I simply love your tanks....you have a unique ability to create and maintain such a natural environment of beauty. .. All of them are so healthy looking. I have inherited my son's 55 Gallon tank and I am struggling to keep them alive. I am happy to have stumbled on your video which has impressed me more than any other. Hearing you speak has been so helpful to me. Four years ago my son took his life over the girl he was dating while he attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. His aquarium meant so much to him and he had names for all of his fish, which he put me in charge of while he attended school. I guess you can imagine how important his fish are to me. I have had quite a few problems with the tank and I'm ashamed of my care. When he was alive, his tank was incredible and so full of thriving plants and happy fish! In fact Keller would have to prune the plants constantly because of their growth. I would love to know more about how you are caring for your plants? Currently I still have four of his clown loaches which are pretty large and full of personality. Four Buenos Aries Tetras and three Denison barbs. I have lost all three of his large Angel fish...the last one today. Can you also guide me to the best freshwater sites to learn from possibly? Thanks so much...I hope to hear from you...God Bless...ljk
I'm so sorry to hear about your son. I can't imagine having to go through such a tragedy. I really wish I could tell you more, but the way I keep plants doing well is to get easy to care for plants. I really don't do much. I put them in my tanks, and they make it, great! If not, I don't get that kind of plant anymore. Lol Check out these channels: ruclips.net/channel/UCNJuJfXCKNWu4-VifYixs8A ruclips.net/channel/UCFURxt26WF2epIvX0uF7Kjg ruclips.net/channel/UCJLoSfDy187XKu0Lml-oepg
Dan Hiteshew Dan I live in Baton Rouge and have a thriving 55 gallon tank. Have you joined the Sourheast Louisiana Aquarium Society? Find them on Facebook, they can help.
I have a Betta in a 5.5 gallon tank along with a few Nerite snails with the Forza PFE1 filter (5-15). I'm a bit concerned with the amount of oxygen getting into the water due to lack of surface agitation (bubbles) even at maximum outflow. Then again, I don't want my Betta getting tossed around by a larger outflow filter. The tank is medium planted. Any thoughts?
Back in the day lets say 40+ years We had hang on back filters and it had a pump putting water into the tank and a U shapeTube putting water into the top of the filter. In the filter we had a layer of poly fill then charcoal then a thin layer poly fill at the bottom and that was it for the filter. The rock's and substrate inside the tank I guess was the bio media. It was a very effective filter I wish I could pick up a few now. It was so easy to clean. Now we know that we can put the bio media in the filter but back then no one knew. Thanks bro.
Great video! I usually have a lot of surface agitation in my tanks because I can, but I've also had a lot of success in my tanks without much movement on the top.
My filter powerhead pumps out just under the surface, enough to agitate the surface but not too loud. Added a surface skimmer and that was the biggest improvement to remove the surface film. The skimmer is off for 4 hours a day to give me a feeding window to aim for. And you can see the surface build up starting at the end of that 4 hour off cycle. Skimmer back on and that clears in minutes. I don't run any air into the tank, it's reasonably planted with 1 large plec and an handful of smaller fish. Been stable for many years.
What you are saying is true we here in Barbados mostly use plants I have tanks that I only recently added power stones to them but in terms of filtration most of us don’t use any and our fish thrive also no heaters cause the water temp here is already what you guys try to achieve
new fish tank enthusiast here. 130litre tropical tank setup 2 weeks ago. Real plants and bogwood/driftwood. I had my filter and spraybar under water and bar facing downwards (so wrong but it didnt come with instruction). I had no surface agitation. One week later i had a horrid slime all on top. I did a top layer water change 10%. I then put the spray bar just on top of the surface and it had nice surface agitation and it looked nice too. Not dead still. Nice tranquil water sound and ive had no bio scum film now. I like the surface agitation and the little water noise it makes
Love how the African Leaf Fish just wedges himself into places. Also love the new Otto Temple Plant. LOL. I think you just created a new variation of plant there.
Im new to aquariums so I still learning in how it works. This is helpful, thank you. I would love to get rid of my air stone in my 10 gallon. Would be HOB be enough water agitation to get that gas exchange needed for the fish to survive? It is a planted tank as well. I also have a planted tall 37g I just set up. I have the fluval 207 canister on that. I added a spray bar too
Yes a ten gallon should be ok, but this is an older video. I've since come to realize an air stone is a really big benefit, even if it isn't necessary.
I have set up an 14 gal cube with a micro sicce submerged filter that is very quiet. I hope that there will be no reason to ruin the quiet with an air pump. I adapted the filter with magnets so I can position it anywhere in the water column. The little filter cycles the water four times per hour so that should give me enough water movement without adding another device.
Great video! I have a 10 gallon covered in surface plants (literally), with heavy filtration, but no surface agitation at all... I feel like that will cause problems?
Just started watching your videos. You mention cannister filters. Setting up a new to me 75G. I will be running an UGF because I am old school and cannot be talked out of that, but I want advice on a cannister, or do I go with an Aquaclear 110 which is my favorite HOB option. Stock will be 6 various goldies. Adolescent now ( 3 months old but outgrowing the 29). Your fav, best for the money option? Just curious your opinion.
nice video Dan. In the past my tanks only had the bubbles for the look. I used my filter for the main pushing the water around. my reef tank is different and with my current freshwater tank I have a wave maker to break the skim up.
I've been trying to find the right combination of flow and co2 distribution in my small, 10g planted tank. Had a bio wheel hob that just wasn't creating enough flow and was losing a lot of co2 with the surface agitation. Got a nicrew internal filter which has improved the flow by a lot. Placed the co2 diffuser under the filter which breaks up the bubbles and disperses it throughout the tank. 2 days after setting this up I have zero agitation and came home to dead fish. Decided to run an air stone after the lights go off. Hope this works for me!
Hey DAN, just wanted to say i found your channel today, and have been binge watching your videos!lol. I appreciate your attention to detail and explaining everything! Keep up the great work. Maybe one day my tank will be as pretty as yours! Have a great day :)
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly yep! I looked them up thats them. Although yours seem to have a slightly different tail shape than most which is super cool. I was drawn to them instantly. I may have to try them out! Any tips for them specifically or pretty straight forward?
@@mstevens6723 The males develop the "streamers" on the tail as they mature. They get big and need plenty of room. Keep them in as large a group as you can get or have room for. You'll be blown away by them. I highly recommend if you have a big enough tank (75 gallons or more). They need lots of swimming room too.
TO ALL AQUARIUM ENTHUSIAST - YOU NEED SURFACE AGITATION!!! IT IS NECESSARY - this person say he doesn't have "much" surface agitation and yet he has a 4 inch wide waterfall overflow filter...that is surface agitation.
Good Video! I have (2)20 and a 10 gallon tank where I have air bubbles in them But I just use a small amount of air bubbles to rise to the surface which is under a water drip spray that I made to agitate the surface water which mixes with the air bubbling up. (My tank uses an HOB filtration and has fake plants)
Thank you for the video I actually have a 10 gallon tank that's one of my most successful tanks but I've always worried about whether or not there was enough oxygen in the water, it's doing well, but I was just paranoid about waking up and having all of my fish dead, and this cleared it up for me thank you very much for that
I try to get movement at the top of my tank mainly for cosmetic reasons. I wouldn't add bubbles to my tanks because it would defuse more of my Co2. Your tanks look good!
That's a good point too. Planted tanks should never have an airstone (unless for a specific need, like using meds). The airstone actually will reduce your CO2. Excellent point. (I wish I had made it. Lol)
+Dan Hiteshew I have heard of people using an air stone at night when the Co2 is off but I would think that would only be needed in heavily planted tanks.
Nick 'S I don't run CO2 (injected), but even in a low tech planted tank, you always want to keep as much CO2 in the water as you can. Gassing it off with an airstone is working against yourself.
In an aquarium book I have from 1947 (first edition 1937) they give the rule of 24 square inches of surface area per inch of fish. The actual volume of the tank is inconsequential, insofar as this rule assumed no aeration or filtration, so the breathing of the fish would depend entirely on gas exchange at the surface, and not on how much dissolved oxygen is "stored" in the water. In a later book I have (1970's) this rule is revised slightly, to 18" per inch of tropical fish, and 30" per inch of coldwater fish. The older book barely mentions filtration, and goes on to suggest that aeration doesn't need to be run continuously (the author notes many experienced aquarists only aerate water at night, when the plants don't produce oxygen). It was still a few years before the vibrator pump had been invented so your choices were either an expensive piston pump, or inflating an inner-tube with a bike pump and using that to provide air to the tank (this was not at all uncommon before cheap air pumps existed!).
The depth of the tank matter too. Maybe back then they didn't have tall tanks, but surface area to water depth is the ratio you need. With 24 sq inches of surface area, a swallow tank would be fine, but a tank that is 24 inches deep would be very O2 starved at the bottom. (unless you have very good circulation)
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly I wonder about this too, but the author actually makes a point of explaining that the volume of the aquarium makes no difference. Their explanation is that since the surface is the only place exchange occurs, other dimensions are inconsequential. But the few photos of aquariums from the 40s and 50s I have seen all invariably show rather long, shallow tanks. Those super tall hex tanks from the 70s were still a few decades away! Also interesting to note that it was considered almost impossible to keep fish without some sort of plant life in the tank, all of my older books spend about as many pages on plants as they do on fish (and there are some interesting varieties in there that I've not seen in shops today, and much that is seen today that apparently was unheard of then).
Love your tanks! I wanted to say that I have quite a bit of that surface biofilm on the side that doesn't have surface agitation. It seems to be a main food source for my blue ramshorn and pond snails. It's cool to see them crawl around, upside down on the surface tension munching away. So I don't try to do anything about it. I just see it as another life form in my tank.
You seem to be quiet knowledgeable. I'm curious how does a heavily stocked tank of plants affect this at all? Would there need to be less surface agitation or just an equal amount?
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly What I mean is you need surface agitation to exchange gases. How does this process change when you have a tank absolutely stocked full of plants? Would this decrease the need for that exchange?
@@net200777 Plants produce O2 during the day but use O2 at night, so having gas exchange is still necessary. You just don't "need" a lot of surface agitation. More agitation is better though.
This topic is highly relevant to the number and size of fish you have consuming oxygen as well as there being plants in your tank as you stated all I know is if I had the mild amount of surface agitation that you have in your 125 all of my fish would be at the top and most likely dead within a day or two. What I mention actually happened to a fellow hobbyist that keeps African cichlids recently and it wiped out his whole tank due to minimal surface agitation it obviously works for you with the small fish and lots of plants but definitely would not work for a heavily stocked African cichlids tank. Great topic I personally believe the more the better there has actually been quite a few studies done on wave makers breaking the surface and airstones breaking the surface and the dissolved oxygen level with a wave maker is far higher then the airstones but then again there is a lot of variables that come into dissolved oxygen count fish quantity size plants or not temperature of water etc.
Lol you said what i was thinking.. my cichlids would have same problem i learned once after water change i took surface agitation away an everyone was screaming for help lol.
Hey , hopefully you reply to this question because I'm stumped . I have the fluval flex . Shrimp tank haha so the water is pretty warm because it's being used for a breeding. So of course warmer water doesn't hold much o2 as cooler water so does that mean I need more surface movement ?
Yes. If you have warmer water, you need to increase the waters ability to exchange gasses since the warmer water doesn't hold much O2. If it's in the mid 80's I would even recommend an air stone.
Is surface agitation necessary? In a planted tank, during the day, not so much, as the plants will provide the water with oxygen. At night, it is essential as the plants will give off co2 and your fish will suffocate without any surface agitation. I had a issue where my fish were fine during the day, but I'd go to sleep, wake up in the morning and find numerous fish died overnight. All my water parameters were fine, so I was baffled. Until I realised they were suffocating at night due to there not being enough surface agitation. I added an air stone that comes on a timer when the light goes off at night. During the day the air stone is off and my pump provides a gentle surface agitation. No more fish dying over night.
Plants actually use O2 during the dark period. The moment you turn your lights on, will be the moment of least O2 in the tank. An air stone on 24/7 isn't a bad idea. (this is an old video. I've come to appreciate the value of the humble air stone)
Enjoying your vids Dan, very informative. I myself am running a planted 90 right now, heavily stocked but with a stringent fish keeping husbandry routine. It probably helps from previously keeping a reef tank. I do prefer surface agitation, other than the gas exchange which I think is important as you explained I think the flow is important to the welfare of the fish. I keep Denison Barbs and as you probably know the do like clean water with a bit of flow. I also appreciate the movement of the plants, it kind of gives it a more natural look I find. As in most things its personal preference. I will be doing some more in depth vids detailing my experience in this fascinating hobby. I find myself keeping tabs on your vids as you give me a few pointers to things I may have missed. Cheers Steve.
I just newly add co2,, 1 or 2 bubbles per sec,, tank is 2 ft, the indicator newly bought yesterday show yellow which is high,, some suggest I shut down n do water surface agitation,, done that for 8 hours already , co2 shut down more than 20 hours,, inductor still show pale yellowish with slight green hints, may I ask should I continue shut down co2 or ignore the color indicator?
I really don't know. You'd have to ask someone that uses CO2. I have no experience at all, and don't want to give you bad advice. Sorry I couldn't be help.
True, he's probably got water running to an external filter so the water being pumped back in is already oxygenated. If I tried to have litte to no agitation those fish would soon be looking up at the stars.
I haven't got much water movement in my tank , I've read different reviews on this , I've only got a small 55 litre tank as I'm a beginner , no fish in tank yet but a couple of live plants, do i need a lot of water movement ,
That would depend largely one which fish you chose, but in general terms, no, you don't. make sure the volume of the tank turns over 10 times the tank volume per hour. ( 10 gallon tank should turn over at least 100 gph) you don't need a lot of surface aggitation to achieve this.
Dan Hiteshew thanks for the advice, also I checked today Ph levels are fine ammonia is 1.0 Nitirites 1.0 But i had a nitrate spike and have shot up to 40 , is it coming to the end of the cycle and should I do a water change . Thanks
Good info man. I try to keep air lines going in my tanks but I do get a lot of "slime"/"oil" on the surface of my tanks if i don't have surface agitation.
Ok I watch this vid about 3 times, but I kept being interrupted. So I think you didn't cover it in this one. One big advantage that you have, you like longer tanks. I think it would be key to note that longer tanks have better gas exchange rates than taller/narrower tanks. The volume to surface ratio is important to know when deciding how much agitation someone might want. I like my tanks filled just past the bottom of the top bracket. I have two 20 gallon tanks; one tall, one long. Before I used circulation, the long tank always did better with having active healthy fish. Once I learned about the ratios I was able to adjust the tall tank with better agitation. I hope that comes across right, because I really enjoy your channel. I can't help watch every minute.
+Dan Hiteshew yup, my kids are home today because of Memorial Day, so as I'm watching they come in do what kids do. And I miss a crucial bit you've said. Though my defense, it was 10 seconds. 😂😂😂
Hey Dan, beaytiful tanks you got there! I bought my first 32gal 3 months ago and I'm now trying to put more plants. I was wondering if oyu could tell me what is the name of the floating plant at 0:58 (We can see the roots going to the left because of the flow) and at 8:52 on the left of your tank? Thanks Dan!
In my female bettas and rasboras and flame tetras tank I have very small water agitation , very much still water ... bettas love water that stays still ... still that’s the only tank I had Cyanobacteria though
There's a Chinese couple in San Francisco that own a fish store and they have a ton of fish and a ton of plants and they don't believer in surface agitation... only very, very little.. They do a really thick gravely substrate, about 4 to 5 inches, to build up the healthy aerobic and aerobic bacteria to eat the ammonia and nitrites and nitrates... And they put a ton of plants and fish in there,. I mean lots and lots of fish!! And they are super healthy...
If you have a bubble nester, like a Gourami or Betta, that would be one reason. Another could be too much biofilm on the surface. The oily matrix will hold the bubbles shape, instead of them popping quickly. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you.
conman20000 Surface agitation, a surface skimming filter, or manually skimming it with a pitcher during water changes. Those are the 3 easiest and most effective ways.
@@fitznew No, it's super easy. float or plant it. It'll grow out of the water too. I sell it if you're interested. No foods or ferts. danielhiteshew@gmail.com
HOLY SHIT !, thanks for the video !, i already lose 3 shrimps because of this, not only that i overestimate the plants to distribute oxygen and didnt consider the water exchange, and i somehow stupid and arrogant enough to though that the excess oxygen is enough for the shrimps AND plants at night, my stupidity caused 3 loss of innocents life
Yes you are correct you can run a tank without a filter or surface agitation. The problem is you'd have to have an open top tank and hope the fish don't jump out and you have to change the water all the time. You also said one of your tanks has cynobacteria. More surface agitation for better gas exchange will help prevent cynobacteria. Air stones as you said do not put oxygen in the watter, but it does move water around in the tank breaking the surface witch causes the tank to trap oxygen from the air. In a non plated tank surface agitation is more crucial than a heavily planted tank like yours. If the top is still an oily like resedue will form and if not removed regularly can smother the tank. You claim you remove this with the watet changes. I just think you are putting too much work into the tank maintenance that more surface agitation could solve. This all being said if you want to do the work it is up to you and overall your tanks look great and healthy.
Really interesting and useful. Just wondered whether you have any thoughts on flow patterns. I previously had a spray bar and a circulation pump but felt they were actually competing with each other rather than helping. (www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/spray-bar-flow.41745/)
hi dan, foud u in YT after adding u in G+ ...do u use co2, this is the 2nd video i have watched from u this ay have already been answered but ill ask anyway thanks.. mark
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly its not for him its to keep the oil film on the top from building up because it looks ugly and yes he can still come to the surface just fine
my tanks are weird. my duck weed died and I can't really keep mts. but some harder fish and and trap door snails just fine. I also can't find duck weed I think I found pond weed. but it also died. idk it's weird
in a coldwater tank vallsneria and java moss do well. in another tank water wisteria, anacharis, java fern, and moss balls. they all grow slowly though. i do have proper lighting . the anacharis grows fast and the java fern looks really well. i need to test my water hardness then. ill have to check this out
ye mine grew crazy fast but some of my water wisteria just died. no reason everything the same. then it started growing back. my anubias loves the set up. but some water lettuce not so much. i actually cant grow java moss in one of my tanks just does not grow. but in the other tank grows really fast.
FYI for those New to fish keeping If u Don't have Aquarium Plants U need Surface Agitation If u have Plants in ur aquarium make sure to have more plants than fish The aquarium Plants in this Video produces a lot of oxygen enough for the fishes so he doesn't need a lot of surface agitation but if ur new to the Hobby please please don't kill ur fish watch a ton more of very informative videos, tutorials etc on RUclips Surface Agitation lets the oxygen enter the Water. AGAIN surface Agitation Lets the oxugen enter the tank. If u are palnning to have a planted tank its fine to have less surface agitation with more plants and less fishes. But if U have a Tank that Have more fishes than the plants, U need SURFACE AGITATION.
All this is true with large bodies of water as their is a lot more surface area in contact with oxygen especially when wind passes over it but in small tanks fish will not survive very long in still water with no surface breakage. Agitation is not enough, you have break the surface of the water otherwise it's like you being in a balloon full of oxygen and co2, eventually, it will just be co2 and unless you break a hole in the balloon their will be no release of co2 and no oxygen
I have kept piranhas for 6 years in my tank and recently set up a fancy goldfish tank but I'm worried for them as I only have a low wattage pump that I have diy'd into a filter temporarily as the tank is getting cloudy and the fish are all itching themselves on the wood.
Lol I see people that do that. I couldn't stand listening to a hose squirting water in my tanks all day! Lol I even hate the "bloop bloop" noise of a bubble filter.
+Dan Hiteshew You zone out of it after a while, it gets really really annoying when you make yourself aware of it again and you can't focus on anything but the dripping, I swear sometimes I can't hear myself think over it.
@16:00. One of the secrets for making a great aquarium video is to jerk the camera around wildly. If the video does not induce vertigo and vomit, it's not a good vid. Please try harder! PS: What lighting do you have for the tank at 16:00?
+Dan Hiteshew I been looking for them for months. That's actually why I first subbed to you. Seen him in a vid. I can only find them in one petstore and they only carry very small ones. (They end up ad dinner in my tanks) I just bought a tank just to grow them in before putting them in my display (I want them that bad )
quepiid I got this one at Petsmart. Sold as an African Spotted Leaf Fish. It was the size of a postage stamp when I got it. Feed it well, and you'll have a nice fish in a year or so.
Dan Hiteshew Do it on a seperate smaller tank, you know, as an experiment. Especially seeing as you have heaps of tanks. You can't go making these bold statements which will ruin an aquarium without willing to back up your statements. If you truly believe you do not need surface agitation then turn that first spray bar segment down so it does not affect the surface at all. Give it a couple hours and I guarantee all of your fish will be at the surface gulping for air. And your argument for surface agitation on the smaller tanks with hang on the back filters is pretty much redundant due to the way in which HoB filters aerate the water, with HUGE amounts of agitation inside the filter.
***** Well if you just blindly follow "bold claims" without doing any corroborating research, then the fault is your own if it goes badly. In this case, my claim is not "bold" and I'll gladly do your simple experiment, as that won't require any real effort. I'm not going to re-do an entire tank just to prove a point though. Look for a video coming soon.
Dan Hiteshew That's the problem with people. They will blindly follow the opinions of others and it will result, in this instance anyway, with dead fish. That's why I challenge you to have a tank with no filter, no surface agitation and report back with your findings. I have a heavily planted tank and if i have little to no surface agitation all my fish are instantly gulping for air.. If the link works this is a link to my fish tank so you can gauge the level of plants imgur.com/a/1iIhQ
Somewhat i am offended as i am a FX6 user, your explanation is so wrong and you keep on saying you dont need filter. Why dont you do it and report back after a month. Lets see what will happen lol
ohhh, you do have my favorite water fern!!! I love all of your tanks. People are just jealous.❤
I simply love your tanks....you have a unique ability to create and maintain such a natural environment of beauty. .. All of them are so healthy looking. I have inherited my son's 55 Gallon tank and I am struggling to keep them alive. I am happy to have stumbled on your video which has impressed me more than any other.
Hearing you speak has been so helpful to me. Four years ago my son took his life over the girl he was dating while he attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. His aquarium meant so much to him and he had names for all of his fish, which he put me in charge of while he attended school.
I guess you can imagine how important his fish are to me. I have had quite a few problems with the tank and I'm ashamed of my care. When he was alive, his tank was incredible and so full of thriving plants and happy fish! In fact Keller would have to prune the plants constantly because of their growth.
I would love to know more about how you are caring for your plants? Currently I still have four of his clown loaches which are pretty large and full of personality. Four Buenos Aries Tetras and three Denison barbs. I have lost all three of his large Angel fish...the last one today.
Can you also guide me to the best freshwater sites to learn from possibly? Thanks so much...I hope to hear from you...God Bless...ljk
I'm so sorry to hear about your son. I can't imagine having to go through such a tragedy.
I really wish I could tell you more, but the way I keep plants doing well is to get easy to care for plants. I really don't do much. I put them in my tanks, and they make it, great! If not, I don't get that kind of plant anymore. Lol
Check out these channels:
ruclips.net/channel/UCNJuJfXCKNWu4-VifYixs8A
ruclips.net/channel/UCFURxt26WF2epIvX0uF7Kjg
ruclips.net/channel/UCJLoSfDy187XKu0Lml-oepg
Dan Hiteshew Dan I live in Baton Rouge and have a thriving 55 gallon tank. Have you joined the Sourheast Louisiana Aquarium Society? Find them on Facebook, they can help.
Gayle Zibilich Watch aquarium co-op, and King of DIY.
Your a super dad and your son most have loved the hell out of you. Or should i say still does love you. Good luck with his, i mean your fish.
The best thing a father can do for their son in a modern nation today is warn them about the dangers of dealing with the modern "liberated" woman.
I have a Betta in a 5.5 gallon tank along with a few Nerite snails with the Forza PFE1 filter (5-15).
I'm a bit concerned with the amount of oxygen getting into the water due to lack of surface agitation (bubbles) even at maximum outflow.
Then again, I don't want my Betta getting tossed around by a larger outflow filter.
The tank is medium planted.
Any thoughts?
Betta get O2 from the surface. No agitation needed. They prefer calm, still water.
I have had bettas and Gouramis. They simply do not need any aerators. They are infact happy without any forced water flow
Very very enlightening video. thanks i learned quite a lot 😊
Hi. Are you still creating content? I just discovered your channel. It's excellent. But the stuff is 7 years old. Thanks
Greg
I mostly just do live streams now. Fridays and Sindays at 8 PM est.
Back in the day lets say 40+ years We had hang on back filters and it had a pump putting water into the tank and a U shapeTube putting water into the top of the filter. In the filter we had a layer of poly fill then charcoal then a thin layer poly fill at the bottom and that was it for the filter. The rock's and substrate inside the tank I guess was the bio media. It was a very effective filter I wish I could pick up a few now. It was so easy to clean. Now we know that we can put the bio media in the filter but back then no one knew.
Thanks bro.
I think if you go back to the 50's, tanks were unfiltered for the most part. (I could be wrong, but I've heard old timers talking about it)
Great video! I usually have a lot of surface agitation in my tanks because I can, but I've also had a lot of success in my tanks without much movement on the top.
I've tried both. I just don't like the way it looks. lol
These are the happiest fish I've seen tonight and I've been watching videos for hours.
My filter powerhead pumps out just under the surface, enough to agitate the surface but not too loud. Added a surface skimmer and that was the biggest improvement to remove the surface film. The skimmer is off for 4 hours a day to give me a feeding window to aim for. And you can see the surface build up starting at the end of that 4 hour off cycle. Skimmer back on and that clears in minutes. I don't run any air into the tank, it's reasonably planted with 1 large plec and an handful of smaller fish. Been stable for many years.
What you are saying is true we here in Barbados mostly use plants I have tanks that I only recently added power stones to them but in terms of filtration most of us don’t use any and our fish thrive also no heaters cause the water temp here is already what you guys try to achieve
new fish tank enthusiast here. 130litre tropical tank setup 2 weeks ago. Real plants and bogwood/driftwood. I had my filter and spraybar under water and bar facing downwards (so wrong but it didnt come with instruction). I had no surface agitation. One week later i had a horrid slime all on top. I did a top layer water change 10%. I then put the spray bar just on top of the surface and it had nice surface agitation and it looked nice too. Not dead still. Nice tranquil water sound and ive had no bio scum film now. I like the surface agitation and the little water noise it makes
Yeah, you'll definitely get biofilm if you have a calm surface.
Love how the African Leaf Fish just wedges himself into places. Also love the new Otto Temple Plant. LOL. I think you just created a new variation of plant there.
I call it my Oto tree.
Im new to aquariums so I still learning in how it works. This is helpful, thank you. I would love to get rid of my air stone in my 10 gallon. Would be HOB be enough water agitation to get that gas exchange needed for the fish to survive? It is a planted tank as well. I also have a planted tall 37g I just set up. I have the fluval 207 canister on that. I added a spray bar too
Yes a ten gallon should be ok, but this is an older video. I've since come to realize an air stone is a really big benefit, even if it isn't necessary.
I have set up an 14 gal cube with a micro sicce submerged filter that is very quiet. I hope that there will be no reason to ruin the quiet with an air pump. I adapted the filter with magnets so I can position it anywhere in the water column. The little filter cycles the water four times per hour so that should give me enough water movement without adding another device.
Thank you for the video! Very good info!!
hmmm, great info. I have my cichlid tank with medium to low surface agitation, I turn my tank high. no problems at all. great looking tanks
Thanks!
Your tanks are awesome! Love them
Bubbles are pretty. Your tanks are beautiful
Thanks!
Great video! I have a 10 gallon covered in surface plants (literally), with heavy filtration, but no surface agitation at all...
I feel like that will cause problems?
Probably not, but all tanks are different, so keep an eye on it.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly thanks! I guess I'll watch the fish, so far so good after 2 days of 0 agitation!
Just started watching your videos. You mention cannister filters. Setting up a new to me 75G. I will be running an UGF because I am old school and cannot be talked out of that, but I want advice on a cannister, or do I go with an Aquaclear 110 which is my favorite HOB option. Stock will be 6 various goldies. Adolescent now ( 3 months old but outgrowing the 29). Your fav, best for the money option? Just curious your opinion.
I use the SunSun 304b filter. It's cheap, and runs forever. I've used them on tanks as small as 55 gallons, up to as big as 125 gallons.
Beautiful tanks. Btw what type of plant is the one floating with magnificently looking trailing roots?
That's Water Sprite. I sell it if you're in the continental US. danielhiteshew@gmail.com
nice video Dan. In the past my tanks only had the bubbles for the look. I used my filter for the main pushing the water around. my reef tank is different and with my current freshwater tank I have a wave maker to break the skim up.
I've been trying to find the right combination of flow and co2 distribution in my small, 10g planted tank. Had a bio wheel hob that just wasn't creating enough flow and was losing a lot of co2 with the surface agitation. Got a nicrew internal filter which has improved the flow by a lot. Placed the co2 diffuser under the filter which breaks up the bubbles and disperses it throughout the tank. 2 days after setting this up I have zero agitation and came home to dead fish. Decided to run an air stone after the lights go off. Hope this works for me!
I'm not sure what your goals are. Running CO2 vs an air stone will have opposite effects. The air stone will drive off excess CO2.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly
Yeah I only run the air stone after the co2 and light is off. Air turns off right before the co2 turns on
Hey DAN, just wanted to say i found your channel today, and have been binge watching your videos!lol. I appreciate your attention to detail and explaining everything! Keep up the great work. Maybe one day my tank will be as pretty as yours! Have a great day :)
Thanks! You've got your work cut out for you. Lol I've got about 800 videos.
Dan Hiteshew slowly but surely I'll get to them! several a day prolly
Yes I can’t get enough of them I also am learning heaps. Good that I’ve stared watching you recently because you have so many :) yeah
What are tge silver and orange fish in the first tank eith the frills on the ends of their fins?? Thay are so cool!
I'm guessing those would have been my Congo tetras.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly yep! I looked them up thats them. Although yours seem to have a slightly different tail shape than most which is super cool. I was drawn to them instantly. I may have to try them out! Any tips for them specifically or pretty straight forward?
@@mstevens6723 The males develop the "streamers" on the tail as they mature.
They get big and need plenty of room. Keep them in as large a group as you can get or have room for. You'll be blown away by them. I highly recommend if you have a big enough tank (75 gallons or more).
They need lots of swimming room too.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly very cool!! Thanks!!
how much do you want for this angelfish?
TO ALL AQUARIUM ENTHUSIAST - YOU NEED SURFACE AGITATION!!! IT IS NECESSARY - this person say he doesn't have "much" surface agitation and yet he has a 4 inch wide waterfall overflow filter...that is surface agitation.
Good Video! I have (2)20 and a 10 gallon tank where I have air bubbles in them But I just use a small amount of air bubbles to rise to the surface which is under a water drip spray that I made to agitate the surface water which mixes with the air bubbling up. (My tank uses an HOB filtration and has fake plants)
Thank you for the video I actually have a 10 gallon tank that's one of my most successful tanks but I've always worried about whether or not there was enough oxygen in the water, it's doing well, but I was just paranoid about waking up and having all of my fish dead, and this cleared it up for me thank you very much for that
awesome! glad to help.
Great vids, full of useful information. How do you find your UV filter? Is it good for all algae? Do you think one is necessary?
I never use UV in any of my tanks anymore. It's not necessary at all.
I try to get movement at the top of my tank mainly for cosmetic reasons. I wouldn't add bubbles to my tanks because it would defuse more of my Co2. Your tanks look good!
That's a good point too. Planted tanks should never have an airstone (unless for a specific need, like using meds).
The airstone actually will reduce your CO2. Excellent point. (I wish I had made it. Lol)
+Dan Hiteshew I have heard of people using an air stone at night when the Co2 is off but I would think that would only be needed in heavily planted tanks.
Nick 'S I don't run CO2 (injected), but even in a low tech planted tank, you always want to keep as much CO2 in the water as you can. Gassing it off with an airstone is working against yourself.
In an aquarium book I have from 1947 (first edition 1937) they give the rule of 24 square inches of surface area per inch of fish. The actual volume of the tank is inconsequential, insofar as this rule assumed no aeration or filtration, so the breathing of the fish would depend entirely on gas exchange at the surface, and not on how much dissolved oxygen is "stored" in the water. In a later book I have (1970's) this rule is revised slightly, to 18" per inch of tropical fish, and 30" per inch of coldwater fish.
The older book barely mentions filtration, and goes on to suggest that aeration doesn't need to be run continuously (the author notes many experienced aquarists only aerate water at night, when the plants don't produce oxygen). It was still a few years before the vibrator pump had been invented so your choices were either an expensive piston pump, or inflating an inner-tube with a bike pump and using that to provide air to the tank (this was not at all uncommon before cheap air pumps existed!).
The depth of the tank matter too. Maybe back then they didn't have tall tanks, but surface area to water depth is the ratio you need. With 24 sq inches of surface area, a swallow tank would be fine, but a tank that is 24 inches deep would be very O2 starved at the bottom. (unless you have very good circulation)
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly I wonder about this too, but the author actually makes a point of explaining that the volume of the aquarium makes no difference. Their explanation is that since the surface is the only place exchange occurs, other dimensions are inconsequential. But the few photos of aquariums from the 40s and 50s I have seen all invariably show rather long, shallow tanks. Those super tall hex tanks from the 70s were still a few decades away! Also interesting to note that it was considered almost impossible to keep fish without some sort of plant life in the tank, all of my older books spend about as many pages on plants as they do on fish (and there are some interesting varieties in there that I've not seen in shops today, and much that is seen today that apparently was unheard of then).
@@furripupau There's a ratio, although I don't know what it is, between surface area, and water depth. Good circulations is the key though.
Love your tanks! I wanted to say that I have quite a bit of that surface biofilm on the side that doesn't have surface agitation. It seems to be a main food source for my blue ramshorn and pond snails. It's cool to see them crawl around, upside down on the surface tension munching away. So I don't try to do anything about it. I just see it as another life form in my tank.
my tank is the same way. That is why I have pump and sponge filter and heater of course.
You seem to be quiet knowledgeable. I'm curious how does a heavily stocked tank of plants affect this at all? Would there need to be less surface agitation or just an equal amount?
I'm not sure I understand your question.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly What I mean is you need surface agitation to exchange gases. How does this process change when you have a tank absolutely stocked full of plants? Would this decrease the need for that exchange?
@@net200777 Plants produce O2 during the day but use O2 at night, so having gas exchange is still necessary. You just don't "need" a lot of surface agitation. More agitation is better though.
This topic is highly relevant to the number and size of fish you have consuming oxygen as well as there being plants in your tank as you stated all I know is if I had the mild amount of surface agitation that you have in your 125 all of my fish would be at the top and most likely dead within a day or two. What I mention actually happened to a fellow hobbyist that keeps African cichlids recently and it wiped out his whole tank due to minimal surface agitation it obviously works for you with the small fish and lots of plants but definitely would not work for a heavily stocked African cichlids tank. Great topic I personally believe the more the better there has actually been quite a few studies done on wave makers breaking the surface and airstones breaking the surface and the dissolved oxygen level with a wave maker is far higher then the airstones but then again there is a lot of variables that come into dissolved oxygen count fish quantity size plants or not temperature of water etc.
Lol you said what i was thinking.. my cichlids would have same problem i learned once after water change i took surface agitation away an everyone was screaming for help lol.
A little off topic but your congo tetras are beautiful what do you feed them
Hey , hopefully you reply to this question because I'm stumped .
I have the fluval flex . Shrimp tank haha so the water is pretty warm because it's being used for a breeding. So of course warmer water doesn't hold much o2 as cooler water so does that mean I need more surface movement ?
Yes. If you have warmer water, you need to increase the waters ability to exchange gasses since the warmer water doesn't hold much O2. If it's in the mid 80's I would even recommend an air stone.
Dan Hiteshew that's what I'm currently doing , airstone haha thank you for the reply
Dan Pham No problem. Good luck!
Is surface agitation necessary? In a planted tank, during the day, not so much, as the plants will provide the water with oxygen. At night, it is essential as the plants will give off co2 and your fish will suffocate without any surface agitation.
I had a issue where my fish were fine during the day, but I'd go to sleep, wake up in the morning and find numerous fish died overnight. All my water parameters were fine, so I was baffled. Until I realised they were suffocating at night due to there not being enough surface agitation. I added an air stone that comes on a timer when the light goes off at night.
During the day the air stone is off and my pump provides a gentle surface agitation.
No more fish dying over night.
Plants actually use O2 during the dark period. The moment you turn your lights on, will be the moment of least O2 in the tank. An air stone on 24/7 isn't a bad idea.
(this is an old video. I've come to appreciate the value of the humble air stone)
Enjoying your vids Dan, very informative. I myself am running a planted 90 right now, heavily stocked but with a stringent fish keeping husbandry routine. It probably helps from previously keeping a reef tank. I do prefer surface agitation, other than the gas exchange which I think is important as you explained I think the flow is important to the welfare of the fish. I keep Denison Barbs and as you probably know the do like clean water with a bit of flow. I also appreciate the movement of the plants, it kind of gives it a more natural look I find. As in most things its personal preference. I will be doing some more in depth vids detailing my experience in this fascinating hobby. I find myself keeping tabs on your vids as you give me a few pointers to things I may have missed. Cheers Steve.
Are u using Stratum for substrate? I am thinking of giving it a try. Just wanted to know what u use.
I just newly add co2,, 1 or 2 bubbles per sec,, tank is 2 ft, the indicator newly bought yesterday show yellow which is high,, some suggest I shut down n do water surface agitation,, done that for 8 hours already , co2 shut down more than 20 hours,, inductor still show pale yellowish with slight green hints, may I ask should I continue shut down co2 or ignore the color indicator?
I really don't know. You'd have to ask someone that uses CO2. I have no experience at all, and don't want to give you bad advice. Sorry I couldn't be help.
Hello, What's that bushy plant on the bottom left corner?
That's water sprite. It's actually floating.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly my apologies, I didn't specify, I mean the plant on 13:09 bottom right corner.
@@imaflowerhorn6458 That's Temple Plant (Hygrophila)
Good video. I agree with some things you say but not everything.
True, he's probably got water running to an external filter so the water being pumped back in is already oxygenated.
If I tried to have litte to no agitation those fish would soon be looking up at the stars.
I haven't got much water movement in my tank , I've read different reviews on this , I've only got a small 55 litre tank as I'm a beginner , no fish in tank yet but a couple of live plants, do i need a lot of water movement ,
That would depend largely one which fish you chose, but in general terms, no, you don't. make sure the volume of the tank turns over 10 times the tank volume per hour. ( 10 gallon tank should turn over at least 100 gph) you don't need a lot of surface aggitation to achieve this.
Dan Hiteshew thanks for the advice, also I checked today
Ph levels are fine
ammonia is 1.0
Nitirites 1.0
But i had a nitrate spike and have shot up to 40 , is it coming to the end of the cycle and should I do a water change . Thanks
Nice videos... :)
At 7:29, what kind of plants are those on top?
Water Sprite. I have it in most of my tanks.
To get good surface like that means my top swimmers are swimming in a Tsunami lol
Hi! Nice video, a lot of well managed tanks. What fish are the blue/purple ones in your oldest tank? About min 14.
Thanks! Those are "Glo-Fish" . They're genetically modified Skirt Tetras. (I don't recommend them)
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly thanks for the reply. I'll keep in mind that they're not recommended :)
Good info man. I try to keep air lines going in my tanks but I do get a lot of "slime"/"oil" on the surface of my tanks if i don't have surface agitation.
It's technically called "Bio-film" and is the result of proteins from waste. (reducing your feeding schedule will reduce the biofilm)
Dan Hiteshew Hmm good to know, I usually don't feed too much...to my knowledge lol.
Home Aquatics it'll build up over time, no matter how little you feed. It's the natural result of wastes and proteins.
Dan Hiteshew ah I see, Would you recommend aeration over a protein skimmer?
+Home Aquatics absolutely. Protein skimmers don't work on freshwater. (At least not efficiently enough to matter)
Thanks for all the videos. I watch them as soon as they come out and they help with my own fish obsession.
thanks for letting me know. I always like hearing when people enjoy my videos. it means a lot.
if your tank is heavily planted, you can most likely get away with no surface agitation but it never hurts to add it.
Do you think there is any oxygen transfer difference between the tanks with lids and the ones that are open?
Not unless there are other factors involved. Or if the lid is sealed air tight of course.
Ok I watch this vid about 3 times, but I kept being interrupted. So I think you didn't cover it in this one. One big advantage that you have, you like longer tanks. I think it would be key to note that longer tanks have better gas exchange rates than taller/narrower tanks. The volume to surface ratio is important to know when deciding how much agitation someone might want. I like my tanks filled just past the bottom of the top bracket. I have two 20 gallon tanks; one tall, one long. Before I used circulation, the long tank always did better with having active healthy fish. Once I learned about the ratios I was able to adjust the tall tank with better agitation. I hope that comes across right, because I really enjoy your channel. I can't help watch every minute.
Listen again from 2:15 to 2:25.
+Dan Hiteshew yup, my kids are home today because of Memorial Day, so as I'm watching they come in do what kids do. And I miss a crucial bit you've said. Though my defense, it was 10 seconds. 😂😂😂
Fish Behind Glass lol. Yeah, I didn't exactly go onto a lit of detail about it.
Hey Dan, beaytiful tanks you got there! I bought my first 32gal 3 months ago and I'm now trying to put more plants. I was wondering if oyu could tell me what is the name of the floating plant at 0:58 (We can see the roots going to the left because of the flow) and at 8:52 on the left of your tank?
Thanks Dan!
Water Sprite. I love it. Super easy to grow.
Thank you very much Dan! I'll check if I can make it fit my decor.
You can plant it or float it.
I have quite alot of surface movement. My guppies & Tetra seem to enjoy the flow.
In my female bettas and rasboras and flame tetras tank I have very small water agitation , very much still water ... bettas love water that stays still ... still that’s the only tank I had Cyanobacteria though
I have seen a tank that was very heavily planted and there was a circulation pump and that's it.
It's easy.
The name of the black fish in the right uper corner at 1:41 ?
There's a Chinese couple in San Francisco that own a fish store and they have a ton of fish and a ton of plants and they don't believer in surface agitation... only very, very little.. They do a really thick gravely substrate, about 4 to 5 inches, to build up the healthy aerobic and aerobic bacteria to eat the ammonia and nitrites and nitrates...
And they put a ton of plants and fish in there,. I mean lots and lots of fish!! And they are super healthy...
I wouldn't say I "don't believe" in surface agitation. It greatly increases gas exchange. I just don't like it, and it's not "necessary" is my point.
that a black gourami? hes badass...first i've seen like that.
It's a Snakeskin Gourami.
Do you have a video on lightning? Your plants looked great.
I have a whole playlist called "Aquarium Lighting"
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly thanks.. have a safe weekend...
@@Fatjohny100 You too!
Do you have soil in your tank?
No, I use Caribsea Eco-Complete substrate.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly Does it give nutrients to the plants？
@@Aquafinity I believe it provides some trace nutrients.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly Can we add fluval stratum to an already established gravel aquarium?
Thanks
My two ghost shrimp are one year and about three months old!
is that a pure black Gourami??
No, it's a Snakeskin gourami.
Gorgeous fish, just one of moments that lack of color wins me over. Beautiful!
What is that big black fish?
Why does my tank have alot of bubbles at the top of the water that arnt popping ? thanks
If you have a bubble nester, like a Gourami or Betta, that would be one reason.
Another could be too much biofilm on the surface. The oily matrix will hold the bubbles shape, instead of them popping quickly.
Other than that, I don't know what to tell you.
how do ya get rid of biofilm?
conman20000 Surface agitation, a surface skimming filter, or manually skimming it with a pitcher during water changes. Those are the 3 easiest and most effective ways.
what kind power head is that?
I'm not sure about the size, but all my powerheads are Hydor Koralia. I love them. amzn.to/2PiJjz7
great info👍👍👍
thanks.
What are those fish with the black stripe going across their body at 13:57?
I think you're looking at the White Cloud Mountain Minnows. Cool little fish. Very underrated in the hobby.
Yeah, that's probably it. I saw them and found them quite nice to look at. Great video.
ThatOtherGuy thanks!
what is that big black fish in your first aquarium
I'm guessing you mean my Snakeskin Gourami.
Dan Hiteshew ah what a beautiful fish
I really like him.
Whats that plant floating?
Water Sprite.
And just let it float seems to grow good no co2
@@fitznew No, it's super easy. float or plant it. It'll grow out of the water too. I sell it if you're interested. No foods or ferts. danielhiteshew@gmail.com
Did they now. I felt it was just fine. I've seen plenty of power heads in your fish gallery and plants.
what kind of fish is that black one at the back...looks like a gourami
your tanks look great man...do you have carbon in your filters?.... man that last entry was a sad story... God bless us
Is Surface Agitation Necessary in your Aquarium?
HOLY SHIT !, thanks for the video !, i already lose 3 shrimps because of this, not only that i overestimate the plants to distribute oxygen and didnt consider the water exchange, and i somehow stupid and arrogant enough to though that the excess oxygen is enough for the shrimps AND plants at night, my stupidity caused 3 loss of innocents life
I think i can't get away with no surface agitation as im living in tropical very hot climate
Yes you are correct you can run a tank without a filter or surface agitation. The problem is you'd have to have an open top tank and hope the fish don't jump out and you have to change the water all the time. You also said one of your tanks has cynobacteria. More surface agitation for better gas exchange will help prevent cynobacteria. Air stones as you said do not put oxygen in the watter, but it does move water around in the tank breaking the surface witch causes the tank to trap oxygen from the air. In a non plated tank surface agitation is more crucial than a heavily planted tank like yours. If the top is still an oily like resedue will form and if not removed regularly can smother the tank. You claim you remove this with the watet changes. I just think you are putting too much work into the tank maintenance that more surface agitation could solve. This all being said if you want to do the work it is up to you and overall your tanks look great and healthy.
excellent comment
Really interesting and useful. Just wondered whether you have any thoughts on flow patterns. I previously had a spray bar and a circulation pump but felt they were actually competing with each other rather than helping. (www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/spray-bar-flow.41745/)
I talk about circulation a lot.
ruclips.net/video/7wfOUcjQxRg/видео.html
hi dan,
foud u in YT after adding u in G+ ...do u use co2, this is the 2nd video i have watched from u this ay have already been answered but ill ask anyway
thanks..
mark
Nope. No CO2. I actually have several videos about CO2.
I have a air stone run for an hour a day in my betta tank
Bettas can get O2 directly from the air. They don't need air stones. Be sure you're not causing too much water movement. Bettas prefer calm water.
@@DanHiteshew-oneandonly its not for him its to keep the oil film on the top from building up because it looks ugly and yes he can still come to the surface just fine
my tanks are weird. my duck weed died and I can't really keep mts. but some harder fish and and trap door snails just fine. I also can't find duck weed I think I found pond weed. but it also died. idk it's weird
Is your water very hard? A lot of plants don't do well, or survive at all in hard water.
in a coldwater tank vallsneria and java moss do well. in another tank water wisteria, anacharis, java fern, and moss balls. they all grow slowly though. i do have proper lighting . the anacharis grows fast and the java fern looks really well. i need to test my water hardness then. ill have to check this out
+Nature's Finest there's a lot lot of plants I can't grow. Anachris is one of them. no idea why.
ye mine grew crazy fast but some of my water wisteria just died. no reason everything the same. then it started growing back. my anubias loves the set up. but some water lettuce not so much. i actually cant grow java moss in one of my tanks just does not grow. but in the other tank grows really fast.
Nature's Finest lol. Every tank is unique.
Good demonstration. I don't like the look of the film at the top. One more reason I like HOB's.
Yeah, that film does kinda suck. I like filters with surface skimmers.
Floating plants with a still surface works. They will keep it clean
IS THAT ACTUALLY LIME STOME ????
FYI for those New to fish keeping
If u Don't have Aquarium Plants U need Surface Agitation
If u have Plants in ur aquarium make sure to have more plants than fish
The aquarium Plants in this Video produces a lot of oxygen enough for the fishes so he doesn't need a lot of surface agitation but if ur new to the Hobby please please don't kill ur fish watch a ton more of very informative videos, tutorials etc on RUclips
Surface Agitation lets the oxygen enter the Water. AGAIN surface Agitation Lets the oxugen enter the tank. If u are palnning to have a planted tank its fine to have less surface agitation with more plants and less fishes. But if U have a Tank that Have more fishes than the plants, U need SURFACE AGITATION.
Except at night when all those plants use up the oxygen.
I can’t get ghosts shrimp to live more then a couple weeks 🙈
I keep mine in brackish water.
Do we have a blonde version of this 😂😂😂 or can I have a blonde version of this 😂😂 you know what I mean hahahaha
I honestly thought that was a leaf than I noticed it had a eyeball ...
I guess a little water agitation goes a long way. Thats how it is in nature as well, i guess.
All this is true with large bodies of water as their is a lot more surface area in contact with oxygen especially when wind passes over it but in small tanks fish will not survive very long in still water with no surface breakage.
Agitation is not enough, you have break the surface of the water otherwise it's like you being in a balloon full of oxygen and co2, eventually, it will just be co2 and unless you break a hole in the balloon their will be no release of co2 and no oxygen
I have kept piranhas for 6 years in my tank and recently set up a fancy goldfish tank but I'm worried for them as I only have a low wattage pump that I have diy'd into a filter temporarily as the tank is getting cloudy and the fish are all itching themselves on the wood.
That sounds like a problem with your nitrogen cycle. Check your ammonia and nitrite levels.
Thanks. Took your advice and all my shrimp died
what the heck, that fish identifies as a leaf. lol
I have a loud annoying ass spray bar.
Because I was always under the impression that it was to stay above water and come splashing down into the water to constantly stir the tank up. xD
Lol I see people that do that. I couldn't stand listening to a hose squirting water in my tanks all day! Lol
I even hate the "bloop bloop" noise of a bubble filter.
+Dan Hiteshew You zone out of it after a while, it gets really really annoying when you make yourself aware of it again and you can't focus on anything but the dripping, I swear sometimes I can't hear myself think over it.
+Dan Hiteshew But I can just submerge it now, thanks.
Vestyxe Yup. You'll never have to hear it again! Lol
@16:00. One of the secrets for making a great aquarium video is to jerk the camera around wildly. If the video does not induce vertigo and vomit, it's not a good vid. Please try harder! PS: What lighting do you have for the tank at 16:00?
You can... But should you ?👴
I have better version of your water sprite. Mine is called broadleaf water sprite/ indian fern
I have lace leaf and braod leaf.
Sell me your spotted African leaf fish
I think I'll keep him for now. Lol
+Dan Hiteshew I been looking for them for months. That's actually why I first subbed to you. Seen him in a vid. I can only find them in one petstore and they only carry very small ones. (They end up ad dinner in my tanks) I just bought a tank just to grow them in before putting them in my display (I want them that bad )
quepiid I got this one at Petsmart. Sold as an African Spotted Leaf Fish.
It was the size of a postage stamp when I got it. Feed it well, and you'll have a nice fish in a year or so.
Put your money where your mouth is. Take your filter out for a month.
Because I'm not going to completely change my tank around and increase the amount of work needed to maintain it.
Dan Hiteshew
Do it on a seperate smaller tank, you know, as an experiment. Especially seeing as you have heaps of tanks.
You can't go making these bold statements which will ruin an aquarium without willing to back up your statements. If you truly believe you do not need surface agitation then turn that first spray bar segment down so it does not affect the surface at all. Give it a couple hours and I guarantee all of your fish will be at the surface gulping for air.
And your argument for surface agitation on the smaller tanks with hang on the back filters is pretty much redundant due to the way in which HoB filters aerate the water, with HUGE amounts of agitation inside the filter.
***** Well if you just blindly follow "bold claims" without doing any corroborating research, then the fault is your own if it goes badly.
In this case, my claim is not "bold" and I'll gladly do your simple experiment, as that won't require any real effort. I'm not going to re-do an entire tank just to prove a point though.
Look for a video coming soon.
Dan Hiteshew That's the problem with people. They will blindly follow the opinions of others and it will result, in this instance anyway, with dead fish. That's why I challenge you to have a tank with no filter, no surface agitation and report back with your findings. I have a heavily planted tank and if i have little to no surface agitation all my fish are instantly gulping for air.. If the link works this is a link to my fish tank so you can gauge the level of plants imgur.com/a/1iIhQ
***** I'm 9 hours into my experiment. The video will be coming soon.
A little more DO would help. But am wasting my time. Your not going to change anything. That's fine it's your tank.
Somewhat i am offended as i am a FX6 user, your explanation is so wrong and you keep on saying you dont need filter. Why dont you do it and report back after a month. Lets see what will happen lol
ruclips.net/video/LvethpOipPs/видео.html