Finding Balance: Making Planted Tanks EASY! My aquarium plant talk at Keystone Clash 2023

[@MatthewMarquit]

This is the best presentation on aqaurium plants I've ever seen....and I've seen ALOT... You're the man!

[@BentleyPascoe]

Wow, I'm really humbled by that. Thank you so much and really glad you enjoyed it!

[@damiangrouse4564]

@@BentleyPascoe top ten of your videos I return to for reference

[@arkgaming5344]

Hey bently my 3 gallon tank with co2 and had my lights at 5% power fluval nano led i had little to no algae. My snail ate it all and my shrimps take care of the rest xD. All thanks to your teachings. Ive been watching you for 3+ years.

[@ironix1]

Excellent Bentley. Well explained, so even I could comprehend what you were saying. Thank you

[@jflankenstein]

Learned a lot. Thanks! You should have a podcast.

[@BentleyPascoe]

I do a weekly Livestream that is relatively close to a podcast

[@boebender]

Holy Moly this is good!!!Thank you!!

[@amazonpancakes543]

Simply amazing! Such an informative talk to be a part of. Very grateful that I got to meet you and also hear so much of your knowledge that you have with Aquarium and Plants. Thank you so much Bentley I really appreciate everything you do! And thanks for taking the time to talk to me afterwards it really meant a lot to me. You Rock!! 🤘🐠🐟🐠 #balance

[@KayfishAmisa]

Awesome talk Bentley! Will be replaying this several times to absorb everything. #balance

[@Vincent-kx9ze]

Agreed. This is the best presentation on aquarium plants that I’ve seen. Now let’s see if I can put it to good use

[@johnnybest6386]

I liked your talk on plants from begin to end

[@lindaj]

Fantastic talk! I watched twice and will be sharing this video in a local aquarium group I am in. Thank you for being so giving of your time and knowledge. My plant journey has been slow and frustrating but I am finally starting to see some balance in my tanks. I've always been a "fish first" aquarium keeper and have kept many species successfully but plants, oh boy, I thought I would never figure them out.

[@bazilgolden6880]

Loved this talk! Very inspirational & loaded with great advice ! #Balance

[@makemineasmallone]

Great stuff. Exactly what I needed when I needed it. Thank you, Bentley.

[@thatdirtedtank9662]

I enjoyed this talk a lot. Always great to be reminded of the basics😊. #Balance

[@pteromalid]

I needed this talk. Thank you.

[@Guppy_Girl]

love this talk. Thank you for the charts you added, really helpful. 👍

[@AliCat876]

Excellent talk on plants Bentley.

[@annemarieacosta8775]

Just recently discovered you on youtube. Your videos are so helpful. Glad to have found this channel. 😊

[@Ichthys_Aquatics]

this was a great talk. Wish I could’ve seen you in person. Love the idea of splitting and all in one up over a week. So simple but never thought of it.

[@Handygrrl]

Very possibly THE BEST aquarium plant video i've ever watched!!! Thank you, i learned a lot of the "finer points" and you've saved me from buying rediculously expensive lights. Did i say "thank you"??? ❤ #Balance

[@random5588]

I've learned so much from you, thanks a lot

[@oscarfigueroa9254]

I love how informative this video is. I’m definitely going to listen to it a few times to absorb as much as possible.

[@davelastik7677]

Thank you for this info dump. Saved for continually learning

[@pedrovision6987]

Great presentation...PREPARE TO LEARN!!

[@fishfrenzyaddiction]

Awesome presentation on "Making Planted Tanks EASY!" Thank you! #Balance

[@lewisstanley3031]

I never knew how easy it was to keep water balanced without doing water changes. It's the plants.Thank you Bentley.

[@SharkFinAdventures]

#BALANCE Thank you @Bentley for recording and sharing your lecturers at the Keystone Clash. Very informative! Great job! 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@elyzawilson6297]

Thanks Bentley, I absolutely love this presentation so much I listened to it three times straight for the bits I could have missed while working in my fishroom. Really sound advice for all aspects of the hobby.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Thank you so much! Feedback like this is the reason I love putting these online!

[@deathproofduck6897]

#Balance. Cool talk. Thanks for breaking down the wall of complication.

[@juanrcovas7892]

I agree with Matthew; you explained very simple and understandable all depends in what plants you want and all the requirements they needs. In my opinion no one explained all in one video so easy like you. You are serious resource in this hobby! Congratulations Bentley!

[@jeffkane4391]

Thanks for sharing Bentley 😊

[@crystalc9036]

You rock Bentley! You are now my plant guru. Your simplified explanations have relieved my stress. Recently had outbreak of hair and staghorn on my crypts. in 2 tanks. Was struggling to figure out the source of the problem. From what you said, I have turned the blue down to 4% and am adjusting the light intensity to find the lowest I can go where the crypts and stems are happy but discourage algae growth. I am one of the few who have experimented with osmocote plus under my root feeders cause I was burning through root tabs. Tried the capsules but that was a disaster and caused an ammonia spike cause the capsules kept popping up. What works for me is 3-4 beads for every 4-5 inch squares once every 6 months. I use the plastic part of my python to get it under the plants and test daily for ammonia for the first week. Saw one of you guys on KZbin do that and thought that is genius. Doing it this way I have not had an ammonia spike. The tank with the most crypts is now exploding with crypts where now I want a bigger tank. But the edges developed hair and staghorn so I am patiently waiting to see if it dies before I start cutting off leaves. Like you said, after all the plants I have tried but died, I can grow Hygrophilia polysperma and crypts like a pro. Thought I was doing well with AR til it started dying on me. Not giving up. I will be rewatching this video numerous times. Thanks for sharing this talk.

[@tgraham72]

You are such a talented speaker--thank you!

[@nabokovfan87]

Very fun talk. I always learn something every single time i watch you speak! #balance

[@STELLASCUTENESS]

Terrific presentation!!!!

[@TerryDidd-d7z]

This is great 👍 thank you

[@Merb34st]

Great presentation, thank you for posting it.

[@CrowntailHalfmoon]

Excellent presentation! Thank you for sharing. #Balance

[@adamlasch3966]

Excellent presentation! I learn something new every time. Thanks. #balance

[@DavidsAquatics]

#Balance Great presentation. Always love hearing more about plants.

[@tetraguytx1705]

Excellent video. Very informative.

[@gouldschick101]

Great info. I struggled after moving to a place with a well, it took me 3 full yrs to figure things out from a starting point of that crazy seachem schedule you showed. My balance included getting my lighting right. I now fertilize twice a week with a water top up so I mix into water in the bucket first. I use 1 cap excel, 1 cap flourish, 1 cap potassium and every second time I also add one cap flourish trace. I use the excel becuase I do not use co2 (to prevent feeding algea, not becuase it actually converts to carbon as claimed as we know that is false). this works great. I do also plug soil ferts every so often around rooted plants expecially around amazons and crypts. If I miss any of this recipe I have worked out, plants will not look as great. If I dose more frequently or higher, it feeds algea. I keep deep substrate too, I find that is part of what makes a difference too for the natural composting of fish waste etc as well.

[@PotooBurd]

This is so informative! Great job, fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝 Keep it up 🙌

[@zakashiXninja]

Thanks for this Bentley, just started co2 in my rainbow tank this was very helpful

[@alishanas9380]

#balance. Great to see your talks in person!

[@dellseasandoval8187]

You’re a cool guy. I love your honesty.

[@thomasholman3992]

Awesome 😮 Thanks for the explanation, Im a 66 young 😅 beginner at this I have a 55 gal. And a 20 Gal H,planted taught from KZbin 😅, Thanks again Sir.

[@joehooyen725]

Great presentation Bentley, I've been in the hobby since the early 1960s & i still use UG filters in some tanks with plants with no problems. I like the K.I.S.S style . Greetings from Australia.

[@Acer-4Js]

Thanks for the information. I have a number of Anubis that have grown tall 20” or more. Appreciate you sharing how best to trim/cut to reduce height and generate another plant. Thank you

[@frhaber]

Quite enjoyed both talks from Keystone Clash. #Balance

[@BennyVerdickt-qd8mo]

Amazing and educational talk. It was exactly what I wanted to know. Could you switch the line exchange and avoid on the C. H. E. A. T. slide. It did spell chaet now.

[@TennesseeBuck]

I made it to the end!! Here is my comment. Great job on your presentation.

[@bettaaquatiks2604]

Thank you so much Bentley truly appreciate your lecture. Great info! #balance

[@MrOneWho]

there's not many KZbin vids I've watched more than once.... but Bentley seems to have a few I find myself back at now and then

[@BentleyPascoe]

@@MrOneWho thank you so much! Comments like these make my day

[@jandomingo9806]

My bucephalandra r only running around 40% lights 15-20cm above the water line with co2 injection.

[@kens3dandaquatics]

Good talk as always! I enjoy your plant talks as that's what I keep tanks for (super lush forests) #Balance

[@BentleyPascoe]

Ken! Congratulations, you're the winner for this pin giveaway! Shoot me an email: bentley.pascoe so I can get your prize in the mail to you!

[@LaoTiqer]

#Balance Great talk, I learned a lot, thank you!

[@FishCapadesProductions]

Such a great talk and as someone working with their first planted jungle tanks i needed this. My fast growers have been out competeing my anubias a bit and i have realized i need to fert more even though i feel i have a full house fish shrimp and snail wise ❤😅 will email soon with photos and more details for your thoughts ❤ I have crap load of water column feeders tons of anubias tons of water lettuce dwarf and huge, batting duckweed now and butt loads of hornwart and also butt loads of pothos growing out of my tanks so I have to fert more than I thought 😅 a journal and constant testing has helped alot. ❤ I will be trying the lean dosing method. And adding leaf zone which is what I'm seeing deficiencies in potassium and iron in my anubias. We shall see. But I've discovered I'll fert get to 40 and in 2 or 3 days go to 0 ppm nitrate. I was shocked. I also have root feeders so I root tab them and the val and lilly.

[@AquaboxConsults]

#balance thanks for sharing the talk. CB

[@vildhallon4709]

Thank you for making this feel less scary and actually doable!

[@BKWhite07]

hands down z best & so critical for me given my recent experience with the dreaded staghorn algae. in a month I expect to see a rejuvenated & controlled environment in my innovative marine twenty. salute 🤝

[@BowBeauties]

Bentley, this was a fantastic talk!! thanks for posting it for us who couldn't go to the Clash!! :) #balance

[@BentleyPascoe]

Thank you so much and glad you enjoyed it. I have a personal goal that anytime I am requested to speak at a convention or a club that it will always be recorded so that folks can learn the same lessons. I've never been a fan of speakers who gatekeep their talks to require you to be in person.

[@jrherrick9871]

Amazing!

[@zelphernide5758]

#Blanace Awesome presentation Bentley. Loved it

[@shesellsfish]

Great presentation. 👍❤️👍

[@jorykozak1239]

also been following your ramp up schedule for the fluval 3.0 for the most part. nice advice. i am also a psycho and demand that the light stays on as long as possible. so 12 hr period. 3 hr ramp up and down. with 6 steady hours running whites around 65%, red 35 and blue 7 or so. and then i enjoy an extra hour at 1% bright white and 1% blue as a midnight setting.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Slow and steady is a great plan!

[@ESF19791111]

#11-11-2023 IS MY BIRTHDAY YEHOO...!!! IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING SHOW :) I LEARN ABIT AND ENJOYED A LOT :) THANK YOU FOR SHARING :) THANK YOU FROM ISRAEL :)

[@64simon]

Also w a substrates ?tks again !

[@BentleyPascoe]

Not sure what you're asking here. There are lots of good options for substrate in an aquarium, it just depends on what your goal is. I personally tend to use aqua soils just because they're simple and easy for heavily planted tanks.

[@jennifermcanany7857]

whew! just learned ALOT. and learned how much I'm actually doing wrong!! I've been battling algea like teenage acne.😢 I've watched and read weeks and weeks worth of videos/articles articles. none compared to the info in this video. this is awesome! great job! thank you for your knowledge in simple terms for the stupid aquarist like myself. if I had found this video first, I'd have saved myself a LOT of money. THANK YOU❤!!!

[@FarizMammadov-qw8rc]

Hello, Passive CO2 good for Plants? I do not use diffuzer just give CO2 to inside bottle in aquarium.

[@marcdunord]

very good tips and philosophy dear fatso but for people who keep plants but prefer to use only fish waste to 'feed' the plants, you could recommend plant species that react very early to specific micronutrient deficiencies. Also i) a few tips on how to use specific plant species to adjust N/P/CO2 ratios that favor algal growth; and ii) tips for people who never allow sediments to accumulate in the bottom gravel (through 'reverse' flow of filtered water up the gravel bottom).

[@BentleyPascoe]

Well, you're asking for really specific details in a talk that is designed to be slightly more general. But if you were to go that route, the easiest way to use certain species of plants that diagnose specific deficiencies would be find the plants that are inherently a hog of any given nutrient. So as an example, Monte Carlo could give you into indications of calcium deficiency because as it starts to struggle, usually the first thing that is a problem tends to be calcium related.

[@marcdunord]

@@BentleyPascoe you're right in general but i really do not want to believe i am the only ¨psycho' (as you would put it) who kept a 160g tank for nine years with 6 angels, 50 cardinals, etc plus said reverse flow without a single water change, without noticeable algae, and without ever fertilizing or using CO2... but i suspected the micronutrients in fish flake food did not fully match those removed with the plant leaves that were discarded weakly (too much growth, wilted, etc). Having early-warning plant species for each micronutrient would be oh-so-very great for those who want their tanks to run industry-independently (and yes i heard you mention montecarlo for Ca++). Keep the good work!

[@darlenestanks9742]

#balance this was a great talk.

[@kayklutchko6656]

#balance great presentation! I just wish I knew all these plant names! I don't know what plants I have!

[@BentleyPascoe]

Email me pictures and I can help: [e-mail]

[@travisdeshotel8894]

​@BentleyPascoe damn that's sooo nice of you. Subbed literally cause of this comment.

[@RichT.]

Great talk and expertly explained so even a noob like me could understand 🙅. Thank you for sharing this talk! #balance

[@jorykozak1239]

i know you mentioned you were happy with the fluval 3.0 led in another video, as am I. i have the 48". but why dont they include green leds if they are so important, or why cant i control that spectrum individually?

[@BentleyPascoe]

I'm not sure why they choose the LEDs they choose on each light. I just control them the best I can with what they give me 🤣

[@utubejester]

Is there a particular nutrient that mosses look for? I’ve heard that mosses like lots of iron, what has been your experience? Great lecture

[@BentleyPascoe]

From my experience it's not necessarily a specific nutrient but rather keeping the mosses relatively clean which usually involves keeping them within some amount of flow. Some of your fancier mosses might require like more iron, heavy nutrient bases, but I can't say that my experience has shown the are specific hogs of any particular singular nutrient

[@kellyroach76]

@bentley pascoe Very excited for this! The relevancy is real. I’m just SE of Seattle and have very soft water from the tap. I’ve been struggling to find the balance of nutrients and light in my 29g guppy tank. I add hardness, PH and KH via equilibrium and Alkaline Buffer. I have a feeling that I may have overdosed some easy green, Fritz trace elements early on. I need to find a way to achieve and maintain the balance. Thanks Bentley!

[@kellyroach76]

Thanks @bentley pascoe Can’t wait to start experimenting with your methods! I really needed some sort of framework while I learn how to maintain balance in my planted tank, so thank you. #balance

[@johnnybest6386]

My favorite plant wizard

[@64simon]

Can I get calcium into my system without using c 02 ? Tks

[@BentleyPascoe]

Yes, just add some crushed Coral.

[@64simon]

@@BentleyPascoe thank you !

[@pugamusmaximus]

The video I needed.

[@skooter405]

#balance. Where in your tank should you place your diffuser? I run two canisters filters, should I put the diffuser under and output or in between the two?

[@BentleyPascoe]

Under one is good!

[@zacharybeneduci210]

#Balance Nice talk!

[@bettalvr8800]

Hi Bentley! I'm not new to freshwater fishkeeping, but def new to keeping live plants. I have a (don't laugh) 29g Topfin Aquarium. I knew to replace filter & heater right away, but then realized hood lights were melting the beginner plants I got to help control algae...wisteria, hornwort, anacharis. I'm trying to find a submersible under hood led that could be attached using velcro, suction cups w/o much luck. Do you know of any "fixes", or should I throw in the towel & get a glass hood/fluval lighting? I don't want anything too high tech - just simple while I'm going thru the learning curve. Thank you for your time & great videos!!😊

[@BentleyPascoe]

I don't know anything that will actually fit inside the hood without some serious modifications. You don't necessarily need to go all the way to a fluval light, I've had the exact same 29 gallon with a number of different lights on it from cheaper lights like the JC&P to older Finnex lights with the glass lid.

[@bettalvr8800]

@@BentleyPascoe Thanks - that helps! I'll research Finnex. And nice knowing you have the same aquarium!🙂 It wasn't so much a purchase to save money, but I really liked the dimensions. (Altho now I want more & bigger!). Such an addictive hobby, haha. I'm loving having live plants and learning about their care. And I've really enjoyed your videos - esp. when you broke down all the lighting parameters and what plants actually need and use. Thank you for taking time to reply to such a beginner. It says a lot about you.

[@bettalvr8800]

I'm sorry - I forgot to ask which glass hood you used for your 29G Topfin? Thanks!!

[@BentleyPascoe]

@@bettalvr8800 just the ones aqueon makes

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

When it comes to nutrients, there is not such thing, as 'the plants need most or less', but 'the plants use more of'.

[@BentleyPascoe]

Small semantics like this don't matter that much, but yes you're correct.

[@PreethamKushalappa]

Well said. Even when i put root tabs, rainbows will start biting that in that tongs. I experienced this so many times.

[@dazzlarnic5732]

Genius

[@johnnybest6386]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@jasonvesagie]

Hi Bentley , im a new subscriber to your channel and wow am i glad i am . i have a question that is possibly a bit odd . I have a soda stream machine , which if you dont have in your country is a machine that injects carbon bubbles to you home made soft drinks . My question is if i took 500ml of tank water and injected carbon into the water with the soda stream machine and then poured it into my 3 ft planted tank . will that have the same effect as a fish tank CO2 system . I do understand it will be a big whack at one go but if i suspect a carbon deficiency will this possibly releave that issue ? Thanks Jason

[@BentleyPascoe]

It can help, but keep in mind that a SodaStream isn't fully dissolving the CO2. All of the open bubbles are effectively a potential waste of gas, but it would add gaseous carbon in a relatively efficient and easy way. There is an old trick that you used to be done by some of the great aquascapers out there to make their plants look like they're very actively pearling by taking a bottle of carbonated water and pouring it into the tank before doing photography.

[@jasonvesagie]

@@BentleyPascoe thank you for responding . just out of curiosity how many soda stream bottles would you try for a 29 gallon just as an experiment to see if there are results a week or so down the line

[@BentleyPascoe]

@@jasonvesagie I would start with 1, you want to start slow and careful to ensure you don't harm the fish

[@jasonvesagie]

@@BentleyPascoe will do , thank you

[@leo2o915]

#Balance

[@39zack]

Liquid rock 😂😂 Where I grew up in Norway we have well water that 100% liquid rock

[@BentleyPascoe]

Amazing for African Cichlids and Live bearers!

[@billsnanos]

#Balance i want to say your comment about just because i use it doesnt mean it will work for you was awesome. also the comment do whats affordable for you with patience it will happen. Thanks again Bently for another great video

[@DebzAquaPetz]

#Balance

[@kashifs786]

#Balance

[@AquariumFun-sy2jt]

#Balance

[@Outside-InAquatics]

#Balance