Do You Need To Change Your Substrate?

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Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 35

@tolstoy21 Ай бұрын

100% agree. I didn't change or even gravel vac my flourite sand for many, many years. I had a ton of crypts and amazon swords that grew like beasts. Cories helped churn up anything laying on the bottom that so the filters could take care of the detritus. I have even broken down the tank a number of times and just left the substrate in there, which was the only time I vacuumed it. I feel like a lot of people don't care for flourite sand, but honestly, I consider it the best I've ever used (understanding that, yes, it's not best if you plan to vacuum regularly).

@Wintersdark Ай бұрын

Fluorite based coarse sand (like 2mm-ish grain size) is my absolute favourite substrate. Small enough that animals can still easily mix the surface substrate up, but big enough that it doesn't get kicked up into the water column. And I've found (and maybe I'm just drawing incorrect conclusions) that fluorite based substrates tend to gather and hold nutrients better for plants than other gravels and sands.

@tolstoy21 Ай бұрын

@@Wintersdark I have the same inclination to believe that they hold nutrients well. But this is just speculation on my part. However, I will attest to the fact that Flourite sand grows plants better than the couple other substrates I have tried. My only complaints about it are the following 1) you have to rinse the hell out of it before use 2) Can't gravel vac it without making a mess 3) Initially getting plants to stay put in it can be frustrating. Still, it remains my 'go to'. It works, looks great and never gets exhausted or broken down.

@cherellzandell Ай бұрын

Thank you Bentley, for solid useful information, that just happened to be timely for me, as I've been wondering about it lately 🙂 I appreciate you!

@Fishtory Ай бұрын

What about when aquasoil turns to dust? Or rather mucky silt... that's ironically also turned to anoxic substrate if you go deeper than an inch or so...( at 2 to 4 years in...usually in heavily planted tanks)... Then the deep silt seems to turn to an ammonia rich, giant root tab... that will nuke my tank if I disturb it severely at all.

@BentleyPascoe Ай бұрын

@@Fishtory can't say I've had it turn to silt yet.

@brianhobbs772 Ай бұрын

Thank you for all the good content that you create, i’m always learning something,I enjoy the videos on a regular basis.

@Fishtory Ай бұрын

Warm water vibrio...UW said " Toss your tank"

@markfranklin8831 Ай бұрын

Really good information. Thanks for sharing

@shadeaquaticbreeder2914 Ай бұрын

7:52 that's why I don't use much peat moss in my soil mixes and use more coco and eventually will use leaf mold. Bc after so long with potting soils (peat bases) the peat will really start breaking down and crash the pH. I also use crusked coral rather than the white filler they use that floats. That stuff is a real pain... As an ohioan lol

@Ishiisan Ай бұрын

I do agree with you on replacing substrate. Mine is going six years and root hungry plants are doing great. I’m starting to think those expiration dates are how long substrate holds shape. 🤔

@Perfumery_by_Sabin Ай бұрын

Good question, recently started wondering. 1st year aquascaper. Didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. But they are the only plants I can grow without my cats eating them hahaha

@UncleSmileys.Aquariums Ай бұрын

I have never changed substrate on an active tank. Only when redoing a tank.

@cathyhendrix7552 Ай бұрын

Oh, I definitely learned some things. I've been wanting to change from my substrate from gravel to sand. But purely for aesthetical reasons. Well I'll be leaving my HEALTHY gravel alone and put sand in new tanks going forward. I Didn't even realize that having to change substrate was " a thing. " 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ See, Bently? I always learn SOMETHING from your videos. The substrate in my 20 L is 4yrs old and going strong. At least nothing is dying. Which is a good thing, I always say. LOL. I don't do very many water changes either. I put in about 25-30% of water every week or so, to make up for water condensation or dehydration, whichever you use. I'm getting ready to do my first water change in about 6 months. And that's because during my regular water parameters testing, my nitrates are a little high. I really enjoy your video. I've been wanting to change my substrates from gravel to sand. And this really helped me. 😊 THANK YOU.

@jamesmcmillan7845 Ай бұрын

I use 1" organic soil covered by 2" of sand. Both from Lowe's

@andrewderksen3342 Ай бұрын

Great video 💯

@Midraj Ай бұрын

This came at a great time.....I live in a place with moderately softer water and my black water tank has had a low pH for a few years..... but recently, the he pH has been high for no reason and I think it might be because this originally was a planted tank with a fluorite and stratum substrate...... but is there a way to counteract the buffering effects? I can get used to these parameters now but I wonder if it will just crash one day because it's a black water tank. I'm not sure what hangs in the balance!!

@jrherrick9871 Ай бұрын

I would agree with everything you have said!

@tmdroopy Ай бұрын

liked! thanks brother

@NewJerseyTom Ай бұрын

Hi new subscriber... Tom from New Jersey ❤😊

@seannunes2041 Ай бұрын

Hi Bentley, thank you. How safe is it to add a thin layer of new aqua soil like Brightwell or Contrasoil to a tank that has fish?

@BentleyPascoe Ай бұрын

@@seannunes2041 relatively safe but what you will want to do is very thoroughly. Rinse the substrate before you add it in. This prevents a bunch of stuff from getting up in the water column and makes it much safer for active fish. We don't usually do this when we're setting a tank up because during the time in which we're allowing it to acclimate and get ready for fish. It kind of naturally handles that, but when we have an established tank and we're going to add a little bit more soil, that's when we want to really thoroughly wash the substrate before adding new substrate.

@seannunes2041 Ай бұрын

@BentleyPascoe Thank you, Bentley.

@Wintersdark Ай бұрын

I much prefer tank setups where i wont need to replace the substrate, as doing so is so incredibly disruptive and destructive. Personally, i do a thin potting soil layer (like 1/2") then a coarse sand/fine gravel mised with crushed coral fir buffering. The soil will of course be exhausted, but its purpose is just to help the tabk get established and encourage plants to build root networks; the future is to be fed via fish waste and fertilizers as necessary. Its basically a short term active substrate. You can acheive tye same by preseeding with LOTS of root tabs, but theyre very expensive here and potting soil is, well, dirt cheap.

@shadeaquaticbreeder2914 Ай бұрын

I just can't wait to be able to have a setup that is up long enough for the cycle to be able to vome full circle or the tank crash. I want to see how long it will take. And what all happens lol

@dennisobrien2600 Ай бұрын

Out of all the states why Ohio lol. Great video I am from the Cleveland. I haven’t changed my substrate in ten yrs. I have a just added to it started with crushed coral and my substrate has morphed too crushed coral lots off poop than dirt than sand than black diamond blasting sand looks cool probably make a few OCD people go mental.

@BentleyPascoe Ай бұрын

@@dennisobrien2600 friends used to live there and complain about the super hard water for keeping some plants

@dennisobrien2600 Ай бұрын

@@BentleyPascoe Very true I manage very well myself but I do see a difference getting plants from other ohions things just work in my tanks algae is the biggest annoyance by far. Nothing a weekly dose of carbon peroxide doesn’t fix!

@fayded. Ай бұрын

isn’t breaking down a tank for fish TB pretty much useless because it’s found in almost every single aquarium as it is? Unless it’s a major major outbreak, obviously. I’ve heard UV sterilization and increasing filter media surface area for beneficial bacteria growth are potential remedies.

@WeipoMingpo Ай бұрын

IMO, you're idiotically correct, which is why I like to use inert substrate and use fertilizer. I just find it easier to patiently get the balance. I'm God, but instead, in seven days, it'll take seven plus months😅