Laser temp guns don’t work for reflective surfaces, they only measure the outside of the glass temp or the surface of the water temp, depending on which way you point it. The surface of the water is often a lot warmer than most of the water because of lights. The outside of the glass reflects the room temperature too not just the water temp.
I've got to get one of those, my Hygger heater has a digital display and I have a Mercury thermometer as a backup/second opinion. I have an Anduino board , maybe I'll get some probes and automate everything. LOL
I have a thermometer in my tank, but temp gun is great for quickly making sure water change water is the right temp. Otherwise it sits next to the radiator longer.
When I started keeping fish many years ago a buddy of mine, a veterinarian, told me I wasn't a fish keeper...I was a water keeper. He told me to think of the water as a body...healthy body=healthy fish.
It’s so refreshing to see a pro having “problems” more so that you’ve admitted to your mistakes. You don’t really see that anymore. The fact that you’re sharing it speaks volumes to your character and at the same time helps prevent us noobs from making the same mistakes.
I am that weird nerd that loves testing water parameters.; it has me feeling like a scientist. I have a syringe with a blunt needle and I fill the test tubes feeling all fancy - I'm just missing the white lab coat lol. In all seriousness though - great video! Ok another confession - when I bring home new fish, I get all nerdy and test the parameters of the water in the bag from the shop, purely out of curiosity!
You are not alone, lol. I started carrying a ziploc bag with me, so I can test the aquarium water with out fish, and discovered that fish bought first thing in the morning (before they are fed), develop less ammonia in the water than fish bought an hour after opening.
Great info as always Cory but I have to say I'm LOVING the new editing style of your videos. Makes them more enjoyable to watch without loosing sight of the message at its core.
It's so easy for us to get into this mentality of "There's no way it could be this!" I've been noticing my plants were coming in twisted and pale, and my bladder snails had white tinted shells. This pointed to a calcium deficiency in my water. No way this could be the case, I thought to myself. The water here always has very high calcium! I don't have KH or GH test kit on hand (I know, I need to get them!) But my parents let me use some of their hot tub test strips, which do measure KH and GH. Sure enough, both were unusually low in both my tap water and the tank. I picked up a Wonder Shell to add more calcium into the tank. Things change, both in your tank and in the water you use. Learn how differences in the water can impact your aquarium, and keep an eye out for those signs.
Hey, sanitation manager here, test your water. Trust me. We alter the water based on season and influx of acids or caustics. At home we test temp, ph, nitrates routinely. TDS rarely.
Excellent eye opener. I work in the LFS, and we were having one tank after another get ich. None of the tanks have thermometers, so there was no visual way to tell that temperatures were off. I started adjusting heaters and noticed none of them were kicking on. Low and behold the breaker for the circuit the tank heaters were on had tripped, and it’s hard telling how many days the heaters had been dead because I’m not there every day. I fixed the electrical problem that had caused the breaker to trip, and things have gotten much better.
I have a 5 gal planted aquarium with a betta which I started this past September. I test my tank every day, temp, ammonia, PH, nitrates and nitrites (API test kit I got from Aquarium Co-op). I do 50 % water changes every other week. Knock on wood...I have had no issues. Betta is happy and healthy. Cory, I watch all your videos. You have guided me well my friend. Thank you.
I love how you as a fish owner, you understand that we as fish owners can be *lazy*. However we forget about many parts that can be little and over sighted. It is great to be reminded how little changes in a room can change our tanks drastically.
Good advice for fish that are usually wild caught like kuhli loaches, bad for fish that are usually captive bred. Most fish in the hobby only know the water they were raised in, and usually the breeders don't go through the trouble of bringing the water to the parameters they have in the wild because it isn't necessary. It honestly might be worse to try to mimic their wild water parameters because if their water is constantly fluctuating from supplements your putting in to change its parameters htey're going to be under a lot of stress. If you really care that much, then ask the people you're buying the fish from what water parameters they have. If you really want to put in that much effort, then that's what you want to mimic.
@@shriihanmukherjee6502 I may be missing the point, but the way I apply the concept is buy local, or buy fish that prefer my water parameters. Because chasing parameters is a surefire way to grow resentful and begin to see fish keeping as a chore, instead of being able to enjoy it, as the fish will suffer when we are trying to "control" the water
Amazon's been having the marina glass floating/suction cup thermometers on sale for 98¢ to $1.17 shipped lately. I own more thermometers than tanks now. I do want a fancy Star Trek temp gun though LOL.
silver buyer I looked at one of those glass thermometer last night for about 5 mins and couldn't read it and put on a cheap battery operated digital one.
I wholly agree--the API Master Test Kit saved my fish, save my hobby, and is 1 of my top 5 items that any fishkeeper needs to own (including tank & filter & water conditioner). I've run through the better part of 4 kits in the space of a year, testing weekly with now up to 12 aquariums. I've slowed recently, mainly because they are pretty much all stable setups, and the time it takes adds up, not to mention running out the Nitrate & Ammonia testers long before the rest. But I've added some new liquid tests to try out--GH/KH, Phosphate, and Copper (the last for when I need to use special meds). Before that, though, I've been trying out the API test strips; I'm not finding them at all useful for Nitrite or Nitrate (even 0-dangerous levels are too pale to be reliable enough to differentiate), and the pH didn't often line up with either my MTK or a digital reader. Mainly I've kept trying them to get an easy read on GH/KH, which was a real eye opener for me in one planted tank, explained why the three guppies in there didn't do well, because the hardness had dropped substantially over time as I did more top-ups than full water changes. I've got thermometers on most of my tanks, and track all parameters in a detailed spreadsheet, including date sampled/tested, ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, date since last test, date since last water change, amount of water changed, any meds or fertilizers dosed, what is stocked, and any notes on activity, illness, changes, etc. Life saving!
I think this is one of your best and certainly one of the most important videos you've ever produced. Whether we are a newbie or a longtime aquarist, we *all* need this reminder. I'm totally guilty of slacking off and assuming everything is fine with my water parameters, but we've got to test on a regular and consistent basis. And we can never assume that because one tank is fine that all our tanks are fine. I've got two the appear to be "identical" setups, yet the water test proves otherwise. Thank you for this video and for everything you do for this hobby. Hope I can get up there to your store someday. Blessings to you!
Yes, your right Cory...people do get lazy and not do the test kit....in the beginning, I did it like crazy...then after years, I slowed down and only did it when I felt something was not right.....and the heater....boy never would of thought of that....good vid as usual. Thank you.
Been keeping aquariums for about 50 years and I deserved this spanking. I have lost many a fish through laziness and hubris. Just recently found my fish room was warmer than I thought. So simple a fix that could have saved fish if I was on top of things. Thank you Corey.
That is what I was told as well. Our tap water is around 7 PH and quite hard. I have tanks that are inhabited by fish that love that water. My plants are doing well too ;-)
This is SO true. I was cooking dinner after a long nursing shift, and I was listening to this video in my headphones. I have four aquariums, and the last time I'd tested water on them was only a few days prior, but one aquarium is brand new and cycling. I paused what I was doing and tested the water on all my aquariums, starting with the new one, and there was a nitrite spike! I did an 80% water change, retested, and the levels were still present, but MUCH lower. I did another large water change the next day, and now they are gone. I'm testing that new tank daily from here on out thanks to this video, and I started an aquarium journal so I can keep track of my aquarium parameters to observe changes and track trends. Thanks for this awesome tip and excellent content!
You bring up a great point sir. I don't know why so many aquarists neglect water-testing as much as they do when it is THE most important factor in aquarium maintenance and disease prevention.
Really appreciate the content, Corey! You are a wealth of information and I wish I had found you YEARS ago!! Please know you are saving lives, little fishy lives, but lives we are responsible for none the less. I am only know beginning to understand how ignorant I was of the foundational basics of the hobby.
Having a BS in botany, I totally enjoy the scientific aspects of fishkeeping. I am preparing to set up a 40 gal planted breeder tank as my first tank. After purchasing my tank, my next purchase was a water hardness test kit. At work, I titrate chemical concentrations in our chill tanks. I work for a food manufacturer in Renton, WA. I am as so excited to find out exactly what parameters I was dealing with in my water source. According to the King County Water District 90 Water Report, my dGH was an average of 2.3. That worried me a bit. Come to find out after testing, it’s closer to 4.0. And my dKH is also 4.0. For the species I want to keep, these parameters are totally within a suitable range. I will never shy away from water testing. And, to be honest, I’m a total science nerd, and am quite enjoying my education into the world of fish keeping. Love your videos!
Test your water and don’t assume, probably the best advice when things start going wrong. I started slacking a bit on testing and now I have fish paying the consequences. My local tap water is pretty hard with a pH of around 7.5 after aging 24 hrs with a tds of 350-400. While I usually check my tank water with every weekly water change, I haven’t checked the tap water in a while. The pH is now settling around a pH of 8.0 with a tds of 450, shifting my tank pH to 8.0 with a tds over 500. While my endlers and neocaridina shrimp are fine, a few of my celestial pearl danios haven’t been doing great. I picked up some RO/DI water (tested that too) today from my LFS and did a small water change. I’m going to keep doing small water changes daily while testing the water along the way. Fingers crossed that’s the issue and that they pull through. Thanks for all the vids and info!
Excellent video, Cory. BTW, almost 400k subscribers. Congratulations on that important milestone. You worked hard, in many ways, to get there. Again, congratulations...😎
Thank you for the value you bring to us all. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't hear you speak. It has been a trial and error. I hope to get the water level much better on my tanks.
Great video Cory! Watching you wave that temp gun made me chuckle! "Phasers set to stun!!!" Always a lesson - I will be getting my own "phaser" to zap my tanks. Stay transparent - you wear it well!
Can we use the old school thermometer that sticks to the inside glass wall as reliable measure? I get the feeling that Infrared thermometer might measure temperature of outside glass or fish instead of actual water... Correct me if I am wrong in my opinion
This is a great video. I keep planted tanks and a huge problem for me is that many plants do not do well in warm water. Now, I'm in FL so keeping any tank under 80 is a feat so even though I have 1 to 2 thermometers in my tanks (depending on how long they are) it is a trial and error on what can actually survive in my tanks. I barely test yet I keep my temp regulated every day and it does work for me. I saw the half test strips trick makes me want to test now lol.
Great video, Cory. Thank you for the reminder to stick to the basics. We've really been enjoying the video format lately. We can sense your excitement & enjoyment when you are teaching us about tropical fish. 👍 We don't chime in on the live vids. They just move too quickly for us to chat. But these shorter teaching videos are encouraging & informative for us. (We still watch the live ones, just don't chat.) Thank you for your time & expertise.
Cory, have you ever done a video or can you please do a video on water hardness and it’s effect on PH? I’m new to the hobby and test my water like crazy for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. Just recently got into testing Hardness. I’m using the API KH test kit and it takes 14 drops for the water to turn yellow which is off the chart that is supplied in the kit. The chart only goes to 12 so I know my water is crazy hard. The PH of my water seems to be around 8.0-8.2. A video on what to do or how to adjusts KH/PH via cutting Tap water with RO water or whatever could be done to stabilize the water would be extremely helpful. If you already have a video on this please let me know. Thanks. Your videos rock!
I got one for temps on my ball python. So important to have your ambients and hot spots perfect for them. Or they go off feeding. I’m learning proper care for my fish now and I stumbled onto your videos. I’m so glad I did. Awesome info.
i use a stc-100 temp controller to run my heaters and fans, get a visual display just walking by, saves a lot of time. Does save time, digital full time PH reader helps too as long as you dont get to lazy to calibrate it monthly. Unfortunately I havent found a way to get around the ammonia other test at the moment, but I totally agree watching the water quality is more important then even proper water changes. Love your videos, keep it up!!!
Great video Corey ... I've watched your videos for years now ... Please dont take this the wrong way because it's a compliment fr but your videos your on screen persona is getting so much better. I like your personality now it just seems more genuine ... Anyway thanks for the great content man.
I've got a fancy temperature laser gun. I don't use it to check temps because it's so inaccurate that it''s not even funny. What is funny about it though is that my platys chase the red dot around like a cat, it's hilarious.
I also have temp gun. Some advice id give you if you're finding it inaccurate is that it doesn't work through glass. Take the temperature through the open top of the tank, try and make the laser hit a surface other than the glass, like a fish or some decor. If you're still having problems then i can't help ya
@@jeffmiller6350 Dont worry I have an expensive one and its still off + or - 5 degrees sometimes, leave it on top of your hood on your tank if you can so the device is at the same relative ambient temperature so when you check the water its somewhat acclimated I guess at least thats what I do it seems more accurate that way because when I keep it under the tank or somewhere else then its even farther off like 10 degrees
There are some probes that read the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and TDS. One of the probe readers even has an option for an Alexa /Siri type voice to read the results out loud. They are not cheap, but definitely over come the inherent issue of variations in red for pH above 7.0 [It has to do with the reagents, it's not really a "choice" on the part of the manufacturers].
I still remember some of the first videos edited by Jimmy and the rage the little animations created, and it makes me laugh that he still puts them in judiciously. Don’t change, any of you. Also, totally agreed, blows my mind that people don’t immediately test during problems (let alone normally). On your goldfish, I hope it was just temp, but I would be surprised if that’s the long term fix. Temp tends to aggravate existing conditions.
Cory, nothing but respect for you, but I checked with the infrared thermometer manufacturer. The beam cannot penetrate the glass to read the actual temperature of the water. You're totally correct on all the rest.
Yes, you would always lift the top of the aquarium and take the temp. The way it was used in this video was purely for the demonstration of a point. Never the less the aquarium being warmer than the surface of my desk shows that it still picks up a tank that is warmer than another surface.
@@AquariumCoop Yes, but even if you point it down at the water, all you're getting is the temperature of the surface of the water. I run 2 Zacro LCD digital thermometers, one on each side of the tank.
Thank you Cory...I just stopped what I was doing and checked my water. Dog gone...that's why you always rock it. Thank you. By the way..jsu received my large plant order. Everything looks great.
I am fairly new to the hobby (< 1 year). I have watched hundreds of videos and continue to learn about my tanks. I have a 75 gallons with Gouramis and a new 55 gallons with Longfin Angel Fish in my home office. Both are planted tanks. Needless to say I am enjoying the hobby. I want to give you credit for the great information you continue to provide. Thank you!
I just so appreciate you putting this out there, thank you for letting us learn from your mistakes. My favorite episode of the Aquarium Guys pod was the one where they talked about their mistakes. '?:
My favorite test strip tip is to cut them in half so you have twice as many :) I can't remember which video you shared that in, but I do it to every strip lol Tons of love from Canada :)
I’ve been doing fish for over 30 years Cory and I have to say,After many years Parameters Great.The sad story was many years ago about eight I didn’t test my water for years and lost a lot of fish obviously the parameters were off the wall so when I seen this you betcha I buy your test strips and I love your hack Save me money by vertically cutting your test strips vertically 400 test strips. I can’t believe you would do that you’re the most honest person on RUclips I’ve never seen anything like your company ,hands down one of the best companies on RUclips. Or anywhere else for that matter I’m proud of you ,As if you were one of my kids I can’t imagine being your mom !how proud she must be of you tears in my eyes buddy .Also you show your inner self the compassion you show on RUclips is spiritual to me.Not too many men open them self of fear they might not be manly.What makes a man is compassion loyalty to himself and others in fairness how he treats other people doesn’t mean they’re without fault buddy you’re sure I’m heading down Right path in life to treat others like you wanna be treated and your company does that!AlsoA laser thermometer!I can tell you my dogs love it we’re on a budget but I think the test strips definitely save me money from last fish from worrying if my waters right to not running every three days to change water cause I’m not sure what it says so easy to read a child could do it .thank you Cory for being Yourself a true humanitarian to this hobby into life I wish you all the best that God has ever created for one person and your family your puppies too
Started seeing large males in my registered N class Endler's livebearer colony, generally a sign of hybridism. Turns out my heater stopped, so fish took longer to reach maturity and achieved larger mass. Still as pure as the day I bought them from AdrianHD.
Why have I never thought to cut my test strips in half! Thanks to everyone who commented about this. They cost like $15 - $20 for 25 strips here. You’ve just saves me a fortune. Especially as my tanks only four weeks old so I’m testing every day at the moment until it settles in.
While I've had fish for my whole life, I just started learning about what makes a good tank. Your videos help so much. Like with any hobby, the internet is so full of contradictions and people who are downright mean for no reason lol I obsessively research anything before I get it and what started my search was "what to do with my 55 gallon tank?" (I had a hamster in there for over three years til she passed away last month) your videos helped me get my two betta tanks squared away (a 20 long for the male and a 10 for my tiny female) and I'm setting up the 55 gal for 3 goldfish! Going to get a gold fantail, a calico fantail and a black moor 🤗🤗🤗
I wish Cory was a phone call away, just starting a set up of fancy goldfish after 9 years of storing a tank aside until I was ready, been following aquarium Co op to the letter video after video (some great advise and way to research) , so let's see how this goes. Thank you for all the information your videos provide!!
I enjoy all your videos, and I'll take all the info I can get, I have only been in the hobby for a short time but I am looking for to growing my hobby along with others who have the same like mindedness, much appreciation sir so thank you and keep the videos and info coming.
I love your videos and that you are willing to share your knowledge. On that note I could use your advice. I am going to be building a 540 gallon freshwater African cichlid tank in late summer this year. I have most of my planning done except one major component. I need a return pump that cam handle this size tank. I'm looking for reliability followed by affordability. A video on how to select the right return pump would be amazing. Thanks so much. I'll keep watching.
You are so AMAZING Cory & dead on! I test mine every week, if not twice a week. If Fish are acting off, I test the water. Bought the python hose & now water changes are relaxing instead of dreadful. Worth the $50 for the 50ft. Highly recommend
I test at least once a week with strips. I only have four tanks but it’s so easy with strips. Then if any thing is a little off I’ll use the API test kit which is more hassle but gives me very close to the same result as the strips. Temp gun is super easy too. I love the science part of the hobby so testing is a fun part of it to me. As I was writing this my wife came out and said “you have babies!” My first fry were just born from the platinum cobra fire tail guppies I bought as fry a while back. Woohoo!
I work in a medical school at a large research university, and one of the lab techs, who's also an aquarist, said to think of the water as the fish's atmosphere. He went on to describe how we need a pretty exact balance of nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and other gases in order for us to survive, and so do fish in their water (though not everything is a gas). I test my home aquarium maybe once a month, but my new office aquarium I test weekly. As I get older, I find I can't distinguish precise nuances of color the way I used to be able to, but I can at least identify big swings. I also record the numbers in a spreadsheet, which might be a little anal, but I like to look at the change over time. Watching the nitrites go down as the aquarium cycled was actually pretty cool.
CORY!! please help me out here. I have a 10 gallon tank I'm going to start an aquascape but I want to know how many schools can I put in there of smaller fish? (1inchers) I also want to so otocinclus in small school and some shrimp. (In a previous video I saw on guy you had on said he would do less than 10 , I think neons, in a 5g.) The smaller fish I had in mind red mtn minnows, maybe some type of rasbora, now seeing they have many kinds than just the heteromorpha. And/Or the white clouds. I work at a pet store and I would like to think I'm really helping people out by educating them on fish. But man, I gotta say watching your videos had taught me so much more. And I can't thank you enough on that. I'm just trying to better my knowledge to be successful in this planted no filter tank situation. I'm excited as heck and a bit nervous. Soo, any and all help is appreciated!
Thank you for this video. I have a 20 long that is absolutely jam packed with vallisneria and rotala. Never a nitrate in the tank. I have always always lost fish over about a 6 month period with no visible symptoms. Using just the API master kit I deduced the PH in that tank was over 8.2 (already had tested out of my well water at about 6.6 a year ago). Running these back to back I discovered the free rocks I had obtained were buffering (and probably leeching like mad). All the complicated stuff escaped me until I went back to basics and started testing the water. RIP fish, that was my bad.
I love those temp guns, I can check my temps daily from the comfort of my chair and my yellow convicts chase the laser around haha! By the way, it was great meeting you in SF at this past Friday meeting. Keep up the great work and my adult kids there and I appreciated your talk!
I've got a temperature gun as well and I check my temp before each water change and usually a couple times a week. I use my master test kit usually once a month unless I'm noticing a problem with some of my fish.
I have got to stop watching the tanks in the backgrounds... I saw a 150g tank on Craigslist for $300 and now im trying to talk myself back down to the 75g we haven't even set up yet. "But look at that gorgeous peaceful tank..." 😅 Great advice man. Always great advice.
Love your channel! Thanks for all the knowledge you share. Advice please with regards to Ich. I have some "what now" questions about what to do next while I am treating my tank for Ich. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of people. I am doing the heat and salt treatment...for now. My fish perked right up after doing the salt "bath" on Friday morning (discovered the Ich on Thursday night). I raised the tank temp gradually over 36 hours. Today (Sunday) I did a half a tank water change. So what now? Do I do another salt bath but for only a 10 gallon dose (since I did 50% water change?) Keep the tank temp up for a few more days until I don't see any spots on my fish? Does salt kill beneficial bacteria? Do I need to check my parameters?
So true. Temp is just assumed, and overlooked. I took out my heater in the Summer, when temps run higher. In October I noticed the fish were acting different, and took a temp check... they were in probably 68-69 degree water, and needed that heater back badly. Lesson learned.
Facts! Test before and after maintenance, every time. The readings themselves don't mean much to me. I don't trust them. But the differences before and after give you the necessary information.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
*Want your own fancy temperature laser gun?* Here's our Amazon affiliate link: geni.us/DigitalTemperatureGun
Have you ever tried a probe thermometer? I was thinking they may be more accurate.
Laser temp guns don’t work for reflective surfaces, they only measure the outside of the glass temp or the surface of the water temp, depending on which way you point it. The surface of the water is often a lot warmer than most of the water because of lights. The outside of the glass reflects the room temperature too not just the water temp.
I've got to get one of those, my Hygger heater has a digital display and I have a Mercury thermometer as a backup/second opinion.
I have an Anduino board , maybe I'll get some probes and automate everything. LOL
I have a thermometer in my tank, but temp gun is great for quickly making sure water change water is the right temp. Otherwise it sits next to the radiator longer.
@@stargazermike8754 I have, in my experience they work just fine as well. I haven't noticed a big difference in accuracy.
When I started keeping fish many years ago a buddy of mine, a veterinarian, told me I wasn't a fish keeper...I was a water keeper. He told me to think of the water as a body...healthy body=healthy fish.
Very wise words.
I like this. I try to test my water weekly, and due to a crash, it is daily. I will add temp to my records.
This is absolutely correct bro
Excellent advice from the vet
Sounds similar to what I’ve recently learned about permaculture! Not farmers, soil keepers!
"Your assumptions are WRONG!"
This is such a powerful attitude for progress and improvement! Thank you for sharing your insights!
cut the test strips in two.
move this up lol
For the liquid testers: use half the water and half amount of drips.
You are a hero.
Cory does have great ideas! Saw that in an older vid.
WOW, how smart is that! We all assume we arnt blind yet sometimes the most trivial optimisati0ns escape us. Awesome tip!!
*Hears testing water. About to click out of the video*
“Don’t click out.”
Ok damn.
It’s so refreshing to see a pro having “problems” more so that you’ve admitted to your mistakes. You don’t really see that anymore. The fact that you’re sharing it speaks volumes to your character and at the same time helps prevent us noobs from making the same mistakes.
I am that weird nerd that loves testing water parameters.; it has me feeling like a scientist. I have a syringe with a blunt needle and I fill the test tubes feeling all fancy - I'm just missing the white lab coat lol. In all seriousness though - great video! Ok another confession - when I bring home new fish, I get all nerdy and test the parameters of the water in the bag from the shop, purely out of curiosity!
bluefirekin that’s a really good idea though!!!
🤣😂I thought I was the only one
So cute hehe!
You are not alone, lol.
I started carrying a ziploc bag with me, so I can test the aquarium water with out fish, and discovered that fish bought first thing in the morning (before they are fed), develop less ammonia in the water than fish bought an hour after opening.
Lol same. And my kids are always like "mom's doing her chemistry stuff again" 🤣
Great info as always Cory but I have to say I'm LOVING the new editing style of your videos. Makes them more enjoyable to watch without loosing sight of the message at its core.
Thank you Swhisky
It's so easy for us to get into this mentality of "There's no way it could be this!" I've been noticing my plants were coming in twisted and pale, and my bladder snails had white tinted shells. This pointed to a calcium deficiency in my water. No way this could be the case, I thought to myself. The water here always has very high calcium! I don't have KH or GH test kit on hand (I know, I need to get them!) But my parents let me use some of their hot tub test strips, which do measure KH and GH. Sure enough, both were unusually low in both my tap water and the tank. I picked up a Wonder Shell to add more calcium into the tank. Things change, both in your tank and in the water you use. Learn how differences in the water can impact your aquarium, and keep an eye out for those signs.
I'm not sure what sparked this video but I think all of us can listen to this message. "Stop assuming" can save a ton of aquariums
Hey, sanitation manager here, test your water. Trust me. We alter the water based on season and influx of acids or caustics. At home we test temp, ph, nitrates routinely. TDS rarely.
Excellent eye opener. I work in the LFS, and we were having one tank after another get ich. None of the tanks have thermometers, so there was no visual way to tell that temperatures were off. I started adjusting heaters and noticed none of them were kicking on. Low and behold the breaker for the circuit the tank heaters were on had tripped, and it’s hard telling how many days the heaters had been dead because I’m not there every day. I fixed the electrical problem that had caused the breaker to trip, and things have gotten much better.
Now I want a temp gun. Pew pew.
I have a 5 gal planted aquarium with a betta which I started this past September. I test my tank every day, temp, ammonia, PH, nitrates and nitrites (API test kit I got from Aquarium Co-op). I do 50 % water changes every other week. Knock on wood...I have had no issues. Betta is happy and healthy.
Cory, I watch all your videos. You have guided me well my friend. Thank you.
I love how you as a fish owner, you understand that we as fish owners can be *lazy*. However we forget about many parts that can be little and over sighted. It is great to be reminded how little changes in a room can change our tanks drastically.
The number one thing I learned from a fish keeper hero of mine 40 years ago was "if they won't live in your water, don't bother".
Mike McD this is both amazing and awful advice 😂
Good advice for fish that are usually wild caught like kuhli loaches, bad for fish that are usually captive bred. Most fish in the hobby only know the water they were raised in, and usually the breeders don't go through the trouble of bringing the water to the parameters they have in the wild because it isn't necessary. It honestly might be worse to try to mimic their wild water parameters because if their water is constantly fluctuating from supplements your putting in to change its parameters htey're going to be under a lot of stress. If you really care that much, then ask the people you're buying the fish from what water parameters they have. If you really want to put in that much effort, then that's what you want to mimic.
@@shriihanmukherjee6502 I may be missing the point, but the way I apply the concept is buy local, or buy fish that prefer my water parameters.
Because chasing parameters is a surefire way to grow resentful and begin to see fish keeping as a chore, instead of being able to enjoy it, as the fish will suffer when we are trying to "control" the water
Cory, your a gift to the fish keeping world! The fact that you pass on this knowledge to everyone in such an organized fashion.
Thank you for that
I guess I'm old school. I have a thermometer in every tank. :)
Me as well! Of course, when the tank is in a room that varies in temp from 60 Fahrenheit to 80, 'what temperature is the tank?' is always on the mind.
I've always used thermometers. Temp guns can be inaccurate, so I'm not sure why so many recommend them.
Amazon's been having the marina glass floating/suction cup thermometers on sale for 98¢ to $1.17 shipped lately. I own more thermometers than tanks now. I do want a fancy Star Trek temp gun though LOL.
silver buyer I looked at one of those glass thermometer last night for about 5 mins and couldn't read it and put on a cheap battery operated digital one.
@@basicbaroque Many people waste so much money in stuff they do not need to maintain a fish tank
I keep it simple . old style thermometer never fails.
I wholly agree--the API Master Test Kit saved my fish, save my hobby, and is 1 of my top 5 items that any fishkeeper needs to own (including tank & filter & water conditioner). I've run through the better part of 4 kits in the space of a year, testing weekly with now up to 12 aquariums. I've slowed recently, mainly because they are pretty much all stable setups, and the time it takes adds up, not to mention running out the Nitrate & Ammonia testers long before the rest. But I've added some new liquid tests to try out--GH/KH, Phosphate, and Copper (the last for when I need to use special meds). Before that, though, I've been trying out the API test strips; I'm not finding them at all useful for Nitrite or Nitrate (even 0-dangerous levels are too pale to be reliable enough to differentiate), and the pH didn't often line up with either my MTK or a digital reader. Mainly I've kept trying them to get an easy read on GH/KH, which was a real eye opener for me in one planted tank, explained why the three guppies in there didn't do well, because the hardness had dropped substantially over time as I did more top-ups than full water changes. I've got thermometers on most of my tanks, and track all parameters in a detailed spreadsheet, including date sampled/tested, ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, date since last test, date since last water change, amount of water changed, any meds or fertilizers dosed, what is stocked, and any notes on activity, illness, changes, etc. Life saving!
I think this is one of your best and certainly one of the most important videos you've ever produced. Whether we are a newbie or a longtime aquarist, we *all* need this reminder. I'm totally guilty of slacking off and assuming everything is fine with my water parameters, but we've got to test on a regular and consistent basis. And we can never assume that because one tank is fine that all our tanks are fine. I've got two the appear to be "identical" setups, yet the water test proves otherwise. Thank you for this video and for everything you do for this hobby. Hope I can get up there to your store someday. Blessings to you!
Yes, your right Cory...people do get lazy and not do the test kit....in the beginning, I did it like crazy...then after years, I slowed down and only did it when I felt something was not right.....and the heater....boy never would of thought of that....good vid as usual. Thank you.
Always appreciate the truthful videos, not hiding stuff from your fans is a great thing. Keep up the great videos
Been keeping aquariums for about 50 years and I deserved this spanking. I have lost many a fish through laziness and hubris. Just recently found my fish room was warmer than I thought. So simple a fix that could have saved fish if I was on top of things. Thank you Corey.
The laser sound every time he pointed the gun was amazing... A+
That is what I was told as well. Our tap water is around 7 PH and quite hard. I have tanks that are inhabited by fish that love that water. My plants are doing well too ;-)
This is SO true. I was cooking dinner after a long nursing shift, and I was listening to this video in my headphones. I have four aquariums, and the last time I'd tested water on them was only a few days prior, but one aquarium is brand new and cycling. I paused what I was doing and tested the water on all my aquariums, starting with the new one, and there was a nitrite spike! I did an 80% water change, retested, and the levels were still present, but MUCH lower. I did another large water change the next day, and now they are gone. I'm testing that new tank daily from here on out thanks to this video, and I started an aquarium journal so I can keep track of my aquarium parameters to observe changes and track trends. Thanks for this awesome tip and excellent content!
Talk about action in motion! New Unique Viewers video, and new Aquarium Co-Op video! Thanks for sharing Cory!
You bring up a great point sir. I don't know why so many aquarists neglect water-testing as much as they do when it is THE most important factor in aquarium maintenance and disease prevention.
Really appreciate the content, Corey! You are a wealth of information and I wish I had found you YEARS ago!! Please know you are saving lives, little fishy lives, but lives we are responsible for none the less. I am only know beginning to understand how ignorant I was of the foundational basics of the hobby.
The acrylic wholes heat more than glass so that might be why its running hotter than the other tanks
Having a BS in botany, I totally enjoy the scientific aspects of fishkeeping. I am preparing to set up a 40 gal planted breeder tank as my first tank. After purchasing my tank, my next purchase was a water hardness test kit. At work, I titrate chemical concentrations in our chill tanks. I work for a food manufacturer in Renton, WA. I am as so excited to find out exactly what parameters I was dealing with in my water source. According to the King County Water District 90 Water Report, my dGH was an average of 2.3. That worried me a bit. Come to find out after testing, it’s closer to 4.0. And my dKH is also 4.0. For the species I want to keep, these parameters are totally within a suitable range. I will never shy away from water testing. And, to be honest, I’m a total science nerd, and am quite enjoying my education into the world of fish keeping. Love your videos!
Test your water and don’t assume, probably the best advice when things start going wrong. I started slacking a bit on testing and now I have fish paying the consequences. My local tap water is pretty hard with a pH of around 7.5 after aging 24 hrs with a tds of 350-400. While I usually check my tank water with every weekly water change, I haven’t checked the tap water in a while. The pH is now settling around a pH of 8.0 with a tds of 450, shifting my tank pH to 8.0 with a tds over 500. While my endlers and neocaridina shrimp are fine, a few of my celestial pearl danios haven’t been doing great. I picked up some RO/DI water (tested that too) today from my LFS and did a small water change. I’m going to keep doing small water changes daily while testing the water along the way. Fingers crossed that’s the issue and that they pull through. Thanks for all the vids and info!
Excellent video, Cory. BTW, almost 400k subscribers. Congratulations on that important milestone. You worked hard, in many ways, to get there. Again, congratulations...😎
Who edited this vid? Props for the sponge bob clip. Perfect XD
Chris Smith my guess is Jimmy
@@spiffybb Guilty :)
Chris Smith - jimmy for the win!
@@jimmygimbal I came looking at the comments specifically to say the editing on this video was soooo good! You rock, dude!
Amazing video so necessary so classic, I wish the industry would listen and get better more user friendly testing equipment. Cool tips !!!
I was hooked with the zoinks at :55. Great advise as usual. Best takeaway: link to the temp gun. 👍🏻
I really like the tone of your message/information. Thanks!
Thank you for the value you bring to us all. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't hear you speak. It has been a trial and error. I hope to get the water level much better on my tanks.
I have that same temp gun, and I check my temps several times a week because I got used to checking to make sure my snakes were hot enough.
I first got my temp gun for my ornate ornata.
That they work so well on the tanks was an added bonus
Great video Cory! Watching you wave that temp gun made me chuckle! "Phasers set to stun!!!" Always a lesson - I will be getting my own "phaser" to zap my tanks. Stay transparent - you wear it well!
Can we use the old school thermometer that sticks to the inside glass wall as reliable measure?
I get the feeling that Infrared thermometer might measure temperature of outside glass or fish instead of actual water... Correct me if I am wrong in my opinion
This is a great video. I keep planted tanks and a huge problem for me is that many plants do not do well in warm water. Now, I'm in FL so keeping any tank under 80 is a feat so even though I have 1 to 2 thermometers in my tanks (depending on how long they are) it is a trial and error on what can actually survive in my tanks. I barely test yet I keep my temp regulated every day and it does work for me. I saw the half test strips trick makes me want to test now lol.
Beautiful video! Thank you for the honesty and love the editing ❤️💛💚
Great video, Cory. Thank you for the reminder to stick to the basics. We've really been enjoying the video format lately. We can sense your excitement & enjoyment when you are teaching us about tropical fish. 👍 We don't chime in on the live vids. They just move too quickly for us to chat. But these shorter teaching videos are encouraging & informative for us. (We still watch the live ones, just don't chat.) Thank you for your time & expertise.
Cory, have you ever done a video or can you please do a video on water hardness and it’s effect on PH? I’m new to the hobby and test my water like crazy for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. Just recently got into testing Hardness. I’m using the API KH test kit and it takes 14 drops for the water to turn yellow which is off the chart that is supplied in the kit. The chart only goes to 12 so I know my water is crazy hard. The PH of my water seems to be around 8.0-8.2. A video on what to do or how to adjusts KH/PH via cutting Tap water with RO water or whatever could be done to stabilize the water would be extremely helpful. If you already have a video on this please let me know. Thanks. Your videos rock!
I got one for temps on my ball python. So important to have your ambients and hot spots perfect for them. Or they go off feeding. I’m learning proper care for my fish now and I stumbled onto your videos. I’m so glad I did. Awesome info.
i use a stc-100 temp controller to run my heaters and fans, get a visual display just walking by, saves a lot of time. Does save time, digital full time PH reader helps too as long as you dont get to lazy to calibrate it monthly. Unfortunately I havent found a way to get around the ammonia other test at the moment, but I totally agree watching the water quality is more important then even proper water changes. Love your videos, keep it up!!!
Great video Corey ... I've watched your videos for years now ... Please dont take this the wrong way because it's a compliment fr but your videos your on screen persona is getting so much better. I like your personality now it just seems more genuine ... Anyway thanks for the great content man.
I've got a fancy temperature laser gun. I don't use it to check temps because it's so inaccurate that it''s not even funny. What is funny about it though is that my platys chase the red dot around like a cat, it's hilarious.
thanks for your information. Also, I have heard such negative reviews about test strips I'm confused now
@@heaven7360 I don't have the one in the affiliate link. Mine is a very cheap one from harbor freight.
I also have temp gun. Some advice id give you if you're finding it inaccurate is that it doesn't work through glass. Take the temperature through the open top of the tank, try and make the laser hit a surface other than the glass, like a fish or some decor. If you're still having problems then i can't help ya
@@heaven7360 API test strips 👎👎👎👎👎👎. Tetra test strips 👍👍🏼👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@@jeffmiller6350 Dont worry I have an expensive one and its still off + or - 5 degrees sometimes, leave it on top of your hood on your tank if you can so the device is at the same relative ambient temperature so when you check the water its somewhat acclimated I guess at least thats what I do it seems more accurate that way because when I keep it under the tank or somewhere else then its even farther off like 10 degrees
Someone needs to come out with test kits that are colorblind friendly.... I can't read most of them very accurately...
Someone will probably already do this before I can but dude if I end up in business ill do my best
Use jbl scanner to read parameters from your phone camera
good idea, you should do that and get rich!
Post it on Reddit peope will just lyk
There are some probes that read the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and TDS.
One of the probe readers even has an option for an Alexa /Siri type voice to read the results out loud.
They are not cheap, but definitely over come the inherent issue of variations in red for pH above 7.0
[It has to do with the reagents, it's not really a "choice" on the part of the manufacturers].
Absolutely one of your BEST videos!!
I still remember some of the first videos edited by Jimmy and the rage the little animations created, and it makes me laugh that he still puts them in judiciously. Don’t change, any of you.
Also, totally agreed, blows my mind that people don’t immediately test during problems (let alone normally).
On your goldfish, I hope it was just temp, but I would be surprised if that’s the long term fix. Temp tends to aggravate existing conditions.
Hi cory awesome video I need to buy a test kit. I need to start checking my water to make sure my are happy. Thanks for this video
The tank looks amazing. Editing hilarious. Great video coop
at 5:11 listen to what he says while watching the goldfish in the back lol
Cory, nothing but respect for you, but I checked with the infrared thermometer manufacturer. The beam cannot penetrate the glass to read the actual temperature of the water. You're totally correct on all the rest.
Yes, you would always lift the top of the aquarium and take the temp. The way it was used in this video was purely for the demonstration of a point. Never the less the aquarium being warmer than the surface of my desk shows that it still picks up a tank that is warmer than another surface.
@@AquariumCoop Yes, but even if you point it down at the water, all you're getting is the temperature of the surface of the water. I run 2 Zacro LCD digital thermometers, one on each side of the tank.
Thank you Cory...I just stopped what I was doing and checked my water. Dog gone...that's why you always rock it. Thank you. By the way..jsu received my large plant order. Everything looks great.
I am fairly new to the hobby (< 1 year). I have watched hundreds of videos and continue to learn about my tanks. I have a 75 gallons with Gouramis and a new 55 gallons with Longfin Angel Fish in my home office. Both are planted tanks. Needless to say I am enjoying the hobby. I want to give you credit for the great information you continue to provide. Thank you!
I appreciate your honesty!
I learn a bunch from you, thanks. Your online store is great
I just so appreciate you putting this out there, thank you for letting us learn from your mistakes. My favorite episode of the Aquarium Guys pod was the one where they talked about their mistakes.
'?:
A great video I been crazing from the Co-Op!
My favorite test strip tip is to cut them in half so you have twice as many :)
I can't remember which video you shared that in, but I do it to every strip lol
Tons of love from Canada :)
I’ve been doing fish for over 30 years Cory and I have to say,After many years Parameters Great.The sad story was many years ago about eight I didn’t test my water for years and lost a lot of fish obviously the parameters were off the wall so when I seen this you betcha I buy your test strips and I love your hack Save me money by vertically cutting your test strips vertically 400 test strips. I can’t believe you would do that you’re the most honest person on RUclips I’ve never seen anything like your company ,hands down one of the best companies on RUclips. Or anywhere else for that matter I’m proud of you ,As if you were one of my kids I can’t imagine being your mom !how proud she must be of you tears in my eyes buddy .Also you show your inner self the compassion you show on RUclips is spiritual to me.Not too many men open them self of fear they might not be manly.What makes a man is compassion loyalty to himself and others in fairness how he treats other people doesn’t mean they’re without fault buddy you’re sure I’m heading down Right path in life to treat others like you wanna be treated and your company does that!AlsoA laser thermometer!I can tell you my dogs love it we’re on a budget but I think the test strips definitely save me money from last fish from worrying if my waters right to not running every three days to change water cause I’m not sure what it says so easy to read a child could do it .thank you Cory for being Yourself a true humanitarian to this hobby into life I wish you all the best that God has ever created for one person and your family your puppies too
Thank you for the much needed reminder. You’re awesome.
Nailed me on this one
I check temps every other day. Chemical testing I have to do more for sure
The editing is on point! LOL so funny! Great info as always!
Man, this guy's the best. Thanks, Cory!
Started seeing large males in my registered N class Endler's livebearer colony, generally a sign of hybridism. Turns out my heater stopped, so fish took longer to reach maturity and achieved larger mass. Still as pure as the day I bought them from AdrianHD.
Why have I never thought to cut my test strips in half! Thanks to everyone who commented about this. They cost like $15 - $20 for 25 strips here. You’ve just saves me a fortune. Especially as my tanks only four weeks old so I’m testing every day at the moment until it settles in.
The metal gear noise made my morning, thank you
Words of wisdom! Thanks!
While I've had fish for my whole
life, I just started learning about what makes a good tank. Your videos help so much. Like with any hobby, the internet is so full of contradictions and people who are downright mean for no reason lol I obsessively research anything before I get it and what started my search was "what to do with my 55 gallon tank?" (I had a hamster in there for over three years til she passed away last month) your videos helped me get my two betta tanks squared away (a 20 long for the male and a 10 for my tiny female) and I'm setting up the 55 gal for 3 goldfish! Going to get a gold fantail, a calico fantail and a black moor 🤗🤗🤗
Thanks for all the vids Cory. I've learned so much about fishkeeping from this channel
I wish Cory was a phone call away, just starting a set up of fancy goldfish after 9 years of storing a tank aside until I was ready, been following aquarium Co op to the letter video after video (some great advise and way to research) , so let's see how this goes. Thank you for all the information your videos provide!!
I enjoy all your videos, and I'll take all the info I can get, I have only been in the hobby for a short time but I am looking for to growing my hobby along with others who have the same like mindedness, much appreciation sir so thank you and keep the videos and info coming.
I love your videos and that you are willing to share your knowledge. On that note I could use your advice. I am going to be building a 540 gallon freshwater African cichlid tank in late summer this year. I have most of my planning done except one major component. I need a return pump that cam handle this size tank. I'm looking for reliability followed by affordability. A video on how to select the right return pump would be amazing. Thanks so much. I'll keep watching.
You are so AMAZING Cory & dead on! I test mine every week, if not twice a week. If Fish are acting off, I test the water. Bought the python hose & now water changes are relaxing instead of dreadful. Worth the $50 for the 50ft. Highly recommend
Acrylic tanks will hold temperature more than glass too 👌 great video as always cory 👌
I test at least once a week with strips. I only have four tanks but it’s so easy with strips. Then if any thing is a little off I’ll use the API test kit which is more hassle but gives me very close to the same result as the strips. Temp gun is super easy too. I love the science part of the hobby so testing is a fun part of it to me. As I was writing this my wife came out and said “you have babies!” My first fry were just born from the platinum cobra fire tail guppies I bought as fry a while back. Woohoo!
I work in a medical school at a large research university, and one of the lab techs, who's also an aquarist, said to think of the water as the fish's atmosphere. He went on to describe how we need a pretty exact balance of nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and other gases in order for us to survive, and so do fish in their water (though not everything is a gas). I test my home aquarium maybe once a month, but my new office aquarium I test weekly. As I get older, I find I can't distinguish precise nuances of color the way I used to be able to, but I can at least identify big swings. I also record the numbers in a spreadsheet, which might be a little anal, but I like to look at the change over time. Watching the nitrites go down as the aquarium cycled was actually pretty cool.
CORY!! please help me out here.
I have a 10 gallon tank I'm going to start an aquascape but I want to know how many schools can I put in there of smaller fish? (1inchers)
I also want to so otocinclus in small school and some shrimp.
(In a previous video I saw on guy you had on said he would do less than 10 , I think neons, in a 5g.)
The smaller fish I had in mind red mtn minnows, maybe some type of rasbora, now seeing they have many kinds than just the heteromorpha. And/Or the white clouds.
I work at a pet store and I would like to think I'm really helping people out by educating them on fish. But man, I gotta say watching your videos had taught me so much more. And I can't thank you enough on that.
I'm just trying to better my knowledge to be successful in this planted no filter tank situation. I'm excited as heck and a bit nervous. Soo, any and all help is appreciated!
Great video Corn Dog. Good job with the editing Jimmy
Thanks lol :)
Thank you for this video. I have a 20 long that is absolutely jam packed with vallisneria and rotala. Never a nitrate in the tank. I have always always lost fish over about a 6 month period with no visible symptoms. Using just the API master kit I deduced the PH in that tank was over 8.2 (already had tested out of my well water at about 6.6 a year ago). Running these back to back I discovered the free rocks I had obtained were buffering (and probably leeching like mad). All the complicated stuff escaped me until I went back to basics and started testing the water. RIP fish, that was my bad.
I love those temp guns, I can check my temps daily from the comfort of my chair and my yellow convicts chase the laser around haha! By the way, it was great meeting you in SF at this past Friday meeting. Keep up the great work and my adult kids there and I appreciated your talk!
Love your channel! Thanks dude ❤️🐠🐟
I've got a temperature gun as well and I check my temp before each water change and usually a couple times a week. I use my master test kit usually once a month unless I'm noticing a problem with some of my fish.
Solid information, Thanks 💯👍🏻
I have got to stop watching the tanks in the backgrounds... I saw a 150g tank on Craigslist for $300 and now im trying to talk myself back down to the 75g we haven't even set up yet. "But look at that gorgeous peaceful tank..." 😅 Great advice man. Always great advice.
So Smart for you to identify what we do...get the knowledge, tuck it away, then don't use it! Thank you for this video!
They look a lot better and seem calmer than the last few videos you posted.
Love your channel! Thanks for all the knowledge you share. Advice please with regards to Ich.
I have some "what now" questions about what to do next while I am treating my tank for Ich. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of people. I am doing the heat and salt treatment...for now. My fish perked right up after doing the salt "bath" on Friday morning (discovered the Ich on Thursday night). I raised the tank temp gradually over 36 hours. Today (Sunday) I did a half a tank water change. So what now?
Do I do another salt bath but for only a 10 gallon dose (since I did 50% water change?)
Keep the tank temp up for a few more days until I don't see any spots on my fish?
Does salt kill beneficial bacteria?
Do I need to check my parameters?
@ 0:55, omg that was totally the Metal Gear alert!!!
Great Video Cory thank you! Your the Man!!!
Thanks for the great video!!! Amazing information
Great video and on point
So true. Temp is just assumed, and overlooked. I took out my heater in the Summer, when temps run higher. In October I noticed the fish were acting different, and took a temp check... they were in probably 68-69 degree water, and needed that heater back badly. Lesson learned.
Facts! Test before and after maintenance, every time.
The readings themselves don't mean much to me. I don't trust them. But the differences before and after give you the necessary information.
Just starting again in the hobby I’m my 40s. Was a kid last time I had an aquarium. Watching all these videos that are years old 😂
Thank you for this, Cory! So true. All of it!
Loving the new style of editing