The First Thing You Should Always Do When You Have Aquarium Problems.

[@MFTAQ]

This right here is what I tell all new fish keepers. Sloooooow down and be patient and just research you will learn more by slowing down and being patient. With that said it took me forever (like until I dirted my first tank) to realize this.

[@Fishtory]

100%

[@CatFish107]

When I set up my first little tank with plants, I knew to be patient while it cycled. What surprised the pants off me was how much faster aquatic plants grow, as compared to my houseplants. My patience had been calibrated by doing jade mini forests, and pseudo bonsai. Then I try growing dwarf sag, and frogbit in a heated tank with root tabs and liquid ferts? BOOM! explosive growth. Yay!

[@furiousstyles08]

I appreciate this. When I first started fishkeeping, a savvy LFS owner told me "declaring war on algae (or anything) only increases more of it", and then explained the importance of the basics (managing light, feedings, water changes, etc) and using those to rule out problems. Having said that, sometimes it is using the right chemical. One day, my congo tetras mysteriously died off despite my tests showing 0 ammonia. Went to my FB fish group and Dr. Tom Barr himself pointed out that municipalities sometimes boost the chlorine in the tap water in response to algae outbreaks in the reservoir. No way would I have figured that out by myself. Got a more potent dechlorinator and haven't had that problem since then. Sometimes the problems are SUPER sytemic.

[@Fishtory]

You are correct there. Tom is also a wizard lol

[@robertbattye4215]

I don't you's cemecools any more I do it the natural way to me is better 👍

[@fakeout735]

So totally agree so many don't "look before they leap" and make their mess worse

[@Fishtory]

It's so much harder to try and help people too

[@DashDrones]

Patience is key! Breathe 😂

[@johnmanrow2667]

In time, most of us learn to look at the aquarium as a living organism. On the other hand, some people repeat their mistakes over and over for years and never learn.

[@Fishtory]

Totally lol

[@carlosseptiencuevas1613]

Jedi aquaknowledge Alex!😊🎉❤

[@MrWhatsInTheCooler]

Nice timing this video was so personally relevant I feel exposed lol

[@Fishtory]

Haha we all need reminders

[@Wintersdark]

Patience is always the thing, for everything in fishkeeping. Slow down, watch, let nature work, make rational choices not panicked ones.

[@Fishtory]

Bingo

[@johnmanrow2667]

When in doubt, do a water change. Remember, the solution to pollution is dilution!

[@someguy3167]

Except when the problem is your tap water has ammonia in it now :(

[@msbranen6261]

God bless you

[@johnmanrow2667]

Thank you for this most excellent video, Alex. Going into panic mode can sometimes happen even with long time fishkeepers. We no longer have an excuse not to do research on a problem. We all have computers, even if it's a smartphone, to research the situation. Don't go with the first post that you find. Check a few sources, and find out what the majority of aquarists are saying. Find, and bookmark some websites or forums that are knowledgeable of aquarium keeping. Don't panic and run to your nearest big box store, as the majority of the time they just want to make a sale, and sell you some chemical that they say will cure all your problems.

[@Fishtory]

Very true about the stores... good point, John. Thank you

[@DeaconBeanCooter]

GOLDEN ❤☀️🧂🐝

[@mr.octopus6972]

Even a 100 gal aquarium is a very tiny envoronment with a fragile ecosystem which hold it's balance almost by miracle. Every bit of change you do in there has drastic consequences so it must be done over a certain period of time. Instant gratification do not go well with the hobby. It is more like a never ending journey from which you do learn a little bit of something every day. I have this comunity tank from which I took out 12 HUGE platy females because they grown so much it was begining to feel very overcrowded in there. The day after I've done that, the water, decors, glasses and plants all became very dirthy. Now I know why those platy where getting so fat so quick. They where eating all the dead plants and algaes keeping the tank clean a.f. Everything you do in there has consequences. Think of it like a giant ripping the roof of your house to "rescape" your furnitures, walls and windows every now and then. Sometimes feeding you only meat, sometimes nothing at all and you wouldn't choose when the lights goes off... Yeah... better take your time, your little friends will thank you for that.

[@LushSaltyAquariums]

human nature to "fight or flight" as opposed to sagacity of "pause." TY for the reminder :)

[@Fishtory]

So true

[@melwohl37]

Lol step BACK from the aquarium 😅❤ slow your roll 😅another great video thanks alex ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Fishtory]

My pleasure!! Haha

[@beastfr0meast93]

i am 14 seconds in 😂 Great quality, did you get a new phone? I like your intro and editing. And now, let me finish the video

[@Fishtory]

Just really good lighting actually. Thanks thoug

[@beastfr0meast93]

every time i trim my plants i cross my fingers that I did not take too much out 😂 Many ask me how to have a perfect aquarium and I answer. Make it simple so you are sure that you can handle it daily and for years. It is like you say really difficult to give the "right answer" that fits everyone. It is a learning curve for anyone who has an aquarium or do other stuff in life. in my opinion, many tend to overthink because they have been reading on Facebook and such. They feel sorry when they loose there fish and heck, I felt sorry when I lost my first fish. S**t happens and everyone tries their best. I have to say the video quality did something good for me, just as feedback :) The lighting was also on par 🤙

[@survivalofthefishiest]

Loving these

[@Fishtory]

You are so welcome!

[@illgrooves]

Need merch. T-shirt, trucker hats, hoodie...

[@Fishtory]

I'm working on redoing all that actually. Stay tuned. Merch funds always go to non-profits

[@kbhnanofish2042]

excellent video.. ty I shared it..

[@Fishtory]

Awesome thank you kindly!

[@anthonyhendricks7377]

Great video as always. I really hope this helps folks. Age and experience has brought patience. When I was younger a ran to the pet shop for bottles an bottles of everything! Later I remembered my Aunt having natural fixes for about everything issue with a aquarium. The biggest way to have a healthy environment for the aquarium is always memic nature. After all.... the environment we create is nothing but a extremely small window into the natural habitat. Thanks for sharing. You are truly an inspiration!!! 🙂

[@Fishtory]

Amen!

[@garystein9536]

Excellent real world advice Alex. Observation is key and every day is a training day

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. I try and remind myself of it daily as well haha

[@VolcanixAquatix]

FIRST! But also, awesome to have a Fishtory vid for breakfast 😁😁 Also, staghorn algae is my bane, lol

[@Fishtory]

Lol I hear you

[@johnmanrow2667]

Thank you for this short, but very intensive deep dive on a very important subject.

[@Fishtory]

Very welcome

[@CatFish107]

Big hurry needed when the leak is big. If you don't have water pouring everywhere, you might have time to Stop, Assess, Plan. Heck, we do that at work in every emergency. SAP.

[@Fishtory]

Hah agreed. Panic time lol

[@jesselee3591]

Amazing, perfect! Thank you for the wake-up call! Testing water should always be first! I’m def guilty of complacency

[@Fishtory]

I think we all are at times

[@anga9495]

I always move slow unless it's very urgent like temperature or on overload of something I know I'm responsible for. Like CO2 or food. Cloudy water usually resolves on its own. And, problem shooting like you suggest here are key.

[@Fishtory]

Totally

[@someguy3167]

Great video, when you mentioned one fish dying but everything else being fine it made me think of something that I don't see talked about a lot. Often people talk about fish from petco, petsmart, or other stores seemingly randomly dying within a year of being bought. I know a lot of people blame this on sickness or genetics, and that is probably the case, but I think more people should consider, how old was the fish when you got it? If you are buying fish raised on huge farms they were probably not fed huge amounts as to grow to adults as quick as possible. They were also probably not sorted out for shipment Right as they turn adults. Especially short lived fish (fish that live on average 3 years or less) you could very easily be getting a fish that is over a year or more old and not even know it. When Petco buys 100 adult guppies they are getting the cheapest ones, they might even be getting old breeding stock that are very very old. I remember Keeping Fish Simple talking about, I think rams, saying that Australia almost always gets old breeding stock so they are always old when they get them. This can also effect wild caught fish, as if they are fully grown you can't know their age. Bamboo shrimp are said to have a "2 year" lifespan" but I know plenty of people that have had them for way longer. I believe the 2 year lifespan is because they are almost all wild caught as adults and you can't know their age.

[@Fishtory]

Very true. Good points

[@CatFish107]

Vinegar diluted half and half with water in a dollar store spray bottle is an excellent, non-toxic glass cleaner. Leave the ammonia out. I use the vinegar spray as a general purpose spray cleaner on most everything. If it's a surface that could use sanitizing, a dilute bleach follow-up can be used. Low cost, works great.

[@Fishtory]

Great suggestion

[@DelkaSable]

no, you can't stop me, I gona press dat like button

[@Fishtory]

Lol

[@Mr.SilverSmith]

I sent you an email asking for help last week, this video was for me

[@Fishtory]

Did I write back? If not, please resend. 🙏

[@someguy4844]

Windex makes ammonia free cleaner. same windex no ammonia, its what i use!

[@Fishtory]

Oh cool. Good to know. Thanks

[@Bogzerdawgs]

Okay I have one. I changed NOTHING in my tank. I had 3 Amano shrimp for the last 6 months or so and 13 lesser rasboras and 7 pygmy corys in a 10 gallon. The amano shrimp all of a sudden started hiding and then started turning pink and then one seemed dead but the swimmers on it still moved so I took it out and squished it, one disappeared and then the last one was dead in the front of the tank last Friday when I came home. Snails and fish are all fine. Only the 3 shrimp died.

[@Fishtory]

Hmm could be some sort of copper or the ph/tds perhaps? Very Odd though. Sorry to hear that

[@Firestorm777666]

A blessing and a curse, I'm not home all week. So when I make a change, I dont get to see my tank again for 5 days. I increased my light by 1hr last weekend. Tomorrow I get to see the results of that change.

[@Fishtory]

I understand how that goes. Best wishes!

[@aniblair9650]

I was recently thinking about how I have changed my approach in the year of my obsession. At first I wanted a show tank as fast as possible but slowly for various reasons, it has become a constant labor of love to do whatever I am currently working on. I think about what I want to do next and figure out how to go about (afford) it. Overall my tanks look better and I am finally able to see at least some of my goals come to fruition.

[@Fishtory]

Love that!

[@kurtbrutting5118]

My 1st tank I was always stressed out. Now all my newest setups have no filters and run themselves.

[@Fishtory]

Love to hear it!

[@michaelprince7825]

This panic mode mentality used to be me in the past. Great tips and advice Alex

[@Fishtory]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mondraymondo]

Remember King Bumi's advice, to wait, and listen, or in this case observe. Im calming down and making plans on what i will do to fight some planaria and hydras for my shrimp tank. Turns out I have a lot of alternatives before I have to buy no planaria as last resort

[@Fishtory]

Indeed best of luck

[@mickeysr5817]

Great video 😊 Detroit

[@Fishtory]

Cheers

[@TCS_Aquatics]

Like Father Fish always says stop messing with it! This is great life advice as well, just slow down, think about, and it will come to you. Often without ever having to do ANYTHING at all 🙏

[@Fishtory]

Absolutely!

[@ashenwalls3558]

Ohhh yeah, people jump so fast to adding a bottle of something to the tank to fix the problem. We gotta think critically and understand not just the theories of what's happening, but the nuances of our own aquariums and how they work.

[@Fishtory]

You said it

[@vampgaia]

My Dad taught me that few things are a true emergency. Don’t panic, think instead.

[@Fishtory]

Wise dude 😀

[@NamelessNancy1312]

1:27 WOW I have dopamine tattoo too not far from where yours is!

[@Fishtory]

"Great minds..."

[@purposebredlabs1992]

Love this video!

[@Fishtory]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sghettinona]

YaY ALEX. Thanks! - I find: the less I mess around in my tanks, the better!

[@garystein9536]

I started out with my hands constantly in the one tank I had at first. Now I have many tanks with minimal interference

[@Fishtory]

So true

[@rutheames979]

Another great video 😊 what is the striped fish at 8:30 minutes. Looks like a rasbora(?), but I'm not sure the species.

[@Fishtory]

Trigonastigma Somphongsi

[@rutheames979]

​@@Fishtory great! Thanks for taking the time to reply 😊

[@dixsigns1717]

Hello Alex, you made me jump... 🤣🤣💪💪🙏🙏🙏🙏💪💪🤣🤣

[@Fishtory]

Sorry!

[@dixsigns1717]

@@Fishtory 💖💖💪💪🤣

[@guildmaster808]

I'm missing one of three baby discus for a few days now. The most disturbing thing is I can't find it. No way it jumped. Maybe my clown pleco dragged it under something and ate it after it died. All the other fish seem fine. I did a precautionary water change but other than that I've done nothing. When a guppy or something like that dies in my live bearer tanks I just let the snails take care of it. One fish dying isn't always environmental and its not more than a healthy tank can handle.

[@Fishtory]

I agree. Especially if it's not some huge fish...and wasn't a prolonged disease

[@guildmaster808]

Oh I definitely wouldn't just leave an Oscar carcass floating in there lol. But pulling out hard scape ect looking for a small one may do more harm than good and likely may have already been consumed by its tank mates. These discus are only about quarter sized so its likely that one just failed to thrive, had an internal birth defect or whatever. It happens.

[@malissastafford3323]

This isba good word not only for fish keepers but also for all areas of life. If people would just slow down, get out of the panic/emotional state of mind, take a few deep breaths and see what is actually happening, they could prevent futher issues from acting in panic and making it worse. Also some people see a problem and want to use the equivalent of an atomic bomb to take out the eqivalent of a blade of grass when a minor adjustment may be all that is needed.

[@Fishtory]

Oh totally! I have to remind myself constantly

[@malissastafford3323]

@@Fishtory me too!

[@dejannisic9770]

my solution that almost always work, don't feed for a day or two and let situation resolve naturally , if there's too much algae there's a lot of nitrates, fish will gobble on algae instead of food, and it usually work

[@dejannisic9770]

Cloudy water means bacterial bloom, so no food until it clears up, something will eat those bacteria eventually if you have full Eco-system running. for example ii even add couple of deciliters of cloudy water, that make for this purpose to some of my tanks on daily basis as a source of food for smaller organisms that fish can eat , and it clears up in an hour without any intervention, some micro-predatory fish would be a challenge to keep alive with conventional foods

[@Fishtory]

Great advice. Thank you

[@Slawsers]

Recently had a mini fight with a algae bloom, i tried figuring out what was going on questioning everytning, too much fert? Too much light? Co2 machine messed up? Over feeding? And my genius self figured it out! Simple i had a window bouncing way too mucu sunlight into the aquarium. Windows closed, manually removed algae and boom we are back to normal now and colorful plants without a green hairy/slimy algae, sometimes the issues is way simpler then you think

[@Fishtory]

Right on. Way to deduce what the issue was. Now I bet that will never occur again also

[@Slawsers]

@@Fishtory yes my biggest F-ups are usually the ones that stick with me out of embarrassment for doing that error. I always want the best for my fish and plants and never try to stay stuck in my ways and try to cope with errors instead of trying to fix and better them.

[@MandyJane123700]

Excellent advice. Your videos have helped me through a few panicky moments over the past couple years.

[@Fishtory]

Glad to hear it. I'm honored

[@LadeanaWhite]

Observation before action/intervention . You hit all the points here Alex! 😊☮❤🐠🦐🪴

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Thank you for this video 👍👍need to see more like this one. Thanks

[@Fishtory]

Thank you. I hope you have a wonderful day!

[@johnjwedrall4290]

@@Fishtory you're welcome 😊 👍

[@TheStatusIsNotQuo799]

Thank you!! I had a tank crash last month and totally panicked - threw all the chemicals in, spent hours trying to fix it and sleepless nights. I couldn’t stop what had started, and I lost money and time and sanity on something I was later able to trace back to Windex - just like you said. Thanks for the reminder, I needed it today. Random - I haven’t searched yet, but have you ever raised tadpoles in an aquarium? I rescued some in the pool we had to empty and they’re doing good; but not much *good* info out there on raising tadpoles.

[@Fishtory]

I have raised tad poles, they will eat any fish that fits in their mouth, but otherwise it's straight forward, until they need to get up on land anyhow

[@B3gonias]

Not the most helpful, but as a broke college kid I rescued tadpoles from a mud puddle. I kept them outside in two deep mixing bowls that I made mud ramps in, then filled with water every other day. I fed them any bugs I found, lots of slugs. I didn’t lose many and ended up with dozens of toads. Some might say an infestation worth of toads. They’re pretty hardy creatures, good luck! Hope they do well!

[@Fishtory]

@@B3gonias right on! Out nativen amphibians are in big trouble as it is.

[@martischoltz6280]

Difficult to learn to sit on my hands but I did. Did the massive water changes even before testing. My shrimps did not appreciate it😢 Thanks Alex, as usual useful content. PS Thought you would be recovering from your adventure 😊

[@Fishtory]

Thanks. I just still have more fish related things on the brain I think lol

[@Korvmannen]

Honestly, part of why water changes are effective is that it allows people to _do something_ while effectively giving themselves the time to slow down a bit. If there was something nasty in the water (who knows, maybe a draft caused some cleaning agent to blow into your aquarium), it's high ammonia, low oxygen, or something else, a water change will work double-duty of making sure it's not any of the "easy water change fix" issues, while slowing down.

[@Fishtory]

Yes I definitely agree

[@Jamjam1256]

Thanks Alexander for a perfectly timed video for me! I currently have a sick and stressed betta who I had in a planted tank with two African dwarf frogs . It didn’t go well as the frogs completely rule the tank and stressed the betta to its limit. It’s now in its own tank recovering, which will take time! Your video reminded me to just relax, ensure the betta has healthy water parameters, and a varied diet, and give it time to get back to health. Thanks again

[@jasonupton7768]

Question . All water parameters good and temp good but loosing healthy fish and eating but next day not eating then dead. 125 gallon tank been running for 5 months filter from old tank on it. Heavily planted doing great and no snail death. Loosing a fish every 3 to 4 days.

[@Fishtory]

Sounds like a parasites problem... perhaps tape worms or camellanus worms. If you can get levamisol, I'd try dosing that

[@Rorther]

Also people often make like a 50% water change, which completly disrupts anything. If you think it need some water change, changing 10-20% of the volume gonna be much better. And you repeat process if its still needed later on. Unless ofc it's some kind of intoxication for medicine or chemical product.

[@DashDrones]

Or no water changes at all! I've never changed the water in any of my tanks, everything is thriving, fish spawning and fry growing up on their own.

[@Fishtory]

Well it's fine to skip water changes most the time in a planted tank...but as said above, there are good reasons you *may* want to, In rare cases

[@Rorther]

@@Fishtory I still think small water changes are still mostly needed for most people. Unless people use RO water for top offs, which i know isn't the majority at all.

[@DashDrones]

@@Rorther I'd love to know the reasons from you and Alex. Most of the tanks are over a year old, full of plants, leaves, fish, shrimp and microorganisms. Everything is doing great as mentioned, crystal clear water always and top off with mineral water. I don't want to do something wrong so appreciate your thoughts..

[@DashDrones]

@@Fishtory also wanted to say, I don't have algae issues and the water is never ever cloudy. Thanks for your advice 👍

[@nirvanaquatics]

Patience is something I wasn’t good at like at all when I first started this hobby, but the past few years I have realized that there is no rush, and part of the enjoyment comes from slowing down and just observing, watching the little processes unfold over time.

[@Fishtory]

Awesome. That's a realization I had...but sometimes I still get antsy lol

[@nirvanaquatics]

@@Fishtory we are all guilty of impatience and anxious anticipation every once in a while 😂 I feel like that’s a very human experience. It makes the final product that much more satisfying, though!

[@rudybriskar5267]

I'm less than 48 hours into a new build, my third deep substrate tank. Everyone is healthy and active. When I clean the glass I use DWV. It's all natural and evaporates. I used a half sand and half gravel cap in the other two, this time I used strictly sand. I just got the bigger chunks of wood out, this time I sifted my soil. All three times I added dried banana peels and eggshells, both ground into powder. I also added some manure, lime, epsom salt, diatomaceous earth and some osmocoat (sp?) then moistened it with tank water from the tank I'm replacing. I run my lights eight hours a day, no water changes and I feed every other day. I guess technically it's a Father Fish build. My other two I used alder leaves and cones, mildly black water tanks and while it's definitely beneficial to the ecosystem I'm LOVING the clarity of my new build so I'm not going to add any leaves or cones to this one. It's home to three Albino Corydoras, three Kuhli Loaches and a dozen Green Tiger Barbs. The Barbs were more hurried in the 20 high but only at first in the new tank, now they're settled in and enjoying their new surroundings. 8:21

[@Fishtory]

Sounds well planned and researched. I love to hear it! Please let me know how it's growing in a few months if you remember 🙏 cheers

[@tinynina76]

You are so right! I have to stop myself from panicking. It keeps me from enjoying my fish...

[@Fishtory]

You and me both!

[@voluntaryismistheanswer]

I spent the first two years in a mad continual panic, afraid to put ungloved hands in the water. Calm is great advice.

[@Fishtory]

I hope you are more at ease now my friend!

[@AgxntAqua]

Im pretty new still, but one thing ive learned is that besides a good water conditioner, you really don't need any mystery chemicals to get something accomplished in your tank. Most issues are going to have a holistic fix, and oftentimes its only an issue for the keeper anyways. A lot of complaints that i see are aesthetic ones. Ones where you really have all the time innthe world to fix them because the fish dont care either way

[@deedraclimer5750]

I approach this the same way i do with humans-i prefer the natural cure and it's my first line of defense. But/and/also, sometimes meds (antibiotics/antifungal/antiparisitics) are the best choice. YMMV.

[@AgxntAqua]

​@deedraclimer5750 I'm in canada so med choices are very limited. We basically rely on preventative measures like vigilant water monitoring , tannins, aquarium salt and epsom salts up here lol

[@Fishtory]

Very true. That's the reasonable mindset for any delicate procedure, I think.

[@deedraclimer5750]

I wish I had seen this video before I spent $80 on meds only to have the issue resolve with a hospital tank and salt.

[@AgxntAqua]

Do you keep them long term in the hospital tank? I usually just do 15 minutes dips with higher concentration because I don't have a cycled quarantine tank

[@Fishtory]

We all have been there I think. Live and learn

[@deedraclimer5750]

@@AgxntAqua i kept her in there for a couple of days. Luckily I had a cycled tank that was waiting for shrimp in a few weeks that I used as a hospital. Im going to set up a permanent hospital/QT tank now that Ive experienced the benefits first hand.

[@TheFurlock]

Thank you! ❤

[@Fishtory]

You're welcome 😊

[@terrygorsch386]

I tried a chemical for clearing the water and the fish acted really weird 👽

[@Fishtory]

Oh interesting. What brand?

[@terrygorsch386]

@@Fishtory Tetra waterclarifer my Platies swam with their heads down 🤔🐠