RETHINK EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT AQUARIUMS CYCLES, FILTERS, Water Changes & Fishkeeping

[@seanmehonoshen9440]

You are mistaken about plants not using ammonium. Experiment have shown that plant species native to acid waters can get up to 85 percent of their nitrogen from ammonium in the water through their leaves, as opposed to hard water plants that get 75 - 85 percent from nitrates. Which makes logical sense if you think about it.

[@Fishtory]

Okay true but plants have to be exposednto 1 part per million or less to avoid toxicity in their xylem and face osmotic collapse. They have to metabolize or bond free ammonium to a glutimate immediately to metabolize the nitrogen off it in the form of nitrates, if we are being technical. It's playing with fire unless in very low concentrations... that it unless theres been new work published on blackwater plants, i haven't read... if so, please refer me and ill definitely pin a comment. I do appreciate your accuracy and accertion here.

[@seanmehonoshen9440]

@@Fishtory ah, not quite? Ammonia (NH3) is indeed bonded to glutamate, forming glutamine, which requires ATP and is therefore rate limited by the available energy (and phosphorus I guess). Nitrates can be reduced through additional pathways to ammonia and then to glutamine, if that’s what you meant? No, I haven’t seen anything that suggests blackwater plants can absorb more nitrogen total, just that they are able to preferentially take up ammonium (NH4) over nitrate (NO3). I am not aware of what level of free ammonia is toxic to plants, but I would assume that, like animals, in an acidic environment they would be better able to tolerate higher total ammonia, and 1ppm seems low. But I have nothing to back that up with.

[@Fishtory]

@@seanmehonoshen9440 well lets pin this comment then, i appreciate your input

[@jgefaell]

I caught this right away. Also the notion that nitrates convert to ammonia. My understanding is that they convert to nitrites.

[@tauncfester3022]

So, years ago, I was inspired by the Booths articles in Aquarium Fish Magazine, their High-tech planted aquarium series from '92 to '95. It's largely based on the Dupla cabled heated substrates with most of the present day attention to properly balanced macro and micro plant ferts.they also started injecting CO2 and changed their water a little less water. I was younger and not so well off so I emulated their tanks on a smaller scale and this was long before LED lighting. Fluorescent and Mercury Vapor phosphorescent HP 175 watt bulbs Was growing a Lot of plants. More than the LFS could take in trade.

[@seannunes2041]

As a child growing up in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad, I have kept fish caught from the local canal or stream in any available container that would hold water outside under the carport. Used aquatic plants pulled from the stream, no actual real filters. Either the rain will change the water for me, or I will change the water with stale water that was kept in barrels. So, just from this, I know there are many ways to keep fish, and hence, I enjoy you, LRB, and Father Fish because you all get it and provide these perspectives to others.

[@Fishtory]

Thank you for sharing and joining us!

[@bradsuarez2683]

My problem with father fish is that he makes it seem as though there is only one RIGHT way to keep fish. However many people keep perfectly healthy discus and African chiclids with minimal plants/substrate. That being said Rowley is the worst Prime Minister of all time!!

[@Fishtory]

@Brad Suarez i think he will conceed that filtration is fine... but i agree that his presentation is very biased to the point of sometimes making it seem like high tech or standard aquariums are a scam ...which theyre not...but there are products and people associated with them that are. I get along with ff and we are friends, however politics and sensitive issues mean he and i are basically opposites lol

[@awollsd]

@@Fishtory yeah i was going to mention this as well, in his vids he says sensational things often "NEVER change your water" "NEVER remove anything from your tank" things like that... but if you read his replies he's more about "it depends on the tank" kind of sucks, the vids are sensationalize to get the clicks for youtube and most ppl don't bother reading comments so don't see the more reasonable responses but if you do read the comments or have the sense to remove the sensationalization from the info in the vids they are pretty good for info on that type of stuff.

[@James_Hande]

@@awollsd Don't forget that he also preaches not to feed your fish even though he fed the fish in his store. 🤔

[@AndrewFishman]

The one thing I know I know is that more I know the more there is to know. 40 years and counting of fish keeping has taught me that as soon as you know it all, you find out you don't know enough.

[@Fishtory]

Agreed. So true with so many aspects of life!

[@FishForThought]

yo i'm just happy to be in the thumbnail LOL I've been leaning more and more towards this way of the fishkeeping hobby as I grow older. Most of my advice is geared towards beginners and new hobbyists, so that's why I tend to keep it more 'standard' and 'easy' (cycle, filter, water change, etc), but over time I want to shift slowly towards pushing this type of attitude towards my new hobbyist viewers. I've already made several videos about my own no water change tanks and filterless tanks, but it's hard when the tanks I roast on Fish Tank Review don't even have live plants. If those tanks have no functioning ecosystem, best we can do is some scheduled water changes for now. Unfortunately many people who have 5 goldfish and 3 angelfish in a 10 gal with pink gravel aren't really interested in creating a planted tank.

[@Fishtory]

You know i love your content, and just had to "poke the bear" and include my thumbnail. The audience we each have overlaps a little, but probably not a huge amount. You are really good at quick...funny, well edited, multimedia type stuff that anyone can access and probably skew towards beginners as you said. Where as I have some pretty opinionated and obsessed biologists and ichthyologists who are always waiting for the "yeah, but...in this one case that happens every 10th leap year, that's not always true!". I love my subs and community, and they push me to cite sources and i try to keep half of my content acedemic or like a lecture from school basically, so the channel has grown slowly, but with some pretty amazingly hardcore fish and plant keepers, which im flattered by. But i realized... "filterless" is sort of a dumb concept unless you are in a constantly renewing system of overflows and have no cycle. Electric filtration is what we really mean. And i want to coin a term for that like "static filtration", or "no tech filtration"... but its really tricky to fit terms into small amounts of characters. By the way.... id absolutely love to collaborate or have you on the channel some time if you have time and or an interest! [e-mail] Cheers my friend, thanks for coming by.

[@wheelbite9]

The Secret Fish Living In Your Thought

[@laurabustos6560]

Chris!!! 😉👏👏👏✌️

[@claudeclawsonne4510]

The Pink Gravel Set are basically lazy most of them, so I sell it as the easiest way to keep fish. Nobody likes water changes so i point out you don't really have to do water changes with planted tanks, just pinch back a few stems and top the tank up and then you can go back to your video games or Hollywood gossip or whatever.

[@stephm482]

I love both your channels, have learned so much in my first year of fish keeping 🥹 as Chris would say, “keep up the good work“ educating us 🎉

[@andicarson1339]

Yes! Yes! Yes! I have tried saying this for years! What I come across is our society has been "trained" to do as your told and suppressed the valuable skill of thinking things through. Too much of what is in the hobby is because companies wanted to make a profit. Sorry, I could get lost on a rant about the topic way too easily! I am a believer in: Try it and see, then learn from it to move forward. Bad things that happen are tools of knowledge. They help people to understand why somethings aren't done a certain way. Anyway, Thank-you!

[@Fishtory]

Well put. Thanks 😊

[@royoakes1250]

The most unbiased description of filtration three aquarium thank you for this brief summary

[@Fishtory]

Sure thing...a brief half and hour hehe

[@jasonstouder]

you are important to this thing. you remind us to take all our knowledge, take a step to the side, and see if it all still applies. I've been at aquarium building for about 4 months. i learned to look at the aquarium as a whole instead of a comfortable place for fish. i have 3 healthy 10 gallons that have algae on the walls, plants with a few dying leaves, and happy fish , snails and shrimp.

[@Fishtory]

Right on! Thank you for the kind comment as well. Best of luck

[@reneeturcottecicigoi9435]

This is by far the best video I have ever watched on fish keeping. I consider myself to be a lazy fish keeper, meaning I hate doing water changes, so I’m going to have to be doing some research now into setting my tanks up like yours. Much thanks for this information 😊

[@AndrewFishman]

Neglect is actually code among fishkeepers for carefully setup and controlled deterioration of water conditions to achieve a balance. It does not mean no work.

[@James_Hande]

Thanks for sharing and bringing light to the fact there's more going on in our aquariums than people think Alex. Here's a recent situation I've had, possibly one for the books. Setting the stage: My tap water parameters; TDS = 106, GH = 0, KH = 0, pH = 6.8. I'm only utilizing four 10G, four 20G and one 75G tanks (half of my rack system) housing my juvenile angel fish. Each 10G houses around 20 1" - 1 1/2", each 20G houses 1 1/2" - 2", 75G has about 20 3" size fish. All of the tanks are bare, they only have suction cup double sponge filters, a heater and homemade glass lids. Situation/problem: About six months ago the filters stopped bubbling. I removed all the sponge filters cleaning them in tap water. I took apart the Jehmco linear piston pump and cleaned it. Still no air so I removed and cleaned all the stainless steel valves which were plugged up solid. Then my health took a turn for the worst and I never set everything back up. Since then all 5 pieces of the glass grew brown and green algae. The water evaporated to half the tanks. The pH dropped from 6.8 to 6.6 how can that be with zero KH? The ammonia spiked higher than the test kit can test for. No ill effects with the fish, no gill or fin burn. My wife has been feeding them every day. Oop's no ill effects... I lied, sorry, their growth slowed way down compared to when I did 50% water changes every couple of days. What most so called experts say: You must cycle your tank before adding fish. I never cycled a tank since the early sixties "before" adding fish. You need plenty of filtration and NEVER rinse the media in chlorinated tap water. Humm... I only use(d) filters to "polish" the water and "always" rinsed in tap water. You need KH to stabilize the pH. Really, I have a stable pH with zero KH. Ammonia kills fish. Yes but it depends on you pH. With a pH 6.8 or lower ammonia becomes ammonium which is way less toxic. You need gravel, sand or a filter to handle the beneficial bacteria to keep the tank cycled. Since the early sixties I've had hundreds of bare breeding/grow out tanks. You can't grow plants in gravel. Been there done that just fine. You can't grow plants in sand. Been there done that just fine. You need "aqua soil" to grow plants. Why? I never needed to. The nutrients deplete in roughly a year and then you need to add root tabs if your bio load didn't re-fertilize the substrate. You can't grow plants with an UGF. Been there done that just fine. UGF's are nasty dirty. Not if you know how to do tank maintenance. The best filter I ran for decades. The recent debate of to do water changes vs no water changes really gets me. Sorry but I think it's really about people wanting to be lazy. How can we learn to not clean the kitty litter box? I can install a doggie door so I don't have to take the dog out to go potty. Yeah but what about the yard full of poop? There's more to keeping the nitrates low. What about fish released hormones? What about fungus and bad bacteria building up? How many natural bodies of water never get some kind of water change? How many natural bodies of water have a high stocking level as we keep in our glass boxes? Just a few things to think about!

[@Fishtory]

100%.... and thats the note i started on by saying... we will never truly recreate an ecosystem in a tiny box...we can approximate it and try and mitigate the issues that arrise in the process. But fish hormones is a great example of something i use to trigger spawning in secondary tanks oncr corys or angels spawn in my main tank.... take 5 gallons of their water and often times tank #2 will have fish spawning suddenyl

[@louroboros]

Hobbies tend to be crowded with strongly-held opinions and sparse on actual experience and concrete knowledge. The folks with more experience may have their way of doing things but understand that there are many ways to be successful in the hobby. I live in SF and my visit to Ocean Aquarium (actually all freshwater tanks) opened my eyes to the world of anoxic/anaerobic filtration as every tank in the shop is zero water change. Corey (huge on water changes!) has featured the shop at least a couple times on his channel and he often says it’s his favorite shop in the US. Really goes to show the pros know there are many ways to do things and they respect folks that take a different approach. It’s really all about your priorities and budget, and to a degree even your taste.

[@Fishtory]

100%

[@SifiFan]

I'm new. 8 months in the Hobbie with neocaridina shrimp and a few fish. Having great success with exploding populations. Actually a little worried about so many shrimp. Have a variety of tanks. Have a bucket outside catching rain water, growing algae and little bugs. Have seeded all my tanks with water from the bucket. Lots of little critters flicking around.

[@Fishtory]

Awesome! Congrats 👏 shrimp produce miniscule bioloads, so they may over populate socially but probably wont cause an issue with water...youll notice cannibalism if it gets too over populated.

[@markfigueroa2549]

Thanks for another great video. I think it's important to remind people that there is more than one way to keep aquariums and it can be fun to explore them. I have a handful of tanks of different sizes and filtration strategies and they all work well as evidenced by healthy, long-lived fish. I really only keep fish that originate in soft, black water (for the most part) environs. Because of this, I remineralize R/O water to add Gh, but do not add Kh. People always caution that I run the risk of having a ph crash with virtually no carbonate hardness, but nothing like that has happened in the 7 years I've been keeping my tanks this way. I'd love to get your take on the subject. Maybe a future video on whether ph crash is a myth.

[@Fishtory]

Oh its not a myth... ive had swings down to 3 or 4...but the minerality of any aquasoil or even mulm will protect you from it usually... short of putting fresh 0 tds water in a sterile tank or very new tank- it doesnt occur very frequently from the emails and trouble shooting queries i get by the dozens daily for 5 years now. So youre probably safe

[@vikkirountoit497]

I had one pH crash in my 75g many years ago which I am lucky to have caught testing the tank the day before leaving for 2 week vaca, Was the lightest planted tank at that time of my 7 tanks. Now I always plant heavy and add crushed coral. My water is on the softer side.

[@Russells-Watertower-Aquatics]

Very well said! I’m totally with you in the fact that I need to experiment and see what works for me. Everything about me and my situation may be different. I appreciate you working too help everyone understand that instead of drawing hard lines, even worse running with things without taking any responsibility for the education, development or the outcome. With experience trial and error I can make just about anything work in my tank but that’s not always the best thing for me in my situation. There are a lot of good people openly sharing what they have learned by experimenting, through hard work and a lot of time. Even when I don’t agree with their methods, there is almost always some thing I can learn from what they’re doing. One of the best ways to learn and grow is to respect learn from and be thankful for those that do things different.

[@Fishtory]

Wondful way of summarizing how i also feel! Thank you

[@Sinserg]

This is great advice! I am also interested in trying stuff by myself, I went the slow moving plenum way a year ago and I am completely pleased with it, I was worried about my plants but honestly they don't seem to care, I want to try one of those filterless aquariums one day!

[@Fishtory]

Right on. I did the UGF and plenum a few years ago, and compared it to the same size tank wnd set up load, and it i couldnt honestly tell much of a difference. So i sort of wonder how much the plenum doing beyond the tank just filterlessly having a biological filter on surfaces

[@Sinserg]

@@Fishtory What makes me like my plenums the most, is the absence of cyanobacteria, I actually transfer some from my previous setup into my plenum tank and it died and it hasn't come back.

[@DonnyBenfield]

Thank you for this video Alex. I loved it. So many need to listen to this.

[@Fishtory]

Thank you very much and you are so welcome! 😊

[@cristiansofake7854]

This is so good i need to rewatch

[@Fishtory]

Why, thank you very kindly. Im humbled by your comments

[@MEros-kf9fh]

Truly one of the coolest videos I've ever seen, I really like your open mind, your way of seeing the hobby. I immediately subscribe to your channel, thanks for sharing your great experience and knowledge. Many compliments and a cordial greeting from an old Italian aquarist.

[@Fishtory]

Whoa. Thank you so very much. Im honored and humbled by your words. Have a great weekend

[@gwdavidson065]

I agree with you I haven't cycled an aquarium in 30 + years

[@justanopinionsincerelynoof3860]

I feel the water in fish tanks should have surface movement, however little - in my case I have found that no surface movement produces mosquitoes and where I live there are no mosquitoes on general.

[@Fishtory]

I do think that is preferable also. Ill turn on the ceiling fan, even

[@JTCT371]

I always would set up tanks and add fish the same day, and test daily for the nitrogen process. It always worked and I never suffered losses. Now I have my first planted tank. PH is acidic, and fluctuates due to frequent partial changes to dilute. I have noticed in those fluctuations that Ammonia does not register under 6.5. My plants are doing well...(marked growth daily, no CO2) and I've realized that they themselves are natural filters. Thankyou Alexander, I appreciate your knowledge and ability to keep things simple in your explanations. Im happy I can listen and follow all the points you're making. Have a great day.

[@Fishtory]

My pleasure! Enjoy

[@JTCT371]

@@Fishtory you do the same. Be safe in all you do.

[@angiebear8727]

Half the fun in fish keeping for me is learning about and trying different ways to keep them.

[@MadlesMakesVideos]

These videos are always so informative and helpful👍

[@Fishtory]

So glad you think so. Cheers

[@discordiacreates6669]

Nice video and yeah, also depends on the fish ya wanna keep, like i have exactly one tank running on a sump and it's for river fish, except one issue with river fish is the power isn't always reliable, transformer occasionally blows, and I lost almost all of my minnows after a couple hours without power. Every other tank though has been going fine so I've decided to bring in the big guns and invest in amazon swords even though they get too big for literally any other tank I own (yes, imo even my 29gal tanks are too big for most sword species) because they are fine with the filtration, though require more oxygen levels. No tank is truly filterless though if it's been up for longer then a week and I have been transitioning to sponge filters from hobs, but mostly because I just like sponge filters, though I'm still working on a mechanical filter free fry and possibly shrimp tank, just gotta get all that good green surface area and convince my snails not to eat it all right away lol. "Pest" snails are the best free clean up crew 💙 Keep taking care Alex, and keep challenging the norms and questioning the whys of this hobby, I love your more scientific and ecological approach to fishkeeping

[@Fishtory]

Thank you for sharing and sharing a likeminded approach! We will not dilute the truth fot convience any longer! Haha

[@discordiacreates6669]

@@Fishtory yes of course, the truth must be spread! That and planted tanks that are heavily biofiltered just look way better and what fishkeeper doesn't want a gorgeous tank worthy of showing off? Promoting healthy and happy ecosystems within tanks also promotes better looking tanks and I'm all for that, and the science as well of course, biology was the best class in school imo and I consider this channel an elective class lmao so thanks for always helping me further my knowledge of the natural world

[@easternlethal]

Your deep substrate tanks look nicer that dr novak or father fish’s!

[@Fishtory]

Aww shucks thanks... ☺️

[@hardybryan]

I've been running anoxic for about a year and a half after using 'traditional' filtration for 30+ years. On my largest tanks, I combine it with pothos and peace lilies or 'bog filtration' by planting the BCBs in the sumps and growing a bunch of plants out of the tanks and overflows. I am immensely impressed and will not set up another tank without a plenum.

[@Fishtory]

Right on. I bet if you turned the bcb stuff off, itd still be balanced too...so redundancy in filtration is still there and interesting to me... now we gotta work on acesssing the sequestered ammonia ions and using them again... maybe its as simple as burrying the bcbs, i dunno

[@321tms2]

this was sooooo perfect

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. Im glad it sat well with you also!

[@dawnt6791]

Alex, thanks for consistently sharing the science and how nature works, instead of going with the crowd and giving only oversimplified "rules" (which actually contradict each other and only cause confusion).

[@Fishtory]

You are so welcome 🙏

[@thewrxshop8213]

A good way of saying "you people need to learn!!!!!"

[@timothygarrow]

I saw a video that said filterless tanks were possible and I immediately killed a fish my buddy that I had for a year. Then I felt he couldn’t die in vain the research went on day and night. All nighters. I bought some plants that had molluskicide a bunch of shrimp and the shrimp died. I bought different substrates and plants the plants died I bought fertilizer. Eventually I got to the end of the line I did daily water changes and I kept my fish alive. I have a question for you sir. Because I appreciate your frankness. I love the way you present this material and the obvious effort you put in. Here’s my question: can I remove ammonia from the water? Like if I do a water change can I clean the dirty water so I can recycle it back into the tank? I found out I have too many fish in my tank.

[@Fishtory]

So, there are processes that will remove ammonia. However the presence of ammonia, means one of several things: you do not have enough surface area within and on your filter media...either it hasnt caught up, due to time- or it cant keep up even though its trying to. Or you may have a source of ammonia spiking suddenly...like a dead fish or substrate with too much fertalizer. But to get rid of ammonia you can use seachem prime or safe product lines... Dechlorinators- or let bacteria turn it into nitrites then nitrates... short of that youd need a very pricey distillation or RODI filter to remove it...but youll waste at least half your water in that filtering process.

[@DidisFINDen]

Excellent teaching alex

[@Fishtory]

Thanks Didi i appreciate it

[@anthonyhendricks7377]

Great video!!! I never really thought about it being different kinda of filtration based on objects. Now I'm wondering about over filtration? I have 1 inch of enriched soil, 2 to 3 inches of sand as my substrate. Decaying whatever from my local creeks. Plants both tropical, and from local water sources. Floating plants like duck weed, water crest, water lettuce. Lastly a on top 3 layer sump . Over filtration ( if it's possible)? 🤔

[@Fishtory]

I wouldn't worry about that. It's just extra safety in the long run, in case 2 or 3 fish were to die and spike ammonia suddenly. That being said, If you just want a challenge or to test your skills as a fish keeper, then you may want to play with "filterless" tanks. But research it thoroughly first

[@Magic-komplexDe]

Thank you so much for all the knowledge you are imparting here, I already learned so much from watching your videos and I wish, there were more channels like yours! I have four tanks at the moment and they all run without electrical filtration, they are all doing great. just one tank has a problem, since I turned the electrical filtration off, the water is quite murky for a few weeks now. The water parameters are stable and the fish are doing fine, it just looks awful. One of my other tanks also had this problem in the beginning, but the water became clear after a few weeks. Do you maybe have any idea, what might cause this and how to fix it faster?

[@johnnybest6386]

I agree with yah....

[@Fishtory]

Hmmm id need to know the hardness tds, kh and gh plus substrate and fish/plant load... but its either particulate mater from substrate or decore.... or it's a single cell bacteria/organism blooming or dying and clouding things...usually just leaving it alone for a month is the best move Honestly. Good luck

[@Magic-komplexDe]

@@Fishtory Thank you for your reply! :) Well, the ph is about 7, kh is 4 and gh is 6. There are 11 boraras brigitae, 8 corydoras habrosus and 6 corydoras pygmaeus living in there, together with loads of neocaridina shrimp and snails. Substrate is pure sand, but the layer is only about 3 cm thick, maybe this is not enough? I have a thicker substrate in my other tanks and also some dirt beneath the sand (as you mentioned from the walstad-method).

[@Fishtory]

@MagicKomplex could be calcite and bacteria that metabolize your gh or even silicates if you used sand thats not 100% quartz ... and those cellular skeletons are little diatoms that make the water cloudy for a few weeks

[@Magic-komplexDe]

@@Fishtory Thank you, that's a possibility I never thought of. I honestly don't know if the sand is pure quartz. Could it help if I try to get the ph down or should I just wait?

[@kurtbrutting5118]

Once again you nailed it!

[@Fishtory]

Thank you

[@LushSaltyAquariums]

For me, I tend to start one way and evolve methods as my tanks evolve.

[@Fishtory]

Me too!

[@JasminQuinto-t3e]

You’re very knowledgeable and I enjoy watching your videos. Do you have any books you could recommend on aquarium ecology or low tech set ups? I’ve read the Walstad book but I would also like to look into other methods or styles and incorporate what I know into my next project

[@Fishtory]

Sadly it is very sparse topic for published books. There's quite a bit of science articles and studies on things, but rarely whole books I fear. Hopefully Tom Barr will write his text book on aquatic ecology/ botany soon...I can't wait for it lol. Beyond that, Diana probably is the best scientifically peer reviewed source

[@itsallwet]

I'm totally in sync with you on this topic. But the most important thing is - like you said - that there are several ways to do it right, depending on a lot of variables. And the same is valid for doing it wrong. Thanks, Alex!

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for stopping by. Cheers

[@fishrob]

Great video as usual Alex, I agree with literally all you've had to say and your perspective on it is very worthwhile. I kept bettas in vase's in highschool (graduated 2014) and slowly but surely got more interested in the fish's happiness as i've grown older, getting a 4 gallon tank with tiny hob filter for him. Around summer 2021, I was at petsmart and saw a tub of "buce sp." near the bettas, and decided to finally take the plunge and I glued it to his fake log decoration/cave in his tank. I haven't looked back since, and I noticed an immediate change in not only my water quality, but the fish who would rest on its leaves now having a comfy place to do so. Ever since that day, I've been fascinated with planted aquariums, and keeping fish in actual tanks that they are actually happy in. This hobby is truly amazing. I now have in addition to my betta with a ton of plants, a 10g endler colony (sponge filters deep sand), a 15g fluval flex with RCS and Bororas, and now my first actual "community tank/breeding display"... a 40breeder nano/dwarf fish aquarium with deep terrain, lots of rocks, wood, between the two being many caves with a pair of apistos as the centerpiece fish with 12 red pencils and a pair of true SAE juveniles. WITH 3 new 10g's (spongefilter barebottoms) inside the tank stands bottom shelf for fry and learning to breed egg scattering fish, but I'm getting sidetracked... The other channels, while very useful to me as I am a daily consumer of their content, doesn't necessarily resonate with me the way your channel does. I remember first seeing your channel when trying to find a video about all the little micro-life crawling around in the substrate, little worms, etc. Nobody had quite the same explanations with actual examples of whats going on in their own tanks like you have. It kinda felt like everything on the other channels was just super basic blog info where YOUR content was nitty-gritty.... like "with a microscope" nitty-gritty. That's honestly what I particularity needed and I don't know where my hobby would be without your content. The truth is, I helped you acquire the @fishtory tag not only because your channel deserves it, but because I wanted to put time into my area of expertise (IT) to help you kind of in the same way your content has helped me. I'm eternally grateful for the unique way you can present nature/scientific perspectives and information in simple ways. I'm sure my fish would be too if they were to be capable of understanding the internet, lmao. This video was great, and I really think you did clear the air about what has been being tossed around youtube in recent weeks. I think the point of the larger channels is valid aswell, but more for people who aren't completely enthralled in the tanks the way some of us are. Not doing water changes also requires patience with the ecosystem you have built, which most people are losing as the years go by it seems. Most people want a bottle of stuff to fix their tank or medications when it isn't called for/improperly diagnosed. I've been following the philosophy "be the fish" that I heard a breeder in some video saying while he was being interviewed, maybe even from your channel cant remember.... and that has not steered me wrong in any way shape or form. If you make the fish happy, they will breed and act natural... Ultimately displaying their true "wild" behavior and instincts, which is the closest thing they can have to "purpose". Like a dog playing fetch, or a cat protecting your home from mice. That's the end of my drawn out fish keeping story, lol. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁... 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲. 𝗜'𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲, 𝗲𝘁𝗰. 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁. Please keep changing the hobby for the better with your content as you have done for me. This is truly a magical little community you have built of like-minded individuals.

[@Fishtory]

Well first off, thank you so very much- yet again! Your help was and is very appreciated. Also your support is humbling and i am so grateful and honored to have the support of an intelligent and kind fishkeeper like yourself. I think you are 100% correct about the cycles video...ill work on planning that out and hopefully get something going soon. Thank you for everything my man! Have an amazing upcoming weekend Rob.

[@PepeCoinMania]

thats true if you keep water changes the aquarium should be good

[@Fishtory]

True

[@dianewarde6074]

interesting!

[@Fishtory]

Glad you think so!

[@Philip_smith88]

Great video brother.

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. Glad you found it worth while

[@DIY-ForEverything]

For someone outside of the hobby any phrase like "filter, aeration, cycle etc" are associated with man made interventions. So its appealing to the "younger" in experience hobbyists. So by explaining the natural ways to filter and aerate etc a tank in those videos adds clarity and opens the minds of those people

[@Fishtory]

Great point

[@kinglyzard]

How do I build a food web in an old school aquarium with plain Chattahoochie gravel as a substrate?

[@Fishtory]

Well i would suggest looking into scuds and seed shrimp as your base level creatures, then perhaps some snails and using wild or culled grade shrimp/ grass shrimp is another great food source... then on top of that when in doubt, get some fish that have lots of babies if you need to feed bigger fish... ie guppies or gouramis (they have like 200 tiny babies and its a snack for the whole tank every few weeks). So all that, along with some valisanaria or stargrass that will chain spread across the gravel...and just stop gravel vaccuuming if you do it. The plants will thank you.

[@mightymike9469]

I see you don’t have glass lids on your tanks. What is the overall impact of a lid vs no lid? I would love to know your scientific opinion on this as well as air stones. Lots of “opinions” out there on both.

[@casperjohansson7499]

Do you have any cool list of reading materials? Im a huge reading nerd but currently on soil microbial communities haven't got that deep into the aquatic yet

[@Fishtory]

Oh boy... yes. I hate to pull this, but the community tab... and if you scroll back a bit, theres research papers and bibliographies for "fishtory" audio episodes ...180 some, and i shared the info on that toppic in several ways. My subscribers of 1.99 get access to any research thats new that im citing in videos. And tangential info as well. But honestly I hate pulling that, and its a lot to look through, email me at the [e-mail] and i can send you some reading lists if you like, and more to the point... send you a link to my 12 favorite research platforms for academic and government archived data/research around the world.

[@iainaquariumagic]

Great video Alex. Very interesting and agreeable 👍🐠🐟💦

[@Fishtory]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Dan-TylerMusic]

I could walk from california to new york but i wont because theres an easier way, just like cycling tanks and using filters. Its all about fish care and easyness.

[@Fishtory]

I agree. Not to mention its not very easy stuff to wrap your head around until you understand the fundamentals, so it gets really convoluted for new folks if you start telling them that 30 different setups all work...but that you cant just swap elements from different methods whilly nilly.

[@flybobbie1449]

Not many natural lakes around here except one formed and been there apparently since last ice age in Britain. Be interested to know what's living in that lake.

[@Fishtory]

Definitely. I bet the local universities have some data on lake coring the lake in question....and that would fill you in on the climate and water temperature/ecosystem and diversity in the lake over time!

[@gradualpull2171]

It's all true. I've grown up in the hobby and I constantly tell my fellows that a clean tank is an unhealthy one. You need to let nature work its way through. That's why my fish have been alive for many years and theirs die off within a few months.

[@Fishtory]

Right on

[@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653]

I always say algae and snails are your friends in the aquarium.

[@Fishtory]

Indeed i agree... theyre your Linebackers

[@Firebird894]

I am always trying methods that reduce electricity usage and reduse water usage. So Ive been changing my fishroom over to lower tech set ups with only a couple of air pumps running air stones or filters some of my tanks have no nothing, deep dirted sand capped substrate more and more plants, different type of plants more rocks different botanicals, cheaper LED lighting plants that need less light more shrimp and snails that break down the waste till you barely see anything on the filters at all Ive taken a lot of sponges out because they were just not needed and replaced the space they took up with more plants, and feeding less and less and less water changes, lids to reduce the need for top offs, looking at an auto top off system for a row of big tubs that are hard to put lids on because I have plants growing up and out of them. seperating out cooler water fish and lowering the heat on those tanks. I worked out that the CPD's and emerald rasboras do not need a heater at all here they just stop breeding when it gets colder so I let them slow down and have time off. Fish that can cohab well and like warmer water are in tanks together and I set up shelves for shrimp and cold tolerant fish where I only need an LED light and no heaters or extra cords. Its taking me a while other fish that can overwinter outside are now in ponds in the yard to free up space inside and they get no filtration or air or anything from me. In summer I top the water off thats it. the rice fish are in a big old canoe in the front yard. I leave the guppies out until the water temps get too cool then bring them in so most of the year here in Australia I have them outside and use the tanks they were in to breed other fish. People can tell me Im doing it wrong but when they see the fish and how clean the water is etc they are asking me wow how do you keep those so healthy and tell me how they did all this stuff had amazing filters did water change all the time and all their fish died. I loose a few guppies now and then but I expect that when I have so many.

[@Fishtory]

Awesome tips and info. Thank you for sharing!

[@stennorlin8848]

cool! Heaters is a pain and regular LEDs works fine.Acording to Dr Novack you can skip the plants(and light)if slow moving plenums or BCBs.

[@Fishtory]

@sten norlin you can in larrrrge scales. The science is not proven in under 2,000 gallon systems with sand traps though...so its highly theoretical what Novak says... ps ask him where and what year he got his phd 😉 ...crickets

[@stennorlin8848]

@@Fishtory

[@stennorlin8848]

@@Fishtory a valid q if fake he deservs the snide comment if not..I have not tested his system without plants.

[@nunya___]

8:43 I noticed that this tank has that stagnated film on the surface...is that ok? I assumed that and protein layer and stagnation were bad. Is it?

[@Fishtory]

If you have snails and shrimp, they'll take care of it...its due to over feeding usually

[@vikkirountoit497]

Absolutely great video Alex! Question: Have you tested and/or talked about pH changes over the course of a day in a filterless tank chock full of plants? I faintly recall it, but not sure what video to look at. I notice my ph swings daily in one tank and goes up to 8 each day and back down to 6.5 and worry for my fish, but fish, copepods and seed shrimp are healthy and making babies.(Guppies in that tank, so I don't think much stops guppies from making babies). Really would like to understand the science of it and the safety of it though - why/how it happens and why it's not causing problems for my fish. Would a 1.5 ph swing be worse if it was not swinging around neutral but one side of the scale or other? Is it possible to have too many plants?

[@Fishtory]

Ahhh yes... very fascinating. Its likely due to the co2 vs o2 release by plants...and not having a hard water to buffer everything.

[@FatherFH]

I have 7 filter less tanks in my room as i watch this video. I didn't even think about it

[@Fishtory]

Very cool

[@johnnybest6386]

Thats why i think i love you

[@Fishtory]

Awww thanks

[@vampgaia]

My 2 cents … know your water!

[@Fishtory]

Very true!

[@Chompchompyerded]

How about Camel Filters? Or even plain Camels? I have a feeling either way, Camels would kill fish with the nicotine levels.

[@Fishtory]

LOL yes ...in fact even smoker hands can make fish ill

[@shesellsfish]

You always break things down in a simple common sense way that almost everybody can understand the why or reasoning behind it. Filterless is kind of misleading if you're using substrate, snails, plants, and some kind of light source, along with a lighter load of fish. The big box stores selling kits and extra goodies to go with them really get newcomers, and sell them all their moneymaking un necessary chemicals on top of it all, while also giving them bad fish choice advice for community tanks, and sell them common plecos to clean algae in a ten gallon kit tank. As always, hope you're doing well, and keep on doing what you do. People need to hear the info you have and so generously share. 👍❤️👍

[@Fishtory]

Aww thank you. So nice to hear from you, my friend!

[@jaderainhans9095]

my path let nature take it course in my tank and it cycle

[@Fishtory]

I hear you

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

Talking about « several methods » to setup a tank, why not using all of them? I’m quite new in all this but why people are constantly fighting? Tech versus no tech, deep substrate versus active soil, etc. Why not use deep substrate with good soil and a filter and all that? Just get the best of all worlds? All tech instead of no tech?

[@Fishtory]

Bingo... people build reputations on "their methods" their products and directions...and the science sort of makes it so you need to pick one of 4 or 5 ways...and dont want to mix up elements a ton. But as for the parts that dont matter to fish and plant health...i totally agree

[@Outside-InAquatics]

That comment about the calculator was an important statement. You gotta walk before your run. You have to learn the rules before you can use the rules.

[@Fishtory]

I probably should have said that at the begining too lol. Thank you though. It kinda clicked in my head as an example on the spot though.

[@gavinmillar]

I'm currently running a no water, no tank, no fish, no plants aquarium. Living in an apartment sucks.

[@Fishtory]

Bummer

[@PotooBurd]

💛👍

[@Ian-qw1zb]

I feel like some people just think they are rockstars and want to hear themselves talk. It's getting old same old same old. You do it your way thanks for your advice but we can do it our way whatever works for me man.... It's hard to watch it all the way through..

[@Fishtory]

Thats exactly what im saying :)

[@mundomaisbyines]

99% of aquarium niche is marketing.

[@claudeclawsonne4510]

Currently (and Alexander I know you know what this is like,) I'm chronically ill AND getting old and I'm miserable a lot of the time, so what I want from my tanks is maximum soothing with a minimum of work. I can only stand up and work about ten minutes before I need to go to bed for a couple days and recuperate from that ten minute's work, so currently I keep tanks with capped soil in the bottom and a ton of plants and mostly natural light and a light bio-load. No noise-makers, lights only on tanks that don't get natural light. I only top things up when there's been enough evaporation things are starting to look ugly and then I use RO. So the lowest of low maintenance with maximum sitting and staring at the fishes shrimp and snails. Soothing. I just got one of my 55g. tanks up and running again after being down almost 20 years. This'll probably be the last time I set up a big aquarium since in the past I could get one started in a couple hours but this one took me nearly 6 months to get going. I'm not quite where I can toss any fish in, but it won't be long now. I just need the plants to multiply a little more. I love learning new things from all of you and you especially Fishstory man, you have enriched my life and the lives of all the little critters living with me. We are all of us indebted to you.

[@mk_cichlids]

I've always done fish in cycles. I just do frequent water changes at the beginning to avoid ammonia build up until the tank is more established. People definitely make a bigger deal out of it than necessary. Of course, running established filter media is a better way to start, but you can do it without.

[@Fishtory]

Sure. Works for me also

[@Andreas-gh6is]

I normally don't do this because I want the biology to take hold first. Less about nitrification, more about everything else.

[@BirdwellingtonAmalgamation]

I've set tanks up this way for 15+ years. Lots of plants, deep substrate, frequent water changes. Works great for me.

[@herbeenc8042]

Me too!!!!!.

[@sydefect]

I've been a aquarium hobbyist for almost 30 years now and channels like this have brought my skill levels to an exciting place I've learned far more in the last 5 years than ever before thanks to all the info !!!

[@Fishtory]

Im honored and also in the same place as you. Undoubtedly youtube and the internet has allowed me to grow more in the last 5 years than i did in 30 prior

[@ladsI3]

I think there are so many ways of running and setting up an aquarium and if it works awesome. But i think the main thing that new people to the hobby don't understand is that all aquarium's take a long time to become established and matured and during that time sometimes things can get a bit messy but stick to it and the aquarium will settle down and become much more stable. Great video

[@Fishtory]

I totally agree. You make a good point and i would add, the hobby and a lot of stores sell you additives for everything under the sun...and if i could sell a product it would be an bottle with "time" written on the side and nothing in it lol

[@francinedufresne7514]

@@Fishtory 100% agree...patience is golden in fishkeeping...golden lol

[@someguy3167]

If you are using plants as your main filter, I would recommend looking up what plants prefer ammonia. Not all plants prefer ammonia, but most do. If you look up PLANTS versus FILTERS By Diana Walstad, you can see a list of the main plants that you would encounter that prefer Nitrates over Ammonia. If you are relaying on plants you want to avoid a floating plant like duckweed, that would prefer Nitrate, and instead use a plant like Frogbit, that prefers Ammonia. You can use both, but the duckweed will be less effective without nitrifying bacteria.

[@Fishtory]

Great advice! Also for water column feeders considered "Easy plants" that may not want nitrates until theyre at a fairly stressfully high level.

[@awollsd]

@@Fishtory but, would this matter so much as the substrate, hardscape, and even plant surface would still be providing surface area for nitrifying bacteria to convert the ammonia so even the plants that feed more off nitrates would be fine?

[@curtism1741]

Hey Alex, Great video I keep Reptiles, amphibians,bugs and fish. I think research is key to being able to be the caretakers of these animals that we keep. 👊✊👊

[@Fishtory]

100% thank you

[@diamdante]

One thing I will note, however, is that doing a no-fish cycle with plants and a thick substrate layer drastically cuts down on the amount of water changes you have to do that the start, which is great for saving water and thus $. If you can be patient for 6 weeks and even more patient in adding the fish a few at a time, you're pretty much in the clear

[@Fishtory]

Agreed ( well unless you have 30 extra planted tanks you can steal plants from hehe)

[@treasuringpricelesstime5962]

Hello. So, I’m doing what you mentioned, but how often should I fertilize my plants since there’s no fish or live creatures? Thanks

[@brixen0623]

​@treasuringpricelesstime5962 I don't fertilize at the start of the cycling. The ammonia breakdown is essentially fertilizer for them already. I wait until I see the cycle is about complete before I start to dose ferts. Don't know if it's correct or not tbh but it's worked for me so far.

[@dazedneptune]

Thanks Alex for keeping our minds open. In the beginning of my fishkeeping journey I was obsessed with doing things right and making everything pretty. But my laziness has opened me up to experimenting more lol. I only have a 5 gallon tank right now but it’s been a good journey to see what does and doesn’t work. As long as the one betta fish is healthy, it’s the survival of the fittest for the plants and invertebrates. I’m not too precious about keeping things the same anymore. After all, nature changes all the time 😁

[@zacharnold6350]

I've kept up with a lot of the fish drama that's been going on in the past few weeks and I think you said it best. I hope more see this video and i agree

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly. It cracks me up that its seen as drama...but such is youtube haha

[@lauravictoriatanks]

Such a great topic! I have a friend getting her first tank and she's really scared of doing the "wrong" things. Will definitely share this video with her! There's so much nuance to fishkeeping.

[@Fishtory]

Just tell her to not add chemicals and more variables to a tank unless things are going absolutely critically wrong...like deaths time and patience will solve 80% of issues

[@MandyJane123700]

I think one of the biggest mistakes new fishkeepers make is getting the wrong fish. Either the wrong combination of fish, or fish that will grow too large for the tank. Like, fish stores will gladly just sell you a common pleco for your 20 gallon, but those fish get over a foot long, so you can imagine how miserable it will be.

[@lauravictoriatanks]

@@Fishtory I'll pass this on to her, thank you!

[@lauravictoriatanks]

@@MandyJane123700 Good point! I fell for the common pleco trap as a kid and still feel guilty about it. It seems like a lot of people still get caught by marketing tactics, like a 3 gallon glofish tank with a picture of a giant school of skirt tetras on the box. It really helps to have resources like this channel to pass on to new fishkeepers!

[@maharanigladys]

​@@Fishtoryi wanna add biofilter (like bioring ect) in my hang on filter (bonus when i buy 1 set aquarium).. For my small tank (20x20x25) shrimp and little fish.. Is it oke? So no have deep subtrate in this tank is oke? I wanna make sure... Coz this my first tank, my first aquascape tank to, and my first little fish and shrimp🙈😅🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@severedvibrations1211]

Father Fish has imparted much wisdom amongst the younger keepers

[@FoolyLiving]

I think a lot of people leave out a lot of information and I need the information to know WHY. You don't do this, you spill the info right from the beginning and you tell all you know. I was lead astray when a very popular fishtuber told me that my water softener water needs to have Seachem Equilibrium added to it. I put a tiny pinch in my water and it destroyed literally everything and that is in a 75 gallon tank. I think it killed my bacteria, it changed the pH, etc. I dont know what is going on with my tank now. It's a complete mess and I'm considering taking 100% of the water out and starting over. I just dont know what to do. Nothing is helping. There's something nasty in the tank or something.

[@TixPham]

Yes sir ! "Live simply, so the things around us can simply live" is one of my life quotes. You've nailed it on the head. Wisdom comes from experience and you sir have lived. Your understanding is mind blowing

[@Fishtory]

Thats kind of you to say. And I love your quote ....consider it stollen lol! Cheers

[@TixPham]

@@Fishtory you give me fish history I give you life quotes that relate to life and fishkeeping. Sounds like a fair trade to me. Stay safe and keep spreading the knowledge my guy 💪

[@siempreseagull2]

8:00 the understanding that all these filters exist without a 'filter' is pure gold.

[@Fishtory]

It was like an apple hitting me in the head ...Newton style lol 😆

[@LRBaquatics]

We call them filterless because it’s easier for people to identify it as such. If we call it a natural tank that doesn’t really tell you the situation. In other words there’s not a better description to describe. Also to call us lairs is a weird way to bring yourself up….

[@Fishtory]

@LRB Aquatics, I agree. The liar part was that theres only one way to cycle a tank... and filter it (aerobically). But i did say you, father fish and I say filterless...and people lose their mind, but really theres snails that filter, theres surface area, substrate and plants... so we need a new term "no-tech" or something. But sorry if it sounded like i called you a liar specifically. I meant that we should give our systems more credit, and maybe people wouldnt be so affraid of "filterless". But also i said ive been doing the same thing using that phrase personally... so i was hoping you'd get i wasnt chastizing you, im holding you up as one of the role models for it.

[@LRBaquatics]

I know it wasn’t personal, no worries. No Tech would be the best term which is what I have previously referred it to. The filtration would be considered biological.

[@LRBaquatics]

Also no tech gets technical if you consider lighting.

[@Fishtory]

True. Ive got some tanks (smaller,) that are just on the window ledge without lights too. Its been a year and i think my gold barbs finally ate every little critter in the tank too (since the goal was to not feed them beyond the organisms in the tank)

[@LRBaquatics]

I got that one 55 gallon with goldfish gold lazers and rainbows that no tech and definitely defies the 1 inch rule and is filterless. Plus don’t get me started on goldfish 😄

[@valleymykel-mq7gw]

For the life of me, I still cannot understand the entitlement of fishkeepers. "If its its not a fishless cycle, weekly w/c, and 1 fish per 30 gal you are a fish abuser" politics. Its literally everywhere. No mater how many people, including you, have been explaining in the simplest of terms, how many beautiful ways to keep fish that doesn't have to follow "beginner" rules. All extremely easy as well. If any forum or facebook group saw that vase with 3 barbs, they would literally freak out. Even though its completely fine. You are probably one of the most knowledgeable and bravest in the hobby and its absolutely insulting to see that people still believe fishkeeping is a delicate and strict practice and no one should learn past the nitrogen cycle or its considered fish abuse.

[@Fishtory]

Vert well stated. Thank you.

[@melwohl37]

Thanks Alex ❤ I had great success doing fish in cycles for both tanks just tested daily at the beginning and sat on them like a mother hen. No losses. have yet to try " filterless" though definitely still learning 😅 I need to learn about true black water tanks I mean I have quite the stash of botanicals 😅 like I said much much to learn. Thank you for challenging us to dig deeper 🙏 ❤🙏 ❤

[@Fishtory]

Awesome Mel! Ill call you soon, i promise lol 😆

[@melwohl37]

@@Fishtory you mean you haven't forgot about little old me? Lol ❤️ 💙 💜 jk I know your a busy guy great content as always

[@Scaperoot79]

Thank you for all the info. I'm still pretty new (9 months) to planted tanks, so I have a lot to learn. I think what hindered me most at the start was that my introduction to the hobby came through IAPLC and MD Fish Tanks videos. I was so intimidated that I nearly gave up every time I had an algae outbreak or my fish died. From doing huge weekly water changes to buying all sorts of chemicals to keep things 'in check', I was exhausted and burnt out. Your channel and a few others, plus experience, have brought me back to earth lol. I think most channels I follow try to keep things uniform, so their followers don't get confused. I think Cory offers advice based on his experience and what customers share that has been successful. That's where discernment comes in where we decide what works best for us. Keep doing what you do! BTW, is the Aquarium Guys podcast cancelled?

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. . . Aquarium guys have a fish store to run, a young baby on his hands and more, so im guessing its a break.

[@ZaneofAustin]

I always appreciate people that are willing to compensate. In this case, admitting that there are multiple ways to do the same thing, but clarifying why "the standard" is standard, but not the only way. I agree talking to my brother even, he's gotten quite confused about my explanations, for instance, why green water is "imbalanced" but not "unhealthy" Nature is complicated but i think it's important that even if we do follow the industry standard ABCs of fish keeping, that doesn't make it the right way. Lets be honest, nothing about the tank you're setting up is "natural" unless you are building a pond on your ranch to keep 3 or 4 species of fish, a box of water in your room doesn't have nearly the self righting capacity that nature does outside. But at the same time that doesn't mean natural is the only way, or the best way either, it's just a different way. And i think that brings me to my main point, is that the industry *COUGHCOUGHWATERCONDITIONERCOUGHCOUGH* wants you to think there is a right or wrong to form a reliance, the truth is water conditioner works, but if you already have a tank running, that has been running, all your "water conditioner" is also in that tank, and the bacteria and stuff multiplies out. The hobby has turned to profit over science, imo. While I am all for jumping aboard the shrimp breeding craze, i'd love a tank of cherries, especially at these prices. I just feel like corporate greed is seeping it's way into the hobby, in the form of "right/wrong" I also love the challenge of making a "natural" tank, i love nature, and i love replicating it. that's why i have a fish tank, but i've spent thousands of hours researching online, and taken years to do it. So if you just want a fish, then you can't go wrong with the tried and mostly true. But the biggest culprit is someone who convinces others that there is only one way, that all other methods are wrong, and you are a bad owner/fish keeper for doing it any different. These are the people that don't really care about the fish. They care about profit, and what makes profit, and anyone that can make them profit. And even good fish store, want you to use the same methods they do, so hopefully you can come back, they can undercut your fish value, and make even more money. ironic that "bad fish keepers" who want to mimic nature, avoid water changes/natural filtration, are somehow the boogie man for giving the fish a home

[@Fishtory]

Very well said. Thank you

[@Boogerboys1990]

Father fish is the best methond for me. I love the natural look. My tanks smell great. My fish are breading my electric bill is low. The water is "aged" and very healthy. Deep substrate for life. Balanced aquariums are the only way to go.

[@Fishtory]

I like that way...for large fish it doesnt always work, for high tech or really sensitive plants it doesnt work..but 90% of the hobby could stand to use it.

[@Boogerboys1990]

@FISHTORY! (Secret History Living in Your Aquarium) Yes, i agree.I've done it successfully with large cichlids but the smaller fish it's excellent

[@indigocrayon520]

I have a mix of filtered and filterless tanks. Some critters, like my bamboo shrimp, they need that water current for feeding.

[@Fishtory]

Same with me as well. I think that's the most fun... and the most diversity of projects in the fishroom

[@EVERYTHINGGUY226]

Nice video buddy im trying to reach 2k

[@Fishtory]

Best of luck. Its a struggle for those first few thousand...or even hundred. It took me 2 years actually.

[@dismayer666]

I have an aquarium with discus fish. One day I cleaned my canister filter and forgot to tunt it on. Then we were gone for 3 days. The aquarium had an automatic feeder, but no filter. There is a lot of substrate and the tank is heavily planted. After 3 days I saw that my filter was off all that time, but the water looked all right. I did water tests - all came up OK, and meanwhile my discus laid some eggs. Afer that and some additional research I'm not so obsessed with filters, BUT ... well the answer for this "but" is your video :) thanks!

[@Fishtory]

Always nice to know that your tank has redundancies for failure of tech hehe

[@Muppet92954]

Good video, makes ya think. And gives me flashbacks to the confusion I had as a kid on we had to learn the hard way first lol

[@ShamuAquatics]

I’ve forgotten how to cycle a tank from scratch because over the last 10+ years, every tank I’ve had was just an upgrade from the old one and I used the established filters from the old tank as well as draining half the water from the old tank into the new one. I’d then make sure the temperatures matched and take a few fish that I don’t care about from the old tank and put them in the new one to see if they survive (no fatalities !) and after like 3 or 4 days, I’d transfer all the fish from the old tank into the new one. After all the fish are transferred to the new tank, I’d take the other established filter from the old tank and put it on the new one.

[@Fishtory]

Im sort of in the same boat too haha!

[@donttalktome4696]

Filterless is a loaded term

[@Fishtory]

Bingo

[@voluntaryismistheanswer]

Oh heck, I'll have to tell the neighbors I have plans for the evening 😅

[@Fishtory]

Haha oh, well thanks for that

[@waltheraquarium7396]

Hi! You always inspired me to look at my tanks more as a little eco system instead of ‘just a beautiful living picture’. Although I think it can always be a combination. It has made me less ‘anxious’ about algae for example. Thanks for that! Walther p.s. but those 3 fish in a vase ;) give them a little bigger vase. It’s working. The filtration works etc. But so tiny space 😅

[@peaoat3608]

There is a "cycle your tank for months" advocate on YT. I can't remember who it was. His description of "fish in cycling" was that "some folks put fish in the tank right away as a sacrifice in order to speed up the balancing process". I was in the hobby for only a few weeks. I've made mistakes but none of them had anything to do with fish in cycling. I finally set up my tank correctly and my "sacrificial fish" are feeling great on day 10. I can even observe some mating behavior. In short: yeah... there is a lot of misinformation on YT.

[@Fishtory]

I agree that either way works...but id rather risk losing a guppy than wait lol

[@johnnybest6386]

ALEX TODAY U HAVE SET ME FREE MY OLDDDDDD WAYS OF THINKING

[@Butterflies-are-free]

💕 I can’t even tell you how helpful your videos have been! I’m just a complete newbie. Of course I started with shrimp BEFORE I learned anything and already have done a lot wrong (though my shrimp are hanging in there with me 💜), but your information has been amazing. I’ve watched other channels about raising shrimp and yours is the BEST! 🌟 thank you so much! 💕

[@Fishtory]

You are so welcome! Glad to hear it! Get info from all over, of course, but try and find some things you know are the truth in their info, before even assuming the new info is true haha. Best wishes and I'm glad to welcome you to the channel

[@carlam.9529]

Please Remember To Hit The Like Button Everyone 😀

[@Fishtory]

Thanks Carla!

[@Tronex333]

You're absolutely right. Imo, your channel is tied between best and also underrated fish keeping channels on youtube. For me I'm a fish breeder specializing in apistogrammas and people online and everywhere say 20 gallons for a pair; howvr, I've kept and been keeping them in 10 gallons with so much more success without any water changes.

[@Fishtory]

Ive found the same to be true with breeding apistos also! Thank you very kindly for your words.

[@Tronex333]

@@Fishtory thank you for your amazing content and keeping the community educated. Though we may not all share the same perspectives, you help diversify the perspectives of many

[@pauladonis3445]

I’ve got a pair of Cockatoos in a 40l tank plus around 50 fry right now, they’re all in there for around 4-5 months now, water changes are done whenever I feel like it but I have to mention that the tank is full of botanicals and the only filtration used is a very small HOB filter. It’s time to rehome some of the fry as they can now be sexed but I just wanted to say this to show that what’s said online about space requirements is not always a rule, if you know what you’re doing you can keep fish happily in smaller tanks.

[@Fishtory]

@@pauladonis3445 100% nice work

[@Tronex333]

@@pauladonis3445 ye i hella agree. over the two months ive been getting so good at breeding apistos like 150 babies a week and breeding new species and stuff and it's all about the tank setup and how u handle and treat the fish

[@garysoutar451]

FF takes the Hobby back 50yrs when the Hobby was still learning but adding nothing too the real welfare of Fish and their Needs.

[@Fishtory]

That may be valid lol. I just like seeing a multitude of ways to keep healthy fish. With enough plants I think his way works fine

[@claudeclawsonne4510]

Dunno. It all made sense to me. Been keeping fish since the seventies and been through more kinds of fish, aquariums and methods of keeping fish than I can count. I come out in hives when people say 'yo can't do that' and have kept fat, sassy goldfish in planted tanks--one of which lived to...think it was fifteen, and to no one's surprise my next big experiment was going to be keeping multiple male and female bettas in my hundred gallon shallow tank that's six foot long--but you guys beat me to it!!! So now I know exactly how to go about setting that up so it'll be successful-thanks a bunch!

[@JunkieMcStay]

I never feed my dogs with anything man made and they live long healthy lives, same with my cats but I'm new to fish Is fish food made with natural products?

[@Fishtory]

There's good options... repashi, bug bites, and some extreme. All those are great