The Phosphate Cycle & Your Aquarium. How Algae, Plants & Fish Use Phosphorus in Freshwater Systems.

Thank YOU For Watching!
DAN'S FISH! - The Premiere Independent Owned. RARE IMPORTS and Oddball Fish, Retailer. GET 10% PAmyOFF ENTIRE ORDER CLICK BELOW. INDEPENDENT
dansfish.com/ref/alex
AQUATIC ARTS . COM -
BIG SAVINGS:
www.Aquaticarts.com For Quality US Bred Fish, Invertabrates, Rare Shrimp and Beautiful Plants Bonus Channel Code -
Thank YOU For Watching!
DAN'S FISH! - The Premiere Independent Owned. RARE IMPORTS and Oddball Fish, Retailer. GET 10% OFF ENTIRE ORDER CLICK BELOW. INDEPENDENT
dansfish.com/ref/alex
AQUATIC ARTS . COM -
BIG SAVINGS:
www.Aquaticarts.com For Quality US Bred Fish, Invertabrates, Rare Shrimp and Beautiful Plants Bonus Channel Code -
** If Discount Codes Do not work, try using a code from the description of my more recent videos, as it changes 2 or 3 times a year. **
FISHTORY15" for a chance to win hundreds of dollars in 2023 giveaway prizes, a shrimp starter kit andddd 15% OFF ANYTHING in the store!
FISHTORY10 - Use it UNLIMITED times for a 10% off discount on ANY item or Creature in the store, also it helpd represent us as a channel, earn the prize pool more mone98nĥy.
Short on Cash, But Still Want to Support The Channel?..
To support the channel without having to spend any extra money, simply use this Amazon link below, and then use the same browser tab to buy ANYTHING! ... EVEN NON-AQUARIUM items and it will GIVE THE CHANNEL A .05% COMISSION FOR FREE, FOR WHATEVER IT WAS YOU WANTED TO ORDER ON AMAZON.
shorturl.at/tB348
LINK TO JOIN AS CHANNEL MEMBER IS JUST BELOW THESE WORDS!
/ @fishtory
Artwork and Merch!
teespring.com/it/stores/a-sec...
To financially show love to the channel. If I've earned it and helped you out, I appreciate any Patreon Donations or Venmo/PayPal gifts,
message me for details or use patreon link below.
PAYPAL- @ [e-mail]
VENMO - @Alex-Williamson-88
PATREON:
/ somainkdesigns
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×
MY FAVORITE ONLINE AQUATIC ANIMAL & HOBBY SUPPLY RETAILERS.
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+
VIVVY.COM ( It's Just Like Ebay For All Things Aquatic!)
Https://www.vivvy.com Buy/Sell/Explore/Learn!
THE GARDEN OF EDER SHRIMP & AQUATICS
www.www.TGOEShrimp.com
CODE "SECRET10" For 10% off all shrimp
www.TGOEshrimp.com
SHRIMP ENVY:
Quality Domestic Made, All Natural and Organic Shrimp Foods, Supplies and Shrimp! Use our code to get 15% off all Products!
Use Code: FISHTORY
AQUA CHAR- Bioactive charcoal, fortified and enriched with essential nutrients and minerals in an ultra fine matrix. Sustaimably Made in the USA for Aquarists like us!
For 15% off discount, use code:
"FISHTORY15"..
-----×☆×------×☆×-----÷×☆×------×☆×

[@Fishtory]

The Long Form Video/ Audio Based Version is Linked Here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y37WiZ2tn8mjZ5o Enjoy! 😊

[@jonathanschutz8563]

Man, how did I miss it? Your videos surely are a rare gold nugget

[@smob0]

Don't forget about bones, shells and teeth. We think of calcium when it comes to these parts but they are also made largely of phosphorus in the form calcium phosphate.

[@giftofthewild6665]

Yep!

[@ateteu_]

That was VERY helpful. You rarely see quality and detailed info like this

[@Chompchompyerded]

I feel like I'm back in school again, which is a good thing because I really loved school. It's been more than 50 years since I was in school, but a lot of this is coming back to me quickly. I'm looking forward to the "nerd out" version tomorrow. As far as I'm concerned, you should not change a thing. I am just starting in the fish keeping hobby, and I am just learning a TON from watching your videos. Keep up the good work, and don't worry about the nerd out parts. It helps to understand what is going on with tanks if things start to go sideways, and hopefully that knowledge will help us get things under control before any of our fish or plants die. Thanks for all your hard work. Bringing all this to us must be time consuming. It's probably similar to drawing up a lesson plan as I always had to do as a professor of music with classes to teach. I am now a member of your class, and learning a lot because of your efforts.

[@Fishtory]

Awesome! Thank you so kindly, professor 🙏. And yes, its about like writing a term paper in a week...i spend a few days cramming about 15 hours a day of research, videos, reading and writing a script or outline...which i normally deviate from...because i memorize the info by the time im ready to film. My problem is whittling it down...or if i know im saying something broadly "true" but there are like 2 or 3 exceptions...that no one will probably ever need to know about ( and my brain argues with my mouth about including the info or keeping it simpler.). The editing of the video is actually my hardest task as we sit today... because i do it all from the phone, until i can save up for a decent graphics card for a laptop/desktop.

[@Chompchompyerded]

@@Fishtory Call me "professor" again and I'll have to hit you with my box of red pens. Seriously, You are the professor here, and I am the student. An eager student, but a student non-the-less. I haven't put together my first tank yet. I feel I should learn as much as I can before I get started. At this point, I don't feel qualified even to choose the brand of tank I should get, not to mention what hardware I should get. I have an idea of what fish and other critters I want to get, but I'm still learning about plants, and trying to decide which plants I want to scape with. I'm in a city where there are no aquarium stores, so I'm going to have to do most of this mail order, and my advisors will be people on the internet rather than the owner of the local fish store. We do have a Petco and a PetSmart both of which sell fish, but looking at their stock, and knowing what shape the rest of their animals are in, I'd probably do better buying frozen breaded fish from the supermarket when it comes to how long they'll live. It doesn't exactly instil confidence in one when you see dead fish floating on the surface of many of the aquariums. I've already learned a lot from your videos, and I think when I finally do pull the trigger and buy a tank, I'll have a pretty good idea of how it's all done. Now I just have to figure out who makes a high quality 10 gallon tank.

[@lickmytoaster9550]

I really like having a more stripped down version followed by the in depth on

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for the feed back :)

[@thomasrohleder4281]

Best aquarium channel I’ve found

[@Fishtory]

Thank you kindly... im still trying to make it better hehe. Hopefully i can hire a slick editor at some point soon lol

[@nitrojunki4249]

WOW, I bow to your Biological knowledge. Thanks

[@Fishtory]

Lol i dunno about that...i had notes

[@beingL]

I really appreciate your work. Getting into this hobby has reinvigorated my love for science and you’re a part of that.

[@Fishtory]

That is awesome! I'm honored. Welcome back ...NERD! hahaha cheers!

[@melwohl37]

Woo woo wooo im ready to nerd out on phosphorus ❤

[@juliehowkins9210]

I loved this length video as a sampler for the deep dive. I can then plan to have time to watch it. The little visual diagrams are useful to support the understanding. Thanks Alex from South Australia 😊

[@Fishtory]

Thanks my friend! I appreciate the feedback! Cheers mate

[@zoltan303stackin]

Thanks for the information Alex 👍👍

[@emberframe6994]

its finally here, I saw the community post about this and it looked so interesting.

[@xerxeth1861]

Just discovered your channel, keep up the great work!

[@caroleinwv]

Good one Alex!

[@Smalltimetanks]

Great research as always 🤘🏻

[@Fishtory]

Thanks my friend... if you like the topic, tomorrow morning im posting a deep dive hour long expansion video

[@blueiceaquatics8205]

I love these types of videos. Thank you!

[@Fishtory]

Well, thank YOU

[@adalbertofrugoni1981]

Thank you so much, it was very useful! This kind of cycle is not so much known, and I've never find somebody else talking about it in such a detailed and clear way. It explains a lot of things. 🙂Very appreciated! 👍

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for tuning in. Its such a crucial factor for ecology and life, yet id never been taught about it either. Im just happy some other like minded folks are interested also! Thank you.

[@vikkirountoit497]

Excited to hear about the phosphorus cycle! Have been so curious and this is a great start. I noticed in the last year or 2 that along with a lot of algae in one of my tanks, my phosphate level was crazy high per API test. Water changes over time and switching food has made a big difference. Looking forward to the deep dive video next. Thanks Alex!

[@Fishtory]

Right on! Guess what....tomorrow morning the hour long deep dive on phosphates is going online hehee

[@sebabuzo8162]

Very good video. Thank you!

[@Fishtory]

So Glad you enjoyed it. It sort of fell through the algorithm cracks.

[@donnywolf9250]

Great video!

[@Fishtory]

Thanks for the visit

[@brucedonnelly5209]

Thanks for explaining

[@Fishtory]

You're welcome!

[@deneng0259]

Thanks Alex

[@Fishtory]

Thank YOU

[@jeffkane4391]

Excellent video sir! Love the information!😊

[@Fishtory]

Thanks. I found it pretty incredible.... i now have anout 500 useless facts about phosphates in my head...including some explosive ones

[@jeffkane4391]

@@Fishtory 😆

[@dellseasandoval8187]

Good job.

[@Fishtory]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nathanielreichert4638]

Yep, just this weekend on another channel, I learned that urine has a type of dissolved phosphorus that is readily available for plants to absorb. Dog urine kills grass because their urine is more dense in phosphorus and thus burns the roots. Yes. I used some of my urine to help grow my bushes yesterday. I’m just learning so much about phosphorus this week :)

[@jonisolis9645]

I love to use pee for my garden and potted plants.

[@Constantine_Cvl8]

I remember reading in an article on the loaches online forums, some guy used his own urine dilluted in water to grow algae for his hillstream loaches. In a seperate tank, obviously.

[@alekkoomanoff7281]

Dilute 1 part urine to 7 parts water for fertilizer. Darker the pee, higher the N&P.

[@usmc187]

Wish you made this video 30 days ago before my algae bloom explosion lol I kept dosing my tank with Liquid Potassium on every water change 2 times a week. Didn’t realize that algae was gonna feed on this nutrient. 30 days later, my tank is still green and have done numerous water changes. Lesson learned but have learned many other benefits of algae bloom.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

I really enjoy these videos…Chemistry was my favorite class…

[@Fishtory]

I loved it until i had to do molar mass mathematics lol

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

@@Fishtory I can only imagine! Big ouch!

[@mattbatcher802]

Like nitrogen, there’s about a billion times more nitrogen than carbon in the atmosphere, yet we struggle to supply enough nitrogen to feed our fields, we can extract nitrogen from the air with super high temperatures and pressure to make ammonia.

[@giftofthewild6665]

It occurs to me that if humans just extracted the nitrogen from their own waste somehow (would have to clean it of all pathogens) we'd have more nitrogen than we'd ever need.

[@DIY-ForEverything]

I recently had a tank crash. Nitrates and phosphorus through the roof. I lost my kuhli loaches and siamese algae eaters. My gouramis, shrimp and beta survived and were doing great. I discovered the problem... my gouramis dug up the substrate to the fertilizing layer which leached into the water column. Saved them and doing up a deep deep sand substrate

[@Fishtory]

Yes ive had that happen with kribs digging a nest under a coconut about a decade ago! Sorry to hear that 😞

[@giftofthewild6665]

Wow I've never heard of gourami digging before 😮

[@giftofthewild6665]

Wow I've never heard of gourami digging before 😮 I would have thought it was the kuhli loaches doing that

[@clintonford9609]

So nice, I watched it at least twice. I'm shooting myself in the foot and looking for answers. I have 8 tanks and am trying to get as much nutrients in the substrate as possible, so I continually take floaters, and snails, from the top of the tank then blend them up and reintroduce them to be re-purposed by being eaten by the fish, becoming poop and finding their way to the substrate. It's leading to hair and black algae. Don't want to dim the lights or run less as I'm trying to supercharge the plants Gonna use Flourish Excel as a temporary measure then determine whether blending floaters and snails this way is really worth it. This video will help me determine what to do. Thanks Alexander

[@clintonford9609]

Well, off to the longer video to give it another view.

[@toddslingerland6110]

Great video. Any thoughts about the Redfield Ratio in the aquarium. I had problems with high phosphates and was getting BG algae. I now use GFO in my canister filter and it has taken care of the issue.

[@Fishtory]

Thats something i was debating mentioning in this video actually! But i think personally, it runs too hot in an aquarium, as you noted as well... the toxicity isnt an issue or anything but the tds creeps up over time and any supplementing is biased towards holding that P...where as N,K,C,O all can be managed a bit easier or accumulate up to higher ppm before significant impacts on the organisms we keep. Great question though. Thanm you

[@loris.6614]

I just want you to know how much I love and appreciate your channel. Between you and Cory of Aquarium Co Op I have learned so much. Cory is my go to for a simple easy to understand explanation of a topic, then I come here for the deep dive scientific explanation. One of my New Years resolutions will be to start supporting your channel $.

[@Fishtory]

Aww thank you so kindly. Your support is already so greatly appreciated!

[@melwohl37]

Almost first lmao😅 ❤ Thanks for this! ❤ needed this one

[@Fishtory]

So close to being first

[@youraveragefishkeeper]

First. Excited for this deep dive

[@Fishtory]

Right on

[@Lysine1]

Thank you for keeping the your video shorter than normal

[@Spacey7]

Awesome very interesting video. Thank you. Can you help me please I have set up a new tank & used Fluvial cycle aswell as used filters out of established tanks but I'm getting a really high alkaline reading on the test strips? I have a small amount of nitrates & a very high carbonate reading too. Don't know what to do, I've done an 80% water change but still the same. I need to separate my Guppies as I'm over run with fry!

[@Fishtory]

So hard water may be from the tap... or if you used substrate with crushed coral, or white sand made of seashells? But guppies like ph thats 7.5-8.8 and tds up in the 200s to 700s ppm....so you should be okay with the guppies as long as nitrites and amonia are 0

[@Spacey7]

@@Fishtory I think you have that spot on as I have hard water but got some sand from the beach, rinsed obviously & I don't have sand in my other tanks. My ph is too low in my other tanks so maybe put some sand in them eventually. Thank you so much for your help Alexander, your a true star. 😊 I'm in the UK & you're the only channel I've found with such informative videos.

[@ninathompson6756]

Hello. Unrelated to this topic but just a general request please…. Would you mind creating a chart that illustrates the most compatible fish in terms of Ph and temperature? Also compatibility would be ideal. Which groups of fish live best under similar conditions?

[@Fishtory]

Great suggestion! I will...but i dont know when lol. But honestly 90% of fish can tolerate any ph from 6.5 to 7.8 or so but temp is a real issue

[@rachaelreczenski7270]

What about high phosphates in a blackwater biotope tank? With a lot of decomposing leaf litter etc

[@Fishtory]

It can be an issue * if your water is already high in it, or the tank was... but even 4 or 5 years running a tank with leaves, shouldn't exceed any problematic threshold..and that's assuming you have no plants growing due to low ph. Algae would be your control mechanism, "naturally". So If you suddenly had algae (likely powder/diatomaceous algae) then you may want to check/ do a 50% water change

[@Boss-zo4lw]

I have brown diatoms algea all the time, no matter what i do and im about to give up lol Ive now tested my tap water and the Phosphate level is high straight from the tap, i cant read these color charts well but its at least comnig out at 2.5 probably more. What do i do about that, isnt that gonna always give me diatoms, or do i treat it before going into tank or just throw a Phosphate pad into my filter. Ive had a pad in it for about a week now and no change. Spent thousands on this hobby and im at my tethers end.

[@booperfumprdink859]

Should we be testing for phosphorus?

[@Fishtory]

Probably not for most folks, if you do water changes...but if things are not going well or you run a high tech planted co2 and fertz tank...or a no water change filterless tank...i think its worth doing every few months.

[@sot8343]

I thought i didn't need phosphate fertilization but to my surprise, 3 dwarf corys and 3 otocinclus don't produce much waste nor do they require much food. My phosphate readings are always zero and I'm here trying to decide if i need to buy a bottle of phosphate for my plants.

[@giftofthewild6665]

Overfeed them? 😅

[@sot8343]

@@giftofthewild6665 embarrassed to admit my tank is plants first, fish second. The fish have to eat the algae and the decomposed plants before I feed them. 😅

[@giftofthewild6665]

@@sot8343 lol I understand, I enjoy the growing plants part of the hobby more than the fishkeeping to be brutally honest 😅 I over feed my fish when the plants look like they need more nitrogen 🤣 I dont really expect the fish to eat algae though, I only get green spot algae where the sun hits the glass - none of my fish are algae eaters so it doesn't get cleaned off unless I clean it (I'm lazy with algae on the glass). Although if hair algae ever turned up the barb would be all over it I'm sure. He eats my moss too.

[@Fariz.Mammadov]

Hello, I have question for you please answer me. I have aquarium 120x40x35. CO2 system, full spec light and everthing good. I use normal pot substrate and 1-2mm sand. Plants grow good. There a problem. My Nitrates. I see definicy Nitrate on plants. I test it, it was almost 0. I increase Nitrate fertilesing. Its up 5ppm. But when I double it and tommorow test water there again almost 5 ppm. Something in my aquarium eat this Nitrate I think its not absoluette plants. What I can do? Increase my live stock or double again fertilizer? Thanks in advence

[@Fishtory]

I prefer to add more fish ...just since I like fish, but yes, you could add more nitrates. A lot of this depends on lightning and light duration also. If you double your fertilizing you'll be prone to more algae, where as the fish will create ammonia first...and plants eat some of that, AND some nitrites in the water....and the nitrates you end up with. So more bang for your buck, with fish

[@mattbatcher802]

Have you gotten any of the new found West African krib type fish, yeah… they look pretty cool… and kribs are good anyway, I want some, or some Apistos… yeah geeking out… gotta get rid of my Malawi’s though, but maybe not my firemouths, they just might coexist like your angels do with the Apistogrammas.

[@Fishtory]

The smiling cichlids and cupid cichlids....geophagus small species like tapajos ...or the nanachromis and african jewel cichlids are all small and possible options id assume

[@mattbatcher802]

@@Fishtory yeah Nanochromis is what I was thinking of, there are so many options, and here is something I want to say to all the new fish keepers after 30 years of keeping: Yes there is this species and that one, and they are all individually interesting, but keep groups of the same species and do them right rather than having a bunch of different kinds. And dirtify and greenify your tanks.

[@Fishtory]

@@mattbatcher802 i feel you! Im torn between those options as well

[@mattbatcher802]

@@Fishtory Check this one out, I have two mouth bred fish and there were two females with babies in one tank. Well, I have forensically determined that a certain baby swam into the other mother’s mouth cause the tank has all one type except for one baby fish that is the other type and, notwithstanding some kind of weird jump or net transfer, that baby came into the tank in its surrogate mother’s mouth rather than staying in the original tank with it’s siblings and mother.

[@princesskittehh]

✅

[@MasterFireraptor]

"Let's get through this quickly" *repeats himself six times*

[@Fishtory]

Hey 3 times lol

[@Handygrrl]

Have been struggling with higher phosphate readings in my planted tanks and tap for the past year...and dont know what's causing it...tried various phosphate removers and those pads seem to work the best! Ranges are from 0 -2ppm. Should i be concerned? Very soft water from Cedar Creek watershed, low kh and gh, ph in tanks ranges from 6.8 to 7.6. Water district does not "own" the problem.....

[@Fishtory]

If your ph is below 7.2 or so, then no...your ecosystem is locking it and cycling it. But the readings over 2 or 3ppm in higher ph systems could be an algae issue as well as an oxygen depleation issue...so add an airstone or have 40% plant coverage of the tank. Great questions

[@Handygrrl]

@@Fishtory TYSM. Never higher than 2 and that was once. Now usually ranges from 0.25 to occasionally 1.0. And I use airstones....

[@Scionmalth]

I have herd some scientists think phosphates govern the maximun amount of life in the universe...

[@smob0]

I think it's one of the harder macro nutrient atoms to make in a star. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen are pretty easy for certain stars to make in their cores.

[@Fishtory]

Muahah i think i cover that in tomorrows video...or maybe i had to edit it for time...but YES!

[@tolstoy21]

This assumes that all ‘life’ is phosphorus-based or carbon-based, etc., meaning that we define life based only on what we have thus far observed, which is limited to life on one planet, which itself is a small sample size given the overwhelming size of the known universe.

[@Fishtory]

@tolstoy21 yes true. However its also 100% of the sample data thus far and science is based on what we can confirm to be the order of things as it stands. But yes silicone, carbon could be basis for life...weve only seen carbon so far though. With phosphates it seems we could see a couple substitutes, but barring new elements or rules of physics, the chemistry is apparently limited in the potential atoms that would fill this role

[@letsgobrandon4601]

This is a comment to boost engagement

[@letsgobrandon4601]

And this is a comment reply

[@Fishtory]

You are awesome

[@lickmytoaster9550]

Wooooo

[@dellseasandoval8187]

You look like you are recovering from your allergy to the crawdad’s 🦞 or ad Aussies say yabby’s rather well. This video was exciting. Keep up the good work 👍🏻.

[@Fishtory]

Haha Yabby...i can't go out out from something called a yabby.... its like losing a fight with an animal called a" flufferfloof"...even if it had teeth and was 30 feet tall, people would talk.

[@dellseasandoval8187]

That is so true my friend. Whenever these Aussies say Yabby I feel like they are saying Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Yabby is such a funny word. They love talking about yabby’s here, Every time they say yabby 🦞 I hear crawdad 🦞 or crayfish 🦞. They don’t know what crawdad 🦞 means. They know what crayfish🦞 is but they never say crayfish 🦞 in reference to yabbies🦞. They will call lobsters crayfish 🦞 but they would never call a lobster 🦞 a yabby 🦞. Some of these words are just so funny. I think shrimp 🦐 & prawn 🦐 is more interchangeable because I did not come to Australia until I was nearly 30 so I’ve heard shrimp 🦐 prawn 🦐 used interchangeably in the United States but I certainly never heard anyone go on about yabby‘s so much. I feel like I’m living in a Sasquatch village surrounded by DESSERT YETI‘s. I don’t know if you will have dreams or nightmares about desert yeti’s in the form of shape shifting little water 💦 yabby’s but only you my friend can understand a word I am saying. You had reached such a point of frustration in your personal life that you recently said sometimes you just want to put your hands up & give it up. Just give “it all” up but please never do that because you have a large fish fam. & personal. family & friends of many people who love & rely on you. Never give up my friend.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

This has nothing to do with fish but a lot to do with folks with our issues. I suspect I want a med based on it in my lifetime but it will likely happen for you…www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487495/

[@Fishtory]

Oh fascinating article. Thank you