The Secret of Healthy Fish is a Healthy Aquarium

[@debrascheer4577]

That used to be me constantly sucking up all that junk out of the gravel. Sick fish buying medication lots of money spent now I have a dirted tank with lots of plants and the occasional inoculation of some pond water my fish have never been healthier and I don't have sick fish anymore 😊

[@judygreen349]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂 yow

[@hendrx]

This man convinced me to get back into the hobby after giving up years ago.

[@juliamartin1962]

Me too... I gave up 20 years ago.. until I saw a father fish video on KZbin. He is a wonderful person. He's the reason after 40 years of not stepping foot in a church I am now looking for a church. Father fish you renewed my faith in humanity..

[@kinglamine712]

Good luck 🤞😊🐠🐟

[@hendrx]

@@kinglamine712 thank you brother

[@hendrx]

@@juliamartin1962 his approach makes much more sense

[@SkullField]

i work at a pet store and im the aquatic specialist. i tell my customers to come here and watch these videos to make them understand what to do to have a real aquarium. keep up the good work. ive sent many people to your channel because you deserve it!! 😃😃😃❤❤❤

[@maggyf3932]

I love you!! Now I have a q for u or FF or anyone who wanna help me.... I have a 10gal with not that many plants in. Added new tetra fishies and they've been dying. Then I saw videos where he said plain soil isn't good enough, and I should add 3 things, 1 part someth. 1 part st. etc... then another video of him saying to add another whole collection of stuff... Now I'm setting up a 3gal for keeping them there, idk how many plants to add, if I need to wait 1 day before adding plants, the another full day before putting the fish in.... They're now in a container with just plain water. I was afraid of leaving them in the tank with the foul water.

[@maggyf3932]

Should I treat them in the container? I've seen ppl do salt water for 15 min. Or garlic. I don't know exactly.

[@maggyf3932]

I also have an African dwarf frog which got a lump on its belly. The rest of the neon tetras look ok.

[@maggyf3932]

Do I need to feed the 🐟 or 🐸 anything while they're in the plastic bucket?

[@MoorezrMoorezr]

The way he explained this reminded me how wondrous and beautiful nature really is.

[@tony9t]

This man single handedly saved my fish keeping hobby. I was at a total loss until I came across his channel. One of his best bits of advice was “leave your tank alone”. A sincere thank you Father Fish.

[@PsychoPlantLady]

Every fish keeper needs to watch this. Thank you for everything you do Father Fish. This video explains so much.

[@juliamartin1962]

Father fish I just wanted to let you know how much you have changed my life in ways you can't even imagine. You're the reason I tried an aquarium again. And you're the reason that I'm looking for a church after 40 years away from one. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I now have two tanks... And if there's anybody out there in the north central Ohio area that can use some plans hit me up.. I have jungle vowel with leaves that are almost 6 ft long. They're beautiful. But they're way too big for my tank...lol

[@Poker_Pirate]

I’ve been watching and following your teachings Father Fish for a while now. Thank you. 🙏 I’ve been caring for pet fish for years but have never had success like I have now with your teachings. I’ve owned very large tanks, expensive Discus, expensive water machines and super large expensive filters. All a waste of time and money. I never thought I could have pet fish as healthy as they are now from the simple ways of natural aquarium that you teach.

[@carolan9740]

My fish-keeping-life has changed so much since I found Father Fish for the better! Happy healthy fish now! Much love ❤️

[@srikanthchinthakindi613]

Absolute biggener here..i setup my firste ever fish tank with FF method and in the last month it completed first anniversary...I do not stay at home due to my job and visit my tanks once in 10 days and only feed at that time. I cant belive my eyes and senses how i am able to achieve this as a first time fish keeper with limited resources.. all credit goes to FF for introducing the best low tech & natural way of fish keeping.. Thanks a lot from India ❤

[@maggyf3932]

Did u add all of the ingredients that FF does to your soil?

[@srikanthchinthakindi613]

@@maggyf3932 Yes, i am from India so FF mix is not available here. I bought all the ingredients except for bat guano and prepared the supplement as per FF's instructions.

[@maggyf3932]

@@srikanthchinthakindi613 Oh great! Enjoy your fishies!

[@FatherFish]

pretty impressive. How is the tank doing? You can sell that product you have created. Contact me for more info.

[@RandyBoyd-z9m]

This man is awesome super helpful

[@NcPleco]

Give this man 1 million subscribers already❤❤❤❤❤

[@Good13man]

This is the best summary of the father fish (Walstad plus) method. After two years of using this method, I'm sold. I have some amazing little aquatic ecosystems that I love.

[@ChristianB1969]

I wait with great anticipation for the next FF video. This one was definitely worth waiting for.❤❤❤

[@laranja3]

I LOVE THE QUALITY OF THE VIDEO!!

[@ovidiocorchero2795]

Natural aquariums are also very easy to maintain!

[@crazy4color869]

Father Fish! You were literally the answer to my prayers. Suffice it to say if I hadnt found you, i would have had to give up fishkeeping. I finally am getting babies now and then due to dense plants! SPECIAL REQUEST Can you do a video on how to maintain plants in the aquarium? Stem vs rooted, when to trim, when not to, what to do if black or green hair algae start suffocating roots or the plant itself.. etc. That is the one part i cant seem to get under my belt yet. Thanks!

[@zaferboran5343]

Baba her zaman olduğu gibi bu hobinin püf noktalarını bizlere dürüstce öğretiyorsun türkçe alt yazı oldugu içinde seni daha iyi anlayıp arkadaşlarımla paylaşıyorum .iyiki varsın .

[@patconcubierta295]

i got 2.5gallon for betta with dirt,sand and plants and its thriving..i put it near the window for natural light.Thank you Father Fish for inspiring newbies like me..

[@niclabtto2097]

Many many thank's from italy!!!❤❤

[@Vishal_437]

I am getting back to my long forgotten hobby.. thanks sir, for igniting the light again in me ❤

[@kinglamine712]

You great man 👍❤ I love you from Algeria you welcome father fish 🐠🐟 god bless you 🙏💓

[@petroman-cg8tt]

Father Fish Great Video

[@david-le-jardin-libere-terre]

No best vidéo for my morning coffee!🐠🐟☕😊

[@parkerelijah1936]

You're absolutely right ... we must be more and more and more accustomed to the natural aspect in this hobby ... I gladly joined this natural circle, and I have no regrets ... Too many chemicals , plastic decoration or unnecessary actions/behaviors are so harmful not only to the fish , the tanks or the plants , but to the wallet too ( notice the wallet is the more harmed victim lol ) ... so whenever I have the chance , i advocate natural aspects to my acquaintance, too ...

[@iristengeusendam7842]

@@parkerelijah1936 absolutely, I've definitely noticed that the less you micro manage the better the tank does

[@sofiacepeda8442]

The reptile world needs a father fish! Everything would be so much easier 😅

[@Naturalaquaticsnature]

Hello Father Fish. I am so glad that I have learnt so much from you and made a planted tank like a father fish tank. First my platty gave birth to 3 fries and now my guppy gave birth to atleast 4 fries which I have seen today. Before making a father fish tank my fish used to die and die and die but now my tank is starting to get full by fishes automatically and now I think I will have to buy a bigger tank😂❤❤❤. Thank you

[@phili799]

Thank you Lou Im so glad i found you ... blessings

[@livencali1]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤. After subscribing to this channel and listening to your wisdom, I now only feed my fish and a pitch of food Mondays and Fridays. Let the tank heal itself the other days.

[@LakeMissoulaAquaticsandPlants]

So happy that you are getting the truth out there. Just makes me sad when people talk about how they struggle with tanks and explain how they use all the chemicals.

[@LisaNash-p1d]

I have had a tank set up for 8 years and never cleaned it. It is crystal clear.

[@DashDrones]

Please do a video

[@LisaNash-p1d]

I did a short video.

[@LisaNash-p1d]

​@@DashDronesI did a video

[@DashDrones]

​@@LisaNash-p1dperfect thanks

[@LisaNash-p1d]

Your welcome. What do you think?​@@DashDrones

[@karenamiger8027]

Sir you keep me listening and learning your time in these vidios is appreciated gratefully

[@pattys_aquatics]

Excellent video sir 😁👍

[@adamWRF1]

A cigarette a coffee and father fish...BLISS

[@Muh_Username]

Amen, brother

[@Rogueidiot]

Awesome video FF

[@simonmoylan4014]

Haven’t had any bad information from father fish wish more fish shops spread his methods

[@TalisaAquarist]

Great video! 🩵

[@cindycox9496]

I always order lots of leaves the fish love them,I've done this a couple yrs.

[@ZonamaPrime]

This video comes out the DAY i found some white dots on a few fish and began preparing the quarantine tank. It's a beautiful established planted tank with waters from local ponds and tons of life... just in this case some trouble! This is the first issue I've had with this tank in 2 years, and FF comes out today with this :)

[@ZonamaPrime]

It's currently 1:14 am and you've got me grabbing mason jars to scoot on down to the creek.

[@FatherFish]

your point is? Ick never comes from wild culture. It comes from fish stores where the water is kept clean and the parasites can multiply without control.

[@ZonamaPrime]

@@FatherFish Yeah it's a beautiful established tank. Downloaded discord literally to join the chat. Soil, sand, plants, copepods, snails, fish... discovered zebra mussels from lake driftwoods... turned the temperature up a little and cut feeding and the fish are looking better already. If things change I have a hospital tank set up.

[@davidjames1815]

Thank you for the beautiful betta flag. That was very kind of you.😊🎉

[@Horlokx]

Can leaves/water collected during this 20° weather still be suitable?

[@Someoneonthisplanet1979]

changes in water chemistry happen all the time in nature, all over the planet. the difference in water chemistry in the amazon during the dry and monsoon season is huge for example.

[@FatherFish]

Water chemistry remains nearly unchanged in nearly all bodies of water. A monsoon will change that once a year but is reverts to its original state.

[@BlaBlaa-k5e]

KING 🤝

[@bluefish7809]

Dear father, how to keep plants alive? What kindnof lightening we need? How much watt per litre we will use and how many hours of timing is necessary?

[@FatherFish]

I like 1Watt per gallon. With LED the ratio is off, they are brighter.

[@Finstastic]

Hi father fish. Love your videos absolutely top class. What would you recommend for an african malawi tank mainy haplochromis and Aulonocara. How would one set that up as they are not good with plants. What are your suggestions on a tank like this. Please need some top quality advice and knowledge of yours. Thank you.

[@CA-tk8yn]

Every healthy body of water has some fresh water moving in it at least from time to time if not constantly. Accept small water change's before beginning this hobby. If you follow FF steps, you only have to do them minimally for the amount of joy you're getting to from caring for other life.

[@demonicdesires4673]

So do you recommend the exact same recipe no matter the intended freshwater fish you would like to keep? Like i never see a planted south american or african cichilid tank.

[@FatherFish]

yes

[@JoeyPierce]

👍

[@oliviapuchalla3865]

Hey! I have a dirt tank according to your method. First everything was fine. But after a view months my guppies are dying. The water parameters are fine and the shrimp and ember tetras are all fine. I keep an eye on not to over feeding. Temperature is good as well. Do you have any advice? I only had male guppies by the way.

[@FatherFish]

jopin us in the SHOAL. We will help you diagnose the problem fatherfish.fish

[@chben526]

Hello father.... Do you ever use undergravel filter?

[@FatherFish]

no

[@loyannmunyan1174]

So can I safely add wood from a local pond? I’m just setting up a 75 gallon tank and plan on using pond water from my local pond

[@FatherFish]

yes

[@elenasp3435]

hello! Is a sand substrate required even if the tank only has plants that feed of the water column?

[@FatherFish]

yes

[@elenasp3435]

@FatherFish thank you

[@mckrunchytoast2469]

Father fish I need some advice from you if you see this. I have a tank with 3 Dojo Loaches and 4 Bala Sharks (Tricolor sharkminow) and I haven't introduced anything new to my tank in well over a year but I've suddenly been hit with an Ich, now I am following your heating video and I usually keep my tank at 78-79 as is so I bumped it to 84 last night and then set it again to 87 this morning. Just to ensure slow warming and not to stress my guys out too much. is there anything else supplemental I can do? Add tea tree oil to help suppress any other infections, or is there anything preemptive I can do to ensure a secondary outbreak doesn't happen? I just found your videos last night while in a panic trying to see what I could do. I love my guys to death, I've had my largest loach Lenny for almost 3 years now and I don't want to let some, pardon my language, bastard parasite kill him. You've definitely got yourself a new subscriber now. Thanks to any advice you can give me.

[@FatherFish]

Contact me in the SHOAL goto fatherfish.fish to get the link. You are doing all that is needed. If the ick is not disappearing increase the temp by a degree. Leave it there for at least 4 days before lowering it to 82.

[@philcarlino6942]

After having a successful natural aquarium, keeping aquariums any other way seems not only absurd, but irresponsible to the creatures in our care.

[@saltykraken9471]

The absurdity is thinking this is the best way to keep a natural style aquarium. keep scooping random things from ponds and lakes into your tank. One wrong scoop and you're back to using chemicals to treat whatever problem you blindly introduced. or a bunch of dead fish. 🤷‍♂

[@cindycox9496]

Any ideas on 5 and 10 gal tanks? I have 1 betta in each there good just want info.

[@judygreen349]

Will this method work for concrete ponds?

[@FatherFish]

yes, with a sand substrate at least 4"

[@jennifermartin506]

Don’t be afraid to follow his method. It works.

[@RossIsBored]

Soil, 2x sand, 100 plants, pond leaves, high light, healthiest fish. Spread the word

[@cindycox9496]

Water fish do u use filters?

[@enchanting10]

I'm curious, too

[@omarfareed3777]

❤Sir i have 26gallon tank what the ratio of vitamin C tablet...

[@rastareptilerescue]

1/8th tablet g

[@FatherFish]

a full tablet will do no harm

[@rastareptilerescue]

@@FatherFish didn't know thx FF!! 🥳🎉

[@str8kronic]

Are all these tricks good for gold fish?

[@FatherFish]

yes

[@str8kronic]

​@FatherFish thank you for your reply. BTW, love your channel. Very helpful

[@shyammenon8632]

Dear Fatherfish , i have a vertical tank 3ft deep and 1 ft breadth. How can I bring an ecosystem in the conjusted small tank. What sought of a light should I put for a deep penetration towards the bottom? Please reply

[@FatherFish]

LED will penetrate the column. build substrate as described and look for plants that g row tall such as valisneria and Amazon swords.

[@shyammenon8632]

@FatherFish thanks alot. Can you give some recommendations on the light specifications?

[@josinavrooland5298]

Beste vader Fish, ik heb een bestaand aquarium met grind, veel planten en ik verschoon het 1 keer in de maand. Ik voer om de dag. Hoe kan ik opnieuw beginnen zoals u dat doet? Moet ik alles leeghalen en opnieuw inrichten, kunne de vissen en garnalen dit aan. Hoe los ik dit op? Kunt u raad geven? Hartelijke groet

[@thiagosantiago5002]

I have half inch of dirt and half inch sand from another tank then I capped it with 2 inches of sand

[@thepartydowner]

Father Fish. Can i add just sand to my gravel to help it after its been established for years. Because Id have to redo my substrate from scratch otherwise to put soil. My plants dont survive longer than a few months in the gravel. What about those soil pellets they sell in the stores?

[@rastareptilerescue]

Freeze mud in icecube tray n stick under gravel den put sand pon top it 2x the height

[@FatherFish]

Yes, capping with sand will encourage a soil layer to develop.

[@FatherFish]

yes, just add sand

[@eddie6436]

What about flukes and internal parasites?

[@FatherFish]

Try paying attention

[@jernigan23]

What type of plants do you use for a turtle tank?

[@jonisolis9645]

You made need to do plants that come out the top of the tank and keep the bottom of the plants protected in tall pots.

[@assassin3003]

Unfortunately many fish that I get sometimes just arrive extremely sick and deformed injecting my other fish and I get tons of loses, I try not to use medication but if my tanks get infected because of new fish I have no choice, I haven't introduced new fish since the last bunch that caused a problem and since then I haven't had a single fish loss.

[@FatherFish]

set up an isolation tank for new fish to keep for one month before putting them with youuur healthy fish

[@4pineapple671]

why did my resurrection jar turn black? It's 3 days old. I did it exactly like you showed. I don't know if it's normal or not..?

[@FatherFish]

Did you have dirt in it. That was a mistake I made early. Just leaves nd water prevents fouling

[@rastareptilerescue]

​@@FatherFishcan also use a sand cap in a resurrection jar to prevent dis FF 🎉

[@FishFanatic_1]

Am I still able to have a healthy aquarium with gravel

[@FatherFish]

It will require serious effort.

[@cainereece2047]

Is there anyone with good advice regarding internal parasites in clown loaches,I have found,alot of loaches are skinny and sickly at shops,apart from praziquantral,there is little info on this problem.

[@FatherFish]

feeding garlic helps

[@cainereece2047]

@@FatherFish Thankyou,yes I feed chopped,crushed garlic once a week,learnt from you a year ago,tried praziquantral,but loaches wasted away,one is healthy and thriving,I guess loaches must be bit unlucky with parasites, API general cure is banned in New Zealand also.

[@herrdoctorsloth9801]

Aaaaahh, but what about us Malawi Cichlid keepers? I have tried keeping jungle val in pots and even anubias bateri, but it always gets eaten by my peacocks who won't tolerate anybody (even each other lol) else either for cleaning. Womp womp sad

[@FatherFish]

Dunno? I keep Malawis in planted tanks with no issues. Deep substrate with heavy hardscape and high light

[@herrdoctorsloth9801]

@FatherFish I use high ph substrate at least 3" deep. But my fish redecorate with great vigor. That's why I tried 4" square pots with 3" dirt, and topped off with fluorite and 1.5 "granite river stones to stop digging into the dirt. Even krinium was eaten! I plan on switching from breeding peacocks (too difficult to sell) to proper planted tanks for breeding angelfish and corydoras, as well as propagating anubias, amazon swords, and red ludwiga for my local fish/pet stores.

[@sumanth6000]

Hello father fish... How are you? I had set up a 70 liter aquarium as per your instructions, and added 6 platies after a week. After few days only 1 platy is alive with few snails. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite every thing is fine, except TDS. TDS is increasing like crazy every week. This tank is experimental tank to keep discus fish by making a big tank in feature. To reduce TDS i did some water changes from tap water but didnt work. Then i used RO water (30 TDS) and changed the full water of aquarium, still it is increasing. Now my tank water TDS is around 180. Kindly help me regarding this🙏, pls reply thanks in advance.

[@jonisolis9645]

what kind of soil and sand did you use and do you have rocks in it?

[@sumanth6000]

@@jonisolis9645 50% coco peat, 25% garden soil and 25% organic compost, and other ingredients as per father fish recommendations. Fine river sand washed thoroughly. And no rocks in it.

[@FatherFish]

TDS of 180 is still soft. When it hits about 500 it is hard. Do not worry about TDS. If it stays below about 350 it is perfect for discus. Truly you are better off not measuring TDS. It does not effect anything until it becomes brackish at about 1200.

[@sumanth6000]

@@FatherFish Thanks a lot for replying 🙏. Can you kindly tell me or make a video regarding how to stabilize the TDS. Bcos I'm topping off with RO water to control the TDS.

[@uzyh7622]

Hi, I can't find the materials you recommend putting into the soil here in Israel, what should I do???

[@philcarlino6942]

Get mud from a healthy body of water (pond, river, lake) and use that. You can use the sand from that body of water as the cap too. That’ll be the most stable aquarium you can get.

[@debrascheer4577]

I used organic potting soil and some organic fertilizers

[@FatherFish]

contact us in the SHOAL. We will help you find the right material.

[@FatherFish]

It will deplete in about 2 years. Aqua Preta will give it permanent life.

[@uzyh7622]

@@FatherFish Charcoal is good in soil ?

[@metalheadz07]

Love fatherfish some say the godfather 🙏🙏

[@ForkZandKniveZ7]

Father fish, I need help. I am a member in the discord and I go by Fork. I haven’t been able to solve what is wrong with my tanks but I’ve done everything as intended by the method. I get huge piles of mulm that not only covers the sand but also gets caught in leaves. I have BBA starting, super high TDS that I can’t seem to bring down (900+ sometimes reaching over 1000) my fish’s seem to have stunted growth, some of them have abnormally reddish pink gills, I recently had 1 randomly disappear out of no where showing no signs of anything. It was there one day and the next it was gone. My plants also don’t do phenomenally. Maybe it’s due to light and shade from other plants et. I’m still figuring that part out but it’s worth noting everything that I’m facing. In my betta tank, my betta has dealt with a lot of sickness which I’ve successfully treated 3 times now but she never seems fully vibrant and energetic like she once was. Both tanks heavily planted and both have 2 oversized sponge filters each. My betta tank even has a food web established. What can I do?

[@ForkZandKniveZ7]

I have very stable parameters in both tanks and only feed about 2-3 times a week

[@ForkZandKniveZ7]

The only thing I haven’t done too much of is adding material like leaf litter from a water source as I haven’t found an accessible source of water that is clean. Aside from in my substrate when I used a bit of muck from a creek. Maybe I don’t have enough biodiversity of microbes to break down the decaying material in my tank?

[@FatherFish]

Sounds like a good candidate for some water changes. 10% every three days for 2-3 weeks. That will get the TDS down and resolve some of the other issues you are having. The goal is not to never do water changes but to do them as needed and infrequently.

[@FatherFish]

set up a resurrection jar from the available resource and see what develope. you probably will be pleasently surprised.

[@ForkZandKniveZ7]

@@FatherFish thank you! I will give it a try and hopefully after doing both the water changes and adding my res jar, things might turn around

[@jonisolis9645]

🐟🌿🪴🌱🐟

[@CorleoneAquarium]

Wat voor aarde kan ik gebruiken en waar kan ik dat kopen in Nederland??

[@debrascheer4577]

Father fish will give you the recipe

[@FatherFish]

ein der SHOAL

[@henryrooyakkers8510]

@@FatherFishhahaha 😂 The person asked in Dutch and Father Fish answering in German ! He's really funny!

[@gailtenaglia4398]

How do you help a fish that has been bullied . Not a happy fish will mot swim , wants to sit in the bottom of a 10 gal . With his mate . 1 tabelspoom of sale per 10 gal . Also brown water from alder çones .

[@FatherFish]

move him or the bully

[@ryanschroeder8263]

But, F2 could you talk to me like I’m 6 too?

[@TryNaturalAquariam]

That Oscar reminds me of WTF is wrong with peoples if they not capable of taking care of fish why even get them 😢

[@davidjames1815]

The absurdity of fouling and cleaning an aquarium repetitiously for yrs lends itself to comedy. Yet it's actually not very funny bcz fish can be harmed in this process.

[@nitinramola954]

Ich killed all my 12 cardinal Tetra a week later I brought them home. Epsom salt, 28 Celsius temperature, At last Ich medicines methyl blue etc nothing worked they were still in quarantine tank I have no idea what could more I could have done scared to bring new fish ever again

[@FatherFish]

You could have increasedthe temperature to 30c and they would have survived.

[@JoeyPierce]

I often wondered if having a 4 inch sand cap as I do prevents the plants getting nutrients from the dirt below because it's so deep

[@philcarlino6942]

It will eventually work. The plants will send out roots to find the soil and the soil will creep upwards. It just takes patience. My cap is more than FF recommends (accidentally). However, I think in time this will only create a more sustainable system since there’s more substrate for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria.

[@FatherFish]

perferctly explained!

[@philcarlino6942]

@@FatherFish working with nature makes so much sense. Thank you for breaking the conditioning of mass marketing, Father Fish! I love my natural aquariums

[@JoeyPierce]

@@philcarlino6942 thanks Phil

[@JoeyPierce]

@@philcarlino6942 me too now. I was ready to quit the hobby. I was so sick of tank cleaning, constantly messing with them and fish still dying unexpectedly. Now everything takes care of itself & I've expanded my tanks including getting a cichlid tank which I would never had felt confident having in the past.

[@SuperBoppy]

Foul... clean...foul...clean. A lot of YT videos tell you that's normal. BTW, you must go to the LFS and buy all sorts of chemicals as well to keep your tank "healthy". If you don't do these things, it's your fault. Then FF comes along and brings fish-keeping sanity. Until I discovered the FF method, I can't tell you how many times I was tempted to just give up on the hobby.

[@moranag209]

I'm too afraid to put anything from the pond into the aquarium

[@FatherFish]

Where do you think the fish and plants came from?

[@moranag209]

@FatherFish not from my local pond for sure