My Honest Review of 10 Intermediate Fish *Buyer Beware*

Once you’ve kept all the beginner-friendly fish from PetSmart/Petco, you start getting the itch to keep something a little harder or a little rarer, but how do you know which animals are worth the trouble? Let’s talk about 10 intermediate species I’ve personally kept before and what are some caveats to watch out for.
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#girltalksfish #aquariumfish #fishtank
0:00 Going beyond beginner fish
0:17 Intermediate species #1
2:17 Intermediate species #2
3:36 Intermediate species #3
5:14 Intermediate species #4
7:20 Intermediate species #5
8:47 Intermediate species #6
11:03 Intermediate species #7
12:36 Intermediate species #8
14:03 Intermediate species #9
15:33 Intermediate species #10

Пікірлер: 119

  • @GirlTalksFish
    @GirlTalksFish Жыл бұрын

    *What's your favorite intermediate fish (and the warning label you think they should come with)?*

  • @JASB_Studios

    @JASB_Studios

    Жыл бұрын

    Goldfish (they, or anything in general, cannot live in a fishbowl)

  • @1988bogdana

    @1988bogdana

    Жыл бұрын

    Otocinclus! They need seasoned aquarium and prefer to be in groups.

  • @roganhall1323

    @roganhall1323

    Жыл бұрын

    Angelfish. They are more aggressive than one would think.

  • @marksguitars5617

    @marksguitars5617

    Жыл бұрын

    Siamese algae eaters, they get big and eat less algae as they get older but never as aggressive as the other species.

  • @NCAAFootballRetroGamer

    @NCAAFootballRetroGamer

    11 ай бұрын

    Goldfish 😊 they eat a lot and make a mess

  • @alexia3729
    @alexia372911 ай бұрын

    pretty odd request, but i think a review of expert level fish would be pretty good. it can be useful for beginners so they know what to avoid, and can give experienced hobbyists some ideas

  • @Handygrrl
    @Handygrrl Жыл бұрын

    Nerite snails: the females leave eggs all over EVERYthing which are sometimes hard to remove. Good "heads up!" video!

  • @alvinlee1816
    @alvinlee1816 Жыл бұрын

    I love stiphodon gobies! I got blue neon and rainbow in my 4ft tank, and they aren't shy to show their colors at the front. My sand once got full of diatoms as it was going through new tank syndrome, they just sieve through the sand substrate to eat the diatoms and cleaning the leaves, tank just got so clean for only a few days!

  • @sunriseshell
    @sunriseshell11 ай бұрын

    To keep our (future) axolotl tank cold we put it in our bedroom and got a room AC unit. Keeps the tank cool and we sleep better! Win-win.

  • @Malisingsalittle
    @Malisingsalittle Жыл бұрын

    Guppies: give birth for ever

  • @fireball7677

    @fireball7677

    Жыл бұрын

    And some have bad genetics

  • @AlokKumar-bd3lb

    @AlokKumar-bd3lb

    11 ай бұрын

    Are gouramis ok

  • @roopaachuri2216

    @roopaachuri2216

    11 ай бұрын

    Just keep males

  • @Malisingsalittle

    @Malisingsalittle

    11 ай бұрын

    No, Gouramis are aggressive

  • @AlokKumar-bd3lb

    @AlokKumar-bd3lb

    11 ай бұрын

    @@Malisingsalittle i mean dwarf gouramis some species are peaceful so I'm gonna get that is that ok

  • @garg4531
    @garg4531 Жыл бұрын

    Intermediate fish? Awesome! I don’t hear about this stuff as often as I should so I can’t wait to hear! 😄

  • @catfrog1975
    @catfrog1975 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely love this video! Thanks for sharing the hurdles you faced with these creatures

  • @ponygirl1624
    @ponygirl1624 Жыл бұрын

    Nice Betta in the aquarium behind you! :)

  • @marksguitars5617
    @marksguitars5617 Жыл бұрын

    good points on all of those animals. All correct, I've had the same experiences with almost all of those except pea puffers, which tempted me a few times. Thanks!

  • @bulkingtoothpick5517
    @bulkingtoothpick551711 ай бұрын

    I love otocinclus! They are very active in my aquarium, and don’t appear to be shy at all. Whenever I use tongs to move plants or put in food they immediately come up to them and attach. They have interesting personality, and have a shared beneficial friendship with corydora catfish. Look it up, very cool stuff

  • @Amanda-uc5jq

    @Amanda-uc5jq

    11 ай бұрын

    My ottos are active as well, I can put my hand next to them when I’m doing things they don’t mind at all.

  • @Cbtrainnut
    @Cbtrainnut11 ай бұрын

    Great video. I’ll continue watching your videos. You have some great advice that I have followed and used. Especially with my planted tank!

  • @TeamFlame_101
    @TeamFlame_10111 ай бұрын

    I never new you kept all of these fish! That tank on the background is looking grwat btw

  • @jackstafford6111
    @jackstafford611111 ай бұрын

    In the UK its quite common to have very hard water and high ph, my community tank is really heavily planted using nothing but root tabs and fertiliser, you'd be supprised how well they have flourished ! GH 16 - 286.5ppm DKH 12 - 214.3 ppm PH 8

  • @WraithLK

    @WraithLK

    11 ай бұрын

    Do you continually add root tabs and if so how frequently do you add them?

  • @juliaheinritz3264
    @juliaheinritz326411 ай бұрын

    Learn something new everyday with your videos😊

  • @helenchambers9357
    @helenchambers935711 ай бұрын

    I have a tank with a pair of brevis shelldwellers, absolutely love them. It’s been up and running now for 4 months, I wasn’t sure what plants would grow but I used Crypt cordata, Anubias, Java ferns and twisted valisneria and all are growing well in the high pH, hard water - especially the val it’s really taken off.

  • @Comfy-Heart
    @Comfy-Heart11 ай бұрын

    I LOVE pea puffers tooo❤ Very curious and interesting fish! I keep 2 in my community tank, and they ate all my pest snails in a week. So now I'm feeding them blood worms and they love it

  • @axelleaa

    @axelleaa

    11 ай бұрын

    How are you ensuring your pea puffers are also eating bloodworms in a community tank? I have 3 pea puffers in my community tank (with black skirt tetras) and I’m always worried they aren’t eating the bloodworms since bloodworms float and the puffers tend to stay at the bottom (ish).

  • @axelleaa

    @axelleaa

    11 ай бұрын

    I should probably specify that they get fed once a day and I start with flakes, wait for them to finish that then throw some bloodworms in the filter stream so they get pushed to the bottom, they usually float right back up though lol

  • @Comfy-Heart

    @Comfy-Heart

    11 ай бұрын

    @hl9617 I usually feed them the frozen blood worms which will sink. And when I feed, I always swivel the worms so they look like they are moving and appear more appealing to pea puffers (since they like live food). If you have the bandwidth, you can also try live bloodworms and brine shrimps! Hope that helps :))

  • @lurklingX

    @lurklingX

    17 күн бұрын

    thought you couldn't keep them with other fish..... will have to go back in and dig around for what people say in general. i always liked black skirts. they get SO big apparently! i had one as a first fish when i got into it. and recently saw some massive ones for sale.

  • @angiebear8727
    @angiebear872711 ай бұрын

    So agree with you on this particular goby. Sooooo cute…..when they aren’t under my rocks.😂

  • @Yetieti406
    @Yetieti40611 ай бұрын

    My neon blue dwarf gobies do the same thing! I find that if I just approach slowly and don't make any sudden movements it's ok - or if I sit there for a while. Same thing goes for my hillstream loach and less so for my bristlenose pleco. They're still so cool, though, when you see them up on the glass, front and center.

  • @cosmoplakat9549
    @cosmoplakat954911 ай бұрын

    My nerite spends most of its time on a large piece of wood, which was well seasoned before I got the snail. I think they really love the biofilm that grows on wood.

  • @TBG1
    @TBG111 ай бұрын

    I've had some Otocinclus for forever by now. They survived 3 tank changes and living in a huge bucket-like thingy as an emergency tank. They were like my first ever fish and are really peaceful in my case, living along my dwarf shrimp and just overall vibing. Very calming fish, imo

  • @melty_ice
    @melty_ice11 ай бұрын

    This was a good premier.

  • @frowningfaun4528
    @frowningfaun4528 Жыл бұрын

    Just got back into tanking some fish. Got 2 angel, 2 male guppies amd 4 female guppies. Then 2 khuli loaches. Looking to start a brackish with 2 puffers. Addicted.

  • @simonbuys
    @simonbuys11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the great video! How did you feed your pea puffer in the 5 gallon? This looks like a great tank but i don't have a second tank to breed snails and cubes of frozen food look too big for just one puffer.

  • @LampGoron64
    @LampGoron642 ай бұрын

    the axolotl gulp at 8:55 was so cute

  • @kajalsarak8335
    @kajalsarak8335 Жыл бұрын

    Finally this video 😊

  • @amazingaquaticsandexotics3030
    @amazingaquaticsandexotics303011 ай бұрын

    i have a stiphodon in my 33 gallon hillstream setup. mine is pretty bold [ probably assisted by dither fish] and i see him all the time [ even in the midwater]

  • @markvonwisco7369
    @markvonwisco7369 Жыл бұрын

    One Caridina shrimp that thrives in harder water is the Malawa shrimp (Caridina pareparensis). They pretty much look like miniature Amano shrimp. Malawa shrimp are very hardy, and breed like crazy once they get established.

  • @janemarriott3389
    @janemarriott338911 ай бұрын

    Just found you! Happy to subscribe.

  • @Cipher0ptic24
    @Cipher0ptic2410 ай бұрын

    You can get rodi water from a local fish store that sales saltwater fish. It usually costs between 25-50 cents a gallon.

  • @MessengerAgemo
    @MessengerAgemo11 ай бұрын

    I have had success with moneywort in a shell dweller tank acting as a floating plant.

  • @GenRN

    @GenRN

    11 ай бұрын

    I’m going to try this!

  • @amazingaquaticsandexotics3030
    @amazingaquaticsandexotics3030 Жыл бұрын

    bigger rainbowfish [ boesemani, turquoise, reds] . stunning but dominant individuals can be aggressive and they are prone to mouth injuries,

  • @Chris-jl6vp
    @Chris-jl6vp6 күн бұрын

    Another note about marbled hatchetfish: They're also rather prone to stressing and whitespot.

  • @squiddysan
    @squiddysan7 ай бұрын

    Nerite snails are the go-to algae eating snails in Europe, since mystery snails (and all other snails from the genus Pomacea) are banned in Europe (specifically European Union). I've kept several different snails from the family Neritidae (vittina natalensis, vittina waigiensis, neritina pulligera, theodoxus fluviatilis, clithon corona & clithon diadema). Never had an issue with any of them, nor would I consider them "intermediate", but I understand why some might. Unlike other snails I've kept (tylomelania gemmifera, faunus ater, pest snails), they definitely prefer algae over fish food, and I've never seen them be interested in it, while the others mentioned swarm any bottom feeder food I drop in. This is why I'd always leave the back panel of my tank alone and not scrape the algae off it, another good tip is not to overstock them.

  • @Trisantoso1
    @Trisantoso110 ай бұрын

    I had, micro crab, neocaridina, ottocinclus. But somehow neocaridina just die and eaten by micro crab 😂. Also I just notice micro crab can carry food on their back and carried it back to its lair....

  • @belleviewaquatics8435
    @belleviewaquatics843511 ай бұрын

    My axolotl is turning 2 this august, I pulled the AC from my bedroom to put in his room. His tank remains a balmy 66 F. I swelter in bed but I can sleep knowing he is ok.

  • @lizdyson3627
    @lizdyson36275 ай бұрын

    Hi irene, have you ever had a panther crab or do you know how best to keep one? Tank size ect.

  • @Amie_Lee_SP
    @Amie_Lee_SP2 күн бұрын

    For the shell dweller tank algae, would a nerite snail be happy in there since they can do okay with brackish water?

  • @towermoss
    @towermoss6 ай бұрын

    One additional thing about nerite snails: They are remarkably messy. Whenever I kept them, my tank was literally covered with their laid eggs. Of course, they don't hatch, but they are unsightly in large numbers and difficult to remove. Also, they poop A LOT. Like, an absurd amount. It'll look like someone dumped those chocolate sprinkles all in your tank.

  • @Jamiesayla
    @Jamiesayla8 ай бұрын

    Agree with the axies. I love my lotl, but the aquarium chiller was an expense. Now she lives in a planted 75 gallon with some shrimp and white clouds. I regret nothing, she gave me an excuse to buy a bigger tank.

  • @delgadoflaco
    @delgadoflaco11 ай бұрын

    Trying to grow some bright neocrdina water shrimp but can you with fish and plants, Can I use 1inch of substrate with 1/2 inch of gravel ?Also can I bag a few medium mesh bag fill with substrate to change the bag and not the whole substrate out through the years

  • @fsu7482
    @fsu748211 ай бұрын

    Fire eels basically suicidal mine digs all the time and will uproot everything. You need fluval stratum substrate so it kinda readjusts around the plants as they move

  • @bigdaddyjjasonwilliamstbo8005
    @bigdaddyjjasonwilliamstbo800511 ай бұрын

    @GirlTalksFish do you have a video on how to take care of aquarium while on vacation?

  • @sunsundks3891
    @sunsundks389111 ай бұрын

    13:58 what about one of the three smallest cory species being with em?

  • @lruddy8820
    @lruddy882011 ай бұрын

    my crystal shrimp have been thriving and a def dont keep them in low ph soft waters, the store i got them from kept them in half RO water and i didnt even drip acclimate mine from my experiences with them over the last few months they are a lot hardier then what you would read online

  • @fireball7677
    @fireball7677 Жыл бұрын

    Angel fish but they get pretty big and aggressive

  • @kellygoodman6167
    @kellygoodman616711 ай бұрын

    An aquatic specialist told me putting eggshells for them to eat will give them the calcium they need for their shells

  • @Sebbb666
    @Sebbb66611 ай бұрын

    are the stiphadon gobies solitary? i would love to keep 1 or 2 in my 10 gallon :D (i searched up their minimal tank size and it said 5-10 gallons on most sites, some sites also said they can be alone but im not 100% )

  • @matthewzito6130
    @matthewzito613011 ай бұрын

    I've had no problems keeping Nerite Snails in hard, neutral water. Bolivian Rams are a good alternative to German Blue Rams. They're relatively hardy and do well at normal tropical tempuratures. African Clawed Frogs are a good alternative to Axolotls. They will still eat small fish, but they don't need a chiller and will eat prepared foods.

  • @misbegotten6964
    @misbegotten6964 Жыл бұрын

    pea puffers are SO cute. but theyre soooo expensive,

  • @lisagayhart2482
    @lisagayhart2482 Жыл бұрын

    Angels and my African frog. Guppies are too easy after they get healthy. Mystery snails are cool. I love Cory cats .

  • @SlimJimmy916
    @SlimJimmy91611 ай бұрын

    my neon goby made a cave under a rock and would come out when i would get close but died cause it wanted to explore the void tip keep a lid on your tank

  • @jessicamae40
    @jessicamae40 Жыл бұрын

    I went to Petsmart and asked for 2 mystery snails and came home with a mystery and nerite snail 😅 Hopefully mine does okay, my water does have a higher ph 🤞🏻

  • @jawharp1992

    @jawharp1992

    Жыл бұрын

    Wish you the best of luck! Nerites are awesome. It's funny that they couldn't tell the difference when they bagged them up for you though.

  • @jessicamae40

    @jessicamae40

    Жыл бұрын

    @@jawharp1992 I was going to take him back but I got attached pretty quickly 😂

  • @johncameron4194
    @johncameron419411 ай бұрын

    Need some shell dwellers

  • @freyafoxmusic
    @freyafoxmusic11 ай бұрын

    Nerite perfect for my Vegas water

  • @yashtapase3821
    @yashtapase3821 Жыл бұрын

    In my case I love to talk Corydoras 😍 BTW Irene huge love and respect from India 🇮🇳

  • @susannahkeneda8692

    @susannahkeneda8692

    11 ай бұрын

    Cories are kinda the best!

  • @az_street_walker4181
    @az_street_walker418111 ай бұрын

    I know you know what you’re talking about because I’ve been watching here and there for years and your videos have given me some valuable information however it is crazy insane hearing you mention that you have low GH and say that you had used a chemical to substitute the gh that was lacking rather than putting in way crushed corals

  • @4zombie208
    @4zombie20811 ай бұрын

    I bought like 20 different ghost, shrimp for feeders for my pea, puffer fish, and my cichlids in my angelfish, and my rainbow shark and surprisingly almost all of the ghost shrimp are still alive in the 4 tanks I put them in I have no idea why it’s kind of cool they’ve been in there for like a month and a half an hour but just surprising they haven’t gotten eaten. And they rome round right next to the fish in the fish. Don’t even care.

  • @KhaeLikesCoffee
    @KhaeLikesCoffee11 ай бұрын

    Shell dwellers seem like they'd be really entertaining to watch. I'd probably spend my days just watching them bulldoze and rearrange their tank lol.

  • @onlywei
    @onlywei Жыл бұрын

    How do you have high PH low GH? Do you use a water softener?

  • @qpqp2339

    @qpqp2339

    11 ай бұрын

    I have a water softener and this is the case.

  • @kungsime4896
    @kungsime489611 ай бұрын

    For me whenever I come home my gobies come up to the front trying to get fed haha

  • @briankepner7569
    @briankepner756911 ай бұрын

    Ellisoma evergladie or pygmy sunfish. Back in 1983 I was challenged to keep them by one of my fish friends. Turned out to be one of the most interesting experiments. Having to learn how to keep them in simple when gallon jars. They drop one egg every one to two days so they actually breathe like flies and the trick is to keep the parents from eating them. They only eat live food which was a hard lesson to learn but once you picked up the ability to keep blood worms alive in a fridge you quickly realized your wife would prefer that you get a second fridge. That's back in the day when blood worms were rumored to come out of the Mexican sewers. Oh my wife was happy. Anyhow I always love your posts

  • @GirlTalksFish

    @GirlTalksFish

    11 ай бұрын

    Woah, that's so cool! I'd love to try them someday.

  • @thorium9190
    @thorium919010 ай бұрын

    I’ve kept many betta fish with shrimps, you just need a lot of hiding spots preferably from plants

  • @rbenfield3

    @rbenfield3

    7 ай бұрын

    I really need some shrimp in my betta tank to help with my algae, because my snails aren't really eating anything growing on the plants. What kind of shrimp did you use?

  • @krispapas9834
    @krispapas9834 Жыл бұрын

    Love german blue but can't keep them alive!

  • @roopaachuri2216

    @roopaachuri2216

    11 ай бұрын

    Make sure the temp is 82-86 degree Fahrenheit (28-30C)

  • @hakman239
    @hakman239 Жыл бұрын

    You got a new betta?

  • @user-gy4up6cd5o
    @user-gy4up6cd5o11 ай бұрын

    那个燕子不如古代蝴蝶好看

  • @billyemerrill
    @billyemerrill11 ай бұрын

    All my otos died now I know better luck with golden algae eaters, I like skert barbs and candy cane tip tetras

  • @billyshadoan6881
    @billyshadoan688111 ай бұрын

    love you irene

  • @krispapas9834
    @krispapas9834 Жыл бұрын

    Can't keep caridina shrimp alive either

  • @metehantans7852
    @metehantans785211 ай бұрын

    I bought nerites thinking they wouldn't reproduce like other snails, I started with 5 now I have 10 babies...

  • @GenRN

    @GenRN

    11 ай бұрын

    😮

  • @davidjames3078
    @davidjames307811 ай бұрын

    I spent 27 dollars on four shrimp and my kuile fish and he ate them

  • @thewalkingrob8840
    @thewalkingrob884011 ай бұрын

    Beta never bothered my shrimp

  • @SylviaBerge-ex5ux
    @SylviaBerge-ex5ux11 ай бұрын

    P r o m o s m

  • @artvsmachine3703
    @artvsmachine370310 ай бұрын

    Xiao hong. Hmmm. You must speak Chinese.

  • @helpfulvillagers7364
    @helpfulvillagers736411 ай бұрын

    For the thumbnail AXOLOTLS ARENTS FISH