STEM PLANTS BUNDLE SALE - Over 75 plants - 15 Species for $59! Limited Time OFFER so HURRY! father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/ For Special Soil Supplements, Plants, FIsh & Merch in your country: fatherfish.fish/
The amount of videos that quote father fish without naming him and then try to contradict his methods but completely miss every shot is beyond me. Just accept this is the best way
I just found your channel about 2 weeks ago now and I'm sitting here thinking why the heck haven't I found this sooner. I love the truly natural way you keep aquariums. Ironically I have a white cloud tank that just started to get cloudy after having been running for a little while so the relevance of this video is spot on. Thank you Father Fish please keep these awesome videos coming. 😃👍
I’ve had the same experience…I’ve watched probably a hundred hours of videos to prepare for the first tank I’ve had in decades and the first planted tank ever…I’ve learned more from a few videos in a shorter period of time. There now only a few people whose videos I now watch…
I've been keeping fish since I was 12 I'm 35 now and I wish I would have known Father Fish from the beginning. Just switch out my planted tank from gravel to dirt and sand. Thank you so much for teaching me all you have. Hope you're proud of me FF!!
Like the many others, I am so thankful I came across this channel. Thank you father fish for all your knowledge. You make everything sound so simple. I was raised with parents that grew plants in greenhouses and can’t believe that the substrate you are teaching is basically what they used for their gardens minus a little bit sand. I’m now having to deal with moving my fish into a temporary tank while the main aquarium gets cloudy from dropping in the sand
You are not alone I've had my tank for 2 years until recently I never heard of Father fish and yeah gravel by itself doesn't work I am always replacing my plants they come with snails which shouldn't be a problem but the plants don't have a chance without the soil and the sand on top yeah I'm going to have to redo mine too I've already bought the soil and the sand don't feel bad what seems so obvious we didn't think the folks at the fish store want to make money on us and all that chemicals and crap we put in our tanks doesn't help if only we had thought about it logically it's okay we needed that wake up call now we will have happy healthy fish
i work in construction you make it seem very easy. i have been keeping marine and pond and tropical fish for over 20years and have introduced your methods in all my fish keeping , Keep it up
Just set up a 37 gallon tank after being out of fishkeeping for about 5 years. My previous tanks were larger, and I used a canister filter with mechanical and biological filtration with purigen added in to help keep the tank clear as I struggled with cloudiness back then, and YES I had gravel and NO live plants! This tank is set up with sand, live plants, a full rear bubble wall for aeration, and a hob filter. It's SUPER clean and clear, and I'm working up to removing all chemical filtration and just using mechanical and biological. Love your videos, will continue watching and learning!
I have got my fish tank naturally done up and I love it! 🤩And I love watching all your videos, father fish thank you and you make so much sense. I was conned into the big box stores but I’m glad I found you.,❤
I just found your channel too. And I love it. I once accidentally poured milk into my tank once. The inside of the paper cup was white. I told my wife it wasn’t a problem and we should just let the filter work. She ended up changing all the water. Lucky we didn’t loose fish.
I have done gravel as well as "aquarium soil" for years and have always had problems with my water and plants, I will redo all my tanks with your method this last time.🤞🏾
I love that I found this channel. I have wanted to try to build an aquarium and was afraid I would mess it up and just kill some fish. But watching so much of this channel has helped me build so much confidence and I LOVE the way you approach building healthy sustainable ecosystems. I am definitely going to start right away! Thanks and keep up the amazing and vital work Father Fish!
Thank you so much for your videos! God bless you! I always come back to your chanel while I am in panic mode 😂😅 AND FATHER FISH, you always give me so much hope and calm. Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge and wisdom with us all.
Hi Father Fish!! I am learning alot from you. Thank you. I have planted tanks and im dealing with cloudy water in 2 of them.....thank you so much for sharing your knowledge❤
Hello, Father Fish! I have been following your channel for almost one year. All the knowledge and information you share here are useful to me every day, in this wonderful hobby that is aquarism. Thank you very much, and greetings from Romania!
Thank you Raoul. It is wonderful knowing I have been helpful to you. Join us on FATHER FISH SHOAL at Discord and share some pics of your tanks. discord.gg/yzCfH6P3
Thanks Father for your wisdoms. One think I notice from my previous tank scape that also make cloudy water is Frodo Rock. These are constantly releasing calcium into the water and make the water cloudy.
Your videos have absolutely changed my perspective. I have since added sand, and a load of dead stuff from our local lake. My fish are so happy, and the tank looks like it has been there for years. I do have some questions: I think I have some light version of "pee water". Should I had charcoal or will that disturb the bacteria within? My fish are not eating as they once did. Should I ignore this? Thank you for your insight!
Hello Father Fish, i bought gravel thinking it would keep soil down in the same way as sand, and cannot return it. After more research I also bought the sand, and the tank is not set up yet. I was thinking of adding the gravel on top of the sand as decoration, but then I imagine the water would still pass through it and make it cloudy nonetheless? Is the only way to keep gravel to put it all the way under the sand? Is there any other way to use it without it having it go to waste? I will also not be adding a filter so I guess the water flow won't be as strong. Will gravel sitting at the top still whiten the water in this case? Thank you
Brilliant I'm going to change my gravel and buy sand but I'm also wondering should I save myself some money and add sand to my gravel ??? Worth thinking about
the other day i watched one of your videos when you saif if a small fish dies just push it in tovthe sand. can you elaborate on this beuase after watching this video i would be a little hesitant.
Thx Father Fish I only discovered you last week, you’re a wealth of knowledge and love your cheeky humour I’ve just set up a 15 litre bowl using your dirt method no filter and with lots of plants looking forward to seeing this evolve. I’ll be stocking it with cherry shrimp and maybe a Betta down the track Cheers and blessings from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤🐠
I also found this channel 1 week ago.you are getting to my mind ;) I am hobiest for 20 years, have very good results with fish, medium results with plants, anubias live forever, but other fancy stuff not so much. You convince me try the next level. I will put the sand, and the leavs. And more diferent plants. I will reduce light to 6 hours. I will keep my old old filter (that i was thinking to replace is less and less powerfull with time) and i will reduce the volume of whater taken out to 20% keeping my usual 3 to 4 months gap interval. I think this are all correct mejures regarding your used method. Thank you for all the information. Sorry for the english. Also a clean the filter evry year or 2 years, probably will stop that untill it stops working.
Hi Father Fish, Thank you so much for all your videos! Absolutely amazing knowledge. I have a ten gallon planted tank with 2 salt and pepper Cory’s and 9 fancy guppies. The thing is, I currently have a gravel substrate. I know that you have said to cap with sand. What if I did this.. put the fish in a temporary tank/bucket then drained their existing tank completely and saved that water then removed all the gravel from the now empty tank Make new substrate with the dirt and sand replanted the plants, refilled with the old water then re-introduced the fish. Would that work? Or potentially kill my fish?
Question I’m a beginner I know you said to get potting soil and sand. Then add water do I add the prime or stabilizer to the water or leave it like it is.
I used them for many years. They are counter intuitive. Only when they become so clogged they can no longer allow flow do they become effective. That is when users break them down and clean them.
I have sand and under that dirt. About 3" to 4" inches. I find that too much left over food and a dirty sponge filter was causing my water to appear cloudy. I put a 1/4" sheet of dense filter cloth behind my sponge filter and it caught all the brown waste in the water and cleared up the tank. I also notice that because of the natural light my tank gets that green water can happen, I usually do a 20% water change to help with that. So I have sand, no gravel. lots of plants, wood, and a bio filter and I still get algae all the time and cloudy water on occasion.
your soil layer is much too deep. It is bleeding into the water column generating more nutrients than the plants can handle. You can add more sand. That will help.You truly need about 8" of sand. Do the best you can and really fill the tank with plants. You should be able to cut back on the water changes as things settle down.
So in any case of needing to do a water change only change no more than 25% ? Unless you have an ammonia spike you could do more but even with nitrates being high would I still do 25% water change ?
Good morning father fish!! I have 5 gallon tank whit that problem, thank you for you advice, this weekend I gonna do a dirt 10 gallon ttank set up!!!! Is my first time to do it 😅 , please wish me luck 🍀 good bless you
Ive been hooked on your videos since about a month ago! Sooo much good information!!! I have a question for you if you see this. When making a natural aquarium like you do can i use dirt/sand/rocks/ plants from the river to include water from the river itself or just leaves and sticks i find in the local river itself ? I was planning on starting another aquarium following your steps but wanting to use actual water and mud from the rover itself or is that not a good idea ? Any and all information is greatly appreciated 👍
@FatherFish awesome ! You should make a video setting up an all river material tank 😉 👌 I appreciate your response and look forward to more of your videos ! My wife says I'm your number one UA-cam fan ha ha ha
hi father fish, i rescued a gold fish from a family member im new to the aquarium hobby but i want to save this fish so I've been doing some research , can i keep him in a aquarium like the ones you suggest with soil sand and plants?
I have a nano tank, recently set up, the tank has potting soil at the bottom and only sand at the top... the sand cover is about 2+ inches. The plants are healthy, and the fishes are healthy, No Filter, No CO2, and No extra oxygen, but I am not getting crystal clear water. It's almost always cloudy. Please suggest a way out
i just switch overflow filter from my stable aquarium. within hour the water start clearing,. Oh... sand, thats exacly what is in my overflow tank. gravel + sand to lock any fine material
I wish people would just come to your channel before buying their tanks. I know we live in a reactive society and this is just the way it is. When I go on FB people ask this same question over and over again and their told the same thing except what you explained. They’re told to do 50% water change or buy a UV sterilizer or spend more money on chemicals. Thank you for your knowledge and understanding
Hi father fish, i have an almost failed aquarium with aquasoil. Most of my fish died. Instead of ripping it apart, i added some sand on top of the aquasoil, now the plants seems to be doing good. Should i take everything apart and add dirt or will the aquarium sustain itself for a long time???
Hey Father Fish, question I have a deep sand bed with Pothus plants floating at the top with young 1.5 - 3 inch South American Cichlids. It's been 2-3 months and it seems like they're not growing. They are active so my question is, can I start feeding them more heavily and do a 25% water change daily to expedite their growth? Thanks
I am planning kn setting up a 20 gallon long deep substrate tank with no filter. How deep should my substrate be? Also how high is the tank behind you?
anime, here are some videos that will help you learn how to set up the FATHER FISH DEEP SUBSTRATE living aquarium. ua-cam.com/video/KBCyRSgfMTg/v-deo.html Do not try to do this until you have learned how to do it.
I Love watching you it reminds me when I was a child and my grandfather would take care of are fish tank watching you brings back those memories as I continue to do the same with my child. Keep up the excellent education it is priceless.
Or, you don't have quite enough sand capping off the soil underneath! First week in our maiden voyage dirted tank, water was clear. second week, began to have a yellowish tinge but no smell, and the living things in the tank were doing fine. It seems that the substrate was settling and some soil had moved up a bit. we added another 1/2 inch of sand, and within 48 hours, the water was clear. did no water change.
On the money!! Dang! Your a Blessing to us fish lover's! Just want to thank you, for sharing your knowledge of 🐠 fish! Unbelievable Stuff! Father Fish is the Best!
Muito bom, e o melhor dentodos que tenho assistido, não se rendeu ao sistema, percebi que e mais simples do que me fizeram pensar e também muito mais acessível encontrar os substratos e criar um ta que saudavel sem gastar rios de dinheiro ❤
I have 3-4 inch of pea gravel substrate and I have crystal clear water, without water change or gravel vac. But my filter gets clogged monthly and Im sure if I took the filter out it would turn cloudy. Moving forward taking your advice I may add a 2 inch layer of sand on top of my existing gravel, Im all for increasing the anerobic environment in the substate and sand will do this really well. My 200 litre tank with a 3-4 inch gravel substate recently got put through its paces, its been set up with a filter for years but due to a family issue the tank was left with the power off for 2 months straight, and the mature gravel bed alone kept the tank alive. The second I got power back to the tank it kicked into life like nothing happened. I could only imagine a sand layeer would safeguard your tank even more! But straight gravel is good if its deep and small stones, my gravel is mixed with bio media also.
@@FatherFish I have a food web in my tropical tank with tetras, 1 bristle nose and several cherry shrimp & snails, I haven't had to put any food in for almost 2 years now, the lights are on for 16hrs a day and there is zero algae on anything! This is harder to achive in my 200L cold water tank due to the nature of the fish im keeping, they are plant eaters, they eat snails and any kind of clean up crew so I rely heavily on my deep gravel bed and filter. I cant even run the lights to grow some algae because it stresses the fish which are native british river fish so they like to hide rather than be exposed.
I'm interested in how you're philosophical views of keeping fish apply to more boisterous species such as piranha and oscars. Because they obviously tear up plants and dig through the substrate
I have kept large fish in natural aquariums. It depends upon the species. Arrowana, for example, are very easy to keep in planted, deep substrate tanks as are piranha, geophagus (surprise), and other cichlid species such as chocolate cichlid, salvini, and other mid size fish. The large cichlids of Central America are inveterate diggers and are problematic in a dirted tank. I have kept them in very large tanks with a foot of sand and have been able to grow plants.
I have gravel in almost all my tanks , I build the deep substrate like you recommend , but on top of the sand I will put a thin layer of gravel. this gives my scuds a place to hide from the fish so the population can sustain itself . lots of them especially the young ones are gobbled up by the fish, but enough adults survive to reproduce . for the tanks that have fish that like to sift through the sand , instead of covering the entire bottom, I make little piles of gravel in a few places , works just as well.
Unfortunately, I do not have gravel. My substrate is 100% black sand... Fish and plants doing great... I've had what looks to be a bacterial bloom for almost 6 months lol. The only thing that has helped is a UV filter but even that has only helped a bit. I'm about to run the tank water through an ro filter. I can actually see the clouds in the tank by shining a light at night. Literally looks like clouds in the night sky. Im going with Problem #2. Ill start 25% water changes every day and see how she looks after a few days.
Could I potentially add sand into the gravel... I have about 4 inches of gravel and my tank is always a little cloudy. My plants and fish are doing just fine but I want the water to be clear so badly. People always tell me to do water changes but I know that isn’t the issue
I have just started a 5 gal & 10 gal tank have soil & sand on top. I planted lots of plants. I did a 25% change on the 5gal it got cloudy and started to smell I have noticed after 4 days of plant being in some are melting or turning brown in some areas. Help! All water parameters are ok.
I have kept bare bottom tanks and always had crystal clear water. My opinion, leave the filter alone, I lightly clean my canister filters once every 4-6 months when the flow is noticeably less and only then i replace the filter floss but leave the biological filter material alone.
Hey father, I heard that oxygen gets into the water by water flow and that bubblers or air stones do nothing to add oxygen to the water, it all about surface water movement, is this true?
When water containing CO2 touches the air the CO2 is released by the water and one molecule of Oxygen is absorbed in an instant exchange. The bubbler moves the water and it does create an interface between air and water.
Man, my sister has been bleaching and denying heaters for 10 yrs. She doesn't understand that's why she can only keep certain fish. I'll never convince her that she's opposite day . She's great at catching fish though. I really appreciate your method. Sincerely, Liz
I've had a bacterial bloom for 2 months now in my 30 gallon. I've done countless water changes and it comes back the next day. I haven't even fed then now for 2 days and it's barely gone away
@Abhishek Magare what's happening? Bacterial bloom or algea bloom? I had both. Tbh the best thing you can do is water changes to remove excess nutrients and then just leave it. Don't over feed that's the biggest thing
STEM PLANTS BUNDLE SALE - Over 75 plants - 15 Species for $59! Limited Time OFFER so HURRY!
father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/
For Special Soil Supplements, Plants, FIsh & Merch in your country:
fatherfish.fish/
SPECIAL PRICE $49.95
Can i use cow dung in my aquarium
Hi Father Fish! How do I talk direct to you? I would like some plants and I have so many questions
Father Fish upsets the professionals with common sense. I love this guy.
The amount of videos that quote father fish without naming him and then try to contradict his methods but completely miss every shot is beyond me. Just accept this is the best way
And also don't help their revenue, lol😅. Father, fish is awesome. God bless him.
I’m all for it and I’m gonna say it anyway” 😂😂😂 I love this man lol
I just found your channel about 2 weeks ago now and I'm sitting here thinking why the heck haven't I found this sooner. I love the truly natural way you keep aquariums. Ironically I have a white cloud tank that just started to get cloudy after having been running for a little while so the relevance of this video is spot on. Thank you Father Fish please keep these awesome videos coming. 😃👍
Welcome aboard Rob! Please join us on FATHER FISH SHOAL at Discord. You will love the friendly, helpful community. discord.gg/yzCfH6P3
I’ve had the same experience…I’ve watched probably a hundred hours of videos to prepare for the first tank I’ve had in decades and the first planted tank ever…I’ve learned more from a few videos in a shorter period of time. There now only a few people whose videos I now watch…
@@sharonkaczorowski8690 and literally the easiest method of setuping up a planted tank is told on this channel by father fish....!!
Yeah I felt overwhelmed with all the chemistry before I found Father Fish. Now I’m confident I can do it.
Same here...just watched 2 weeks ago and started my 1st dirted planted aquarium...learn a lot from ur videos sir...still have a lot to learn...
Damn - this makes SO much sense. I'm never using gravel again - just substraight, sand and big rocks and pepples. Gravel can go in the bin. THANK YOU.
I've been keeping fish since I was 12 I'm 35 now and I wish I would have known Father Fish from the beginning. Just switch out my planted tank from gravel to dirt and sand. Thank you so much for teaching me all you have. Hope you're proud of me FF!!
You go Mark.
@Stevetankedup always room to learn bro.
Thank you so much father fish I don’t know what I would do without you…my fish are thriving❤🙏🏾
You are very welcome
As soon as you said gravel i turned my head and looked at my tanks...When your right your right. lol
I'm always happy to listen to your lessons. Thank you father.
You are very welcome RMN
Clutch my pearls …. Omg I can’t breathe 😂
lol Still living in the clam! Thanks wendy. You are a dear.
Like the many others, I am so thankful I came across this channel. Thank you father fish for all your knowledge. You make everything sound so simple. I was raised with parents that grew plants in greenhouses and can’t believe that the substrate you are teaching is basically what they used for their gardens minus a little bit sand. I’m now having to deal with moving my fish into a temporary tank while the main aquarium gets cloudy from dropping in the sand
You are not alone I've had my tank for 2 years until recently I never heard of Father fish and yeah gravel by itself doesn't work I am always replacing my plants they come with snails which shouldn't be a problem but the plants don't have a chance without the soil and the sand on top yeah I'm going to have to redo mine too I've already bought the soil and the sand don't feel bad what seems so obvious we didn't think the folks at the fish store want to make money on us and all that chemicals and crap we put in our tanks doesn't help if only we had thought about it logically it's okay we needed that wake up call now we will have happy healthy fish
i work in construction you make it seem very easy. i have been keeping marine and pond and tropical fish for over 20years and have introduced your methods in all my fish keeping , Keep it up
I am dismayed, I cannot clutch my pearls; I sold them, so I could have shrimp 😂 Thank you, Father Fish 👍
raise more shrimp. But more pearls. Clutch to your heart's content. lol Thank you Alpaca for the joy.
Just set up a 37 gallon tank after being out of fishkeeping for about 5 years. My previous tanks were larger, and I used a canister filter with mechanical and biological filtration with purigen added in to help keep the tank clear as I struggled with cloudiness back then, and YES I had gravel and NO live plants! This tank is set up with sand, live plants, a full rear bubble wall for aeration, and a hob filter. It's SUPER clean and clear, and I'm working up to removing all chemical filtration and just using mechanical and biological. Love your videos, will continue watching and learning!
I’m just gathering the knowledge to start an aquarium. Thank you for making everything easy and simple
Glad to help R B
I have got my fish tank naturally done up and I love it! 🤩And I love watching all your videos, father fish thank you and you make so much sense. I was conned into the big box stores but I’m glad I found you.,❤
Moment of clarity after watching !
PERFECT! That is precisely my intention. To create clarity!
I just found your channel too. And I love it. I once accidentally poured milk into my tank once. The inside of the paper cup was white. I told my wife it wasn’t a problem and we should just let the filter work. She ended up changing all the water. Lucky we didn’t loose fish.
Welcome Cesar!! MILK! That sounds interesting. Cow fish anyone?
@@FatherFish hahahaha good one
I have done gravel as well as "aquarium soil" for years and have always had problems with my water and plants, I will redo all my tanks with your method this last time.🤞🏾
Sounds great! Keep us posted,
I love that I found this channel. I have wanted to try to build an aquarium and was afraid I would mess it up and just kill some fish. But watching so much of this channel has helped me build so much confidence and I LOVE the way you approach building healthy sustainable ecosystems. I am definitely going to start right away! Thanks and keep up the amazing and vital work Father Fish!
Thank you Father Fish
Thank you so much for your videos! God bless you! I always come back to your chanel while I am in panic mode 😂😅 AND FATHER FISH, you always give me so much hope and calm. Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge and wisdom with us all.
You are so welcome Miriam.
Big fish is comin after you father. Im on board before they try to cancel you. Make aquariums great again!
Hi Father Fish!! I am learning alot from you. Thank you. I have planted tanks and im dealing with cloudy water in 2 of them.....thank you so much for sharing your knowledge❤
A fine sponge filter should clarify the water.
Great information Father Fish. I will pass along the video. Keep sharing your lifetime of knowledge to the fish family!!
Thank you Geo. I appreciate your support.
Hello, Father Fish! I have been following your channel for almost one year. All the knowledge and information you share here are useful to me every day, in this wonderful hobby that is aquarism. Thank you very much, and greetings from Romania!
Thank you Raoul. It is wonderful knowing I have been helpful to you. Join us on FATHER FISH SHOAL at Discord and share some pics of your tanks.
discord.gg/yzCfH6P3
Thanks Father for your wisdoms.
One think I notice from my previous tank scape that also make cloudy water is Frodo Rock. These are constantly releasing calcium into the water and make the water cloudy.
Excellent!
Thank you Isabella! Cheers!
I live by the beach.Can I use beach sand or do I need to buy it from Home Depot or a pet store?
sand is sand
Thank you so much Father Fish
😀😀😀😀😀😀can listen to you all day thankyou FF you talk more sense about fish keeping keep going MAN
Blessings Father Fish! 😊
Yes, thank you my dear Isabella.
Your videos have absolutely changed my perspective. I have since added sand, and a load of dead stuff from our local lake. My fish are so happy, and the tank looks like it has been there for years. I do have some questions:
I think I have some light version of "pee water". Should I had charcoal or will that disturb the bacteria within?
My fish are not eating as they once did. Should I ignore this?
Thank you for your insight!
Charcoal will hurt nothing. the fish are eating naturally from the substrate.
Hello Father Fish, i bought gravel thinking it would keep soil down in the same way as sand, and cannot return it. After more research I also bought the sand, and the tank is not set up yet. I was thinking of adding the gravel on top of the sand as decoration, but then I imagine the water would still pass through it and make it cloudy nonetheless? Is the only way to keep gravel to put it all the way under the sand? Is there any other way to use it without it having it go to waste?
I will also not be adding a filter so I guess the water flow won't be as strong. Will gravel sitting at the top still whiten the water in this case? Thank you
gravel as decor is fine
This a great insight and knowledge. Thank you so much!
Invaluable information~! Thank you so much~!
Brilliant I'm going to change my gravel and buy sand but I'm also wondering should I save myself some money and add sand to my gravel ??? Worth thinking about
Yes, of course. Your gravel contains microbes that should be preserved. Capping with sand will provide a rich and diverse environment.
the other day i watched one of your videos when you saif if a small fish dies just push it in tovthe sand. can you elaborate on this beuase after watching this video i would be a little hesitant.
I guess I've been blessed with water changes. I've done half to 3/4 tank water changes and never lost a single fish.
Thank you father fish
Thank you Haloc
Thx Father Fish
I only discovered you last week, you’re a wealth of knowledge and love your cheeky humour
I’ve just set up a 15 litre bowl using your dirt method no filter and with lots of plants looking forward to seeing this evolve.
I’ll be stocking it with cherry shrimp and maybe a Betta down the track
Cheers and blessings from Australia 🇦🇺 ❤🐠
Excellent Sheridan. Please keep in touch by joining us at FATHER FISH SHOAL on Discord. discord.gg/yzCfH6P3
No gravel here, just a naughty pleco digging into the substrate.
Ive never used sand before but im going to try it.
I also found this channel 1 week ago.you are getting to my mind ;) I am hobiest for 20 years, have very good results with fish, medium results with plants, anubias live forever, but other fancy stuff not so much. You convince me try the next level. I will put the sand, and the leavs. And more diferent plants. I will reduce light to 6 hours. I will keep my old old filter (that i was thinking to replace is less and less powerfull with time) and i will reduce the volume of whater taken out to 20% keeping my usual 3 to 4 months gap interval. I think this are all correct mejures regarding your used method. Thank you for all the information. Sorry for the english. Also a clean the filter evry year or 2 years, probably will stop that untill it stops working.
Light should be 12/12 unless there is an algae problem Join me in the Shoal for more help. discord.gg/father-fish-shoal.
Hi Father Fish,
Thank you so much for all your videos! Absolutely amazing knowledge. I have a ten gallon planted tank with 2 salt and pepper Cory’s and 9 fancy guppies.
The thing is, I currently have a gravel substrate. I know that you have said to cap with sand.
What if I did this..
put the fish in a temporary tank/bucket
then drained their existing tank completely and saved that water
then removed all the gravel from the now empty tank
Make new substrate with the dirt and sand
replanted the plants, refilled with the old water then re-introduced the fish.
Would that work? Or potentially kill my fish?
I would simply add an inch or 2 of sand to the existing tank. Buy another 10 (or larger?) and set it up deep substrate dirted
[thank, you father fish for you're helpful video]👍
Wonderfully informative. thank you...
Question I’m a beginner I know you said to get potting soil and sand. Then add water do I add the prime or stabilizer to the water or leave it like it is.
goto fatherfish.fish, click on the SHOAL link. Ask for info about setting up a Father Fish Aquarium. there are some important things to learn.
Thank you father
What’s your opinion on undergravel filters? I only use sponge filters now but I use to use undergravel filters.
I used them for many years. They are counter intuitive. Only when they become so clogged they can no longer allow flow do they become effective. That is when users break them down and clean them.
Thank you this information was so helpful!
You are the best! Do we need an air stone and/or a filter in a father fish tank? Thanks
It helps with water circulation. I like sponge filters as a support system.
Awesome info, Father Fish!
Glad it was helpful StormCaller!
I have sand and under that dirt. About 3" to 4" inches. I find that too much left over food and a dirty sponge filter was causing my water to appear cloudy. I put a 1/4" sheet of dense filter cloth behind my sponge filter and it caught all the brown waste in the water and cleared up the tank. I also notice that because of the natural light my tank gets that green water can happen, I usually do a 20% water change to help with that. So I have sand, no gravel. lots of plants, wood, and a bio filter and I still get algae all the time and cloudy water on occasion.
your soil layer is much too deep. It is bleeding into the water column generating more nutrients than the plants can handle. You can add more sand. That will help.You truly need about 8" of sand. Do the best you can and really fill the tank with plants. You should be able to cut back on the water changes as things settle down.
@@FatherFish : I think i worded that confusingly. Total depth of substrate is 4 inches. About 3/4 inch of dirt, and then 3-4 inches of sand on top.
I like your advice, And Common sense approach!
Good information
Appreciate your interest.
I got seachem tidal 110 in my tank. It is 55gal with river gravel my tank is very clear
Here in Florida there are many freshwater sources loaded with sand and dirt. Is it safe to take some of this stuff as is and add it to a tank?
yes
Wow you have been very helpful.
So in any case of needing to do a water change only change no more than 25% ? Unless you have an ammonia spike you could do more but even with nitrates being high would I still do 25% water change ?
Nitrates are not toxic. There is no need to remove them. Ammonia spike means something is rotten in the tank. Remove it.
Good morning father fish!! I have 5 gallon tank whit that problem, thank you for you advice, this weekend I gonna do a dirt 10 gallon ttank set up!!!! Is my first time to do it 😅 , please wish me luck 🍀 good bless you
Wonderful Erik. Very important to watch some videos about set up dirted tank. Here is a playlist that will help you understand what to do.
Ive been hooked on your videos since about a month ago! Sooo much good information!!! I have a question for you if you see this.
When making a natural aquarium like you do can i use dirt/sand/rocks/ plants from the river to include water from the river itself or just leaves and sticks i find in the local river itself ? I was planning on starting another aquarium following your steps but wanting to use actual water and mud from the rover itself or is that not a good idea ? Any and all information is greatly appreciated 👍
An all river material tank is perfect.
@FatherFish awesome ! You should make a video setting up an all river material tank 😉 👌 I appreciate your response and look forward to more of your videos ! My wife says I'm your number one UA-cam fan ha ha ha
Am reviewing your old helpful videos! 😉
Will leaving tap water inba bucket over 24h remove chlorine or do i have to "prime" it with chemical?
It will, but not chloramine.
@@FatherFish so treat it as fresh tap water and prime it..?
hi father fish, i rescued a gold fish from a family member im new to the aquarium hobby but i want to save this fish so I've been doing some research , can i keep him in a aquarium like the ones you suggest with soil sand and plants?
Yes. You certainly can. Ck out some of these videos to learn how.
ua-cam.com/video/KBCyRSgfMTg/v-deo.html
Because of your channel I’m constructing my natural tank now. Very excited and you keep it so simple.
I have a nano tank, recently set up, the tank has potting soil at the bottom and only sand at the top... the sand cover is about 2+ inches. The plants are healthy, and the fishes are healthy, No Filter, No CO2, and No extra oxygen, but I am not getting crystal clear water. It's almost always cloudy. Please suggest a way out
use a sponge filter or a hob with carbon
How do I clear dust from sand out of a bowl tank? I don’t have electric filter or pump option
i just switch overflow filter from my stable aquarium. within hour the water start clearing,.
Oh... sand, thats exacly what is in my overflow tank. gravel + sand to lock any fine material
I wish people would just come to your channel before buying their tanks. I know we live in a reactive society and this is just the way it is. When I go on FB people ask this same question over and over again and their told the same thing except what you explained. They’re told to do 50% water change or buy a UV sterilizer or spend more money on chemicals. Thank you for your knowledge and understanding
Well said
What’s the name of sand do you recommend father fish?
ANY sand Cat. As long as it is ineert and does not release anything into the water.
I have a 125 with big fish but I can’t get my water to stay clear I have 3 filters and I have no substrate what do I do?
add substrate, 3" of sand.
@@FatherFish does it have to be a certain kind?
Hi father fish, i have an almost failed aquarium with aquasoil. Most of my fish died. Instead of ripping it apart, i added some sand on top of the aquasoil, now the plants seems to be doing good. Should i take everything apart and add dirt or will the aquarium sustain itself for a long time???
You are probably OK. Add more plants as needed.
Hey Father Fish, question I have a deep sand bed with Pothus plants floating at the top with young 1.5 - 3 inch South American Cichlids. It's been 2-3 months and it seems like they're not growing. They are active so my question is, can I start feeding them more heavily and do a 25% water change daily to expedite their growth? Thanks
Yes James. You can do that. Growing slowly is better than fast growth. They will live longer and be healthier with slow growth.
I am planning kn setting up a 20 gallon long deep substrate tank with no filter. How deep should my substrate be? Also how high is the tank behind you?
anime, here are some videos that will help you learn how to set up the FATHER FISH DEEP SUBSTRATE living aquarium. ua-cam.com/video/KBCyRSgfMTg/v-deo.html
Do not try to do this until you have learned how to do it.
I Love watching you it reminds me when I was a child and my grandfather would take care of are fish tank watching you brings back those memories as I continue to do the same with my child. Keep up the excellent education it is priceless.
Awesome amazing job with this video it’s sooo true 👍👍
Thank you Rego.
Or, you don't have quite enough sand capping off the soil underneath! First week in our maiden voyage dirted tank, water was clear. second week, began to have a yellowish tinge but no smell, and the living things in the tank were doing fine. It seems that the substrate was settling and some soil had moved up a bit. we added another 1/2 inch of sand, and within 48 hours, the water was clear. did no water change.
Absolutely correct Sarah. Thank you for your insight.
@@FatherFish Thank you for your teaching. Couldn't have done without.
The color might have been tannins from the organics in the soil
On the money!! Dang! Your a Blessing to us fish lover's! Just want to thank you, for sharing your knowledge of 🐠 fish! Unbelievable Stuff! Father Fish is the Best!
Thank you John!!
thank you very much 👍
You are welcome Race Smokie!
Yes. My filterless gravel tank is always a bit cloudy.
Add an inch of sand and it will clear up.
Beautiful tank at 11.25
I think so too!
I am so sad I have to come back and watch this later. I'm having trouble with cloudy water. But, I must finish my homework. See you soon.
That is fine. Feel free to contact me about your tank. Best: FATHER FISH SHOAL at Discord: discord.gg/yzCfH6P3
Muito bom, e o melhor dentodos que tenho assistido, não se rendeu ao sistema, percebi que e mais simples do que me fizeram pensar e também muito mais acessível encontrar os substratos e criar um ta que saudavel sem gastar rios de dinheiro ❤
I have 3-4 inch of pea gravel substrate and I have crystal clear water, without water change or gravel vac. But my filter gets clogged monthly and Im sure if I took the filter out it would turn cloudy. Moving forward taking your advice I may add a 2 inch layer of sand on top of my existing gravel, Im all for increasing the anerobic environment in the substate and sand will do this really well. My 200 litre tank with a 3-4 inch gravel substate recently got put through its paces, its been set up with a filter for years but due to a family issue the tank was left with the power off for 2 months straight, and the mature gravel bed alone kept the tank alive. The second I got power back to the tank it kicked into life like nothing happened. I could only imagine a sand layeer would safeguard your tank even more! But straight gravel is good if its deep and small stones, my gravel is mixed with bio media also.
Yes, an inch of sand AND the development of a food web will make the aquarium pop with life.
@@FatherFish I have a food web in my tropical tank with tetras, 1 bristle nose and several cherry shrimp & snails, I haven't had to put any food in for almost 2 years now, the lights are on for 16hrs a day and there is zero algae on anything!
This is harder to achive in my 200L cold water tank due to the nature of the fish im keeping, they are plant eaters, they eat snails and any kind of clean up crew so I rely heavily on my deep gravel bed and filter. I cant even run the lights to grow some algae because it stresses the fish which are native british river fish so they like to hide rather than be exposed.
@@UncalBertExcretes Create cave overhangs that are dark for the fish to lurk in. That will allow bright enough light to gr=w algaes.
I'm interested in how you're philosophical views of keeping fish apply to more boisterous species such as piranha and oscars. Because they obviously tear up plants and dig through the substrate
I have kept large fish in natural aquariums. It depends upon the species. Arrowana, for example, are very easy to keep in planted, deep substrate tanks as are piranha, geophagus (surprise), and other cichlid species such as chocolate cichlid, salvini, and other mid size fish. The large cichlids of Central America are inveterate diggers and are problematic in a dirted tank. I have kept them in very large tanks with a foot of sand and have been able to grow plants.
@@FatherFish 👍
I got river gravel in my tank. It is clear
Father Fish what are your thoughts about filterless fish tanks?
Most of my tanks have no filter.
You are just wonderful! ❤ Thank you! 🙏
I have gravel in almost all my tanks , I build the deep substrate like you recommend , but on top of the sand I will put a thin layer of gravel.
this gives my scuds a place to hide from the fish so the population can sustain itself . lots of them especially the young ones are gobbled up by the fish, but enough adults survive to reproduce .
for the tanks that have fish that like to sift through the sand , instead of covering the entire bottom, I make little piles of gravel in a few places , works just as well.
Perfect, Woodsman. Now add some leaves to that dressing and you will be providing the food needed by your macrofauna.
@@FatherFish oh yeah , my tank bottoms look like the forest floor , leaves, stick, acorn husks, magnolia seed pods ....
Excellent! Thank you so much.
Thank god I got soft water
Unfortunately, I do not have gravel. My substrate is 100% black sand... Fish and plants doing great... I've had what looks to be a bacterial bloom for almost 6 months lol. The only thing that has helped is a UV filter but even that has only helped a bit. I'm about to run the tank water through an ro filter. I can actually see the clouds in the tank by shining a light at night. Literally looks like clouds in the night sky. Im going with Problem #2. Ill start 25% water changes every day and see how she looks after a few days.
Sounds like paramecium, not bacteria. some tiny fish will eat them.
Could I potentially add sand into the gravel... I have about 4 inches of gravel and my tank is always a little cloudy. My plants and fish are doing just fine but I want the water to be clear so badly. People always tell me to do water changes but I know that isn’t the issue
Never mind I should have kept watching the video😂 thank you! I will give an update
I have just started a 5 gal & 10 gal tank have soil & sand on top. I planted lots of plants. I did a 25% change on the 5gal it got cloudy and started to smell I have noticed after 4 days of plant being in some are melting or turning brown in some areas. Help! All water parameters are ok.
Join us on the Father Fish Shoal.discord.gg/GdakStEjAy
You should not be having these problems.
I have kept bare bottom tanks and always had crystal clear water. My opinion, leave the filter alone, I lightly clean my canister filters once every 4-6 months when the flow is noticeably less and only then i replace the filter floss but leave the biological filter material alone.
I feel like I'm getting a free college education on aquariums. Thank you!
Hey father, I heard that oxygen gets into the water by water flow and that bubblers or air stones do nothing to add oxygen to the water, it all about surface water movement, is this true?
When water containing CO2 touches the air the CO2 is released by the water and one molecule of Oxygen is absorbed in an instant exchange. The bubbler moves the water and it does create an interface between air and water.
Great video and makes sense. Less is more.
Man, my sister has been bleaching and denying heaters for 10 yrs. She doesn't understand that's why she can only keep certain fish. I'll never convince her that she's opposite day . She's great at catching fish though. I really appreciate your method. Sincerely,
Liz
I've had a bacterial bloom for 2 months now in my 30 gallon. I've done countless water changes and it comes back the next day. I haven't even fed then now for 2 days and it's barely gone away
Add an inch of sand. Stop feeding for a minimum of 1 week.
@@FatherFish I was debating adding more sand. I just don't want to burry my crypts
Bro do you get any solution because same thing happening with me with my 30 gallon tank please help me I use this method but didn't get any result
@Abhishek Magare what's happening? Bacterial bloom or algea bloom? I had both. Tbh the best thing you can do is water changes to remove excess nutrients and then just leave it. Don't over feed that's the biggest thing
@@KettmanAquatic bacteria bloom from last 2 months
I just found these great informative videos with science 👍 is great to listen and understand.
Glad you like them bala! Join us at FATHER FISH SHOAL on Discord for more conversation. discord.gg/2PB236za
@@FatherFish done thank you for invite
Can you put a female Beta in with a angel fish?
yes
Ok thank you so much for your reply!😊♥️