link to the longer version, which discusses each cleanup crew member, what they are ideally suited for eating, and how to care for them. : ua-cam.com/video/6wX0I2ilHCM/v-deo.html
I’m a firm believer: fish don’t care about visible tubes, machines, and show-type set-ups. People do. They care about water parameters and good food. Make your fish happy. My tanks are approximately 10% show. 😁🤪👍🏾
I am constantly astonished and overwhelmed by your level of knowledge. Will have to watch this again before I watch the full version. Makes my brain tingle … love it! 💓
Aww thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy this style of video. I try and research something new daily, and build on what I had stuck in my noggin the day prior. But I'm here to keep learning and hopefully then just trying to make it easy to understand and get rid of the pieces that don't matter for most people in the hobby... then I take that extra useless info and make deep dive episodes with it lol 😆
Awesome stuff! The holistic angle is probably the most fun part of the hobby for me. Ramshorn and pond snails in particular, they're a real education in terms of feeding - I thought I couldn't possibly feed less, but I quickly learned that it was still too much! Educators, and preventors of ammonia spikes!
Haha yeah they are a little barometer for your water quality and feeding. I've left snails in jars (eggs hatched after I ignored the jar in a window ledge) and they lived over a year on nothing but algae being grown in their 1 gallon pickle jar, a few bits of water sprite, moss and Naja grass. They grew slow, but like 8 or 9 were living in there when I cleaned out the jar.
My clean up crew finally got the problems of a dirty tank fixed up about three weeks after I installed them. My problem, challenge, was a fifteen gallon tall tank, so not much ground space. It had no Algea on the glass because I had no natural light. The basement is subterranean, so all light comes from synthetic sources. My 20 Amano shrimp will not reproduce and they did a terrific job of cleaning up sediment. The Corydoras were good on the larger bits and between the two of them my tall tank was tidied up. You are very right here though. If you don't feed them steak dinners every night, they will eat in. Good video....Mystery Snails are not a Clean up crew member. They don't like algae, or fish poop. Cory is right the Ramshorn and The pond snails are good cleaners, I love them.
I liked the video very informative. I have a 35 gal community tank. Working on balancing the bio load to plant ratio. Very heavy stocked. 15 coy cats, 10 shrimp cherry and blue, 1 chocolate albino pleco, 20 live bearers (molly,guppy,endlers) 2 yo-yo loaches to help control the rams horn snails. 6 bundles of anacharis, 2 anubias, and a few crypts. Planning on upgrading to a 55 gal very soon
Great video! I keep a 2.5 gallon with scuds, worms, and bladder snails without heat or filtration. I have some kind of tiny tube worm I've not been able to identify, they can move their tubes around and like to stick to the backs of the snails. I throw in odds and ends of decaying aquarium plants and the occasional leafy green or fish food. I keep a layer of oak leaves and mulm on the bottom. Sometimes I hatch vernal fairy shrimp or seed shrimp and throw those in, or squirt in a turkey baster of water from the outdoor tub. The populations wax and wane, copepods show up and disappear, and the occasional bacteria bloom which for some reason usually resolves into amazingly clear water. It's one of my favorite tanks to watch.
This is almost exactly what I have going on and do! I even hatch out and put fairy shrimp and daphnia in there! Seed shrimp and copapods, bacteria blooms and resulting clear water. It is my absolute favorite tank and the one tank I almost never have to do any maintenance on beside throwing in some bits of extra foods etc. The first time I had that issue of blooms and clear water,, i freaked out when I saw the water got cloudy and tank smelled awful.. i was sick at that time and was at a point where i was about to give up and let it crash. After I started getting better, and planned on cleaning a tank out, i came back to perfect clear water and thriving little creatures not harmed in any way. I am guessing it works the same way as the process to making infusoria cultures. When you put in some food, food starts rotting, bacteria blooms, causing cloudy water, infusoria then feed on bacteria and decaying food and grow in numbers, then the water clears and you know its ready. I find this bloom in my tank happens when I over feed, or feed certain foods like zucchini and greenbeans etc. Its amazing, our tanks are like mini ecosystems. Its always different and I will never tire of it.
@@kathryncastanares525 Yaaaaaas! I've wanted to try daphia but the tank doesn't get much sun, and I suck at keeping them alive in general. Agree on the bloom being caused by over feeding, I see it most after leafy greens. I think fairy shrimp are underrated as live fish food. I won't go on about the scuds but I could, they might be my favorite crustacean. I joined my first fish club in the 80s and met a ton of old codgers who started in the 50s and were largely using old tech like box filters - they all kept scuds and extolled their benefits in aquaria. Now amphipods are considered the roaches of the aquarium world. What a shame. My scud population started with some moss I bought at a small LFS - there were maybe 10 or so in it. I called the store to let them know becuase I figured other customers would be angry. The clerk apologized profusely and told me to come back and get twice as much moss for free and I said, "Hell no, they just got their own tank, I'm thrilled!" LMAO. Shit, I just realized that I am now the same age as the "old codgers".
@@Fishtory Iv been binge watching your videos and you definitely are my favourite aquarist youtuber, but iv heard u mention ⚡⚡ strikes are attracted to you. One day i may ask u on livestream to tell us fans whom haven't heard the story. If that's ok?
CHALLENGE for you : What is the secret history living in the white fuzzy stuff that grow on wood ? The lobby needs a definitive answer about it. Does it comes out from the wood ? What is this really ? Mushroom, bacteria..both ?!!? Have you already put this under the microscope like you did with "bob the blob" ? Great channel btw.
Haha. Thanks. I have actually covered this, (there's 760 videos or more now on here). But it is the cellulose and tannins (light clear slime) then it is a water rot (fungi) that eats that. Once it is finished a bacteria, often times a strange purple shade, black or white will clean up the dead fungi then starve...but fish love it. It's harmless, and full of fiber they can digest, as well as sugars and protein!
I was trying to specifically breed blue/silver and pink/red ramshorns in separate tanks so to make their populations explode I fed snail cookies and lots of algae wafers. My Bristlenose plecos obviously enjoyed the extra snacks lol
I have 3 tanks with Guppies, Kuhli Loaches & snails in, my biggest tank is a 15G & I keep getting 1 to 2 nitrites in it. That nitrates are good so I don't understand where it's coming from? Any ideas or advice please. I have about 17 female Guppies in this tank. Thank you Alexander 😊
🎥🎬 Rewatch crew unite! ⏪⏮️ Give this comment a like if you want to boost the video in the eyes of the algorithm. 🙌 If you’re feeling extra spicy leave a comment too. 🤩👍
I can’t even scrape it off with my nails, would a snail be able to?! It’s a blue acara only tank for breeding (hopefully). Second question, would a snail go for their eggs? Thank you 🙏🏻
Hi Alex. Can you tell me, if I lightly vacuum my tank say once monthly, well should I stop if I want them little scuds and such critters? I think I vacuumed all all out of my little take don't know they just disappeared either that or my betta ate them all. I've never had them in my big tank yet that I know of
Yes id stop the gravel vacuuming unless it's a dead fish or big chunk of food. Itll give then a chance to eat missed fish food and mulmy stuff. Best of luck!
I noticed a cherry shrimp with a white 'line of death' but also have amano shrimp that have molted (exo skeletons spotted), do you think its possible the calcium is too much for the cherry shrimp but not for the amanos?
Hehe. Partially the strong light increases their anthocynins (beta carotene and Licopine etc) and in acidic water anthocynins get more red...alkaline they get more purple or even blue in plants and animals. Also they eat a really well rounded diet and emotionally are happy in such a large group...if I move 5 to 6 to a breeding tank, they loose a lot of color from stress.
Is panacur safe to use with kuhli loaches in the tank? : Hydra infestation. Also, how big of a tank do you recommend for a small school (9) neon tetras?
Yes Panacure should be safe in the low dosages recommended. Hydra usually mean too much food, and too many nitrates (not always though). A cut back on food and double the water changes for a few weeks should help regardless. As for neons... they can live in a 5 gallon at that size if you have plenty of plants around the corners or one side of the tank. Ideally a 10 gallon or larger would be better, but I've had up to 25 or so neon tetras in a 5 gallon when growing out some I had bred
I like aquarium zen in north seattle...30 mins from downtown Everrett or so. But aquarium coop in edmonds, and also the fish store in Lake city are good...the north end near Arlington, smokey point and Marysville sadly has had their 2 great pet shops close in the last 5 years. I could be forgetting somewhere...but id say take the journey to north Seattle
Also red fish blue fish (redfishbluefish.shop) on whidbey island is incredible.... all rare small and nano species and aquascaoe stuff at half the price of many Seattle prices
Okay, I'm in desperate need of guidance here. Here in Louisiana we just got hit by hurricane Ida. I lost almost every fish & almost all my plants. I was able to salvage some. Starting over. Bc the water in tank was still, the plants began to melt, everything started growing some slime like white/tan fungus. I was able to salvage some dwarf hair grass& ferns. Before setting everything back up what I really need to know, this fungus spreads rapidly. It took over the hospital tank that I put rocks in from my big tank for good bacteria. Should I bleach filter & go snag some free media? Also, the sand in my tank..how to I make sure that this fungus stuff is gone & not in the sand? I was going to boil it...can I just rinse it in hot water? Should I bleach it? Idk! I'm so overwhelmed, I don't even know where to start. I bleach dipped the rest of plants that were still alive. Is the sand and substrate garbage now? Sorry, I'm all over the place. This is devastating. Recap, remainder of plants have been dipped, remainder of fish are in hospital tank being treated, if I just rinse the algae from the filter will that rid it? How can I remove algae & save good bacteria? What should I do to make sure the sand isn't going to spread that fungus? Also at this point I'm planning to boil all driftwood & rocks. I'm losing it, any advice??
Im so sorry to hear about all this! I would honestly, empty the tank(s) and bleach them... then air dry them for 24 hours... either boil or get new sand/soil or gravel and maybe start a QT plant tank where you can treat any mold or bacteria / mites and if it all looks healthy for a few weeks, then replant it wherever you like. I know this isnt what you want to hear probably ...sorry. my thoughts are with you though!
Its funny how lazy people are. Look if your lazy and you want an aquarium just pay someone to service it. No matter what you do. This hobby will require you to do some maintenance. Stop being lazy or just get out of the hobby....maybe its just not for you. Go take up something else😕
link to the longer version, which discusses each cleanup crew member, what they are ideally suited for eating, and how to care for them. :
ua-cam.com/video/6wX0I2ilHCM/v-deo.html
I’m a firm believer: fish don’t care about visible tubes, machines, and show-type set-ups. People do. They care about water parameters and good food. Make your fish happy. My tanks are approximately 10% show. 😁🤪👍🏾
Good point!
I am constantly astonished and overwhelmed by your level of knowledge. Will have to watch this again before I watch the full version. Makes my brain tingle … love it! 💓
Aww thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy this style of video. I try and research something new daily, and build on what I had stuck in my noggin the day prior. But I'm here to keep learning and hopefully then just trying to make it easy to understand and get rid of the pieces that don't matter for most people in the hobby... then I take that extra useless info and make deep dive episodes with it lol 😆
@@Fishtory well, I love it and am hooked! 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼
Awesome stuff! The holistic angle is probably the most fun part of the hobby for me.
Ramshorn and pond snails in particular, they're a real education in terms of feeding - I thought I couldn't possibly feed less, but I quickly learned that it was still too much! Educators, and preventors of ammonia spikes!
Haha yeah they are a little barometer for your water quality and feeding. I've left snails in jars (eggs hatched after I ignored the jar in a window ledge) and they lived over a year on nothing but algae being grown in their 1 gallon pickle jar, a few bits of water sprite, moss and Naja grass.
They grew slow, but like 8 or 9 were living in there when I cleaned out the jar.
I love my clean up crews, but I love learning new things about them. Love your channel because I am ALWAYS, always learning something new.
👍❤👍
Thanks Shelby! I appreciate that you tune in and always add upbeat or informational comments!
My clean up crew finally got the problems of a dirty tank fixed up about three weeks after I installed them.
My problem, challenge, was a fifteen gallon tall tank, so not much ground space. It had no Algea on the glass because I had no natural light. The basement is subterranean, so all light comes from synthetic sources. My 20 Amano shrimp will not reproduce and they did a terrific job of cleaning up sediment. The Corydoras were good on the larger bits and between the two of them my tall tank was tidied up. You are very right here though. If you don't feed them steak dinners every night, they will eat in.
Good video....Mystery Snails are not a Clean up crew member. They don't like algae, or fish poop. Cory is right the Ramshorn and The pond snails are good cleaners, I love them.
Oh yes. I totally agree with your summary :) cheers Kerry!
I liked the video very informative.
I have a 35 gal community tank.
Working on balancing the bio load to plant ratio.
Very heavy stocked. 15 coy cats, 10 shrimp cherry and blue, 1 chocolate albino pleco, 20 live bearers (molly,guppy,endlers)
2 yo-yo loaches to help control the rams horn snails.
6 bundles of anacharis, 2 anubias, and a few crypts. Planning on upgrading to a 55 gal very soon
Nice! Sounds well balanced
Hello, I enjoyed Sean's interview with you on the Pecktec channel. Different perspectives are always interesting to me. Stay Safe and Have Fun!
Oh right on! I forgot about that (we filmed in like May haha) thank you though!
Great video! I keep a 2.5 gallon with scuds, worms, and bladder snails without heat or filtration. I have some kind of tiny tube worm I've not been able to identify, they can move their tubes around and like to stick to the backs of the snails. I throw in odds and ends of decaying aquarium plants and the occasional leafy green or fish food. I keep a layer of oak leaves and mulm on the bottom. Sometimes I hatch vernal fairy shrimp or seed shrimp and throw those in, or squirt in a turkey baster of water from the outdoor tub. The populations wax and wane, copepods show up and disappear, and the occasional bacteria bloom which for some reason usually resolves into amazingly clear water. It's one of my favorite tanks to watch.
Oh interesting! Very cool micro ecosystem
This is almost exactly what I have going on and do! I even hatch out and put fairy shrimp and daphnia in there! Seed shrimp and copapods, bacteria blooms and resulting clear water. It is my absolute favorite tank and the one tank I almost never have to do any maintenance on beside throwing in some bits of extra foods etc. The first time I had that issue of blooms and clear water,, i freaked out when I saw the water got cloudy and tank smelled awful.. i was sick at that time and was at a point where i was about to give up and let it crash. After I started getting better, and planned on cleaning a tank out, i came back to perfect clear water and thriving little creatures not harmed in any way. I am guessing it works the same way as the process to making infusoria cultures. When you put in some food, food starts rotting, bacteria blooms, causing cloudy water, infusoria then feed on bacteria and decaying food and grow in numbers, then the water clears and you know its ready. I find this bloom in my tank happens when I over feed, or feed certain foods like zucchini and greenbeans etc. Its amazing, our tanks are like mini ecosystems. Its always different and I will never tire of it.
@@kathryncastanares525 Yaaaaaas! I've wanted to try daphia but the tank doesn't get much sun, and I suck at keeping them alive in general. Agree on the bloom being caused by over feeding, I see it most after leafy greens. I think fairy shrimp are underrated as live fish food. I won't go on about the scuds but I could, they might be my favorite crustacean. I joined my first fish club in the 80s and met a ton of old codgers who started in the 50s and were largely using old tech like box filters - they all kept scuds and extolled their benefits in aquaria. Now amphipods are considered the roaches of the aquarium world. What a shame.
My scud population started with some moss I bought at a small LFS - there were maybe 10 or so in it. I called the store to let them know becuase I figured other customers would be angry. The clerk apologized profusely and told me to come back and get twice as much moss for free and I said, "Hell no, they just got their own tank, I'm thrilled!" LMAO.
Shit, I just realized that I am now the same age as the "old codgers".
I dont like or comment on many videos but....
U got my attention!!
Hail King Alex!!
Hahaha well shucks! Thanks
@@Fishtory
Iv been binge watching your videos and you definitely are my favourite aquarist youtuber, but iv heard u mention ⚡⚡ strikes are attracted to you. One day i may ask u on livestream to tell us fans whom haven't heard the story. If that's ok?
I also have shrimp essential thanks alot pal...
I'm going to check out the other video
CHALLENGE for you : What is the secret history living in the white fuzzy stuff that grow on wood ? The lobby needs a definitive answer about it. Does it comes out from the wood ? What is this really ? Mushroom, bacteria..both ?!!? Have you already put this under the microscope like you did with "bob the blob" ? Great channel btw.
Haha. Thanks. I have actually covered this, (there's 760 videos or more now on here). But it is the cellulose and tannins (light clear slime) then it is a water rot (fungi) that eats that. Once it is finished a bacteria, often times a strange purple shade, black or white will clean up the dead fungi then starve...but fish love it. It's harmless, and full of fiber they can digest, as well as sugars and protein!
@@Fishtory Thank you for your quick answer. I don't know how I missed your video about it. Probably Q&A I didn't lesson carefully :( Keep going...
I read somewhere it was mycelium but now I can't remember the source. Shrimp love it.
I was trying to specifically breed blue/silver and pink/red ramshorns in separate tanks so to make their populations explode I fed snail cookies and lots of algae wafers. My Bristlenose plecos obviously enjoyed the extra snacks lol
Hahah yeah it's always a bit alarming how many snails start appearing when you do this lol
@ollacks ! ! JUst spent 10 Quid on shrimp food ! 🤣😂🤣
Lol oh well...special occaisions
For the algorithm!!
I have 3 tanks with Guppies, Kuhli Loaches & snails in, my biggest tank is a 15G & I keep getting 1 to 2 nitrites in it. That nitrates are good so I don't understand where it's coming from? Any ideas or advice please. I have about 17 female Guppies in this tank. Thank you Alexander 😊
Never i really tought about it
I gave a Thumb up...Good info buddy.
If you like waterfalls, or just nature in general...Look at this..ua-cam.com/video/H4JtX4xJ6k0/v-deo.html
Sweet thank you
Great info, thanks 🐸
Of course of course!
Alex or you can use Cuttle bone as a calcium food for snails
🎥🎬 Rewatch crew unite! ⏪⏮️ Give this comment a like if you want to boost the video in the eyes of the algorithm. 🙌 If you’re feeling extra spicy leave a comment too. 🤩👍
I loved this one! Thank you
Thank YOU for tuning in and commenting!
Great video thanks
Thank you kindly buddy
My little Tiger Endlers have picked at way more algae and debris than any of my snails or bottom feeders ever have 🙄😂
I have tanks where that's true also! People never seem to believe me though 😕 thanks lol
I love the concept of this video.... also, I have to say it.... FIRST
Haha you WIN!
I have green crap on the glass that won’t come off with scrubbing it. Any suggestion as to what could help? Nerite snail?
Yup nerite snails are basically the only thing with a tough enough "beak" ...2 little teeth, that can clean that stuff
I can’t even scrape it off with my nails, would a snail be able to?! It’s a blue acara only tank for breeding (hopefully). Second question, would a snail go for their eggs? Thank you 🙏🏻
Hi Alex. Can you tell me, if I lightly vacuum my tank say once monthly, well should I stop if I want them little scuds and such critters? I think I vacuumed all all out of my little take don't know they just disappeared either that or my betta ate them all. I've never had them in my big tank yet that I know of
Yes id stop the gravel vacuuming unless it's a dead fish or big chunk of food. Itll give then a chance to eat missed fish food and mulmy stuff. Best of luck!
Hello friend
Hola
I noticed a cherry shrimp with a white 'line of death' but also have amano shrimp that have molted (exo skeletons spotted), do you think its possible the calcium is too much for the cherry shrimp but not for the amanos?
My lfs says they haven't been able to order ramshorn snails in 5yrs do you know where I could order some?
Oh interesting... aquatic arts sometimes has them...but no, most order guides don't let you order them...they just show up lol
Lol thank you!!
Look on AquaBid, a few people sell them, reds, pinks, blues, and tigers.
@@shesellsfish Thank you!!
How do you get such orange ember tetras?
Hehe. Partially the strong light increases their anthocynins (beta carotene and Licopine etc) and in acidic water anthocynins get more red...alkaline they get more purple or even blue in plants and animals.
Also they eat a really well rounded diet and emotionally are happy in such a large group...if I move 5 to 6 to a breeding tank, they loose a lot of color from stress.
Is panacur safe to use with kuhli loaches in the tank? : Hydra infestation.
Also, how big of a tank do you recommend for a small school (9) neon tetras?
Yes Panacure should be safe in the low dosages recommended. Hydra usually mean too much food, and too many nitrates (not always though). A cut back on food and double the water changes for a few weeks should help regardless.
As for neons... they can live in a 5 gallon at that size if you have plenty of plants around the corners or one side of the tank. Ideally a 10 gallon or larger would be better, but I've had up to 25 or so neon tetras in a 5 gallon when growing out some I had bred
I am keeping mine a secret muahahaha
I'm in Everett. Where's the best place to buy nano fish around?
I like aquarium zen in north seattle...30 mins from downtown Everrett or so. But aquarium coop in edmonds, and also the fish store in Lake city are good...the north end near Arlington, smokey point and Marysville sadly has had their 2 great pet shops close in the last 5 years.
I could be forgetting somewhere...but id say take the journey to north Seattle
Also red fish blue fish (redfishbluefish.shop) on whidbey island is incredible.... all rare small and nano species and aquascaoe stuff at half the price of many Seattle prices
I've been going to Bridges Pets Gifts & Water in Snohomish. First I've been to since I've moved here. Great place too!
@@Fishtory thank you!
Okay, I'm in desperate need of guidance here. Here in Louisiana we just got hit by hurricane Ida. I lost almost every fish & almost all my plants. I was able to salvage some. Starting over. Bc the water in tank was still, the plants began to melt, everything started growing some slime like white/tan fungus. I was able to salvage some dwarf hair grass& ferns. Before setting everything back up what I really need to know, this fungus spreads rapidly. It took over the hospital tank that I put rocks in from my big tank for good bacteria. Should I bleach filter & go snag some free media? Also, the sand in my tank..how to I make sure that this fungus stuff is gone & not in the sand? I was going to boil it...can I just rinse it in hot water? Should I bleach it? Idk! I'm so overwhelmed, I don't even know where to start. I bleach dipped the rest of plants that were still alive. Is the sand and substrate garbage now? Sorry, I'm all over the place. This is devastating. Recap, remainder of plants have been dipped, remainder of fish are in hospital tank being treated, if I just rinse the algae from the filter will that rid it? How can I remove algae & save good bacteria? What should I do to make sure the sand isn't going to spread that fungus? Also at this point I'm planning to boil all driftwood & rocks. I'm losing it, any advice??
Im so sorry to hear about all this! I would honestly, empty the tank(s) and bleach them... then air dry them for 24 hours... either boil or get new sand/soil or gravel and maybe start a QT plant tank where you can treat any mold or bacteria / mites and if it all looks healthy for a few weeks, then replant it wherever you like. I know this isnt what you want to hear probably ...sorry. my thoughts are with you though!
I could have sworn ramshorns and Malaysians eat diatomaceous algea
You should paint your nails black.
Usually I would ...or silver haha
*bang*
Will panda loaches eat asian leeches ?
I dont think so
Release the tapes! We want those 13 minutes!!! 😅
Yeah me too... i tried twice and there's some error even though it's fine on my computer and or phone
@@Fishtory Im a video editor by profession, i feel your pain 💀
Its funny how lazy people are. Look if your lazy and you want an aquarium just pay someone to service it. No matter what you do. This hobby will require you to do some maintenance. Stop being lazy or just get out of the hobby....maybe its just not for you. Go take up something else😕
this dude painting his finger nails like a girl
And here i thought *he* was painting his nails like a man. Wild how nail polish can instantly trans your gender like that.
You remind me of the lion in the wizard of Oz.
Me too!