Ive never succeeded at planted tanks. Tried everything from aquasoil to high lights ferts and co2. Thanks to you i have my healthiest tank of my life by following your most basic advice. Inch of potting soil, 2 inches of sand, and a heater is the only thing plugged in. No filter or water changes. Zero algae and fish are thriving and breeding. I have a lot of riparium plants growing out above the tank also. So thanks! Your advice helped me and my animals

@DashDrones

6 ай бұрын

Same, so glad I found nature thanks to Father Fish

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

@DashDrones

6 ай бұрын

@@sandidsaman7723 it's very difficult to add soil at this stage. You have a few options, one would be removing the fish and restarting. Another would be just slowly pouring two inches of sand over the gravel and add some plants 👍

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

@@DashDrones well whats the benefit of adding sand over pure gravel that has no soil?how will the plants survive in gravel? sorry i dont have much knowledge regaridng planted tanks also i dont have any fishes in there , just a couple of cherry shrimps

@olivierpelland1027

6 ай бұрын

But but... I like my multicolor gravel!! Nah, seriously, 100% agree with F.F. it take a lot of courage to initially try when you are brainwashed that you need a 500 gal sump filled with biomedia and chemical to have a healthy 100 gal. If every new fish keeper received F.F. crash course with their first tank, less would quit and feel like they failed.

Father Fish is like the Bob Ross of fish keeping 😂 Happy little fish 💖💖

@cecilia7259

Ай бұрын

Great analogy!

I had a 10 gal tank with a thriving community of coroy cats, a beta, and a school of tetras. with nothing but sand, plants, and dirt. When I joined the military, my father neglected the tank for 3 years. Every time I visited, the fish were thriving off of the natural exo system that I left behind.

@Helloacx

4 ай бұрын

Hey what kind of sand

@whothennow24

Ай бұрын

And how did the water no evaporate?

@vblackwell3347

29 күн бұрын

​@@whothennow24it does. You just replace it.

@someguy3049

3 күн бұрын

@@vblackwell3347 Na-From the NAVY? -Dumbledore said calmly

@vblackwell3347

Күн бұрын

​@@HelloacxAnt. Lay sand, pool sa.d, etc

@12:02 They're not hungry, they're happy to see you. I agree!

Set up a 20g using your method and added 10 black neons, 9 Cory’s and a betta on day 2. 4 months later and the plant growth is phenomenal with no algae. Not one fish loss and crystal clear water. I put away the testing kit and feed once every 2 days. Bliss.

@fishguyjim

6 ай бұрын

what kind of soil and sand?

@FloodedWithGems

6 ай бұрын

@@fishguyjimI used ocean forest organic soil. I added some epsom salt, lime and ironite plus as supplements. The sand is the standard black sand for aquariums

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Join us in the Shoal for all the details and support: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal

@emmanuellrodriguez5684

Ай бұрын

Can I use spring water to fill up my aquarium?

@jodyjoyner3075

17 күн бұрын

​@@fishguyjimwhat kind of sand . Can you put it on top of gravel

I was given a black fish tank yesterday. I’ve never looked after fish, but so glad I found this channel to learn. Today is day 1 of my fishy journey

I’ve searched Google all day just to find this basic straightforward info. I don’t want just a list of steps, I want to understand why we need each step but not overloaded with fluff. Even looking up info on the Walstad method was overwhelming. This simple video answered the questions I have now, so I feel better in going on to the next steps. So glad I found your channel before I added in my fish!

@jernigan23

3 ай бұрын

I agree, I was so lost on where to start

@dubselectorr345

22 күн бұрын

The big market stores don't do any of this nor will they teach it to you, just buy all these insane products

This is what youtube was invented for! Fabulous chanel here FF! ❤

I had issues with Fish dying until I capped my basalt gravel with sand and threw away my testing kit. I like the analogy of bare gravel being an open sewer pit releasing toxins into the water column. I watched a lot of "main stream" aquarium channels that promote filter systems, chemical fertilizers and gravel vac technics. I learned so much about fish keeping from them but this channel is all about an environment that self regulates and looks absolutely gorgeous compared to what other channels have to offer. Thank you so much for the knowledge you pass on!!

Hi Father Fish! I am new to the aquarium world. I've studied a lot of your videos and changed my tank completely over to substrate, sand, pepples, and planted new plants. You'll be proud. I wish I could send you a picture of my changed over tank.

Father fish, we need videos of how to safely turn a wrongly set fish tank ( such as gravels for 6 month with 40 fishes, 4 dead) - to your recommended setting … 🙏🙏

@donnarivers8045

24 күн бұрын

Yes! I have sand in mine but no soil underneath…. I have a feeling it’s going to be reallllll messy to correct 😅

@rachelchapman7165

22 күн бұрын

Yes please!! 🙏🙏🙏

I noticed the large striped cichlid in your tank stayed right there with you almost the whole time you were speaking. That's what I call a real fish buddy!

He's absolutely correct. I could not keep my guppies alive so I bought a pregnant mom she had 11 babies at all of them thrived because they were born into the tank so I didn't have to worry about constantly adjusting the water

It's refreshing hearing some one else say "leave the tank alone". I have been keeping aquariums of various sizes for over 30 years and my advice to other hobbyists has always been, don't touch it (once it's established). A heavily planted tank takes care of its self for sure. I essentially top off the water in my tank when needed and maybe once a month rinse the canister filter pads (never touch the bio media of course). Like I mentioned, 30 of trial and error and this was the key.

@scottlouis4076

2 ай бұрын

I have a 300 litre. Planted, new tank. It looks amazing. I've got gold fish and danios, weather loach. I'm amazed at how good it is. Week one. I also have a canister filter. I've never cleaned it yet. I'm just going off your comment. Is it only the pads I clean? Leave the bio balls as is? I noticed your comment by chance. I'd be grateful for a reply if that's what to do. Thanks, in advance. Scott.

@haifutter4166

2 ай бұрын

What kind of filter pads do you use? If you use sponge filteres with large pores you only have to slightly squeeze them once in a while (like every 2-3 months) in warm water to remove access. But never throw away all of that precious activated sludge that builds up. It's as precious as the microbial fauna in FFs described baselayer (although being aerobic instead). But that is my motto too. Never touch a running system. Or when you do want to "clean" it, always only clean a small part at a time.

@haifutter4166

2 ай бұрын

​@@scottlouis4076Don't touch the bioballs, never let them dry out or stay stagnant for to long when cleaning the mechanical pre-filtre (assuming your bioballs are ment to house your aerobic microbia). If you have these balls with really fine pores (ceramic or sinther glass) some manufacturers say you have to swap these after a few years since they are said to clog up eventually (no personal experience with that). When cleaning or changing bio-filtre media, never do it all at once, but only step wise or you loose that precious activated sludge.

@fossilkingdom

2 ай бұрын

​@@haifutter4166thick sponge filters in my cannister get rung out in the dirty water, the polishing cotton pads I basically throw out and I have a ton of various bio media like plastic bio balls and porcelain cylinders in bags that I shake out and never rinse to keep the bacteria in order.

@barbaranarducci9778

14 күн бұрын

I care for my ponds the same way.

In the 1950's, my mother had a 10 gallon self sustained aquarium. She told me it was a "balanced' aquarium. I had a book from the 40's which explained the concept. Yourr aquarium is balanced and a sight to behold. Thank you for sharing your techniques.

I'm about to leave my tanks for about 9 days. I was worried how will they be able to survive without me giving them food then I realized that my tanks are heavily planted and has sand and soil as FF described, but now? Naahh, I'm confident they'll survive. Thank you for Father Fish for guiding us on how to do the hobby properly.

@DashDrones

6 ай бұрын

Once it has leaves, you'll be fine

@AndyMacMahon

6 ай бұрын

hi, I learnt from FF yesterday that sliced of blanched carrot etc r good additional food. I tried it except I did not blanch. just cut a middle long sliver. I only have a 6 week old mini tank! FF's way. the carrot is being eaten and half gone already! so good holiday food. piece of broccoli. a few algae covered rotting pond/dam leaves. yaaay!!

@DashDrones

6 ай бұрын

@@AndyMacMahon nice! Courgette/zucchini is also a great option 👍

@jimmoran689

5 ай бұрын

They sell automatic feeders

I'm a simple man, i took FF words for it and followed few basics FF methods and my aquarium hobby have been smooth sailing since.

I’m setting up my first tank in ten years right now. So glad I found this channel.

Honestly can these videos be any more informative and interesting. Watching fellow members tanks while the masters voice churns out free advice in such a calm demeanour. This one in particular really registers with me. I have followed his advice to the letter and closing in on 3 months have the most beautiful planted aquarium i have ever owned. I will admit,feeding was the hardest obstacle to overcome. Feeding twice a week once a day has worked wonders. My tds is sitting at 324. How could you question this method with all the testimonials abounding. You have made a lot of people happy and enjoying the hobby and for this i thank you. 😀

@kenrooke9047

6 ай бұрын

@@MarmiteManRUMBLE-iw4wn seems he has to keep driving home the point to reach the masses hehe

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

@kenrooke9047

6 ай бұрын

@@sandidsaman7723certainly no need to remove the gravel. I have 1 inch of organic potting soil and 2 inches of sand in a 5 gallon tank for shrimp. Takes away a little room but then again it’s shrimp. You could add some soil and sand over the gravel however.

@janperry7822

3 ай бұрын

So true.. 👍👍

Thank you so much for this video! I feel like I’ve learned more in ten minutes than in watching fish keeping videos for two years on KZread. I’m now excited to do it and not intimidated. Thank you!

Some of the best suggestions I've ever heard. That said there's something that I would suggest ahead of his three rules. Research before you buy. Fish have different needs. Learn about the environments your fish come from and try to match that as much as possible. Some fish require soft acid water, some hard alkaline water, some cool water, some very warm water, some still water, some flowing water, some need a particular substrate while others may be happier with none, some need to be crowded while others do best alone in the tank, some are schooling and won't show their best colors without a school of similar fish, learn about fish lifespans and related adult size, learn which can get along together in one tank. It's very important or you may end up with some fish killing the others. Also make sure you can provide them with a suitable food. I used to make my own fish food from eggs, liver, shrimp, carrots, spinach. It would feed anything from a six pound pacu to new born fry of small fish. For store bought food I always used tetra ruby that they no longer make but most quality tetra foods work well. Feed live or frozen foods when you can. I raised a school of two dozen neons from 1/4" fry to jumbo size over two years and I can tell you they enjoy live mosquito larva. You can have two benefits from that, you're feeding your fish and at the same time reducing the mosquito population. I would set a bucket of old tank water outside in the shade filled with leaves part way up. Drop in a tablespoon of milk and check it daily until you see wigglers. Use a brine shrimp net to net them out until they are all gone and wait until the next batch is ready. That's assuming you live somewhere that mosquitoes exist.

@jenatucker492

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the mosquito tip. I will definitely do that!👍

I agree with the sand from my own experience. Cheaped out ones by using sandbox sand, rinsed well to get the dusting out, found it made a much better substrate than gravel too. Never did the dirt underlayer, but just sand already beats gravel in my opinion. Combined with a oversized canister filter and ofcourse plants, you get a very low maintenance tank.

@thenelsonbruhs722

4 ай бұрын

You’ve had success with plants without adding soil? What plants, may I ask? Cause I’m trying to start my first planted tank and don’t wanna do soil

I am an environmentalist. I love your conversations together and teachings about real eco system based natural aquariums. Barren or semi barren aquariums look artificial and plastic and are artificial in and out period. They are not good for the health of the fish, because they are NOT ecosystems. Fish are NOT only display objects, but nature based living things. Thank you for treating them like that. I am grateful to you and to Diana Walstad!

I used thriving soil/millipede compost I nutured for almost a year in a terrarium to plant out a tank bottom. Love that one ecosystem feeds another.

What a great video Father Fish! I’ve been keeping fish for 40 years and there is always something new to learn..

Thank you Father Fish. I learnt a lot from watching this. I am going to raise frog tadpoles but and I have gravel as substrate. I now realize what a huge mistake that is ....I will look to change that! Thank you Father Fish I appreciate it

FF, I love how you talk to this newbie. What you say is pure logic and the simplicity. Bravo.

thank you for the content master fish I had my first saltwater aquarium using beach sand exactly as you did, its been 3 months, no problems, no issues, adding more animals slowly.

Great advice! Thanks for the video, after over 60 years of keeping fish, i still struggle with over feeding, these videos put help put me back on track, love my deep substate tanks, it makes fish keeping a pleasure

Thank you very much, you speak slowly and clearly, easy to understand. I know English at a basic level. Greetings from Poland. Thank you for the knowledge.

Thank you father fish! You are a living library for fish keepers around the world 🌎 Only if I had learned about you years ago, I’d have saved lot of money, time, patience, energy, resources and sanity! Glad to have found you now!

Been a fishkeeper since 1989, and Father Fish is the best thing I found

Baba bıkmadan seni defalarca izliyorum.Her izlediğimde unuttuğum bakım bilgilerini tekrar hatırlıyorum .İyiki varsın.

I have a 25 year old aquarium with just pool filter sand for substrate. It's pretty much self sustaining. 👍

I was searching about goldfish. Came across your Channel. What a gem I found! Thank you!🙏

I've kept thanks for years, and still your teaching me all kinds of new stuff I didn't even know!!! So glad I found your channel❤️❤️❤️ 🐠🐟

Sir, you are a wealth of information… as a child I had no aquariums, everything else, no fish or reptiles in the house! Lol. My Mom threw an Anole out the back door, box and all. I wished that I would have found you before I set up my recent 75 gallon. I use a canister and wave maker, I need to get into plants, but I have a bed of black gravel.😮 However I am the proud owner of a 39 year old Talking Raphael. I’m going to have to give him to a rescue eventually, I guess, he is only 6-7 inches long.

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

I'd love to see a more in-depth video about ph. My city's tap water is very soft and is close to mid in ph. I'd love to know things I could do to make it better for my fish.

@cave.dweller.mediocrates

6 ай бұрын

Baking soda with increase kH (carbonate hardness) and pH. Marine salt will add minerals in the same proportions/ratios by which they occur in Earth's surface/crust, and will increase gH, TDS, and hardness (+2 charged ions).

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Perfect!

@Nomadistar

6 ай бұрын

I went for crushed coral in my 20g for my shrimpys & aragonite sand in my 29g for my small cichlids & haven't done ANY water change in about 5 months or more. Set my 20g up on March 1st of 2023 & my 29g almost 2 weeks later. If you want another option. My water comes outta the tap like yours... clouds devoid of anything at all.

@angelo2268

6 ай бұрын

@@cave.dweller.mediocrates what are the kinds of proportions and measurements of those things are you adding to your water?

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

@@wildbill4138 I do not use heaters in tanks with local fish.

Hello father fish, I love listening to you. I had an aquarium many years ago, but the plants never really wanted to grow. I also definitely fed the fish far too often, so I made exactly the mistakes you listed in the video. But your valuable tips make me want to try it again more and more. Kind regards from Germany, David

I just found here the best aquarium information than in most other high priced high tech styles and channels here in KZread! Thanks father fish!👍

Thank you for what you said about feeding the fish. I always thought that my fish were eating without me feeding them. I see them pecking around all the time. I’m going to 2-3 times a week immediately

Hey Father Fish. I appreciate your knowledge and experience. I do have a caveat to the gravel is bad idea. In my opinion, small and medium gravel is a wonderful, healthy and stable substrate after a year or two if you don’t gravel vac. Of course this is for experienced fish keepers with planted tanks. Cheers.

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Precisely. Gravel is extremely difficult for a novice fish keeper to prevent fouling. Most newbies quit the hobby over problems associated with gravel.

@CuriousKey

5 ай бұрын

@@dudewhereismycar3061 Coconut fibre will lack the bacteria and nutrients present in soil.

Thanks for all the help. I've just begun making my way into aquariums and I have been having trouble trying to find the right info. Your advice is a big help.

I agree with the whole well water aspect. I moved from well water to spring. I can not complain about free water at all. When I was on well, just gravel was absolutely fine. Since moving I have had to switch to a dirted substrate to keep fish and plants thriving.

@toothpicdinosaur3777

6 ай бұрын

And with food. Feed the system and it will feed the fish.

I have a 2 years old tank with soil in the bottom and sand in the top and plants and its always crystal clear I never changed the water for 6 months now and all the fish and shrimps are multiplying. I'm glad that I am doing the right thing in my tank. 😊

@francoiscaron1279

6 ай бұрын

How do you clean the sand, do you syphon the bottom?

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

@GoldXy

6 ай бұрын

@@francoiscaron1279 I never clean the sand my tank is heavily planted now with dwarf sag as carpet and ludwigia, jungle val and amazon sword as background.. I only have 3 dwarf sags in the beginning and after 3 months it's almost fully carpet..

@GoldXy

6 ай бұрын

@@sandidsaman7723 I suggest to remove the gravel put your water and filter medias in a container so you can use it after your reset.. I always put like 1 inch soil in front and 2 inch in the back and then 1 inch sand in the top to trap the soil.. the purpose of 1 inch front and 2 inch back soil is to elevate the substrate and it looks really good..

@xavierrodrigues8208

5 ай бұрын

Can you please share the lighting that you're using for your aquarium. Is it a RGBW light or normal led light. Also the size of your aquarium and watts of the light that you're using

I've never learned so much about keeping fish, in so little time.. Great video..

I never new i had to keep my fish hungry iv been a hobbiest of keeping fish for a while but could never get my tank to thrive how i wanted it to im going to seriously reduce how much im feeding my fish and see what happends im also going to make my sand a bit deeper learning so much from this channel

I am so grateful that I found you I had no idea what I was doing and I had been doing the wrong thing for 60 years so now every time I watch a video I learned something and I'm going to set up my old tank the right way and hardly ever feed my fish just making sure it's at 78° and has some filtration and a little bit of bubbles and a ton of plants and my little guppies and my Clown floush will be happy. I know my guppies love the plants but I'm constantly putting in plants because I don't have the right substrate now I know why my plants are dying thank you so much please keep your videos coming

Thank you father fish ..you really help me improve on my tanks alot..thanks for all the information you give..

Thanks, people like you are a GOD gift ,Father Fish !❤

I watch all your videos but this one is already one of my new favorites

What a great video! I wish I had watched and rewatched this before I got my first aquarium. I have recently tries to put i to practice the Fr. Fish and so far it is going swimmingly!

Thank you!!! I’m just getting into fish keeping. I just bought a tank and wanting to help my kid get into making KZread videos (since it’s what he wants to do). I’m now going to completely redo his tank with soil/sand instead. And im prepared to start my own!!!

@FatherFish

5 ай бұрын

That is awesome! Be sure to follow the formula carefully. You will find it here: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal

The real voice of experiencie !! Thank you Father fish

Thank you for such valuable information! I’ve struggled for years with tanks….until I started my shell dweller tank. Why did I choose Multi’s? Because my water is extremely hard! Being a Cichlid lover, I researched “small Cichlids that thrive in hard water”The answer was the Lake Tanganyika Shell dwellers. Then I set up with soil and sand (over the dreaded gravel). I wasn’t interested in a planted tank, so I utilize sponge filters (2 - one on each end of my 40 gal low breeder tank) over my previous hang-on-tank filters. My fish have grown from my original 6 I purchased from Imperial Tropicals (my local fish farm) to well over 100 in past 4 years. I’ve given dozens of the juveniles back to Imperial to keep my tank from being overloaded. Lastly, I feed about every three days or so….These little “bull dozer” fish are an absolute DELIGHT to watch as they set up their homes and defend their territories. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful resource like you for us amateur fish keepers….thank you for all you do for us! ♥♥♥

Working in commercial aquaculture I learned that to keep the fish the healthiest possible (for aquaculture this means fastest growing for food), you need to feed to 75% of satiety. That means if you feed until the fish stop eating you are giving them at least 25% too much food. Eating until you are full causes harm by overloading the digestive system while at the same time providing extra nutrients to pathogenic microbes in the digestive system.

@FatherFish

4 ай бұрын

Absolutely right In a healthy environment the system provides a basic amount of food. Anything you provide is in addition to that natural food. The environment may not provide enough for good growth so added food is necessary, just not so much and not so often.

Thank you for the great advice! I used to worry about my nano fish because I work away from home. I had someone feeding them every second day. Now I have them coming to take care of the fish every 3rd day. They are just fine and I'm sure I could let it go longer thanks to you. Take care!

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

Thats a very risky thing to do unless the other person is a fishkeeper aswell if i were u i would be in constant fear lol, i just love my fish and aquariums too much to let anybody else touch them:)

@CarolynnMc01

6 ай бұрын

@@sandidsaman7723 My fish sitter comes in, dumps a pre-portioned amount of food into the tanks, and he's on his way. Sometimes he gives a block of frozen food. When I'm home, I usually feed the fish just three times a week. the tank is well established, heavily planted and there is natural food in there too. I've been keeping fish for over 20 years and haven't starved any of my fish to death yet. 🙂

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

@@CarolynnMc01 I have never heard of anybody starving their fish to death either :) I am actually worried about the opposite...feeding your fish to death when ur not home! I had bitter experience in the past and thats why i developed a fear of fish sitters lol , now i dont trust anybody for feeding my fishes or even going near my aquariums when i m not home:))

First off id like to say hello as I'm a very recent subscriber to your channel. Secondly i'd like to offer my thanks and appreciations for the vast bounty of information and time that you have shared with everyone!

Good thing i watched this before setting up my aquarium. Thank you very much and God bless you sir!

Father fish. My children and I are very much enjoying learning from your videos. May I ask you a question please although it may be slightly off-topic. What about pouring natural water from a rain catcher with leaves into your tank? Any benefit to that?

father fish your videos have been incredibly informative and I was curious if blasting sand could be a good alternative to normal sand as a cap for the soil ?

@kenrooke9047

6 ай бұрын

Certainly. i have used this with absolutely no problems. The black colour and iron content both enhance and support the system.

I made my first tank inspired by a mix of yours and Dianas teachings and probably some things picked up here and there. I used pure raw vermicompost instead of mts/manure with some peat, xaxim and clay mixed in. Bottom layer dolomite granules. I left this tank at a farm where i used to live, 2 years with no wc/feeding, only topups. I now went and got the tank, shrimps are still alive

@FatherFish

Ай бұрын

I don’t believe it

Thanks so much for all your help in feeding fish and having a healthy tank.

Definitely not my first setup but im adding another tank to the collection and thought i might as well see what father fish does 😊

Thankyou.. im finding your video's super interesting.. I have a planned tank with moscow guppies that I had neglected for 8 months (not but choice) but in that time the filtration system & heater had stopped working and i stopped cleaning it, but my tank has never looked better! I have more and brighter fish, more plants that are a whole lot healthier and loads of snails.. it's been 12 months now and other then the odd water top up and a whip of the front glass it's fabulous.. I never understood it until now.. so thank you

I'm glad I watched this. I did a lot of reading of labels on different fish foods to try and make the best choice I could and one thing that was the same on every packet and jar and bottle, "feed up to 3 times daily" I guess that makes sense if you're trying to sell fish food and want to make a huge profit from it. We are definitely going to cut back our feeding frequency.

Love the videos FF! I was curious, do have any tips for replacing gravel with a new substrate? I have a well established tank w gravel and im afraid the parameters would crash if I were to change to a sand/dirt bottom. Keep up the great work!

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Simply cap with sand, 1/2" a week until you have at least an inch.

@sharonm2556

4 ай бұрын

Regarding replacing gravel…do you lay the dirt then sand right on top of gravel? I have approximately 2-3”gravel base, should I remove some first then add new substrate? Can the change happen with the shrimp and fish in tank? 30 gallon long with 10 panda Cory’s, 8 cardinal tetras, 2 ottos, 4 Pygmy Cory’s, 15 chili rasboras…well planted

Fish cannot survive in straight reverse osmosis water because the complete lack of any mineral content makes osmo regulation impossible. I tried this before I knew better and the fish jumped out of the water in desparation.

If y'all listen to what he's saying you will succeed. I have 3 that I did as close as was possible to what he advises. Fish snails plants shrimp everything is thriving. Thank you for taking the time to impart wisdom that you've acquired the hard way. You da man.

Saludos Father Fish desde Honduras en la América Central. Gracias por los subtítulos, francamente me han ayudado intensamente a comprender al 100 toda la enorme información que se desprende de su intensa sabiduría ya que por desgracia no soy bilingüe.

@FatherFish

5 ай бұрын

TY Jose. Salute

I'd love to hear your advice for taking care of goldfish or other cool water species!

Your channel convinced me to change my tank to a dirt/sand substrate, with natural plants. I just set it up that way a couple of days ago, because the 5 gallon tank has a single betta who has severe fin rot. I tried all the chemical treatments/medicines, none worked. I wanted to give him one last chance, and I removed all the gravel and plastic plants, and replaced with top soil and playground sand, and a bunch of real plants in hopes nature could do what I can't seem to. I also hauled buckets of water from my parents house to mine because they have natural well water. My well water is testing at a high PH though. I have strips for pool care, and they top out at 9.0. My well water is hitting that color, maybe even going a bit off the scale. The alkalinity is also hitting the max color. Do you still recommend I let my fish and plants continue to live in this high of a PH? Thanks Father Fish!!!!

Regarding the You Tube short on 3 questions to ask the salesperson , the better response to the first question would be "Temperature depends on the fish. Not all are from tropical waters.". That would indicate that the salesperson has a clear knowledge of fish.

You are a legend. God bless you and stay healthy!!

I came across a KZread expert the other day who changed 40% of his water every day. Seriously. That's just nuts.

Thank you for this video. It has given me the confidence to change many aspects of my fish keeping.

Hi Father Fish! I have a tank setup with gravel only. Would adding sand to the gravel create an anaerobic layer at the bottom, or is it useless unless a dirt layer is present? (I don’t want to add dirt) Thanks for your advice!

Thank you father fish. I have learnt so much from your videos. Thank you for making videos on fish keeping 😊

After seeing your videos I have converted my two tanks into planted tank, I did not have all the ingredients of making the dirt but I took some soil from aquarium shop because where I live, getting soil which is not treated with pesticides or fungicide is a bit difficult, so I mixed some compost in the coarse brown gravel looking soil that the shopkeeper gave me and added to the existing small amount of gravel that I had in the fish tank and then put 2 inch of sand and lot of plants and added back the water and fish that I had removed in big buckets. I wanted to ask that my aquariums had pothos roots growing in them, should I let them be or remove them from the tank now? Pls advise, it will be a great help.

So I love your videos. I only feed my fish every other day now thanks to you. Thank you so much for letting me know there is a natural way to do this. I knew that there had to be. Here is my question. I have a 35 gallon tank, 2 goldfish, 2 guppies and 2 pleco. They are all still fairly small, I am trying to find a bigger tank, but in the mean time I want to implement your methods. I have a gravel substrate because I didn't find your videos until I got started. Should I fill dirt and sand over the gravel? And how can I do that safely without hurting the fish. Should I remove them from the tank while I do it? Also can you give me tips for when I switch them to the larger tank? Thank you so much.

@FatherFish

5 ай бұрын

just add 2" of sand to the gravel and build a food web. With the new tank follow the formula: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal

I used 2 inch aqua soil and 2 inch small gravel, planted out the tank and its been awesome for 2 years now, i installed 2 filter pumps, 1 for constant running and a high flow pump for a once a fortnight poo clean, i call it the tsunami, i run it for 4hrs any poo on the substrate is sucked up and the fish seem to like the high flow too. 102 ltr tank

@FatherFish

2 ай бұрын

Sand would be better

Thank you for your words of wisdom Sir. It’s much appreciated.

The talk about municipal water isn't universal, it depends on where you are. This is just to point out to any viewer that e.g. almost everyone in Sweden have soft tap water (despite most of it coming from underground), and this varies from region to region depending on a multitude of factors, including bedrock in your area. This can vary from village to village as well. Essentially, there's no shortcut to finding out yourself if you have soft or hard water

I have a couple of questions regarding a new planted tank that I quickly made to keep a bunch of newly acquired plants alive. Put in the dirt, put in the sand, added well water, put in the plants. There are few species that have almost completely melted. They turned dark and mushy. A few look ok. What do you think I did wrong? I put in in the window to get some sun during the day. It also has biofilm on top that gets dense. Thank you!

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Sounds like the dirt overwhelmed the system. Try capping with another inch of sand

Another great video, as always, Thank you Father Fish! Question, I have very hard, very alkaline water: KH and GH 20 degrees, 8.2 ph. Is there any reason I should consider running activated carbon in my HOB filter to remove anything that could be in my water? I have all dirted deep substrate food web aquariums. Thanks again!!

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

Probably not, unless there is a [problem with the fish.

Thank You for sharing your knowledge!

What great information thank you!

One of my hardest habits to break is feeding my fish every day. I have to force myself to skip a day. But I do it and they have not starved. lol

Thank you for teaching this important knowledge

Couldn’t agree more especially feed sparingly I’ve kept fish for many years. I have one tank in particular that is my favorite and it’s in the living room I would feed the fish daily I would have fish die randomly maybe one a week or one a month. I started out not feeding once maybe twice a week and I have never seen my fish so active and healthy I also haven’t had a casualty in over a year. I keep deep substrate and tons of plants I do have a homemade sump also with lots of lava rock. Mostly because I like heavily stocked tanks. I have over 100 fish in my 75 gallon tank.

would you reccomend going to a local pond or river and getting the soil from there and adding the 2 inch sand from a shop?

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

No. That is 1/4 of the material for the soil layer. This explains it: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal

@ChristopherAalto

6 ай бұрын

@@FatherFish ok I’ll check it out !

Thank you Father Fish for this video. I am getting ready to set up up 29G for 3 young Electric Blue Acara. Hopefully, I have at least one of each sex and that they pair up.

Thanks!

@FatherFish

18 күн бұрын

Thank you Ken.

These videos are amazing. Thankyounfor this advise. Currently i have a tank with gravel and fish in it is it possible to make the change to sand without removing the fish out the tank?

@FatherFish

3 ай бұрын

Yes you can! Pour 1" of clean sand into the tank.

I feed my fish almost evryday. But i remember the first time, many years ago i went on holidays not organized, and they didnt eat for 15 days. When i open the door home i was expecting doom and death. Nobody died to be honest they looked better. What a joy. Since that i go on holidays and i expect my absence to improve the tank.

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

@misterbean4125

6 ай бұрын

​@@sandidsaman7723remove the gravel sadly then soil and cap with sand

The water and the food part is pure gold and wisdom...the substrate part is interesting because yes, sand/dirt subtrate works well, but as I can see gravel works too. I have 4 ultra healthy betta as my username suggests and 5 harlequin rasbora in a fairly big tank with gravel and they live happily, so I guess both way can be good in some cases.

@sandidsaman7723

6 ай бұрын

hey ! i am one of those foolish newbies on the learning curve right now i got a 10 gallon tank with like half an inch of gravel as the only substrate💀 So i was thinking could i just add an inch of potting/garden soil over the gravel and then cap it up with 2 inch sand?? or do i have to remove the gravel first? i would end up having like almost 4 inches of substrate by this...would this be an issue? thanks

@Jack_Splendens

6 ай бұрын

I guess I have to explain this: In the gravel I have fake plants, so I do gravel vac once per week, but I also have natural mopani driftwood and some dragonstone in my setup, cause the tannin also helps makin better water quality. But as I see you may have live plants which is different case. In that case I would say put the gravel out first, then the soil goes in and the sand is on top of that. Or if you wanna work with something like my setup with the fake plants and mopani wood than you can use only gravel, but then you have to vac it regularly because the ammonia will be a problem if you don't these are the two options ahead of you.

One of my most successful tanks lasted for four years with only top ups of h20. Undergravel filter, external filter, 3 long fin barbs, 3 kuhli loaches, snails, lots of Java moss...

I had a no substrate tanks did great and doing sand and they are even better I soon gonna start putting soil underneath like a inch deep to see the affects

Currently have gravel. Want to switch to sand but it seems like a lot of work and don't want to risk any issues. Heard about capping the gravel with sand but won't the sand just filter down into the gravel? Thanks

@ShaunShearman

6 ай бұрын

Stick with the gravel buddy, especially if you've got an under gravel filter. As you rightly stated the sand will just filter through the gravel and choke up the gravel bed. Personally I think that gravel is just fine, I've used it for about 35 years in numerous tanks with no issues and has resulted in well balanced stable tanks that in itself led to some great biospheres and very healthy fish. A lot of semi-fast flowing river beds are composed of gravel and if it works for mother nature it'll work for the fishkeeper too !

@FatherFish

6 ай бұрын

@@ShaunShearman Sand is a perfect cap for gravel. It does not sift into the gravel but will remain on the surface acting as a cap for the mulm in the gravel preventing it from entering the water column. Once having done that it is possible to turn off the UG and allow the gravel base to develop a soil component.

@dmzsniper

6 ай бұрын

@@FatherFish Great, thank you.

I only use rainwater because it's the only water I have access to in large quantities here on island . Using coral and basalt sand in the bottom substrate and crushed lava and coral in the filter seems to even everything out.

@thesolaraquarium

6 ай бұрын

I use rain water alot. If you add rain water to a dirted tank it is no longer rain water. As soon as it touches the dirt it changes. Just a tip.

@guildmaster808

6 ай бұрын

@@thesolaraquarium my substrate in my pond is soil , coral sand, basalt sand in that order. In my tanks I use basically the same recipe but add a layer of aquasoil over the regular soil and a layer of fine sand like pool filter sand on top. We have guppies, platys, goldfish, and a variety of cichlids that live in local rivers due to irresponsible release. If all those varieties of fish can live in our rivers my goal was to recreate that environment using what I have available. Rainwater, lava rock and sand, coral, and local soil. So far so good.

@thesolaraquarium

6 ай бұрын

@@guildmaster808 sounds great.