Watch This BEFORE You Set Up a New Aquarium! 5 Things I Wish I Knew

Part of having experience in something is knowing what you'd do differently if you could go back in time and start over.
Here are some tips for any fishkeeper out there who's thinking of starting up a new tank.
#aquarium #fish #iwishiknew #tipsandtricks #tips #howto #fishkeeping #question #answer

[@shaunyboy6605]

I think my number one thing i wish i knew before getting into the hobby is not taking everything so literal. Some things may not work for you but will for others and vice versa. We could all set up the same tank with the same fish, substrate and plants and all end up with a different result. So taking everything with a grain of salt is very important in my opinion. Great video by the way 😊

[@MeanOldLady]

And most things don't even work from tank to tank! ^^;

[@lisadouglas2963]

You are a breath of fresh air. Keep going, love your video.

[@TamTalksTanks]

That's really made me smile - thanks for your kind words! 🥰 I'm really glad you liked it.

[@geraintjones9240]

Great video. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has an aquascaping vision only for it to turn into a jungle😊. The fish are happy and so are the plants that's all that counts.

[@TamTalksTanks]

That's absolutely right. We can prune our jungles when we have the time and energy, but for now, the fish are loving their extra hiding spots!

[@Scaperoot79]

Thank you for putting this list together. I wish I had seen videos like this when I started. I've lost so many fish and plants and nearly quit several times. The fish losses still hurt, but I now understand that these things happen. My introduction to the hobby came from watching IAPLC videos, so you can imagine how out of reach it felt! Then I found MD fish tanks and everything changed. Your videos will help many new hobbyists. I'm so happy to have found your channel, you're lovely🙂

[@TamTalksTanks]

Hey! Thanks so much for such lovely feedback. 🥰 Jeez! Talk about comparison being the thief of joy! I watch videos like that from time to time as well. Just remember that they have loads of money to spend on their setups and usually heaps of experience and time. What they often don't show is how the scape performs over a period of time (even six months makes a huge difference to how a scape looks!). I like MDs tips on setting up tanks on a budget! 🙂 Aquariums are so expensive even on their own... We don't get dollar per gallon sales in the UK so we easily pay £70 for a 25L/6gal tank. Disgusting! I'm really glad you enjoyed the video. 🥰

[@AquariumDailyUK]

As always a great video Tamara. You deserve the subs and channel recognition. You have put a lot of work into the videos and are showing a wealth of experience. It won't be long and you will have that 1K. 🤣🥰

[@TamTalksTanks]

Aw shucks! 😝 Thank you! It took some work to get this video recorded and published at all, between equipment failures and my wee anklebiter; I'm so happy that it's being well received! 😂 Just in absolute awe at it all. I didn't think the channel would grow to 50 subscribers, never mind 600 people interested in what I've got to say and the Q&A format of comments. 🤔 Saying that, I think if enough people have the same questions, I'll start doing Q&A videos. It's a joy being able to help people enjoy the hobby rather than to become frustrated and sad, only to eventually quit when it's not working out. There's a lot of useless products out there that are only designed to kill fish and line somebody's pockets. What a ramble! Sorry lol! 😆

[@MeanOldLady]

I do like fine sand, but if you even look at it, it'll kick up a plume. =p No wait, that's just the cories being cute again. ^^ ETA: I put down all my substrates before my hardscapes so I don't scratch the glass or risk breakage. I usually start with a heavy clay layer (because we have striking, bright red clay here), then the compost, gravels & finally sand & a few decorative pebbles.

[@TamTalksTanks]

LOL! Brilliant tips! I think I'll borrow those when it's time to rescape the tank! 😂❤️

[@heaven7360]

The only thing about floating plants is that with that huge coverage and it covers the entire surface very soon, it's hard to feed my fish. There's just no open space. To remove it is a constant chore which takes away from my time. I have it though, and duckweed is primary. I can't bring myself to like it, but I get what you say when you say it's surely a nice excess nutrient/nitrate vacuum cleaner. I don't use fertilizers as I don't see any help from them. So many people use them, but most all my plants are doing well once my tanks ran for quite a while. Thanks for your videos. You take your time and give so much useful information!

[@TamTalksTanks]

When I remove duckweed, I remove massive chunks of it at a time, probably around 80% of it so that it takes a couple of weeks to grow back again. 😆 How thick does your duckweed canopy become? When I feed my fish, the food will just take longer to become saturated and once it's heavy enough, it'll sink down. I like it because it means that the food doesn't all fall to the bottom so quickly and the column feeders have more time to fill their bellies. 🙂 Thanks so much for the feedback! It's always good to know what I'm doing right. (And also what could be improved!)

[@heaven7360]

@@TamTalksTanks Maybe it's just the mood I've been in or the fact it's growing much better now...ha ha....as my tanks age and such. I do take out a bunch as it covers the entire surface as I mentioned which causes various not so horrible but irritating issues. Also, I have a lot of tanks...nine of them. About four of them are with duckweed so that is part of it. I used the fine tooth comb method of removal that you suggested so it's better than using a net as I was doing.

[@rulkavian3225]

I fully agree. Floating plants help me to keep my water at 0 nitrates all the time. I only change some water from time to time to replenish some minerals and microelements. It's easier to remove some floaters than to make a water change. But I prefer limnobium (frogbit) and salvinia. They are less... sticky.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Strangely, salvinia didn't take to my tank very well. I think it's the current that it doesn't like because it's been thriving in the shrimp bowl. Duckweed isn't so bad to remove over a large surface, but it was a bit of an event whenever I had to remove it from the shrimp bowl before I replaced most of it with salvinia. The duckweed roots grew MASSIVE in the bowl! Must be down to the flow again because I only find the duckweed has long roots in the tank when I need to clean the pre-filter sponge to get the flow going again. Got to love the "work smarter, not harder" solution! 😆

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

here's a helpful hint, most stem plants grow very well as floating plants. rotala rotundafolia works particularly well just tossed in and left to float

[@TamTalksTanks]

True enough! Thanks for adding that. 🙂 I've actually got a collection of plants existing in the water column (that messy clump at the top/centre part of the tank) that have been there for a while simply because I don't know what I want to do with them yet! There's rotala in there and, strangely, some Cryptocoryne wendtii that's been happy to just chill near the surface. 🤔

[@FMAquascapes]

Beginners need to watch this ;) Great video!

[@TamTalksTanks]

Thank you! 🥰

[@matthew_thefallen]

I highly suggest that bigger is not better, always try out with smaller tanks. Thankfully I don't have enough space and I have always leaned into smaller tanks. It takes literally 15 minutes every few days to make maintenance on it.

[@TamTalksTanks]

I agree! I like this centrepiece tank for the living room, but I have to admit I have a bit of aquarium envy for people who have whole walls decorated with lots of smaller, beautiful tanks. ❤️ There's so much you can do with a small space! Even more with multiple small spaces. 😂

[@frankb600]

Everything you said was right on !!

[@TamTalksTanks]

Woo! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for tuning in!

[@billybobblogs3627]

Great video 👍 agree with everything you said. Co2 tried it and lost three fish over a three week period. Dont trust all the people at the aquatics shop. They will want to sell sell sell and tell you to change water every week or so. I now love my soil covered with couple of inch of sand and heavily planted tanks with pretty much no water change. Fish are thriving. I had great visions of becoming a master aquascaper but happy settling with jungle. Tanks change over time. Three babies in the mountain minnow tank. 😁 Ive spent a fortune on plants and pennies on fish. Getting the hang of things now two years on. Four nano tanks thriving. Water lettuce managed to get hold of a couple of months back. Great. Love crypts and frogbit. Find a slotted spoon perfect for dealing with excessive duck weed. Great video. Its great to experiment and im learning and loving fish keeping. Your tank looks great 👍 new sub

[@TamTalksTanks]

So sorry you've had bad experiences! It seems like a right of passage in the hobby, sadly! Some fish shops are more honest than others. I've found that even the chain local to me is really honest about what fish should go together, how the fish have been handled since arriving at the shop and so forth, yet I've had some bad experiences as well (see the Panda Corydora Massacre 😞). Still, we get back up and find what works! Honestly, I think the jungle look is fantastic. I want to redo my tank when I can justify the time/money/effort trifecta, and it's amazing the illusion of depth you can accomplish simply with different types of plants, with finer and broader leaves and different sized bits of hardscape. Four tanks! 🥰 I need to convince my fiancé that two is not enough lol! What size are your nano tanks?

[@billybobblogs3627]

@@TamTalksTanks All of my tanks I've found at the side of the road which has been great but I must say I would like to maybe get rid of a couple for a larger and deeper tank. Two of the tanks are only a foot deep which is limiting when at least three inches of that is substrate.two feet long. And one and a half feet long. Shrimp tank is a foot diameter cylinder and just over a foot. And the danio tank is nearly 2 by 1 but 17inches tall which gives a bit more scope for taller plants. Have to work with what you have. Only two tanks have filter running but with a very slow flow . Maybe you could convince your fiancé to accommodate just one more teeny tiny tank. I find the planning and building of a new tank always interesting pondering and wondering how and what different types of substrate I will use. I splashed out on some expensive fine sand on the one sand cap over pond compost with no additive other than root tabs. I've used builders sand and put a concoction into the soil. Every tank has different substrate but all capped with sand. It doesn't have to cost a fortune but the electric bill can. 😁

[@Craig.catfish]

Hi andrew showed me your channel just subbed ❤look forward to seeing more 😊

[@AquariumDailyUK]

Thanks Craig, Tamara puts out some awesome content.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Thank you both! 🥹 I'm so in awe that it's being so well received.

[@jaredenglish4864]

I had a tank full of duckweed... then i got a weather loach lol. He ate all of it in about three months and is so big now.

[@TamTalksTanks]

I didn't know they ate duckweed! That's so interesting!

[@jessl1934]

It's better to have a swamp monster arm from time to time than it is to have a tank that is a swamp monstrosity. Tbh I prefer azolla - under the right lighting conditions you can get a really beautiful diversity of hues from red to green, it is also exceptionally fast growing floater, the leaves themselves are very pretty, and it's easier to manage than duckweed. No visible root system like RRF has though, which is either a bonus if you prefer a cleaner looking aesthetic or it's a negative if you're trying to make a more conducive habitat for fry and shrimp. Just be careful if you intend to collect rocks for your aquarium yourself. Obviously there are laws and environmental considerations to be aware of but also you want to know what you're putting in your tank - that pretty rock with the green stripe running through it could be that way because it has a vein of copper in it, which may cause a massacre if you add it to a tank with shrimp and snails. Or it might have other minerals that can leach into your water column that can cause headaches. I'm not saying that it's necessarily a bad idea but I'd encourage people to approach this with caution, especially if geology isn't their thing.

[@TamTalksTanks]

That's very true! Thanks so much for addressing that; geology rocks but sometimes it's a pain in the bum! 😆 I love the look of azolla! Wow! That's definitely something I'd love to try in the future for my open-top shrimp bowl. Unfortunately the only floating plants I've seen for sale at my LFS is salvinia (also a great floater) but I shall keep my eyes peeled!

[@matthew_thefallen]

Great video! 🙌 Subscribed!

[@TamTalksTanks]

Thank you! Welcome to the TTT community. 😁 I'm glad you liked the video so much! If you've got any suggestions about what you'd like to see/any questions you'd like answered in more depth in a video, feel free to leave it in a comment!

[@drachior]

I wish i had known how little vendors know about their own fish and care for them. How terrible their health is, if you don't find the right shop. How confident vendors sell themselves and how quickly they turn around and shrug their shoulders pointing their finger at you when they sell you three platy males who naturally start trying to kill one another. wish i knew buying in vitro cups doesn't mean they may not be compromised. wish i knew how much i have to worry about disease and death when i only bought an aquarium to have more life around me. also wish i had bought a longer flatter aquarium, because corys have become by far my favourites :) and wish i knew about shrimp algae enough to tell it apart from being berried before it was too late for the poor thing. vendors didn't even know the disease existed. I also wish i had taken a bit more time with the tank before setting fish in. nothing bad happened , but once the animals are inside , it's not as easy and uncomplicated to change the interior. especially as you add new plants and realize you need some others for the species of fish you want. You can pretty much cycle a tank within a week with a bacteria starter and a good filter setup. BUt you'll probably spend 2 more weeks dipping your hands into the tank every few hours to reocate something. And that's just gonna put a number on the health of a fish that's probably sick and malnourished from the shop.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Oh my goodness! It sounds like you and your fish have had a really rough time of it. ☹️ I've had positive and negative experiences with bringing fish home (never forget The Great Panda Corydora Massacre. RIP.) and it's an awful feeling when you're so excited to have a thriving community and get your new fish situated, only to find that poor handling and quality control have snuffed out that excitement. Is there any chance of you finding a new fish shop? You might even be better off ordering from reputable online shops - the cost of shipping is often more expensive than the fish itself, but if you buy directly from a reputable breeder, you'll know the fish haven't had to endure the stress of being transferred multiple times, plus the stress of being in holding at the wholesaler's and the shop, in overcrowded conditions and people o'plenty walking by the tank. It's enough to frighten anyone to death. I hope you have more positive experiences as time goes on!

[@drachior]

Yeah , the fourth shop i visited happened to have someone who loves fishkeeping. could see it at a glance. 1: no pond fish - nothing above 200 litres. recommended aquarium size was bigger than normal. got printouts with information on species i was interested in. 2: Black walls, black soil , swimming plants and every tank is planted to offer some hiding spots. cappa leaves and alder cones in nearly every tank. 3: several tanks were labeled as quarantined and banned from selling. 4. Vibrant colors and lively confident behaviour. None looked overfed. 5. prices for fish were about 30% higher than other places. i'm sorry for your poor corys! i could stomach losing a neon, but i'd be devastated to lose one of the little catfish. :(

[@classychandu5090]

Earned a sub.. Good work 👍

[@TamTalksTanks]

Thank you! Glad you liked it so much! 😁

[@danielleleyshon-m9o]

My betta likes the activitie around the tank but my other tank with the false julii cory catfish get scared at everything. Im scared of real plants as I got a pets snail infestation in two tanks and it was a nightmare dealing with. Thanks for the heads up on fertilizer, its so overwhelming. Glad your cory pandas are doing well.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Bettas are really like aquarium puppies, aren't they? 😂 I find corydoras in general get spooked by everything - plenty of hiding places will help you out as they'll feel more secure to come out in the open if they can quickly dart behind something if they're scared. Don't be scared of real plants! They're not so bad. If you're worried about planting them or having them look nice, I love hornwort because it's a stem plant that prefers to float in the water column. It grows incredibly quickly, which means it also soaks up waste compounds quickly. It's a really easy plant that you can just chuck into a tank and trim once every couple of weeks.

[@ls1100]

I have just got the same tank fluval 240 got mine in walnut great tank

[@TamTalksTanks]

Cool! How do you like it so far? I've found that with the outlet in the corner, it doesn't necessarily output a great flow around the tank, hence I've got a bubbler in the opposite corner and that's helped a lot. Some people find they don't need one though. Maybe it's a hardscape thing! Be mindful of the light that comes with it. It was brought to my attention that the included light is *not* the Aquasky as I'd assumed, but a lower-powered 15W version. It does the job (as you can see) but any plants that require high-lighting might struggle! All that said, I love it and I hope you find similar enjoyment out of it! 🥰

[@tomjmadsen]

kinda think you would be a wonderful friend to have. I enjoyed the talk and company. Thanks, your tank looks great.

[@TamTalksTanks]

That's really kind of you to say! Thank you! 🥰 I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[@wozzeckbartok5532]

You are such an awesome person! Your friends and family are so lucky to have you! Wonderful, heartfelt video! Keep it up!

[@TamTalksTanks]

Shucks! I'm blushing lol! 😆 "It's nice to be nice" goes a long way. Thank you so much. 🥹 x

[@HarryGold71]

Thank you for the insight, much appreciated! You are so genuine, truthful and very informative. I have a 100 Lt tank i brought 2 years ago and only now am able to set it up. Looks like I have miss took how to set up a tank. Thank you for your info. I will keep watching for more wisdom!!!!

[@TamTalksTanks]

Good things come to those who wait. I hope you enjoy your tank once it's set up! Thanks for your kind words and for tuning in. 😁

[@Royjah-sp9rm]

So what do you think was the reasoning for the ludwigia and plants not making it?

[@TamTalksTanks]

I think it's a combination of my lighting not being strong enough to penetrate through the duckweed layer that amassed (I couldn't care for my tanks as much as I'd have liked to for a period of time), plus the constant substrate shift. All plants like stability and that did not make for a good, stable environment!

[@debraking2516]

Thanks Tam! 🙂

[@TamTalksTanks]

You're welcome! 🥰

[@pattykake7195]

Totally agree on tank size…I am a fan of nano tanks and the cute fish that inhabit them. My two 50 litre tanks are my absolute favourites…🫶

[@TamTalksTanks]

That's great to hear and that's a great size for a wee tank. Sometimes more but smaller is better than one huge tank!

[@pattykake7195]

@@TamTalksTanks Totally agree… I have two 50 litres and one 70 litre.

[@thomaskelly3578]

Great advice Tam love your content.Im just in the hoddy a few years and im still learning.Good shout out about the positive of Duck weed. By the way I think the aquarium behind you looks great

[@TamTalksTanks]

Aww thank you! It used to look better once upon a time but it's functional just now. 🥲 I still enjoy looking at it but the stem plants definitely need a bit of pruning here and there... and everywhere! 😆

[@ESF19791111]

GREAT-EXPLANATION VIDEO :) I ENJOYED LISTENING AND WATCHING YOU EXPLAIN :) THANK YOU FOR YOUR EMPATHY ABOUT FISH :) YOU HAVE A GREAT AQUARIUM-SCAPING IDEA WITH THE ROCKS AS A WALL IN THE BACKGROUND AND WOOD ON TOP :) THANK YOU FOR SHARING :) I DID A THUMB-UP ABOUT THE VIDEO AND SUBSCRIBED TO THE CHANNEL :) O YES , AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO I'M GOING TO WATCH ALL PREVIOUS VIDEOS AND A LOT MORE OF THE NEW ONES :) THANK YOU FROM ISRAEL :)

[@TamTalksTanks]

Thank you so much! ❤️ I'm so glad you like the videos!

[@jtjowls]

swamp monster 😂

[@TamTalksTanks]

I find it's the most apt description! 😂

[@gk9417]

Does duck weed eat ammonia in tank👍✌️🇨🇦

[@TamTalksTanks]

Yes! And it does it really well in my experience. 🙂 Just be warned that it grows like crazy, but for me, it's worth the trade-off of having to remove duckweed for better tank parameters.

[@Relax_Inn]

Hi, a airstone is not needed to agitate the water to provide oxygen, or the plants provide the oxygen for the fish and whatever else that needs oxygen?

[@TamTalksTanks]

Great question! The airstone probably isn't necessary for the amount of fish and invertebrates that are in the tank, but it gives me peace of mind that the tank isn't being smothered by the duckweed at the surface. Different plants will produce oxygen at different rates and I'm not sure how much my plants output; I've never seen them pearling (oxygen bubbles forming on the leaves), which tells me that the water isn't saturated with dissolved gasses. I also use the airstone to increase the flow of water in the tank. This is the Fluval Roma 240 and, while I love the tank, the filter outlet is designed to be tucked away in the corner. Before I added the airstone, I found that the water would become a bit stagnant on the other side of the aquarium. Now the water circulates really well and I don't have to worry about oxygen concentrations or stagnant water. 🙂 Plus the corydoras like to play in it sometimes! It's very sweet when they find a bit of high flow that they like.

[@heaven7360]

Here's a question. I have a tank that has had a huge rise in PH. My tanks are all low PH. The only thing different than the other tanks is that this problem one has CO2 now for about a month I don't think it is circulating much because of the type of filter I have but anyway some probably is. CO2 is supposed to lower PH and mine has remained steady...except it did have this PH spike???? So another thing is that I recently added a lot more plants, stems and echinodorus to help absorb some nutrients as I have had some algae issues. I've helped lower the PH thankfully by adding Catappa leaves but my question is what do you think of this blurb I found on the internet: What causes pH to rise? pH | US EPA There also are natural sources which can result in high pH conditions, such as naturally alkaline geologies and lithologies and high levels of photosynthesis. Because photosynthesis produces hydroxide ions, elevated nutrient concentrations may contribute to pH increases. I wonder if the excess nutrients (algae? the new plants I've added?) could have caused a PH spike? I added nothing else new and my hardscape is not the type that causes PH changes. I have the same rocks in other tanks and I added no crushed coral etc. It doesn't make sense that the plants could be causing a PH increase to me... This is a long shot but I just never had a PH rise...usually my PH gets a bit too low but it's been steady in all my tanks except this one tank. It's been up and running for about 6 months and parameters are fine.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Now that is a puzzle. 🤔 The only thing I can think of is the hardscape. I appreciate you said that it isn't the type to raise pH but some rocks aren't what they seem. You can test your hardscape by removing the rocks and liberally apply an acid, like vinegar, to them. If they bubble, you know they're reacting and that'll be the culprit. I'll need to sit on that for a little while. It's quite bizarre!

[@heaven7360]

@@TamTalksTanks I am kind of finnicky about putting stuff in my tank that might cause issues so I did do the test you mentioned on the rocks. The rocks I use are petrified wood I get from a seller on ebay that collects them...they aren't treated or polished. I also use them in many other of my tanks. I know it doesn't make sense for the PH to rise. I am more worried of having the PH in my tanks go too low as they all are low PH. As long as I can control the PH and it only took some Catappa leaves to lower it I'm just gonna keep an eye on the PH. I have a Seachem AmGuard indicator in the tank to show problems and it matches the test PH I do so I can monitor easily. That blurb from the internet I think is from the U.S. EPA which is the Environmental Protection Agency. It isn't information specifically for aquariums. I thought it was interesting as it's something I had never read before. Take care!!

[@aryah1513]

So you think waste getting trapped in sand would be a good thing?????? Do less talk-videos and watch more talk-videos. However… I’m in a good mood so I’ll throw some free info at you… your weight above the water is what drives your feet into the beach sand. The finer your sand, the LESS THINGS WILL GET PAST THE SURFACE. If you want mulm to sink, get very COARSE gravel. Not sand.

[@TamTalksTanks]

Hey, thanks for tuning in. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback; this is what has worked for me and what hasn't worked for me over a fifteen-year period. I've found that gravel causes my tanks to cloud up quite quickly if I don't keep on top of maintenance but sand allows me some (really, a lot of) leeway. I found that gravel will catch the waste and uneaten food, but simply holds it and allows it to rot into the water column; the same thing happens when I allow my bladder snail graveyard to accumulate, or when I allow my gravel layer to come to the surface of the tank. I haven't had this issue before with sand, and I found very little mulm build-up when I kept an aquarium with medium-fine grained sand instead of the coarse sand/fine gravel that I'm using now. That's my experience, but yours might be different! It's great if gravel works for you, but I'd still recommend sand to anyone seeking to create a low maintenance tank. 👍 Cheers. 🙂

[@MeanOldLady]

Fish keeping is such a goddamned wasteful hobby where water is concerned UNLESS you have a garden that can make full use of your water changes. I water my greenhouse less frequently & less wastefully with fish water than by water hose & in the cold season, I do far fewer water changes anyway, so it all works out.

[@TamTalksTanks]

I'm inclined to agree with you there! The fewer water changes we can get away with, the better (for the planet and my lazy bum lol!). Also, is your profile picture from Chewin The Fat? Love that show! 😂