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I went down to the creek and grabbed a mossy rock and put it in my tank… the fish were so happy they swarmed it for about 2 hours nonstop. Within days the snails found it and just hung out there constantly. Au naturelle is the way to go. I’ve never liked having artificial items in my tanks since I was a teen fish keeper.

When the legend talks you should listen. Taking his advice has made my fish keeping much less work and much more enjoyable. Thank you legend

@shariman1590

8 ай бұрын

I just came across this man the other day. He got knowledge. He's an old G. I couldn't have said it better myself.

@tanksouth

7 ай бұрын

If someone on KZread is younger than me. I usually move on.

@mwu0120

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely. Listen to this man. Especially adding sand to your tank. It is a must if you do not want to do water changes.

Ironically, everything he says about the impact of over feeding fish is the same for humans

I started my aquarium maybe 6 months ago, I learnt most tricks to the trade from this channel. Now got a 3 foot that is almost a fully self sustained ecosystem because of this dude. Love the knowledge 🍻

@Desmond000007

10 ай бұрын

Can we see the 3 footer??!

@pinheadlarry2506

10 ай бұрын

Video plzzzzz

@joanvirgil6299

7 ай бұрын

What type of soil did you use? I a newbie.

Ive been fascinated by this channel because I was developing the same process over 30 or 40 years from trial and error and you seem to have answered all the questions I had. This is by far the most informative aquarium channel on KZread.

@GoldSkier24

10 ай бұрын

why cant you just put the stuff from the pond directly into the tank?

@Centraxal

10 ай бұрын

You can put

@internationalartprojects8660

10 ай бұрын

@@GoldSkier24 Basically you want the microbes to spend a bit of time reproducing on their own before you put them in the tank, strength in numbers.

The advice here is amazing, but the most impressive thing is how you are lugging around a net almost the size of you to collect gunk from a pond yourself! Kudos to that!

Father fish I gotta tell ya, I’ve set up this system and after 2 weeks…my platys started spawning and now I have little baby’s swimming around. Thank you so much for showing us this knowledge and giving us so much joy.

I don't even have an aquarium, but I love watching your videos.

@FatherFish

8 ай бұрын

get an aquarium. I will help you. discord.gg/G4fkAE6qNw]\

I was really into aquariums in the late 90's, when I was convinced that an under-gravel filter was the only way to have a natural aquarium. I studied the hobby and did the best I could, but gave up after a few years of hard work and disappointing results. 20 years later, I'm back at it. I'm giving this approach a try and I'm loving it so far! Thank you!!

I'm glad you explained how to keep the system going by adding More leaf matter😊

Im starting an aquarium, I got plants, sand etc not the fish yet, and I was researching and found this channel! WILL BE FOLLOWING ALL THE ADVICES FROM DAY 1. Tomorrow Ill be visiting a lake nearby to gather some stuff!

Father Fish, thank you so much. I love keeping fish and have been keeping them on and off many times over the years. I quit many times because eventually I killed the fish and could not allow myself to repeat that. Thankfully, I found your channel. Following your advice has allowed me to keep my fish alive, active, and healthy and returned the enjoyment that I always have with fish keeping.

Hey buddy it’s Rocko lol good to see you doin well. God bless you brother.

@FatherFish

8 ай бұрын

ROCKO!! Wonderful to be with you.

I just added dried leaf 🍂 from tree right outside my house and my guppies loved it!! They keep picking on it

Have a small pond out back in the woods ,all the biological starter I will ever need

@unclecharlie9022

10 ай бұрын

I only ever catch a couple “pods” at a time, so I just ordered monia eggs.

I wish I had found this channel when I started this hobby. I am so excited to change my tanks over to this natural system. Thank you so much for all the great info!

my fav channel.....mr. rodgers of fishkeeping!

I have a 10 year old sister who loves nature, we live in Ireland right beside the back end of a large lake. Think I'll have to get a bucket and enlist her help to collect some leaves and muck from it over next couple days, I'm setting up a 20 gallon aquarium very soon.

Man these old school aquariums really take me back this is the stuff I grew up on I remember using t8 lighting and standard house bulbs growing Java ferns like a beast hahaha

Yes Father...Thank you Father...

Another great video..very educational!!! Your a biological teacher father fish 😊 yesterday i went out to a forest pond to scoop up some pond dirt and when i arrived home i found a baby eastern new’t in my container,,lol so now I’m raising a new’t.😅😊

@dorisglecer4102

2 ай бұрын

Wow that is so cool

I feed mine once a day sometimes I miss a day but they feed off the live plants and substrate so if I miss a feeding they will search for food as they would do in nature.

Work with nature not against it ❤

I only feed my fish dhapnia and moina that i culture myself. I feed them once a day and there'll be food for a whole day as they are live.they also clean the tank for me, by eating the wastes. Haven't changed the water for 8-9 months. No algae, stable ammonia levels, healthy plants and healthy fish.

Es de agradecer la incorporación de subtítulos en lengua española para nosotros los NO bilingües, porque lograr saber el mensaje que el Padre Fish nos comunica a través de sus vídeos, realmente NO tiene PRECIO; muchas Gracias Padre Pez (Father Fish) por sus grandes consejos. Les envío un saludo desde Honduras en Centroamérica.

@FatherFish

8 ай бұрын

Es maravilloso saber de Guatemala. Estoy muy interesado en los peces de su agua local. ¿Los recolectas y los guardas en tus tanques?

I’m so thankfull for coming across your channel! I’ve been implementing your method slowly for 2 months now and my tank looks so healthy and the fish seem to be much happier! And me as well, now i can enjoy a beautifull tank by doing less. My brother who has had aquariums for his whole life was amazed at how my tank looks and is now also intrested in implementing the father fish method🍀 thankyou so much!!🌸

I recently gave into my curiosity and let go of my fears, and started a 20 long with dirt, lots of plants, and a couple inches of sand. I plan to add more sand soon, and more plants, although I do have an impressive amount of plants so far, as I’ve run planted tanks before and used several I already had. At any rate, I only added a very small filter on one side with seeded media from another tank, an air stone in the other corner, a small heater, and a handful of twigs and rocks and a couple leaves from a huge, clean lake. I grabbed a small amount of water as well. (I accidentally grabbed about 5 baby minnows too. I may release them if they get large) I have a few endlers in the tank, as well as a sparkling gourami and various “pest” snails. The tank is doing great. Plants are taking off, I feed the fish a small feeding every two days, and when I add more leaf litter I’ll start to feed even less. The fish have full bellies and great color. Water is clear. I saw a person in my social media group post a photo of a tank with deep sand and leaves. I asked her if she ever saw your videos, and she said she just discovered you recently, and her tank was inspired by you. You’re really catching on, Father Fish! That’s two of us in the Portland, Oregon area that have discovered you and gotten on board with your methods, and are trying to tell more folks about you. I’ve tried to tell folks about your methods, and the results are very mixed. People love to tell me to my face it can’t be done. Or that taking wild things will lead to disaster. But hopefully with time, we can convince them with our results! Thanks again.

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

There are many who have been taught to fear nature. They are to be pitied. You do not need more sand.

@dorisglecer4102

2 ай бұрын

Honestly I believe every word because it's just very logical it makes complete sense when you think about it. I recently discovered this guy on KZread and have already bought the soil I also bought a bag of sand I know I probably could have got the sand anywhere but I have this 20 gallon tank that I have to redo because it's got gravel my guppies love plants every time I buy a bunch of plants I have a bunch of baby guppies I am going to be moving soon so I'm trying to hold on until I move but I might just go ahead and pour the sand in over the gravel I can always get more sand. Also I live right near a lake I am going to go and get a bottle full of muck. I can't wait to get this tank where it should have been the whole time without all the damn chemicals and water changes not to mention it's a lot cheaper

Ive been cultivating jars of the microfauna on my windowsills for years.. ❤

I will say about stream collecting, depending on the stream and what you're after, it can be easier than collecting from ponds. Simply position your dip net or mesh/seine directly downstream of a rock. Pick up the rock, and let the water do the work for you. Just a tip for those that do have streams nearby, because I believe moving water promotes strength and health in aquatic life.

@BigFadZ

8 ай бұрын

I have access to a real nice stream here in Northern Virginia. Just worried about introducing anything to my existing tank. I might set up a true nature tank from things collected outside.

@animablo

6 ай бұрын

Make sure the river is clean of harmful chemicals

Such an amazing video. As usual! And i gotta say, i felt so happy and full of joy when you mentioned my beautiful country... From PERÚ !!! indeed so many fish in the hobby are native from here and so the microfauna we can find along with it. Cheers from Perú

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

Our pleasure!

You very relaxed and happy in this one FF, great video as always

I been watching you Father Fish since day one. With this video you gave me the confidence to bring nature inside my home. I will definitely be trying this out ❤ keep up the good work!!

Beautiful video. Thank you.

Love the videos ….. very good job ❤

Thanks for all the great tips!

there are many cold water specific microbes found at both poles, that more or less proves distance isn't a big deal for microbes. larger flora and fauna is limited by geography but microbes can blow in the wind and are so prolific its inevitable one will end up anywhere it can be.

Yes sir!! Thank you!!!

I have been taking your idea and turned our old unused pool to a mini pond. Its been a very fun transformation watching it stablizise. The hardest part been trying the to get the water clarity good enough for deeper plants to get enough sunlight.

@FatherFish

8 ай бұрын

add more sand

Great advice! Thank you Father Fish! ❤

So glad you sell cultures. I don’t have the experience, so seeing what you sell will give me an idea on what I can do on my own

Useful and beautiful video :) Thank God!

I have kept fish almost my entire life basically and I wish I would of found you and your videos sooner. So much knowledge and wisdom I’m fascinated! I had an idea like this as a kid and everyone advised me not to do it.

Thank you, I’ve been making this mistake. Your channel is the best for finding the truth on how to care for fish.

Sir, I always find so much insight in your words. My heartfelt regards.

great video

Great video love all your videos ❤ recently capped my gravel tank with sand and planted root feeders everywhere instead of just mostly water colomn fedders. Needed this. Thanks for all your wisdom ❤

Thank u for this video. It answers a lot of the questions i had :)

Lots of Love From India 🙏❤️🇮🇳🤗

Thanks so much for your great information. I addicted to your knowledge!

Sir you are a living legend!🥹🥹💎

Thank you for your wisdom.

Cool video. I do a lot of weird things culturing aquatic worms, pea clams etc. This video really interested me because it provides a bit of a shortcut way of getting different ostracod, copepod and daphnia species to culture, especially the rarer aquatic worms (if they turn up) and river nerites. Excellent suggestions.

Estupenda charla!! Gracias por disponer los subtítulos en Español.. Work with nature not against it .

Estupenda charla!! Gracias por disponer los subtítulos en Español.❤

Another valuable chapter to learn every body should follow him if you want your aquatic life to thrive thank you father fish👍👍👍

Thank you so much sir.

Beautiful, I’m headed out now to a pond to do just this.

Explain This you did thank you 🙏

Your videos just make sense. Thank you!

Love your channel

Great info. I follow your teks. Happy fishses. Money saved

Great video, I don't currently keep a freshwater aquarium but this video made me consider setting one up using decaying matter from a small lake nearby, i have a 55 gallon laying around, i might try this out. I'll check out your other videos to find out more. I'm obsessed with increasing biodiversity in saltwater aquariums, is there an equivalent to plant matter in the reef aquarium? I have a refugium in my sump and try to add lots of diversity. Any tips of ideas would be greatly appreciated. Just subscribed, tagging along for new videos.

What a legend, thankyou so much

Tenho aquários a tanto tempo e só agora consegui entender como fazer da forma certa. Obrigado father fish !

Thanks again Father fish...

Father Fish is a fountain of knowledge! Take ad vantage of his teachings.

Muito obrigado pela ajuda :)

Mükemmel bilgiler .Baba iyiki varsın .

Just got a 40 gallon breeder, gonna try this because why not :)

Very helpful vidon turtles, thanks 😊👍

This channel should change its name to Father Common sense lol

BABA Mükemmel bigiler ve Türkçe için sonsuz teşekkür.

Love this! I collected a few plants, water and some mossy looking stuff, but didn't get any decomposing leaves or mud from the creek. Next time I will go to a standing water "creek", that is more like a large pond, and gather the items mentioned in addition to the dry leaves near the bank. Next purchase: a turkey baster!

Excellent video

I love your simple sistem FatherFish! ❤❤❤❤

@amberkepner2294

10 ай бұрын

Did you take your fish out to do this?

Thank you father so much respect and love for you for share a great experience of yours to make it natural. ❤

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

I appreciate that

I can see that on plant and micro-eating fish. what can i do to make it more natural for carnivorous fish? i been getting tadpoles when frogs in my area lay eggs in a bucket full with water outside. any other suggestions

Dear Father Fish, your method does make sense to me. I just would be cautious when introducing matter collected from nature because of possible parasites🙂

@steve-adams

9 ай бұрын

I've had a few parasites appear, but they haven't been too difficult to deal with on a case-by-case basis. Overall it has been a ton of fun to learn about the types of animals living in these places I'd otherwise overlooked, parasite or otherwise. Hydras were easy to spot before they could harm anything. This morning I found a damselfly nymph hitching a ride on a snail. And wow, I got a lot of snails from my local detritus. Possibly a half dozen. They were invisible when I collected the material, though. I'm happy to leave them be, though I know some people consider them a pest. Maybe I got lucky, but the system has seemed to balance out well with only minor intervention so far.

@thewalkingrob8840

9 ай бұрын

He isn't worried about it. He has a whole video on parasites and says the worst ones are in sterile tanks.

@BigFadZ

8 ай бұрын

That was my concern. Because most of my tanks have cherry shrimp and I don't want them to die.

Abraço de 🇧🇷

I have neocaridina tanks with about 1" deep gravel. Got scuds in there. Drop a few fish fry in there and let them grow out until it is time to move them to their more permanent tank.

the best

Maravilhoso conteúdo! Sou do Brasil e aquarista a uns 30 anos. Uma vez coletei algumas plantas aquáticas (cabomba) num rio e deixei alguns dias num balde no quintal . Quando resolvi introduzi-las no aquário, observei diversos copépodes e uma micro fauna abundante, resolvi cultiva-las com alga verde e fermento biológico. Retirei uma ninhada de betta e não utilizei artemias, somente a micro fauna que cultivei. Praticamente não houve mortalidade da ninhada e o crescimento foi bastante satisfatório. Acredito que criar nichos ecológicos proximo do ambiente natural é a chave do sucesso no aquarismo. Obrigado pelo conteúdo! Você ganhou um inscrito e um admirador de seu trabalho.

@FatherFish

7 ай бұрын

Obrigado pela sua gentil nota. Podemos e devemos fazer tudo o que for possível para replicar sistemas naturais nos nossos aquários. A vida dos nossos peixes e plantas não merece menos.

The man, the myth, the legend. Always intrigued by your content. Would this include large Central and South American Cichlids too?

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

If you can develop the resources, yes. Insects, veggies, worms, etc.

Interesting and something to keep in mind on the rare occasion that I come across a river or creek that flows all year round. lol. One thing that would worry me though is the oils in gum tree leaves and they take years to break down so I would need to look for an imported deciduous tree close to the water. I think it would be easier to dig a pond and get some leaves to drop in that along with some river water I can collect next time I'm near one, any lakes around here are very salty and tend to disappear in summer.

@Desmond000007

10 ай бұрын

Get some brown (not black) leaves from your local forest. They should have a good amount of macro and microfauna and flora. Not like from a healthy body of water, but much much better than nothing

@tomfromoz

10 ай бұрын

@@Desmond000007 I'm in Western Australia in the middle of the wheatbelt, no local bush (forest) here. The roots make excellent wood for the tank although you need to soak them for around 6 months before putting them in the aquarium.

I am now the proud owner of 7 aquatic African dwarf frogs and several fish now. I think I might be going through a midlife crisis?! Lol And I find myself just watching my critters for hours. They are so stinking cool!! Anyways my question is I’m getting ready to do a new 29 gallon tank. I just ordered 20 lbs of sand, but what I received was a substrate sand. Would you recommend using it or getting real Sand? Thanks for any information. And I hope everybody has a Happy Fourth of July weekend. God bless all.🇺🇸❤️🥰

You are the best father fish

I just did the pond water in a jar thing a few days ago, and one of the things in it is an entire tadpole. I don't know what to do with it, and I can't figure out what kind it is. Right now it's no longer than my fingernails

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

When it grows legs it will want to come out of the water. Create a biotope for it with some moss and a population of small insects.

终于看到有中文字幕，很喜欢这个视频，真的学到很多！

@FatherFish

8 ай бұрын

精彩的。我很高兴我们接触到会说中文的养鱼者。 Jīngcǎi de. Wǒ hěn gāoxìng wǒmen jiēchù dào huì shuō zhōngwén de yǎng yú zhě.

Set up my first tank with a dirt and sand substrate it's looking great, just added copepods and plants to acclimate it before fish

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

add fish.

@yaboijardo2319

10 ай бұрын

@@FatherFish i had anticipated in allowing the copepods and scuds I some what impulsively added to set up colonies in the plants and substrate before adding the fish

I would like my future pea puffer tank to be dirted with food web but my concern are water nypmh and dragon fly nymph. I remember when i first started this hobby I got some pond plants and one day i spotted a huge nymph about the same size as my pygmies so I took it out and a couple of weeks later found 2 smaller ones and not only took them out but the pond plant in question as they damsels and dragon flies lay their eggs in the stems of certain pond and river plants. I grew up with a huge wildlife pond my dad built and I know what they are capable of along with giant water beetle larvae, proficient hunters and because they blend in so well my betta Neptune never saw them to predate on them. I guess you would advise taking them out as you see them, if you have them?

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

Yes. Precisely. They are never in large numbers and cannot multiply in the tank. It is rare that they cause a problem bc they are easily spotted and removed.

Great video about microfauna. I’ve always wondered about it because it’s hardly ever touched upon in the freshwater hobby but has always been preached about in the reef hobby. I had some questions about this: 1) Is microfauna viable if you like to keep larger aggressive fish like South American cichlids 2) Can you keep microfauna as a good source in hard water high pH environments like African Cichlids 3) If I have a large system and keep a sump, can I setup a refugium like I would a reef tank so these micro critters can grow. I would think there may be issues with allowing some fauna to reach adult hood such as mosquito larvae or bloodworms 😅 I’m not a natural fish keeper and don’t really keep schooling community fish. I am curious if fauna can be incorporated with other fish types. Again, thank you for making this video and keeping my mind open.

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

You really need to join us on the Father Fish Shoal with those questions. discord.gg/G4fkAE6qNw

@Desmond000007

10 ай бұрын

To answer question no 2: find an alkaline and healthy body of water if you can

Muito bom eu sou amante da natureza e da alimentos vivos

@FatherFish

9 ай бұрын

Excelente. La comida viva es el secreto del éxito en la cría de peces.

@Father Fish - Wont the rotting leaves add bioload to the tank? I have a small 10 Gallon tank that I have setup using your Soil and Sand substrate method. Learning so much from you!! Greetings from India

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

Adding the leaf mulch in small amounts increases the food chain thereby increasing the ability of the system to support greater bioload.

Would the leaf mulch help in any stage of cycling a tank? Also, when cycling do I need to have my filter and heater running?

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

With a food web deep substrate you do not need to wait for cycling. Add a few fish on day 2 and more a week later.

Based on your advice I have been collecting various leaves from areas i have visited and thrown them into my turtle tank. Any recommendations on plants to root in once I've added soil? I plan to pull the sand out to add the soil underneath. He's a red ear slider hatchling. I am looking for plants that provide cover and food

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/ click on catalogue

beatiful video :) I set up a father fish tank 3 months ago got Neocaridina in them, they are thriving I added 5 neon green rasbora 3 days ago, but they seem not to search for food and make a lightly stressed impression on me they only chase some small critters when they pass very closely do they need some time to adjust to that change of being fed everyday with commercial food?

@FatherFish

10 ай бұрын

Yes. Be patient with them.

Thank you father . I'm ftom vietnam .

Please I could use some help have a 75 gallon dirt tank that I set up 2 weeks ago when can I think about getting discus

My resurrection jars will be ready to put in my tank in about 2 more weeks!!! Any chance you could do something regarding things I want to avoid in my tank? I’ve heard dragonfly larvae, but I have seen some stuff in these jars I’ve never seen before they are such a cool experiment!

@FatherFish

5 ай бұрын

There is little tp cause problems.