5 Things I Wish I Knew About Substrates for Planted Aquariums @GirlTalksFish

Uploaded February 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

I mostly work with inert (nutrient-free) planted tank substrates, so here's what I've learned so far.
🐟 SUBSCRIBE so you won’t miss my latest video: youtube.com/channel/UCNoNEF64ijgxK6OSTwdHOFA?sub_confirmation=1
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🛒 MATERIALS I USED
▶ Easy Root Tabs: aquariumcoop.com/products/easy-root-tabs
▶ Coarse black sand: petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/imagitarium-black-aquarium-sand
▶ CaribSea Eco-Complete: amzn.to/3adYtSb
▶ Seachem Flourite black sand: amzn.to/3aggaAD
▶ Aquarium plants: aquariumcoop.com/collections/live-plants
▶ Plant weights: aquariumcoop.com/products/plant-weights
▶ Straight tweezers: amzn.to/3tWQW1Z
▶ Angled tweezers: aquariumcoop.com/products/planting-tweezers
(As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from the links above. Also, I work for Aquarium Co-Op but do not receive commissions from their links.)

📚 RESOURCES
▶ How to Plant Live Aquarium Plants: aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/how-to-plant
▶ How to Set Up a Planted Tank with Sand: youtu.be/qHv4urCPtxc

🦐 EXTRAS
▶ Instagram: instagram.com/girltalksfish
▶ Merch store: teespring.com/stores/girltalksfish

ATTRIBUTION
Music from Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com/referral/2earpi (if you use my referral link, I get 1 month free 😀)
Osmocote root tabs from ebayshopkorea.com/itm/100-Osmocote-Plus-Root-Tabs-Size-00-15-9-12-Aq/291426684609
Monte carlo attached to stone by MD Fish Tanks from youtu.be/leYo0CPNe-g
Monte carlo and kuhli loaches by Aquarium Co-Op from aquariumcoop.com/products/monte-carlo

#girltalksfish #nanofish #plantedaquarium

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$I Kept Pet Mudskippers for 1 Year… Was it worth it? Ever since I saw Zenzo from @tazawatanks talk about his Indian dwarf mudskippers (Periophthalmus novemradiatus), I’ve been absolutely obsessed. I LOVE oddball fish because they’re so weird and unique, but they often come with specialized care requirements and I’m still in my “lazy fishkeeper” phase right now. So, after 1+ years of keeping them, I’m going to lay it all out there — how difficult is it really to keep a brackish tank, are they super easy or really high maintenance, and am I still going to keep them? 🐟 MATERIALS I USED (As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from the links below.) ▶ 20-gallon long aquarium: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aqueon-standard-glass-aquarium-tank-20-gallon ▶ Aquarium lid: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aqueon-versa-top-hinged-glass-aquarium-top-30-l ▶ Aragonite sand: https://amzn.to/4eHkSX0 ▶ Marine salt: https://amzn.to/3BIMzjC ▶ Refractometer: https://amzn.to/3zMt0q9 ▶ Refractometer calibration fluid: https://amzn.to/4043oQ7 ▶ Easy Flow Sponge Filter: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/aquarium-co-op-coarse-sponge-filter ▶ Airline tubing: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/aquarium-co-op-black-airline-tubing ▶ Air pump: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/aquarium-co-op-air-pump ▶ Heater: https://amzn.to/3NmNKIb ▶ Turtle platform: https://amzn.to/3NmNKIb ▶ Black slate rock: https://aquarockscolorado.com/ 🌿 RESOURCES ▶ How to Set Up (and Maintain) a Brackish Aquarium: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/brackish-aquarium 🦐 EXTRAS ▶ Members Only content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNoNEF64ijgxK6OSTwdHOFA/join ▶ Instagram: https://instagram.com/girltalksfish ▶ Merch store: https://girltalksfish.creator-spring.com EDITOR: Angela Guererro at https://www.angelaguererro.com/ ATTRIBUTION Music from Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/2earpi/ (if you use my referral link, I get 1 month free 😀) Mudskipper fish.JPG by Beatriz Posada Alonso at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mudskipper_fish.JPG Common Mudskipper (Periophthalmus kalolo) by JarJar at https://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/common-mudskipper/3296#leaf Schlammspringer by Gertrud K. at https://www.flickr.com/photos/gertrudk/3023791171/ Mudskipper at https://publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=16638&large=1 Which MUDSKIPPERS Should I CHOOSE? by Tazawa Tanks at https://youtu.be/x_xcfyQjawc #girltalksfish #mudskippers #aquariumfish 0:00 1 year update on my Indian dwarf mudskippers 0:37 Problem #1: Availability 1:36 Problem #2: Territorial (tank setup tips) 6:12 Feeding behaviors of mudskippers 7:36 What to feed dwarf mudskippers 9:50 Problem #3: Brackish water with no plants 12:52 Are mudskippers worth it?$

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