, funnily enough did a tank change a few days ago and got that eggs smell when the water was coming out of the syphon, I found a rotted anubias and removed that and yet to check the smell again on ky tank change tomorrow, had a cloudy kind of look around where the rot was too. Is this the soil or the plant? Can the soil be making it smell?
I'm slowly reading my way through "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. It's not light reading, but it's pretty interesting. Somehow I never connected the Walstad method to the book :) But putrid smell...? I definitely read about that in the book! That had to do with H2S, with sulfate containing fertilizers and redox
compost is also used to generate natural gas. it is used as fuel for cooking. its called biogas but the gas is methane i guess. i also noticed large bubbles pop up at one point of the video. i think you better strip it down. i think some research on compost is needed to know what exactly is going on down there.
Yeah the substrate was farting on camera too so all that gas was all built up under there. I wonder if a tiny sprinkling of it instead of all that you put would have lent a better result. 🤔
This happened to my tank, and there was NO saving it....... Ended up killing ALL my fish and plants! Tried everything :( Had to scrap and clean the whole tank, was only 11months old
Aquasoil and a good light will get the job done. I recently made a video about it. You just need to plant it close together to get the quickest results. C02 helps with a carpet but isn't required.
@@IndoorEcosystem thats also a problem ... Cant provide proper co2 in a bowl . Issue is that the bowl has a small opening, i cant jam it up with filters and other stuff lol . But yes ill be using aquasoil for sure
@@ryan_yasin I'm going to start a bowl myself in a few weeks and am planning on a full monte Carlo carpet as well. I'm going to put some aquasoil down then trim my current monte Carlo carpet and sprinkle all the cuttings onto the aquasoil then wet it all and do the dry start method. It's going to be a new experiment but should work perfectly.
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I wasn't expecting this at all considering how well the topsoil walstad aquarium is going. That said...it needs to be addressed.
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Thank you for sharing. My dirt and sand tank smells terrible. Dirt has a lot of fertilizers, per the father fish method. I started with a lot of plants and 6 fish and everything died, first the fish, added more plants, the roots turned black and died too. A lot of money down the drain. 6 weeks later I removed all or most of the water and added more sand but the tank still smells like farts. I’m at the point that I’ll probably strip the entire tank down and remove the sand and dirt. So frustrating
Thank you MD for showing the failures and not just the successes. Never be afraid to try sumfink new. Can't wait to see what that tank becomes next.
This is not a failure. It's just in a different state, working out its own issues.
Tanks go through these processes & work themselves out. You just need to let them do their thing.
I hope you do more content like this! The perfectly clear and balanced tanks are amazing, but seeing what can actually go wrong in that process is really helpful.
The “mist” at the bottom is a collection of very tiny crustaceans (rotifers) which are smaller than copepods. Shine a bright light and look really close, you’ll see them moving.
I get that smell sometimes when the soil is old, I redo the tank at that point.
"Do Over" (LOL) Hydrogen sulfide is produced when bacteria break down plant and animal material, often in stagnant waters with low oxygen content such as bogs and swamps. In this video you can see the tank "off gas" a couple of times. So yeah- it's a swamp in a box.
Like Tanner @SerpaDesign says - always check with your nose first. Good catch and way to stay on top of things.
You described exactly what it's like when semi-hydro plants (i.e. in leca and water) rot through their roots - can be from fert burn, root crush, no aeration etc. It stinks sooo bad, black roots, the fouling bacteria everything will eventually turn everything to putrid sludge. Glad you're breaking it down as it definitely wouldn't stay safe for long. But YAY - new build!
Okay, so, I'm very new to Walstad tanks. You might have noticed my comments on previous videos about the Walstad tank I did with my preschool students? It's okay if you haven't seen those comments ;) Anyway, I had that murkiness for a brief period of time, some of those white organics you are seeing, AND the rotten smell. It was a few plants that were dying. Once I removed those, did a few water changes over the course of three days, and also added in more root tabs and API leaf zone, it was fine. It cleared up nicely. My tank is a little greener than yours, and a bit darker because I gotta remove some of the water lettuce, but otherwise it's cycled nicely. I'm not doing water changes anymore and just cleaning the filter once a week cause it's a cheapo filter that does nothing more than make the water move a bit.
There’s too much organic matter under your substrate and not enough oxygen. You’re substrate has too much anaerobic bacteria causing a sulphur build up. Someone already gave a great tip on curing this.
It's definately the case. This video was made about a week ago, but you should see the topsoil tank now (and you will soon) that's the peak if you ask me. Topsoil plus root tabs and i've done barely any water changes and there is zero algae and great growth on all plants. carpet, stems, crypts, ferns and floating.
I made the compost mistake many years ago... Its a major headache. Aquatic soil for pond water lillies is much safer. Mostly clay and no organic waste.
@@MDFishTanks there’s a great experiment you can do to learn more about the process. It’s called a Winogradsky Column. Or you can just go by the wiki explanation. Unfortunately English isn’t my first language and as far as science goes my “im Layman’s terms” in English sucks.
Thanks for your transparency, MD.....good on you
Hi MD, I tried the same Walstad setup without filter and agitation. After approx 10 days the tank turned cloudy with a dense foggy layer close to the ground. At the same time gas evolved from the bottom layer with sulfur smell. I resolved the problem by adding a small 2 Watt USB power head close to the water surface to agitate the water column and entrain oxygen to the system. Cloudiness disappeared after a few days and the smell turned back to „natural“. Plants grow very well now, the water remains crystal clear. Good luck with this one. WS
I hope the fish will be safe. It's nice to see you coming out of your comfort zone to discover new ways to build ecosystem tanks and sharing your journey. Your previous videos helped me establish my tank successfully.
Good to know. I was wondering if the ultra nutrient level of compost would turn. If compost gets too wet it will make a really bad smell especially when turning until it dries back down to normal levels. I suspect that is what happened with the tank. In the video I did see some gas bubbles (Large) come up from the soil. Well as long as the fish are safe and healthy the only way to learn is do and watch. You watched and when trouble looked likely, not only could you see and hear the concern you had, you inspected and showed your findings leading us to the right decision. Again it was a good idea to try. Thanks for experiment and giving others some guidelines. Some UA-camrs would never admit that there was an issue or possible failure. Glad to see integrity in action.
I set up a high nutrient, dirted tank a few years back and noticed that the faster growing stem plants did well whereas the slower growing plants like cryptocorynes suffered root burn. In fact a lot of my foreground plants suffered and those that survived took a year to recover once the soil chemistry finally relaxed. With a lot of organics, you get anoxic layers that produce hydrogen sulfide so its necessary to poke the sand to release the built up gases. I used a chopstick for that task. Now that this tank has had time to mature, it has become a showpiece of aquatic beauty with insane plant growth and I maybe only do a partial water change once a year.
Since setting up this tank, I've switched to a slightly more inert topsoil for my new tanks with fewer organics, however I do mix in some amendments and I cap it with an inch or 2 of sand to keep the nutrients out of the water column.
The compost already had a ton of nutrients so adding the root tabs likely caused a nutrient overload. I noticed the substrate releasing the hydrogen sulfide on its own so you definitely need to focus on that. If you don’t break it down first, of course.
Start poking the substrate periodically to release the built-up gases. The more roots that grow into those pockets, the less build-up you’ll get.
The root tabs would def not have done this. It's definitely just highly organic compost. Won't be using again. But as said, it's good to try things and glad I monitored the tank everyday like I always say to.
@@MDFishTanks Yea i would think its something to do with the compost continuing to break down and release ammonia and there just isn't enough bacteria yet to deal with it. That rotten egg smell and the haziness in the water I've had happen before when I did a trimming back of a lot of floating Lili pads and a water change in the same day. So not only took out the plants which absorb the ammonia but took out all the beneficial bacteria that was on those plants.
The compost is not adequate for this type of aquarium. Solid advice about poking the gases.
@@MDFishTanks Ime you can use the packed nutrient compost but you have to mix it in with something coarser like gravel. It's not necessarily the nutrient overload that causes anaerobic substrate but the compactation of the very fine soil particles which kills any kind of oxygen seeping into the soil from the water column.
@@kova5581 I've had success with a) laying down gravel first at the bottom, b) a mixture of bagged garden soil and coconut peat at a 2:1 ratio and a very light sprinkle of Osmocote slow release potted plant fertiliser on top, c) capping with a generous layer of sand, d) both pothos and lots of floating plants. The peat bulks out the soil and makes it more permeable, it does release small gas bubbles regularly but there is no smell and the water is crystal clear. I think if there's no gas bubbles there's probably not much activity happening in the soil.
Wow luckily you were on the ball with this one..... and no fish were harmed..... just goes to prove even experts can make mistakes when experimenting ..... looking forward to your next video to see what you do too it to save the plants
I would definitely do frequent and regular water changes and believe that will eventually balance. A diatom filter could be used to clear the water, I used them 30 years ago when I first started dabbling with heavily planted CO2 injected tanks.
Your attention to detail is to be admired😍and having the occasional problem as this is always helps to further our knowledge. I do hope you will try to solve the problem and let us know how you did it, starting again sounds a bit defeatist but may eventually prove necessary. Thanks once again for another great video.
Any excuse to tear it down and start again 😉
Seems like the sensible thing to do though, save the plants, and potentially stop any nasties getting into the water column. Appreciate you showing us the negatives too MD, and the rest of the tanks are looking stunning 👍
Don't know how something will work until you try. That's a definite strip down and start again. Bonus for us is that we get to see you do another tank 😆
I saw someone soak the soil for 72 hours, the organic waste floats to the top and its scooped out.
Diana Walstad addresses some of the nasty sulfides that can result from anaerobic pockets in nutrient dense soils, and I've had mixed success combating them once they get started. In one tank, I was able to gently poke the gravel to release the nasty gases for the first month or so of rapid decomposition of the soil. I also increased flow in the tank to help aeration. But once it got to the point where roots were turning black, the plants began to melt and I even lost some fish and shrimp and there was no avoiding a teardown. That compost just has far too much decomposing organics, so I think you're going to be way better off with the topsoil!
as much as i love u and @fishshopmatt doing ur ting, i gotta say i learn a whole lot more from your solo vids, cos of your narrative explaining all the bits and bobs
Thanks for taking us along the journey and sharing the highs and lows
MD: "...a strong smell of hydrogen sulphide..."
Me: Ooh look at you, all scientific!
MD: "Farts basically."
Me: There we go 😂
In Malaysia, they pop an air hose right in their boot-hole and fart into it, giving the tank speckled fertilizer. Cycles a tank in seconds.
black roots is probably root rot and in an aquarium setup, it might be due to how compacted the substrate is. Alternatively, it could be that you're just burning the roots with too many nutrients.
MD have you ever tried growing red mangroves in a tank? I think that would be a cool build for you that is different than what most people are doing.
Sounds like a sulfur dioxide buildup. I get those on occasion. I just remove the lid, stir up my sand and do a partial water change. In my research on the issue, I learned a sulfur dioxide buildup can actually cause your tank to blow out and it mostly occurs in planted tanks with a sand substrate.
Just poking around the place with chopsticks is also a great fix.
@@IndoorEcosystem I've done that, too. Those long barbecue skewers are nice for bigger tanks, too.
@@amymandeville8342They sure are!
Malasian trumpet snails prevent this build up. They stay and breed in the substraight.
@@nigga12665 There is a tank full of them at my local fish shop it's really weird to watch the entire substrate moving with them it's kind of creepy to see!
Love the vids. What type of hose are you using to do your water changes?
Tell tale sign for me were the bubbles…..bubbles of death ☠️😂 can’t wait to see the new setup mate. Love the content, considering getting myself another setup after having a few years off.
I used mushroom compost in a tank I setup in May. Water changes daily or every other day for like 3 months. Poking pockets of sulfur dioxide gases trapped every few days for months, now I do it once a week. Plants have gone MAD. 12 gallon long tank with probably 500 shrimp that started from 7 and snails are all without a single issue amazingly.
Thanks for showing problems and solutions.
Thanks for posting this is exactly how I want to set up my tank. now I can learn from your mistakes and do it the right way, appreciate.
Try father fish method it is sort of Diana walstad's improved version
There's no gas exchange and you can see the surface looks stagnant.
@MD Fish Tanks have you checked out Kempf's work?
Look up "bugs won't and can't eat healthy plants" and there are a load of podcasts and YT videos to get healthier plants (it's for terrestrial plants, and also works great for aquarium plants).
My healthy plants aren't having issues with algae anymore. Barely issues with algae on the glass.
As for the smell, I haven't had that happen again since I started adding burrowing snails. Stir up the substrate and integrate the mulm back into the soil, and plants stay healthier. I have amphipods, paramecium and snails in every tank now.
Interesting!!! Thanks for sharing the outcome of this experiment!
i find that alot of times Amano shrimp arent really interested in that kind of algae on the driftwood. I have noticed however when the algae is dying they certainly go for it. They are certainly prolific scavangers but some husbandry will be required if algae is growing and strong. its more the particles that get caught in the algae and mosses etc. that the shrimp love to forage for.
Is top soil just regular soil you would use for houseplants? And what is the organic material, would that be like pondsoil?
Definitely a good ide to tear down and rework - hydrogen sulphide is very toxic to the fish and shrimps, eventually the plants as well. Looking forward to seeing the rebuild
Bacteria bloom in the water column--too much nutrient leaking through the gravel from the soil. I've only had this work with a thick sandcap. And generally, I think filter-less is more trouble than its worth--nice in theory, easier to just have a sponge filter or HOB to get some water movement.
The topsoil tank is doing so so well.
you need 2 inches of sand ontop of the soil. not gravel. i ran into this issue as well and resurrected it doing this
I had the exact same thing happen to my dirted tank 20G.
A layer of white smoke floating on the front side of the aquarium. When i tried to do a water change, all my neon tetras started to swim in a groggy, drunk state. Some swam upside down. I had to net out all the fish and put them in a quarantine tank with clean water.
Still dont know what that white smoke was...guessing it was a h2s layer.
I noticed in the build video you said you were going for (I believe) potting soil and came back with compost...totally different product with a different purpose. Maybe if you found a good potting soil you'd have better results. A bit concerned about chemicals and additives in that case, though. Potting soils aren't designed to be aquarium safe.
I use organic potting soil in my dirted tank. No problems but crazy plant growth 😃🌿🐟🌱🦐🌿🌱
Hey I have a question for you did any of your plants melt after a few week after you start new tank?
I reckon it is because that compost contains lots of plant matter. Fully ready compost should crumble and have no fibres, The stuff they sell like that is sold before it is ready - which is OK in gardens because then it breaks down in the soil. But rot spreads. If you want to learn about compost I suggest "No Nettles Required" by Ken Thompson, it changed the way we composted our acre market garden from all the "old gardeners tales"
That sucks, have fun!
Right, it needs redoing or at least putting everything but subtrate out, then adding layer of sand before replanting. Usually I hear dirtied tank should have at least 2 inches / 5 cm of sand to cap the soil and it's recommended to dose it with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria shots. The nutrients are supposed to slowly seep through, keyword slowly. From what I heard there's always a smoldering layer, but the plant would reach where it could get nutrients.
That Myriophyllum is probably named after Mato Grosso state.
That hydrogen sulfide smell is from anoxic soil (anaerobic) which you know. Ponds normally have a thick layer of that black or grey anoxic mud which is the stuff that converts to oil in time. You just need a thicc aerobic layer for the roots...which would leave an inch of room from the rim.
What is the best tool for cleaning glass inside the tank?
I think you should mix the two soills together and c wot the results is
I don't think the compost is bad if added as a secondary substrate. If anything it should have been mixed in with either top soil or aquarium soil as a boost in nutrients. But not as a sole provider. The roots are just getting over loaded. Maybe a 1 part compost to 3 parts aqua soil?
It’s fine just not with a gravel cap, the whole idea of a deep sand bed is sort of centered around this idea. The amount of iron in the root tabs led to rapid bacterial growth, anaerobic composting basically and the bacteria poo is the gas. I don’t doubt it if he waited a month this tank would do good.
I even love when you fail -- super helpful + inspiring video as always. THX!!!
Great video. Thanks for sharing 👍
ive just had the rotten egg smell in my tank every time i did a gravel clean so today i striped everything and did a major gravel clean stirred it all up moved fish to a temp tank moved filter to a bag with water 5hrs it had taken i had elora densa where the gravel had changed colour so ive took them out and just have my Anubis now
It seems to me you have the layers off on this one. You need to have a slow flow, so the gravel (or an undergravel filter/ plenum) should be on the bottom, and I like to use a layer of weed-block fabric on top of that, and then the nutrient layer, capped by an inch of sand. I personally would layer kitty litter type baked clay w/ laterite or red flourite under the nutrient layer for added ion exchange benefit.
You could be making a good point. More course on the bottom should work well. I will add course stone to a future build.
Well, what doesn't kill you... I do love the experiments though. I say, after you break it down, just use a tiny touch of the compost. But use fresh compost, in case that compost is putrid and spoiled. Great video again MD. Keep'em coming please.
My planted tank looses so much water. I put the lid on it when I was on holiday and it did hold a lot more. And require top up a lot less but the condensation has sort of ruined my floating plants. Anyway I think it looks ugly with the lid. Any suggestions?
Bake?cook he compost in the oven to kill off the rotting process first. then it will just nutrient rich dirt.
Thanks
whenever i have issues with this stuff it's usually a problem with water flow
That gravel isn't holding anything down. You need a sand cap or a HUGE gravel cap. Yes, WAY less organics than sand/gravel. And the fish are definitely at risk of pathogenic infection and suffocation.
The bubbles that reach the surface are a sign that the compost is going through a process of overheating and therefore produces large quantities of gas.
Keep the compost aquarium! It’s important for us to see if its plausable and if it can recover itself. We would also like to see affordable techniques to recover it! That was the whole point of experimenting, we need to see it through!
Compost has too many organic contents in it which go into cycles constantly which inturn produce Heat that is why the root looks too black and burnt , probably go with the mixture of top soil and compost , I use top soil taken directly from the forest still experimenting, probably go with 1:2 ratio of compost and top soil
What are the led strip lights leg extenders you use that raise the height of the light?
Do you think there are too many nutrients in the water?
There's too many nutrients in the substrate. This can be fixed by adding more of a sand/gravel cap. The plants are going straight into the nutrient layer, which is not good for new plants. Too much.
MD - try using a plenum in your set up. You will never get putrefaction
What's the little adapter you have for filling the tanks back up after a water change? I've always just clamped my hosepipe to the side of the tank then spent 20 minutes afterwards putting all my substrate back where the flow has displaced it all.
Hose strainer
….. the anaerobic bacteria is what then consumes the nitrates….. which is normally the last item that you need to get rid of in the nitrogen cycle for a no water change ecosystem…. What you need is deeper substrate. And slight increase in water movement. Your plants are used to a certain depth for their roots if you give more area they can spread better. Then increasing the water flow creates more aeration throughout the substrate allowing your plants to go to their desired place then the deeper substrate allows for the anaerobic bacteria to still grow and consume the nitrate…. I’ve setup a 75 gallon this way and a 60gallon breeder…. Don’t need the whole thing deep just at least two good 6 inch circles where the depth is at least 3-4 inches.
you can tell theres a gas build up beneath the gravel as in the video you can see big bubbles coming out and rising to the top! 😬
Question! I've had stratum soil in my tank for around 6 months, funnily enough did a tank change a few days ago and got that eggs smell when the water was coming out of the syphon, I found a rotted anubias and removed that and yet to check the smell again on ky tank change tomorrow, had a cloudy kind of look around where the rot was too. Is this the soil or the plant? Can the soil be making it smell?
It's interesting to see when you try something and it's unsuccessful.
Why not just put on a small hangonback filter with just filter floss.
No need my friend. All been fixed now which will show in an update video soon.
@@MDFishTanks Great. Happy for you. You are amazing. Just trying to help just like you are helping all hobbyists. Cheers Mate. 🤝
I'm slowly reading my way through "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad. It's not light reading, but it's pretty interesting. Somehow I never connected the Walstad method to the book :) But putrid smell...? I definitely read about that in the book! That had to do with H2S, with sulfate containing fertilizers and redox
Winogradsky Column. Old experiment, vert relevant to the walstad method.
And how did the book say how to fix it?
I didn’t see anything about “rotten egg smell”. What’s up?
If u would like watch Father Fish. His take on the walstad aquarium.. would love to see your version if it
See what happens. Don’t redo too quickly. Give everyone the chance to see what happens…. You never know it may settle down.
What are the red floating plants called pls?
Bravo from Romania
white roots are healthy roots that have enough oxygen. you have sulfur producing bacteria.
What are those completely orange fish they are so pretty
compost is also used to generate natural gas. it is used as fuel for cooking. its called biogas but the gas is methane i guess. i also noticed large bubbles pop up at one point of the video. i think you better strip it down. i think some research on compost is needed to know what exactly is going on down there.
sky blue endlers? i keep those!
Yeah the substrate was farting on camera too so all that gas was all built up under there. I wonder if a tiny sprinkling of it instead of all that you put would have lent a better result. 🤔
Can some one put a link to the updated video.. I'm having the same problem with amazonia and sand on top. Really bad smells:(
This happened to my tank, and there was NO saving it....... Ended up killing ALL my fish and plants! Tried everything :(
Had to scrap and clean the whole tank, was only 11months old
Anyone know what that "mist" is at 9:30?
Your substrate is to shallow. Capping should be at least 5cm.
When experimenting accidents happen.
Is it possible to make a carpet from hairgrass or monte carlo on a bowl tank? ... I wanna make a shrimp only tank but want a carpet vibe
Aquasoil and a good light will get the job done. I recently made a video about it.
You just need to plant it close together to get the quickest results. C02 helps with a carpet but isn't required.
@@IndoorEcosystem thats also a problem ... Cant provide proper co2 in a bowl . Issue is that the bowl has a small opening, i cant jam it up with filters and other stuff lol . But yes ill be using aquasoil for sure
@@ryan_yasin I'm going to start a bowl myself in a few weeks and am planning on a full monte Carlo carpet as well.
I'm going to put some aquasoil down then trim my current monte Carlo carpet and sprinkle all the cuttings onto the aquasoil then wet it all and do the dry start method. It's going to be a new experiment but should work perfectly.
Do something for colisas :)
tyvm good video
Let's be honest that tank has already been dismantled 😆
You know it lol
To much organic matter or your bacteria died off I had this issue with a foul smell it was my ph it got to low and the bacteria died off
love these kind of video's
You’ve made your own moor.
9:27 Thats probably bacterial biofilm.
Your still a legend
S A V E the plants!