This kind of content is what will simultaneously make the least money and be the most valuable.

Everyone: More growth! Me: More work!

Neons in Tank 2: Day 20 - Just another day in the woods... Day 40 Guys... guys??!

I love when you bust out the Lab Coat😂

Thanks so much for this video! I’ve been looking for a side by side co2 comparison and have I have only ever found 1 old one. Definitely helpful to me. Would love to see this experiment again, but with different slower growing plants such as Anubis, java fern etc. Thanks man have a great day!

I really like when you do experiment videos. Given the small amount of aquarium focused lab research, and your degree feild; your one of the few content creators I'd trust to design a valid and descent experiment. Also as a plant and soil scientist, and a small time hobbyist: A+ Keep it up. Suggestions: a good future experiment might be analysis of the CEC capacity of your substrate. CEC is a key concept in understanding Agricultural growth, but very few in the hobby seem to know this principle exists; despite being a corner stone of plant growth. The test is pH dependent though... For pH7 your probably looking at an ammonium acetate, or barium chloride in an acidic pH. Just an idea, if you're looking at future tests

I think I like the no co2. Less trimming that i would have to do. Yes I loved planted tanks. But I also having nothing but time. To sit and watch my plants grow. I already have a few different types of plants grow out my ears,lol.

Love this sort of experiment mate, well done!

Well executed experiment! Thanks for taking the time to do it.

Love this series! Keep it coming 😁

Plants never would have established that well in the first place on the L tank without co2 likely resulting in algae/failure. Love co2! Keep up the work Mike!

Fantastic video. Finally, I got to sit in front of someone who explained the co2 story with raw data and informative conclusions. Thanks for this, great content.

We all love you in that coat , you look 10¹⁰ times cooler ,I loved the series , great work !!

Love your vids bro. Haven't seen enough from you lately

You have to appreciate the effort on this video! Very great educational video!

again, absolutely love these kinds of videos, regardless of the limitations (and great job with pointing them out in the first vid), this was still very interesting to see what the c02 did in a relatively straightforward way. Out of curiosity, not really related, but do you still find the tetras to be pretty happy and still swimming around the tank with the c02? Sometimes i feel like tetras kinda like having the dense foliage but just wondering if you ever felt that way with tetras

Really like this format! Please do more!

Fascinating stuff. I loved the graphs.

Love the series dude.

Hmmm… I thought I left a comment in this one cause this was a very cool experiment & I was waiting for the followup for what felt like forever. I appreciate the time you put into this brother. Don’t ever feel you work was ever in vain in any way. ✊🏾

I really liked this video, we need more comparison videos like this

This'll help a lot of people new to the hobby such as me.thanks Mike

Thank you for this expariment, i have a few planted tanks that have been doing "good" (growth rate wise) with out any Co2 in part also cause im not very familiar with setting up and using a Co2 system so i been holding back in getting one. This video explained alot for me about using Co2 and its benefits. Thank you again.

Great illustration!

It’s 2023 and this the best vid I can find on co2. Hope the channel is kicking ass still, I will be subscribing Thanks!

JUST GOT CO2 LIKE 3 ISH WEEKS AGO I LOVE IT SO FAR THANKS THIS IS PERFECT VIDEO AS THERE ISNT MANY ON KZfaq OF THIS STUFF. AND A LOT ISNT GOOD QUALITY

I've definitely enjoyed this series! Mike is so funny and has so much personality! He makes science fun 😁👍 I have just started getting plants to grow in my own aquarium (low light) now I am interested in trying CO2 . I would like to increase my skill level a and try different plants! For now, I have everything growing beautifully, But I have that kind of mind that I want to experiment too!!😁 I really enjoyed the time lapse and the graphs, that was cool!! Thanks for sharing I really enjoyed the video! I hope you all have a very blessed day!!🙏💞🌱🐟🌱💯

I have a few tanks that have CO2. I also found out do not go cheap on the regulator cause they will not last. Liked.

Blog post on this experiment: aquaproshq.com/blogs/aquarium-guides/aquarium-co2-guide CO2 equipment ► geni.us/KnWPj use code "aquapros" save 10% Fritz Clarifier ► geni.us/7P7B

Thank you very much for this experiment ❤️❤️

Such a great video, this video deserve way more views.

Great job. Huge respect ✊🏻

Excellent content brother!

Excellent! This should show lots of people how C02 helps with plant growth and an example of how much plants spurred on with growth with co2 consumes nutrients.

I see a tank that requires a LOT less trimming to keep the scape nice. :-/

Nice comparison, thanks for share ur experiment and knownledge

Super helpful, thanx muchly

Wow that was an interesting experiment. I'm trying plants for the first time, and using fertilizers. I wonder what way is more cost effective. Keep the great lessons coming.🐟🌿👍😄

Thanks for the great help

love the side by side comparison

As someone who's only just got CO2 connected up, with the very same glass CO2 drop checker shown here... this was just what I needed to reassure me that I'm doing the right thing. Regardless of where I am with my tanks though, it is suffice to say; amazing, insightful and well put together video. Thank you.

Very useful video for the hobby. Thank you. After watching this I made a video about my deep substrate diy CO2 aquarium.

Not sure I want my plants growing that fast or full, but the difference is evident for those who do. The Fritz Clarifier is insanely great stuff!

Great video! Idea though, maybe do a liquid co2 vs pressurized in the future?

Maybe the CO2 tank isn’t showing nitrates because they’re being taken up out of the water column by the plants that are enabled to grow quicker because of the CO2. Whereas with the non CO2 tank, the plant growth is stunted and as such there is excess nutrient in the water column. This could mean the substrate, while important, isn’t everything?

Cool experiment!

Interesting experiment man. You should try comparing "liquid CO2" to no-CO2

Great content! Thank you for this. I'd love to see this same experiment done with fertilizers and no fertilizers. I always tell people that having co2 doesnt mean anything unless you have nutrients for the plant to use around the carbon scaffolding. The same is true of high lighting to some degree.... it's the blance of all 3 that produces best

Hey bro, I like your technical videos. Can you do a similar video with fertilisers like, one tank with estimated index and one tank with a good fertilisers from tropica or ADA?

When Mike busts out the lab coat, ~ish gets real folks...🤣 I’m glad to see this experiment come to its conclusion. This is very interesting. So allow me to propose a hypothetical; I plan on doing a plywood tank (huge 8’x4’) & was considering incorporating it into a home aquaponic system. If this tank were to be heavily planted & CO2 injected, would that increase the nitrate absorption by the tank plants to the point that it would severely limit the available nitrates for the hydroponic filtration of the plant side of things. This is a LONG term plan for a facility that has yet to be built but after following you for the past few years (& others) I’m wondering if this huge tank I plan should not get the heavily planted treatment I intend for it.

Hello there, i realise that the odds of you reading this is probably pretty small, but i have a couple suggestions for experiements that could be interesting. It could be interesting to do an experiment with an air pump. I've always been told that adding an airstone to a planted tank, with or without co2 injection would drive co2 out of the water, that seems like a perfect subject for these tanks. Running them both with co2, and one with an airstone. I'd also think it would be interesting to run the experiment again with no co2 injection in either of the tanks. How would it impact plant growth, and mesurable co2 levels? The same experiment could also be run with no airstone, but with increased surface agitation from just the filter. That should be material for a few videos if you're as curious about the subject as me. Either way, it would be nice to have some semi scientific results to refer back to, whenever i see someone arguing about it. I also think that there are a lot of potential tests for lighting, such as length of the photoperiod in relation to algae, strength of the lighting in relation to algae and fertilization and co2 injection, plants reaction to different color spectrums, etc. There is also a lot of potential for testing different filter media, as well as filter sizes and what type of media (sponge, ceramic, gravel/rock etc), as well as different brands, and how much of it, you use. In short, i think this is a brilliant idea, i love these experiment tanks! I would also like to see a third tank added for control. :) In fact how about a whole setup more so you can run multiple experiments at once. XD Heck, how about 2 more testing setups, this could go far! :) Anyway, i hope you read this, and take some of it to heart. Kind regards from Denmark.

Interesting video. The benefit of the plants consuming even more Nitrate seems like a great reason to get a CO2 system especially if you have lots of fish. I didn’t know it can help that much. Im still new to planted aquariums, i may consider getting a CO2 system after watching this video as my plants grow but always seem to be struggling despite having good light, good substrate, adding liquid fertilizer 😬

Had cloudiness not too long ago. And used a tank starter or kickstarter bio fluid. And I could not help be how well that worked.

I would love to see a test of the effectiveness of various filter media.

BOTH OF THESE TANKS ARE GORGEOUS THO AM I RIGHT?

Thank you ☺️ I’m starting a tank and this was very helpful. It’s going to be only a 6g nano tank with small plants. I was considering co2 but am so glad I saw this! For me, it would be more suited for a larger future tank with big & beautiful plants 🌱.

That was wild

This was very informative. I have dosed CO2 passively in the pass and I could notice the difference between the other tank that was very similar to the dosed tank. I will be getting a CO2 Regulator for my next setup. What information have you gathered from the CO2 Controllers out there? Are they worth it. I noticed you never posted the PH levels of both tank. How much did the CO2 tank PH fluctuated? At any rate I enjoyed watching. I’ve watch you for years, because you are cutting edge. I did the Moons of Endor on round styrofoam balls. The bottom half of the Moons didn’t fair well. I loved it while it lasted. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed watching.

Very cool video

Cool experiment and great info. I’ve debated on using CO2 but honestly haven’t tackled it because I’m afraid it’s too complex. How about a “CO2 for beginners” video?

Great video, I would like to add co2 to one of my aquariums. Specifically a Nano What system would you recommend for a such an aquarium? Thanks

Wow nice.

I want to put co2 tablets in a glass with water and put it in my plant cloner done, would the c02 defuse into the dome? Kind regards Elliott

Having kept both CO2 and no CO2 aquariums, I prefer no CO2 and so do the fish. Gets way too overgrown too fast. It's too much work when you have several tanks to maintain.

awesome experiment, how much does a basic co2 setup cost tho

The lab suit is back... yaaaaaaaas!!!

Wow. Time to consider getting a co2 system

Awesome experiment ❤️. But i dont understand why there were steps in tank 1's graph.

I'd love to see some good information on efficiency of CO2 injection. I know direct contact of of CO2 bubbles to the plant is an important factor, but is there really a significant difference between a CO2 reactor and using the current diffusion method. Cory is pretty disdainful about different types of diffusion methods, essentially saying that they're all the same. I'd love to be able to see support or not for that

Can you do an experiment with the Walstad method?

we need more experiment videos... please

Less bonsai trees, more lab coat experiments! Great video.

Nice, the lab coats back!

Please try an experiment on passive co2 diffusion

I’m totally supporting this kind of videos

The throwback lab coat!

I have a quick question, you only did 1 water change thru the whole experiment so i am wondering if the no co2 tank if u did more water changes would it still spike like that? Ive been wanting to do a planted tank and i have a 10 gallon right now so ive been doing alot of research & regards of doing no co2 in my tank

to me it looks like tank 2 has a lot more water surface agitation than tank 1 throughout most of the video, perhaps from the outflow placement. could that better gas exchange be driving part of the difference? I am new to co2

The reason you have trouble detecting phosphate in the water column is because these active clay substrates are very good at adsorbing phosphates, effectively they act as a phosphate scrubber. Therefore you need to dose large quantities (>5 ppm etc) at a time to detect anything in the water. After a few months of (high) dosing, the substrate will saturate and you will start detecting phosphate in the water column. In my experience this kind of scrubbing effect of the substrate can aid the growth of GSA as you are experiencing in these tanks.

Does full spectrum lighting make a massive impact?

First vid here. subbing for interesting content

What would happen if I put Co2 in my tank to make my plants a rich red, then take the Co2 out, would the plants still have the keep the rich red?

Would the fact that the plants were initially growing with co2 and then had the co2 removed have an affect on the experiment? And what substrate did you use? Is that stratum? Is there potting soil underneath it? If there isn’t potting soil, do you think that would make a difference?

Whats the name of the plants you used in both tanks? I really would like to use some of those in my aquarium 😎

Hi Mike, Can you do a side by side test of CO2 and Liquid CO2? If anyone is going to do this right, its you! Thanks!

I would like to see a video about co2 vs co2 booster vs seachem flourish (and other products of the like) i want to see if co2 booster is a nice alternative. Not necessarily as good. An experiment would be cool.

Science!

If you had started from cuttings in both tanks? It would have been even more lopsided..with probably some stem cuttings melting..while Co2 all root and grow. I gave up on expecting great growth out of the many plants that Co2 specialists enjoy as they instead, just sit in low tech tanks..then rot. I now stick to Anubias,Java fern and moss,Crypts,Swords,Val, and lucky with Bolbitis..but its very touchy in non CO2 Tanks. Mine took 8 months before it began to grow normal. Plus..all mentioned I know have not grown as large as they would on Co2..but look passable. At least,I'm spared pruning every week. YET,i wish I could..😉

Yes it is worth it. The initial cost is quite big but after that its the cheapiest "fertilizer" you can get. No idea whats the cost in other countries but in Poland I fill my tank once per about 7weeks for like 3bucks so go figure...meanwhile I pay 100bucks for 5liters of tropica specialiased although its still a good deal since 5liters lasts for about a year in my case.

Do u have an episode on planting monte carlo

Of course you need iron for all plant growth, but the main determining factor to bring out redness is = appropriate iron concentration + low nitrogen concentration. Considering your results this is exactly on par with expectations if that substrate is still a source of iron

can i get a list of plants in these tanks? i dont see the blog post mentioned

Any places that sell plants that you know of that can be shipped without dieing in cold weather??

Do you still put use plant fertiliser with co2 diffuser

I can clearly say that CO2 is very important. I have had a CO2 system in my aquarium in the living room for a few years now. The plants grow very well and there is almost no algae. In January, I set up a new tank for a betta and I wanted to go without CO2 here. Unfortunately, the plants are growing really poorly and I also have green algae, probably still from the settling-in phase. The Limnophila sessiliflora is growing a little, but unfortunately green algae forms relatively quickly on it. There is only a little algae on the Hygrophila polysperma, but it has hardly changed since the aquarium was started. I haven't had to cut it once yet. If I didn't cut this plant in my tank with CO2 for 8 weeks, it would probably have gone completely out of control by now and the fish would no longer be able to move around. 😂 The other nutrients are sufficiently available in the new tank. Although the light is not that strong (Chihiros B 45), it should be enough for moderate growth. So it must be caused by the lack of CO2. I was already aware beforehand that it would make a clear difference, but I hadn't expected that even such simple plants, which are even labeled as being able to grow without CO2, would grow so poorly. Normally, green algae should disappear by itself at some point after the running-in phase. But I'm not sure whether they will actually go away at some point with such slow plant growth. 🤔

Notification squad because all his vids are bangers

I can never detect any phosphate in my aquarium water column either, so I did some research. I think the lack of phosphate can be explained by the Anion Exchange Capacity (AEC) of the volcanic soil substrate. We often think about the Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) of the soil in terms of fertility, where a negative charge leads to the adsorption of positively charged ions, such as Mg, Ca or K. However, in volcanic soil, Fe and Al hydroxides/oxides form at the surface of clay minerals, which are positively charged and specifically adsorb negatively charged anions, such as phosphate, sulfate or nitrate. There is a much stronger affinity for phosphate than nitrate, which would explain why we detect nitrate in the water column, but no phosphate.

I really want to do a planted tank but I don't really know where to start or how to start . I have 2 tanks but neither is planted and 1 is just a smaller quarantine tank if I ever get new fish.

Any advice on how to allow or influence your neon tetras to swim in the mid range section of your tank? Mine are extremely scared of bright light. It looks like yours has the same brightness as mines and they continue to hide at the bottom when lights are on.

What is the light used? perhaps I missed it....