low-tech planted tank

[hebertn]

nice tank!

[chant4chakri]

Hey the... Thanks for the beautiful video.. Would be nice if u can please let me know what kind of lights u'r using.. (I mean the wattage, and brand and type I.e is it cfl or fluorescent or HO) I have a 10 gallon I've been trying to aquascape, last 5 attempts resulted in algae bloom.... Please suggest some good lighting...!!! Share ur knowledge.. It only grows to share... Peace:)

[lanegjones]

Are you using cat litter now?

[e17jack]

@egementt Great tank. I have a problem though.

I have a 180 litre tank with no C02, no ferts, no soil substrate (just gravel), decent lighting and my plants are thriving. In fact they've grown and spread out so much that that if I leave the tank for two months the whole place is covered with plants and this causes a massive bloom of thread algae. Now I like it when the plants are everywhere but not the thread algae.

Question: Did you ever have this problem and what do I do about it?

[SwayLocks]

@e17jack get some algae eaters

[froggybrib]

i can see the co2 mechanics in the corner...

[egementt]

@froggybrib I'm sure you also have imaginary friends and can see dead people. The things you can see on the corner are the canister filter stuff and an overflow system which is not in use.

[samuelwaynefoleyjr]

come check out my channel i've got salt reef fresh planted and pond sub if you'd like

[MasterGfox]

I have a question for however posted this video, or whoever made it. Is it safe to use potting soil and cat litter for an aquarium??

[MrReefguy]

wow congrats on the tank am new to the panted tanks scene am going to be doing just like yours dirt substrate and no co2 i want low tech tank so i can just injoy better

[kkdhadhich]

gr888888888888

[bxzel0915]

hey guys will my plants still live even though i didnt put my co2 diffuser?

[DaRealMaverick]

@bxzel0915 all depends on the species of plant and the type of light....some plants like Anubias are low light plants and don't need a lot of light and not reliant on a lot of CO2...but other plants like HC require a lot of light and need some sort of carbon supplement...the brighter the light, the more CO2 your plants will want to consume.

[liv4daoutdoors]

wow i run co2 ferts and t5 lighting and still cant get my tank to look like that

[ReefCollege]

very cool tank

[PurpleSpades]

hey uhm..how do you use a gravel vacuum in there? o_o

[MrRawr18]

@PurpleSpades i think in his case the waste matter never even gets to see the floor xD its like a jungle in there

[amblisky]

what kind of filter do u use with a planted tank? esp if your using sand as a substrate?

[SayNoToEThug]

can you tell me the type of kitty liter, potting soil, species of plants, and specifics of this tank? it look great and i want to try and recreate it

[DizzyIzzyization]

I read all the comments, lots of repeating questions. I been trying to be a good hobbies. One last attempt will happen today. I glad i saw your video cause i am going out to buy supplies. As once again the tank killed off the fish and uncontrollable agale bloom. We will be cleaning and doing a new set up. I will post that video soon as we are done. I would really like it if you could give me any helpful advice. Consider me a new hobbist. Since I yet to succeed. (like you) :)

[schtals]

An awesome rich soil low tech example.

I have just started 90L tank with dirt for first time with 70W MH 5200K.

Will see.

[martyb0y1690]

at first I was like wow that's a mess with green water but then I realised further into the vid that it was just poor quality picture

great tank looks to be thriving

[DemonicMajesty]

Çok güzel bir tank. Arkaya mavi, lacivert veya siyah bir fon koyulsa daha da güzel olur. Bu tank halen kurulu mu? Tabanda kedi kumuyla toprak koydum demişsin, bu ne çeşit bir toprak ve kedi kumu Türkçe açıklar mısınız.

[iownudie108]

u should do a large trim, that way it wont look like mess...

[Tuelbag2012]

Hey buddy love the tank looks great i am a newb.. what do i need to get started. type of gravel, fertilizer?seeds? please help i have a video of my 55 gal baby ggator tank with a few plants but i have an extra 30 gallon that i would love to look like yours. i want the entire bottom covered but local stores can get expensive so i figured i would just grow

[Mcleary316]

What kelvin lights do you use? 

[egementt]

@Mcleary316 6500K T5

[CrimelabS]

how do you clean your tank? my plants are covered by ash like stuff on their leaves.

[egementt]

@CrimelabS I don't. Maybe you should use snails and shrimps like I do.

[desparza28]

Do you even use a filter

[azaquarium123]

This is a lovely tank! I set up a high tech planted tank but feel that I will most likely have to tear it down and do the low tech set up following the walstad method. This diatomite cat litter might be a good solution as well. Thanks for posting it.

[7318550239]

Great looking tank.

[zoomnokia]

wat lighting do you use.? 

[amich21]

what kind of cat litter did you use? doesnt the cat litter mess up the water because of the chemicals it has in it? i LOVE ur tank

[Minion303]

Suck on that JBL

[martyb0y1690]

I know nothing much about planted tanks , but how do u clean any uneaten food that falls on to the bottom of the tank or is that used by the plants

[Minion303]

@martyb0y1690 its called a snail

[visualdarkness]

@martyb0y1690

Nr 1: You don't feed too much

Nr 2: Heavy planting helps alot with excess nutrition and ammonia spikes.

[amich21]

what kind of cat litter did u use and did u heavily clean the cat litter before using it? i LOVE UR TANK and really want to do a low tech planted tank myself so any help would be greatly appreciated

[amich21]

what kind of cat litter did u use and did u heavily clean the cat litter before using it?

[Kentagerna]

Amazing!!! Yes, I've wondered if you could just use dirt, it would make sense to, at least for the bottom layer. You can get all those plants with a flourscent light? Wow.

[stealthyspider]

Very nice tank. I have a low tech tank but its lot more messy. I have no fillter and its open toped with a lot of plants growing out the top. Best kind of tank there is. Nice one mate.

[bwrightab2310]

how do you keep your snails from reproducing .

and what kind of snails are they

[egementt]

@bwrightab2310 Thats agood question. Since the tank heavily planted and I don't supply an extra CO2 source, the plants are forced to use the carbonates from the water as a carbon source. This keeps the snails from overpopulating. Sometimes when I don't perform a water change for a long time, I see some snails with very thin and fragile shells. Thats another proof of that. I have 6 or 7 seven types of common snails which all came with the plants.

[sspamer]

Uh, it's green.

[Toothsom3]

hey egmentt,

potting soil is a strong fertilitzer, but not a lil bit toxic for the fishis? and why cat litter? cheaper than sand? or do they produce Co2? Where do the plants get their Co2?

Best Regards

[egementt]

@Toothsom3 It wasn't toxic in my trial. Cat litter is cheaper and I beleive more effective as a substrate since it has a lot of surface area good for nitrifying bacteria settling. But be careful I use diatomite cat litter only with no chemicals in it. I beleive mostly from the carbonates from the water.

[ForumBoosters]

Find Out More @ TheExoticFish . com

[boss5468]

Love it. So green and full of life. great set up!

[Meowbay]

How many hours light do you give this tank, and how much light is in the room surrounding it, and during what hours you have overlap of those two light-sources, if any at all.. ?

[egementt]

@Meowbay 11 hours of light. 6 hours on then off for 3 hours and 5 hours on. It is very far away from other light sources.

[DaveWreckingCrew]

I am amazed. Great job! I now know what to do with my 70xTall. My betta is gunna be spoiled. No more cups and bowls. Jazz is getting his own KINGDOM! Sorry...

[cccspizza]

is it hard to get live plaints and make them grow? i just 1 24 in. florissent bulb . im lookin to get some live plaints what do i need to do, as far as fertalization? if any

[egementt]

@cccspizza there are some plants which can live with minimal conditions. Look for slow growing species like anubias, java fern or fast growing foxtail and plants like that.

[starthi]

hey nice tank man. im goning to fallow u and make a small planted tank. i was wounding when u use cat litter, dont they hav chemicals tht harmfull to fish? wht kind did u use? and wht can u do about the green water?

[sirfrag1]

you could grow and hide a weed plant in there easily haha

[davidtantaihui]

At 0.29 right corner, are u mixing plastic plants with life plants?

[egementt]

@davidtantaihui there are no plastic plastic plants in there

[Ebsteins31653]

A beautiful set-up egementt! I could sit and stare at this planted aquarium all day! Best wishes. Ebs

[Cybersix1980]

It looks great !!!! add more colorfull guppy :D

[baldefurado]

You could post something on how u made the substracte... It would be very helpfull thanks anyway. Great aqua and vid.

[NewEdge04GT]

I've been doing saltwater tanks for about over a year now, never respected freshwater(because i had it before) until i discovered aquascaping and how beautiful planted tanks are. I got a noob question, is your water green? If it is, is it supposed to be? Or is it green due to reflections? Anyway, beautiful aquarium, Im ditching my 30 gallon shrimp mantis tank to begin this !

[Antiks72]

@NewEdge04GT Looks green to me too, probably green water aka algae.

[egementt]

@NewEdge04GT It looks green from the reflections and my poor camera quality. Maybe I used the wrong setting. It is not green to the naked eye and ofcourse it is not supposed to be green.

[roofvishoek]

@egementt it looks green? no it is green..



[Antiprophet24]

How to you clean a tank like this? Also a link on how I could start a planted tank? I'm looking into starting my own, but wanna read up on it first.

[DanJeffery07]

eh a little too green for my preferece lol but very nice tank 5*

[vLaDiMiR17101988]

I've used potting soil and cat litter as the substrate. = lie?

[fobbie2]

@vLaDiMiR17101988 it's not a lie, many people in the fish community sometime recommend to use these as substrate, but it has to be organic potting soil or certain cat litter without the fragrance in them.

[egementt]

@vLaDiMiR17101988 why would Iie. Do I earn money from hits or comments?

[KETIMENE]

@egementt potting soil is the way to go!

[ZombehWolf]

@egementt So would you recommend starting a planted aquarium with Cat litter? I don't have experience with planted Aquarium's and I live on an island, pet store substrate is unavailable here as far as I've seen, but plenty of clean untouched soil.

[Imalighttech]

@egementt Quick question i know this video was made years ago but do you remember what the brand names of the cat liter and potting soil were? Also did you notice if your ph or nitrates and stuff like that went up?

[Walerka11]

@vLaDiMiR17101988 so the secret to make plants grow nice is kitty litter. Nice, I like.

[SuperSindorei]

@vLaDiMiR17101988 No. If you know what you're doing, the right amount of cat litter in your substrate can be beneficial.

[XRISSX77]

I love it! Im a big fan of the "big green block" as I call it. I always was afraid to use potting soil in a tank. I gotta give it a shot some day.

[ieatstheinternet]

inspiring thanks for sharing

[BeLiketheSquerrl]

hmm... any reason for not using co2 or fertilization? i ask because i recently began using it and to my surprise its very low maintenance and inexpensive. on the other hand, my tank is only 20 gallons, i dont know exactly what youre workin with

[RedcapOranda]

So.. aside from water changes, cleaning and replacing equipment.. You have to do nothing to keep it up?

[e17jack]

How many litres is this tank?

[headgasket13]

Fine work!

[Dustinsfishtanks]

Something not mentioned that is think is worth mentioning is why the cat litter. Answer: the material the cat little is made out of creates a negative charge in the substrate, pulling all of the metal content down in to the substrate where the roots of plants are loving it. I use red potters clay for this in my tanks. Egementt any newer videos? I'll probably give cat litter ago now..Awesome Rotalla Rotund... Great tank

[juanjesuschong]

nice tank

[shumebute]

good bless turkey

[gbgfish]

verry nice:) how do you clean it?

[Viqilance]

With a plant bottm like that he doesent need to worry becouse the plants will use all the fish waste

[GADBLACKVOID]

do any1 know if the moss ball grow? i am doing my best to make a aquatic garden/tank using nets and 3 diff moss

[skibbajehn]

grows very slow

u can divide it in many pieces and plant it as a fairway or sth

[toanpl]

This is great.

[guitarmasterjvc]

wow you can use cat litter??never herd that before

[kaleluk31]

looks great but? how do you clean such a tank i mean when all the crap goes to the bottom and such

[l8lackStar]

@kaleluk31 u dont. LOL

[chngngsldr54]

Please give us more details! This tank is beautiful!

Thanks,

-Don

[risko1100]

im new in this and i really want a planted aquarium, can somebody give me advice on what do i need to buy and do to keep it going?? thanks

[xxbxexnxx]

i use eco-complete substrate, works greats

don't really need co2 for a low-tech tank tbh, can always do the DIY one with the pop bottle and yeast mix

[bookoodiggydow]

that tank is beautiful. I have about 2 wpg and I'm waiting till I get co2 to get plants. I've had experience with them before but this time I'm really trying to keep up on maintainence. I have sand but now I'm wishing I used soil. how long it take you to get your sag. established?

[j0ngsterr]

how big is this tank? for the substrate, did you do a layer of and then the cat litter on top? what cat litter did you use?

i'm trying to do a low budget planted tank too.

[ebuddha1982]

wonderful planted aquarium...you are doing some awesome work

[3sugarbeans]

woa dude! thats cool. how do you vauum it with all the plants??

[Sypha14]

You dont :P

[ilja47]

How do you clean the bottom? lol

[d2jsp911]

The plants turn to slime because some of plants died so that thing can make the water and the plants turn to slime. You have to make 25-50% water change per/weeks to avoid the plants turn to slime. its too late for you to make water change, I think you have to replants and make the water change per/week. its happen to me one time and now no more.

[KucingKayap]

Does anyone knows the reason aquarium plants turn to slime, pls help thank you.

[Adex132]

that comment was addressed to batlady2 . As for you - amazing tank. just like the set up I go for - pure outrage growth...just how it will be in the wild ;)

[ashmedical]

beautiful tank, i am inspired to try it myself. Thanks

[batlady2]

Has everyone noticed that some of these people with these most amazing tanks show off their tanks to us on YT and then never bother to come back and share their aquarium secrets with us but just leave us all longing for a tank like theirs but have no clue as to how to get ours to do as good as theirs? Its so not fair man. How can someone have a tank like this with no CO2 and low lights? And no fertilization? COME ON!

[egementt]

If you have bothered to read all the comments and the info part you would know every detail to replicate this setup. All details are listed there but ofcourse it is always easier to blame people than just doing some research. The only secret to this setup is that I have used soil and cat litter as the substrate which I have mentioned.

I don't really care if you beleive this or not. I don't have to give any secrets how I achieved this but anyway I have told it all.

[egementt]

And lastly, all of you who have cared to comment on this video excuse me for not being able to answer your questions but unfortunately youtube is banned in my country so it is really hard for me to sing in.

[batlady2]

Ege, I did not mean to offend you really. I loved your tank and I've been trying for years to achieve a planted tank with no co2 and nothing so far has worked for me. I've got the right lights too just no co2. I can only make Wisteria plants and java fern grow but nothing else. Especially the lovely grasses you got going on in yours. Basically, I am jealous of your tank thats all. Thanks for answering our questions. You are a gifted planted tank keeper.

[Adex132]

why try a planted tank without co2 and fert?

honestly co2 is an one off cost cause the refilling is mere pennies. Secondly macro nutrients for plants can be bought from any labatory supply for large quantities and cheaper then any LFS. these 2 factors and of course I suspect you have decent lighting is all u need to get lust veg.

U ll have a harder time trying to maintain good growth and algae problems without co2 and 1min dosing every day then trying without these 2.

[batlady2]

Yes, I know. So far, with out co2 the algae grows faster than the plants. (sigh) Only Wysteria and Java fern do well in my tank with out the CO2. My Wysteria plant grows very well and is lovely. I have it in a pot and not planted in the gravel. I used a good aquarium plant substrate in the pot for it. I guess I have to make up my mind. Either get serious about planted tanks or not. Co2 is what is required.

[cichlidkeeper89]

how many WPG do you have?

the more light, the more co2 that is needed.

my 55 gallon is planted with amazon swords. they are huge and very green.

i have just over 1/2 WPG, i use no co2.

but, i do add a liquid fertilizer once a week.

i do weekly water changes, my tank has clear algae-free water.

[batlady2]

I have 2 and 1half WPG. And I add flourish fert once a week and do weekly water changes. I keep my lights on 9 hours a day on a timer. I know I'm loosing co2 a bit because I have a fluval filter that makes a lot of surface agitation which is not good for co2. I do have algae. I have to scrape it out every week. I think I'm going to try cutting back to 8 hours of light a day and see if that helps then. I always thought my problem was not enough light.

[cichlidkeeper89]

ya, im no expert, but i have allways been told that the more light that you have, the more co2 that the plants need.

i guess the plants use the co2 faster when exposed to bright light.

[batlady2]

Well thanks for the suggestion. I've cut back the light time on my timer so we'll see what happens. Even if my plants end up growing slower that is still better to deal with than algae.

[TrueDioza]

i see alot of people with tanks heavily planted likr this and always wonder what if a few fish die? surely u wont find them and they will contaminate the water?

[egementt]

Nothing happens because the snails eat them very quickly and the plants suck the ammonia and nitrates.

[irkekler123]

ye im using snails to for the algea and they dont touch my plants to :P winwin

[csafadit]

@egementt thamks for the info I was wondering that myself.

[qwiksquirrel]

@egementt

And that's the beauty of low tech :-)

A high tech tank is much to fragile to handle something like that.

[thdebord]

@egementt ghost shrimp are great at taking care of a dead fish

[vodkasvictim]

I'm amazed, but I'm assuming you must have a heater in there to keep those (presumably) tropical fish at the right temperature?

[egementt]

I don't use a heater. In the winter the room temperature drops to 21C so the fish are okay with this parameter.

[jkennedy1007]

good job

[FlamingoIII]

I have the special kitty litter in my substrate. Every time I pull up a plant I loose a fish. Thinking that it is due to the fact that metals can bond with the clay.

[12addictedfish]

realy cat litter lmao

[rorz4han]

iv have fully planted tank and only use co2 tablets they are great

[mangisda]

Can you give us the exact products that you used? Did you use miracle grow soil? What brand of cat litter did you use? please share.

[egementt]

I used the cheapest kind of potting soil. I can't give the brand because it is a turkish brand. The cat litter is also a local brand called "çarli". As you can imagine I live in Turkey and I used local brands.

[egementt]

But the thing about cat litter is that it is a diatomite based cat liter. I have done a lot of research on it and decided to use it at last. So you could search for a diatomite based cat litter in your country.

[BullockDesignConcept]

@egementt wait so you really use cat litter for that?

[mangisda]

Dude are you serious? No CO2 and cat litter? Please post more details. You could be my hero.

[Surge3k]

dang i never would of though of useing kitty litter!!

i need to check that out some day hehe

[olichka87]

not just any kitty litter, one of the only ones that work is "special kitty"  the brand that wal-mart sells in a red bag.

[wantsome480]

Awsome set up your tank is my insparation. I'm hoping to achieve something like this myself. Any good reading to sugest?

[Guitar5525]

Water doesn't look very clear, but it could just be the camera.

Other than that, great looking tank. Especially for low light.

[ollieflp]

Do low light plants not need CO2 then?

[somecallmedaniel16]

helps, but is not necessary

[PSNjizzcake]

all plants need CO2, some more than others

[Sean117Ply]

no but just compensate with some flourish excel

[izbiz513]

how many us gallons?///?

[mike210476]

Very nice tank. Just the way it schould be. Like nature. Your fish are happy, unlike many other fish, caught by humans trapped in a tank.

Best regards

Mike.

[osvas23]

they are born in a tank thats whi the are so small

[gamejunky5]

should

[Nargaz]

How do you even clean that tank

[STPHNOWNAGE]

when theres alot of plants you dont need to do much cleaning.

they break down alot of material and stuff.

[chngngsldr54]

Possibly the most beautiful aquarium I've ever seen.

[FreshwaterfishEnthus]

ive got a big c02 canister in my plant tank and its not doing so well, im jelous

[chngngsldr54]

What size tank is this?

[tiamman16]

It´s very n1 but... HOW do you that aq???

[PSNjizzcake]

hmm.. so the fish aren't affected by the potting soil?

[lpuig73]

Using good soil is one of the keys to growing healthy aquatic plants. I use peat moss for my substrate.

[pwninkev]

awesome for a low tech

[freefallu]

Wow. I am now starting my second tank and while i have avoided the cat littler o:) I am enthused that you have done this lovely tank without going to guge expense. How do you hoover the bottom of it though, Thank you for posting.

[free2bme777]

CAT LITER??? LMAO

[IntegraGSR5]

i ran out of line, but HOLY FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. thats a badass tank

[Redman8102]

wat type of potting soil and wat type of cat litter????

[chngngsldr54]

?????????

[antdaweeze13]

how much did it cost for all those plants and how long does it take for it to get like that?

[rocajo101]

you have a very nice tank..... very lush and rich in color, its great that you have gone against the conventional wisdom and done "your own" thing.... its working for you.... check out my tank at... Huntsville fish tank ....

[DruidoBianco]

low tech!?!? that tank has minimum 1 W/L, a professional co2, dayly fertilization protocol and fertilized ground...and you call it low tech?

[myangel833]

Your tank looks amazing. I too am starting my 55 as a low tech. I am using pool filter sand and using those root tabs. Do you think I am ok?

Haha