I realize this is an older video, but I've been bingeing on your channel I wanted to thank you for being a bright light in the dark web of lies of RUclips, with it's money driven creators and flat out liars or people who make stuff up because they don't know the answers. I admire your insatiable curiosity and desire for deep dives. You've helped me more than I can relay. I'm waiting to catch your next stream so I can join.
I am humbled and my heart is warmed to read this! Thank you so much. It means a lot to hear. I do have to say, as the channel has grown, it gets tempting to take money and sell products etc... but I really want the focus to be community, compassion and curiosity here. I think I've had to make some sort of clickbait or melodramatic thumbnails lately, in order to keep an audience or for subs to even get alerts they signed up for haha. But if the fingernail is clickbait looking....I'm actually baiting a nerdy deep Dive into a topic and hoping to find those folks who don't realize that we should use references, science and experiences ...not ego or profit to guide our hobby and narrative. Thanks for the support and for tuning in! Have a great 2022 !
I got 5 juvenile albino bristlenose plecos last week. I try to feed them. I had angelfish and driftwood with a bunch of biofilm before getting them, angels have been moved to bigger tank. They don't touch any food I offer, but I see parts of the wood getting cleaner everyday. It has like 1/4 inch of biofilm on it.
This is an amazing video Alex... you're absolutely right, nowadays it's so easy with this little device in our hands to look up things on the internet getting quick answers and not really knowing whether or not the person is sharing their experience or just what they've read on the internet. A lot of the younger generation does not truly appreciate the experience and wisdom of the very folks who have been around for years and know things from first hand experience! It is a precious treasure!!!! Thanks for sharing YOUR wisdom, experience and knowledge with all of us on this amazing platform! I just want you to know how much I appreciate you (and Im sure I can speak for many others) as one of the truly GREATs in the HISTORY in our hobby!! You have truly earned your place amongst some of the greats!! It's just amazing because I remember hearing some of these same things growing up... I never knew any better! Even though there can be lot of false information out there, this has also opened the door to learn and teach us so much more! You can absolutely learn something new everyday! Thank you so much for the video!I hope you get better soon and I hope you have a very blessed weekend! Happy Halloween!!🎃👻💚🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
You are too kind Mary! Thank you for your support and kind words, as always- it really does make me smile every time I see your name online. 😃 I'm glad you enjoyed the video
@@MridulSinghMusic Mridul🤗 and the same to you my friend! You guys are true blessings and inspiration to me. It always makes my day to see you all! Much love my friend! 🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
My little algae suckers eat everything , they rush to eat the normal fishfood together with the other fish you throw in and it's pretty fun to watch but also the occasional tubifex, they seem to love tubifex and will search the bottom of the tank for it for hours after i gave some in a floating tubifex holder to my fish.. they definitly love anything the other fish eat also as do my shrimps , it's realy fun to watch shrimp comming up to the top collecting fishfood or hunting tubifex
Very good video. You deserve more views! I've been a fish keeper for years and I remember the "Ah-ha" moments I had when realizing a myth was just a myth. All new fish keepers should watch your video... like having this play in the fish department as newcomers come into the big pet stores. :) Also 21:58... you didn't miss a beat...good for you!🐠🐠 BTW.. totally subbed.
Glad to help. Its some broad principles, but if you can stick to 6 or 7 of the ten, you can't create anything too ugly haha. Thanks for taking a look at my videos, cheers!
If I hadn't just seen this last week I would have probably thought I was hallucinating snails in my tank today 🤣 little tiny baby snails must have hitched a ride on the plants and drift wood I added from another hobbyist 🤷♀️ cutest surprise I have had all 2020 lol
That's the best way to look at it! I'm glad you are finding fulfillment within the hobby! Please feel free to ask any questions, or share any revelations you may find interesting- with us on the channel! Cheers, Alex.
Great vid! Good advice for beginners and experienced keepers! Another myth: tanks should be thoroughly cleaned. Could you do an in depth talk about awfuchs and microfauna in general? I think it would touch on the subject of another myth: you should fully clean your tank and filter,that a dirty tank is bad, or tiny critters are bad. It would be good to know what specific signs to look for in your tank as far as micro fauna to know if your tank is thriving or needs a little TLC.
True, I cleaned my aquarium a bit too much after 6 months of no maintenance (Syphoned gravel, removed some moss, scrubbed all the algae from the rocks, big water change) and unfortunately crashed my cycle. 1 week later and still have an bacterial bloom and ammonia.
My favorite myth in the hobby would be that my wife thinks it only cost me about $200 to setup a tank from start to finish haha. Thankfully she's not even remotely into it, so she will never understand the price just to setup one up😈.
Hahahaha ... yeah all my tanks were "only a bit more than $200 to set up."....like in the case of my rimless ADA 120 ....I spent 200 dollars like 6 times hehe
So I don’t have to feel bad that when my husband asked me why I bought 5 tanks from petco last month.. and how much I spent I said I couldn’t resist because of the big sale plus I had a coupon and I spent $79. (For-the 55 gallon) so I kind of let him think I was taking about all of them. Two ( 20 gallon long ) two 40 gallon breeders and a 55 gallon - wish I would have bought a couple 10 and 15 gallons for beta tanks. Now I have to buy filters, heaters, substrate plants and the best part: fishies!
100% it should be fun. Learn how the ecosystem should work theoretically ...and then decide how much you want to emulate nature vs fight it and have some squeaky clean tank with neon gravel or whatever makes you happy. For me... its replicating as much of nature as possible.
I think planaria has also become a spooky myth in the hobbie. While I totally agree that when things get out of control it can look disgusting and might be a sign of an extreme overfeeding habit, I believe that a small quantity of planaria can be useful for the ecosystem and a precious help in substrate maintenance. By small quantity I mean when you have to look hard to find any. Also, I have never seen any shrimp being attacked by planaria.
Alex this one feels like a mr Jones talk !!!! Where’s the pepper and cigar ? Let’s talk about fish with the secret Alex in your aquarium time 😎 pop bottles !!!
Excellent content Alex; I really appreciate how you present things with tons of factual information, some humour, and just the right amount of sarcasm LOL. Thanks man 👊🏼
Thank you very much Jack! I really try to be conscious of those exact 3 ingredients in a video...im sure I should do the same for audio, video and metadata....but I feel somewhat inclined to remain conservative on my channel and keep the format the same as it has existed for 4 years. I do feel that adding some more multimedia would benefit comprehension for some viewers, however, the amount of time and energy I would then pour into a script, editing and sourcing stock footage, not to mention B-roll footage or voice over interludes- just seems like energy I prefer to put into research, audience interaction and fish husbandry/ botany. I usually justify this to myself by saying that I think my current style is the most sincere and maintains the most accurate integrity with how I would interact with people one on one, as well as conversationally. All that being said, I know there's about 10 specific changes I could make to the channel that would vastly grow the prospective audience and also probably my income, but I think having steadfast and sincere subscribers in smaller numbers is far superior to shallow or superficial subscribers based on occasional niché viral success. Regardless of all that, thanks again for your loyal support and kindness. It really means a great deal to me.
Good advice. My addition would be the myth that taking water from an established tank will help a new tank. There is nothing in the water itself. The good stuff is in the filter media, gravel, etc.
Most fish keepers: "OMG I need to find someone to feed and lok after my fish while I go away for 2 days. Me: "Woops, I forgot about that tank I moved to clean 2 years ago and then forgot about. Yep, there thriving better than ever"
Some additional myths that I have heard often are: - CO2 injection is very hard, and not worth it at all. - Goldfish are messy eaters - Algae is bad for your aquarium - Water changes have to be done in precise intervals with precise amounts.
Totally! And that there is a set level of nitrates that is harmful for all fish species.... I had a few others including the "algae is bad for your aquarium or fish"... great list brother, thanks for your input and wisdom, Mridul!
I always see the myth 'don't add to much sand to your tank, otherwise you get aenorobic pockets.' floating around. They always tell you that's bad, but never why exactly with proof of actually experiencing it for them selves. And also the idea 'sand bad, gravel good' kind of thing.
I am currently having issues with that. The release of toxic gas destabilizes the water parameters & can cause a cycle crash if it’s released all at once. I am currently trying to oxygenate the substrate with lava rock soaked in good bacteria for biological filtration. Hoping that’ll solve the toxic gas issue. Seems real to me.
@@Fishtory hey, I’m no expert, just a beginner, but I’m getting some kind of blue colored “bad bacteria” bloom within the sand that is most definitely building up to a toxic gas. It’s got small, smooth aquarium gravel in it too. Hoping the porous lava rock will do the trick, but it has been a problem trying to stabilize my tank water... I have cory cats-everyone insisted I went with sand & now I deal with this blue colored bad bacteria. Maybe you can help?
@@linnealeora The gas is harmless when it comes into contact with oxygen. Leave the substrate alone, it works all by itself if you don't disturb it. Listen to Alex and Father fish. Google deep sand bed wetwebmedia by Deirdre Kylie. 🍀
great video dude....heard so many of these especially the pounds of gravel per gallon and the inches offish per gallon....funny stuff....you can tell a lot from just watching your fish....their behavior tells you everything you need to know
Thanks buddy! I agree with what your saying, though. Why do we keep fish? - to watch them! ... hmmmmm... so how can we tell if things are going okay?... we watch them! Haha. So many folks don't know the anatomy or the behavior, and coloration( via spawning, feeding, night time and daylight settings) of their own fish species. It's why I love keeping about 5 to 7 ruby tetras in any low acidity tanks. Between their movement, shyness, coloration and feeding behavior I can tell if the ph is moving up v. Down, if nitrites and ammonia have appeared (over .25-.5 ppm and they die within 12 hours) and except in the case of simply being affraid- they desaturate from back-lit, vivid red towards a pale cloudy pink color... seriously like an API dip test strip will, only the saturation of color indicates good- rather than, poor health in the tank.
Great video. Being overrun with ramshorn or Malaysian trumpet snails put me off getting them. A year later I struggle to spot more than ten of them. Dirted tanks are messy l also think is a bit of a myth. 🍀
Great video!!! One thing I have found not to be true is that adding salt to my aquarium will kill my plants. I have found that plants don’t like it, but that it takes awhile to kill them. Most of my salt treatments only last a week, two at the longest. Generally if salt hasn’t helped after a week, it probably won’t.
That is definitely true, Ginger Graves! In fact, some of my eriocalouns do better if I add salt (NaCl). All plants need a little of everything in the water, and salt is not an exception to that rule.
@@Fishtory I am definitely getting some of these guys someday. I haven't researched the water parameters to see if I'm compatible. But if you need an excuse to make sure you always feature them. Just remember fishiemon and I need to see them in every video ❤️🤣🙏🐟
Yeah... pleccos are herbivores till one of your goldfish die & you find it going Vlad the Impaler on it in the corner & it darts off like a running back with it in it’s sucker when you try to net it...🤦🏾♂️
Hello Alex, newer sub. Love your comments on FF both with aquatic experience and putting on the brakes with political myths. I have something that i feel MIGHT be a misconception. No worries if I'm proven wrong but i personally hav always be a abuser of keeping lights on way to long or damn near constantly. Not talking about algae but fish health and needs. Ive not seen a problem in 30 years. Would love your opinion and thoughts on this. Thank you.
Thank you for stopping by Mark!! It's nice to read your thoughts on this as well. I think you are correct about lights being very over-hyped for the health of most fish. There are many nano fish and black water jungle fish (Borneo or the Congolese Cloud Forests for example) that do benefit from mimicking darkness in order to see breed behaviors. That being said, I've never heard of a fish dying from a light being on too long- nor do I know how anyone would correlate the two with any evidence. Fish sleep with their eyes open usually...they dont even have eyelids in most species, and they often practice lateral lobe disengagement sleep. Which means they can sleep while swimming and breathing etc, and they will shut off one half of their brain for 10 to 30 minutes at a time then switch that around. They also manage to snap out of that trance-like state very quickly if danger approaches. So, yes! I'll keep that one in mind also, thank you
My favorite myth is "as long as you throw a few live plants into a new aquarium you can stock it with fish right away." Marimo balls and a few anubias will not soak up the ammonia and nitrites that spike while a new tank is cycling.
3 minutes in ... gods sake i didnt need a reason to get more snails but now Im considering getting more because the plant detritus in my aquariums is real :l
I am getting better by the hour. I was very very sick and finally on day 4 of not feeling well, it's starting to get better instead of worse. I had a high fever for 2 nights of 39.44 Celsius... but the test i took said it was not covid, but rather, it seems influenza. Thank you for your kind words and thoughts, take care ❤ !
Excellent! That's a great one (usually goldfish are mentioned). But I think its funny anyone would believe that, just from the sheer fact all fish know how to beg for food or come to a designated spot where they get fed daily....that's 24 hours alone, that alone
We have 4 small tanks and all of my fish will eat from my hand (except the loaches Cory cats and algae eaters of course). The 3 goldfish go crazy when I open the hood of their tank and come up to the top because they know I feed them.
I'd put it this way: anything that has to do with "visually cleaning" the tank is BS. That's just for the obsessive human who needs everything neat and tidy. That's not how nature works. I've been keeping fish for 25 years and over time I stopped doing all the things I was told to do. Now I've got aquariums without a filter, I don't do water changes, I only fill the tanks up, and I have a lot of fish in them. All that's possible because I've got 2-3 inches of soil and everything's filled with plants. My tanks also don't have a lid and I've got lots of plants growing out of the tanks or rather into them (hanging above the tank with their roots reaching into the water)... oh, and of course I've got armies of snails. I'm the emperor of snails. So, "Aquascapes" look nice and all... but they're not working eco-systems... if you want a natural aquarium you gotta get dirty...
I have a big ass apple snail in my pond I have no idea where it came from, but it ate all my Anubius. I was half tempted to have "Es cargo" or however you say the name. I don't speak French. Lol
I feel like getting a week of food In the tank for the fish would be much easier if you had a seasoned tank. Fish like guppies and goldfish will pick at the algea and get some food from it.
If you're a breeder, I feel like the QT rule makes sense. If you own one or two tanks, that isn't as necessary since you are probably putting a bit more attention to them. And if they are in rough shape. Guess what, they all probably need it and then you want to take actions. This is how you get resistant bacteria/viruses is by fighting bacteria you don't need to be killing like that. The wild caught fish you are right, probably should be QT. But most common pet shop fish are from farms I'd imagine.
Thats the number one rule my friend...everyone does it differently, and every animal needs it applied differently, but you are totally on point- if everyone just knew a little bit about their fish species, and little about the meds, that's the only "rule" we'd need. Thanks again for wise words!
@@Skuzzybebe i don't doubt that with mystery snails. But i meant pest snails(bladder, pond, trumpets, ramshorn). They only eat my dead or dying leaves of my floaters and other plants.
@@Fishtory well I would have to disagree about the mystery/apple snails, they are all different species with very diffrent diets, knowing how to ID them is the tricky part, so far I have seen 14 diffrent species sold in my local petsmart labeled as one or the other, most of which eat plants
Well like I said, if there is algae on a leaf or a dead spot they will then often times damage a plant or rip away the surface with the algae on it...which can be annoying. Plecos are even worse for doing that specific thing
I've got to improve my researching abilities, the only shrimps I have found are saltwater varieties! We're in lock down now until December so it's an ideal time to research the species that you suggested and find someone who actually breeds them. Thank you for replying I really appreciate it, take care my friend and please keep on making your videos 👍😷👍
hi alex great stuff but you must remember common sense aint common some people cant i give up sometimes trying to help people i hate saying to folks told you so suppose the bottom line is you can fix most things but you cant fix stupid i live in paisley scotland these mths are common here too trll you mine keeping fish is very relaxing i wish cheers pal keep on being right your new friend from paisley jjstewart
Well same to you, only from Seattle, Washington USA. My father's father was Scottish and I'm nearly half Scottish in total (DNA)... some day I need to visit my 2nd cousins and great uncle's children that still live in South Central Scotland, as well on the Shetland islands, and a few others near Loch Ness heh....they sent me a Nessy, Plesiosaurus toy as a child haha.
cheers alex just off the phone donald again says if he loses election he wants me over the pond to help him breed guppies easier to count than votes i told him i was too busy with ironing and washing right now but i relented on one condition i could cut his hair and play chess in the dark with his wife i would help awaiting reply 😁what a shamble that election only in america alex i am 66 now domt act it though but i must visit the states before too old perhaps we could share visits anyway long way off tell you my fav american right now sam harris another george carlin without the cussing someone you may know of alexander wilson the great ornithologist was born in paisley spent his early life helping the poor weavers in paisley get better treatment from bad employers cant win exiled to the colonies north america the rest is history send you pic of his statue if you like talk soon your new friend jj@@Fishtory
True...but they CAN ...so i want to warn people. Its the same as keeping an Oscar or catfish... they may be full and happy, but if you forget to get them their food, anything that fits in their mouth is now their food
I let my tanks cycle and mimic the dry season to get all my tropical species to spawn when I drop the temp and raise water level and drop tds ..super old school breeders trick for tetras, cypranids and catfish of all sorts
I'm glad I found this video very enlightening, thanks 😊
I'm also so glad! Wlelcome to this video lol
I realize this is an older video, but I've been bingeing on your channel I wanted to thank you for being a bright light in the dark web of lies of RUclips, with it's money driven creators and flat out liars or people who make stuff up because they don't know the answers. I admire your insatiable curiosity and desire for deep dives. You've helped me more than I can relay. I'm waiting to catch your next stream so I can join.
I am humbled and my heart is warmed to read this! Thank you so much. It means a lot to hear. I do have to say, as the channel has grown, it gets tempting to take money and sell products etc... but I really want the focus to be community, compassion and curiosity here. I think I've had to make some sort of clickbait or melodramatic thumbnails lately, in order to keep an audience or for subs to even get alerts they signed up for haha. But if the fingernail is clickbait looking....I'm actually baiting a nerdy deep Dive into a topic and hoping to find those folks who don't realize that we should use references, science and experiences ...not ego or profit to guide our hobby and narrative. Thanks for the support and for tuning in! Have a great 2022 !
I got 5 juvenile albino bristlenose plecos last week. I try to feed them. I had angelfish and driftwood with a bunch of biofilm before getting them, angels have been moved to bigger tank. They don't touch any food I offer, but I see parts of the wood getting cleaner everyday. It has like 1/4 inch of biofilm on it.
That biofilm is excellent food...theyll eat spirulina and stuff if they need it. Sounds like theyre just happy for now
This is an amazing video Alex... you're absolutely right, nowadays it's so easy with this little device in our hands to look up things on the internet getting quick answers and not really knowing whether or not the person is sharing their experience or just what they've read on the internet. A lot of the younger generation does not truly appreciate the experience and wisdom of the very folks who have been around for years and know things from first hand experience! It is a precious treasure!!!! Thanks for sharing YOUR wisdom, experience and knowledge with all of us on this amazing platform!
I just want you to know how much I appreciate you (and Im sure I can speak for many others) as one of the truly GREATs in the HISTORY in our hobby!! You have truly earned your place amongst some of the greats!!
It's just amazing because I remember hearing some of these same things growing up... I never knew any better! Even though there can be lot of false information out there, this has also opened the door to learn and teach us so much more! You can absolutely learn something new everyday! Thank you so much for the video!I hope you get better soon and I hope you have a very blessed weekend! Happy Halloween!!🎃👻💚🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
You are too kind Mary! Thank you for your support and kind words, as always- it really does make me smile every time I see your name online. 😃
I'm glad you enjoyed the video
@@Fishtory I feel the same way!! And I know no matter how far you are or how long I go without seeing or talking to you. I always have a friend🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
Hey Mary Paige! Like Alex, I too get a smile on my face every time I see your name online!
@@MridulSinghMusic Mridul🤗 and the same to you my friend! You guys are true blessings and inspiration to me. It always makes my day to see you all! Much love my friend! 🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
@@marypaigeflynn4512 Thank you Mary Paige!
My little algae suckers eat everything , they rush to eat the normal fishfood together with the other fish you throw in and it's pretty fun to watch but also the occasional tubifex, they seem to love tubifex and will search the bottom of the tank for it for hours after i gave some in a floating tubifex holder to my fish.. they definitly love anything the other fish eat also as do my shrimps , it's realy fun to watch shrimp comming up to the top collecting fishfood or hunting tubifex
All great points Alex. What type of lights do you use on your planted tank? Beautiful!
I made a video on lightning for planted tanks about a month or two ago that has all the details and links :)
Very good video. You deserve more views! I've been a fish keeper for years and I remember the "Ah-ha" moments I had when realizing a myth was just a myth. All new fish keepers should watch your video... like having this play in the fish department as newcomers come into the big pet stores. :) Also 21:58... you didn't miss a beat...good for you!🐠🐠 BTW.. totally subbed.
Thank you kindly, and welcome aboard to the community! Make yourself at home hahaha 600+ videos to lurk on
@@Fishtory Nice! Let the lurking commence.
Thank you soooo much for doing this video! As a beginner this was some great information!
Glad to help. Its some broad principles, but if you can stick to 6 or 7 of the ten, you can't create anything too ugly haha. Thanks for taking a look at my videos, cheers!
If I hadn't just seen this last week I would have probably thought I was hallucinating snails in my tank today 🤣 little tiny baby snails must have hitched a ride on the plants and drift wood I added from another hobbyist 🤷♀️ cutest surprise I have had all 2020 lol
Thank you for making this video. Fishkeeping is for sure an everyday learning experience which I'm grateful for.
That's the best way to look at it! I'm glad you are finding fulfillment within the hobby! Please feel free to ask any questions, or share any revelations you may find interesting- with us on the channel!
Cheers, Alex.
Great vid! Good advice for beginners and experienced keepers! Another myth: tanks should be thoroughly cleaned.
Could you do an in depth talk about awfuchs and microfauna in general? I think it would touch on the subject of another myth: you should fully clean your tank and filter,that a dirty tank is bad, or tiny critters are bad.
It would be good to know what specific signs to look for in your tank as far as micro fauna to know if your tank is thriving or needs a little TLC.
Totally! Check out my old video specifically on awfuchs if you get a moment of spare time :)
True, I cleaned my aquarium a bit too much after 6 months of no maintenance (Syphoned gravel, removed some moss, scrubbed all the algae from the rocks, big water change) and unfortunately crashed my cycle. 1 week later and still have an bacterial bloom and ammonia.
@@mateuszsz8771 oh no! try fritzyme. and add cycled media from another tank if you can.
@@Fishtory Thanks I will :)
Thanks for the info! You have beautiful tanks and fish!
Thank you kindly. Also thanks for watching the channel! You're Welcome anytime
My favorite myth in the hobby would be that my wife thinks it only cost me about $200 to setup a tank from start to finish haha. Thankfully she's not even remotely into it, so she will never understand the price just to setup one up😈.
Hahahaha ... yeah all my tanks were "only a bit more than $200 to set up."....like in the case of my rimless ADA 120 ....I spent 200 dollars like 6 times hehe
So I don’t have to feel bad that when my husband asked me why I bought 5 tanks from petco last month.. and how much I spent I said I couldn’t resist because of the big sale plus I had a coupon and I spent $79. (For-the 55 gallon) so I kind of let him think I was taking about all of them. Two ( 20 gallon long ) two 40 gallon breeders and a 55 gallon - wish I would have bought a couple 10 and 15 gallons for beta tanks. Now I have to buy filters, heaters, substrate plants and the best part: fishies!
Excellent info.
Many thanks.
Part 2 expected! :)
I love the basic message from this guy. Get the basics right, and then don't sweat the small bullshit stuff. Its great advice.
100% it should be fun. Learn how the ecosystem should work theoretically ...and then decide how much you want to emulate nature vs fight it and have some squeaky clean tank with neon gravel or whatever makes you happy. For me... its replicating as much of nature as possible.
I think planaria has also become a spooky myth in the hobbie. While I totally agree that when things get out of control it can look disgusting and might be a sign of an extreme overfeeding habit, I believe that a small quantity of planaria can be useful for the ecosystem and a precious help in substrate maintenance. By small quantity I mean when you have to look hard to find any. Also, I have never seen any shrimp being attacked by planaria.
Agreed... I mean they exist in the wild ...and in all our tanks for a reason
Planaria can also wiggle into the shrimps armor and kill them from inside. But all that just depends on what species of planaria you have
Alex this one feels like a mr Jones talk !!!! Where’s the pepper and cigar ? Let’s talk about fish with the secret Alex in your aquarium time 😎 pop bottles !!!
This was great info, thanks Alex! I have only been in the hobby for a couple years and had already heard several of these myths!
Excellent content Alex; I really appreciate how you present things with tons of factual information, some humour, and just the right amount of sarcasm LOL. Thanks man 👊🏼
Thank you very much Jack! I really try to be conscious of those exact 3 ingredients in a video...im sure I should do the same for audio, video and metadata....but I feel somewhat inclined to remain conservative on my channel and keep the format the same as it has existed for 4 years. I do feel that adding some more multimedia would benefit comprehension for some viewers, however, the amount of time and energy I would then pour into a script, editing and sourcing stock footage, not to mention B-roll footage or voice over interludes- just seems like energy I prefer to put into research, audience interaction and fish husbandry/ botany. I usually justify this to myself by saying that I think my current style is the most sincere and maintains the most accurate integrity with how I would interact with people one on one, as well as conversationally.
All that being said, I know there's about 10 specific changes I could make to the channel that would vastly grow the prospective audience and also probably my income, but I think having steadfast and sincere subscribers in smaller numbers is far superior to shallow or superficial subscribers based on occasional niché viral success.
Regardless of all that, thanks again for your loyal support and kindness. It really means a great deal to me.
Really enjoying your recent videos Alex. Production value increasing and staying on point! Keep it up!
Thank you my friend! I figured when I turned on the membership option, I needed to turn everything up to 11 - so to speak. Have a great weekend
Good advice. My addition would be the myth that taking water from an established tank will help a new tank. There is nothing in the water itself. The good stuff is in the filter media, gravel, etc.
Most fish keepers: "OMG I need to find someone to feed and lok after my fish while I go away for 2 days.
Me: "Woops, I forgot about that tank I moved to clean 2 years ago and then forgot about. Yep, there thriving better than ever"
Some additional myths that I have heard often are:
- CO2 injection is very hard, and not worth it at all.
- Goldfish are messy eaters
- Algae is bad for your aquarium
- Water changes have to be done in precise intervals with precise amounts.
Oh good ones Mridul!!👍🌿🐟🌿
Totally! And that there is a set level of nitrates that is harmful for all fish species.... I had a few others including the "algae is bad for your aquarium or fish"... great list brother, thanks for your input and wisdom, Mridul!
@@Fishtory Thank you! I'm always glad to share!
Awesome guys, this is how I learn and I love it!!🙏🌿🐟🌿
@@marypaigeflynn4512 lol Alex knows more than me though, so if he says something and I say the opposite, he's most likely right!
As always fascinating to listen to . Cheers
Thank you very much
4:14
Bro, even more respect for you
Why thank you
I agree with your suggestions. Very good video!
Thank you! Validation ...finally! Hahaha
I always see the myth 'don't add to much sand to your tank, otherwise you get aenorobic pockets.' floating around. They always tell you that's bad, but never why exactly with proof of actually experiencing it for them selves. And also the idea 'sand bad, gravel good' kind of thing.
I am currently having issues with that. The release of toxic gas destabilizes the water parameters & can cause a cycle crash if it’s released all at once. I am currently trying to oxygenate the substrate with lava rock soaked in good bacteria for biological filtration. Hoping that’ll solve the toxic gas issue. Seems real to me.
Ohhh great point... cough cough father fish cough cough
@@Fishtory hey, I’m no expert, just a beginner, but I’m getting some kind of blue colored “bad bacteria” bloom within the sand that is most definitely building up to a toxic gas. It’s got small, smooth aquarium gravel in it too. Hoping the porous lava rock will do the trick, but it has been a problem trying to stabilize my tank water... I have cory cats-everyone insisted I went with sand & now I deal with this blue colored bad bacteria. Maybe you can help?
@@linnealeora Google cyanobacteria
@@linnealeora The gas is harmless when it comes into contact with oxygen. Leave the substrate alone, it works all by itself if you don't disturb it. Listen to Alex and Father fish. Google deep sand bed wetwebmedia by Deirdre Kylie. 🍀
This is so informative and nice! New friend here! Subscribed! I watched your videos a few years ago but haven’t really commented. Stay connected.....
Thank you kindly! I too enjoy what you have to say and contribute to the hobby heh. Cheers!
Great Video Alex
I really appreciate your kind words, thank YOU!
@@Fishtory Your Welcome
For the algorithm!
great video dude....heard so many of these especially the pounds of gravel per gallon and the inches offish per gallon....funny stuff....you can tell a lot from just watching your fish....their behavior tells you everything you need to know
Thanks buddy! I agree with what your saying, though. Why do we keep fish? - to watch them! ... hmmmmm... so how can we tell if things are going okay?... we watch them! Haha. So many folks don't know the anatomy or the behavior, and coloration( via spawning, feeding, night time and daylight settings) of their own fish species.
It's why I love keeping about 5 to 7 ruby tetras in any low acidity tanks. Between their movement, shyness, coloration and feeding behavior I can tell if the ph is moving up v. Down, if nitrites and ammonia have appeared (over .25-.5 ppm and they die within 12 hours) and except in the case of simply being affraid- they desaturate from back-lit, vivid red towards a pale cloudy pink color... seriously like an API dip test strip will, only the saturation of color indicates good- rather than, poor health in the tank.
Super tips.
👍💓👍
Great video. Being overrun with ramshorn or Malaysian trumpet snails put me off getting them. A year later I struggle to spot more than ten of them. Dirted tanks are messy l also think is a bit of a myth. 🍀
Yeah! Sand cap and not allowing excess foods in the substrate will take care of those issues hehe. We will have to do a round 2 of this video later
Awesome video, good topic :)
Thank you
Good stuff bro....Hoorah!
Great video, but would like to hear more on BBA in a planted tank and the best way to beat it.
I have an older video on that topic if you look back through them
Number 9, number 9... I see what you did there! :-)
Great video 👍
Thank you kindly for watch, my friend!
Great video!!! One thing I have found not to be true is that adding salt to my aquarium will kill my plants. I have found that plants don’t like it, but that it takes awhile to kill them. Most of my salt treatments only last a week, two at the longest. Generally if salt hasn’t helped after a week, it probably won’t.
Great one! I've seen the same thing. Perhaps there will be a part II eventually. Happy Halloween, Ginger my dear friend!
That is definitely true, Ginger Graves! In fact, some of my eriocalouns do better if I add salt (NaCl). All plants need a little of everything in the water, and salt is not an exception to that rule.
thanks Alex for busting those myths as always very educational and I really love you panda 🐼 loaches 👍👍👍
I agree and me too on the panda loaches 😍❤️🤗
Aren't they adorable? ...I try to make up video excuses to "need" them in every video
@@Fishtory I am definitely getting some of these guys someday. I haven't researched the water parameters to see if I'm compatible. But if you need an excuse to make sure you always feature them. Just remember fishiemon and I need to see them in every video ❤️🤣🙏🐟
Yeah... pleccos are herbivores till one of your goldfish die & you find it going Vlad the Impaler on it in the corner & it darts off like a running back with it in it’s sucker when you try to net it...🤦🏾♂️
Hahaha
You have a beautiful voice man🤣
I try lol
I have been at it almost 37 years. I rarely vac my substrtates. MTS are your friends i a well balanced system you just should not really need to
Agreed. I rarely do it..unless I spill too much food or something weird like that
Hello Alex, newer sub. Love your comments on FF both with aquatic experience and putting on the brakes with political myths. I have something that i feel MIGHT be a misconception. No worries if I'm proven wrong but i personally hav always be a abuser of keeping lights on way to long or damn near constantly. Not talking about algae but fish health and needs. Ive not seen a problem in 30 years. Would love your opinion and thoughts on this. Thank you.
Thank you for stopping by Mark!! It's nice to read your thoughts on this as well. I think you are correct about lights being very over-hyped for the health of most fish. There are many nano fish and black water jungle fish (Borneo or the Congolese Cloud Forests for example) that do benefit from mimicking darkness in order to see breed behaviors. That being said, I've never heard of a fish dying from a light being on too long- nor do I know how anyone would correlate the two with any evidence.
Fish sleep with their eyes open usually...they dont even have eyelids in most species, and they often practice lateral lobe disengagement sleep. Which means they can sleep while swimming and breathing etc, and they will shut off one half of their brain for 10 to 30 minutes at a time then switch that around. They also manage to snap out of that trance-like state very quickly if danger approaches.
So, yes! I'll keep that one in mind also, thank you
My favorite myth is "as long as you throw a few live plants into a new aquarium you can stock it with fish right away." Marimo balls and a few anubias will not soak up the ammonia and nitrites that spike while a new tank is cycling.
Amen! Good one... and great point about the speed at which plants utilize environmental nitrogen compounds
3 minutes in ... gods sake i didnt need a reason to get more snails but now Im considering getting more because the plant detritus in my aquariums is real :l
Better get some more nerites lol.
. Aquatic arts (discount code in the description).... their red racers are super beautiful
@@Fishtory I doubt theyd be able to ship to me as im in the uk , but I may have ordered a few MTS off ebay already 😂
LOL..great video. You made me laugh.
Glad to hear it. Thank you for watching!
In Europe ppl say "1cm" - less than half an inch (lol). Of course I agree with you. Oh, both wrong obviously.
1cm per L? Or gallon
@@Fishtory Yap, 1cm per L (lol).
HI!!! I hope you feel good now.
Hello Cynthia I hope you're having a wonderful weekend my friend 🤗❤️👋🙏🌿🐟🌿
I am getting better by the hour. I was very very sick and finally on day 4 of not feeling well, it's starting to get better instead of worse. I had a high fever for 2 nights of 39.44 Celsius... but the test i took said it was not covid, but rather, it seems influenza. Thank you for your kind words and thoughts, take care ❤ !
@@Fishtory 🤗🙏
@@marypaigeflynn4512 there is a super typhoon here. The country was devastated by it. I'm safe, but not for the many.
@@cynthiaponce2133 oh my goodness Cynthia! I'm so happy you are okay and thoughts and prayers are with you guys!!🙏❤️😢
The myth that fish only remember 30 seconds
Excellent! That's a great one (usually goldfish are mentioned). But I think its funny anyone would believe that, just from the sheer fact all fish know how to beg for food or come to a designated spot where they get fed daily....that's 24 hours alone, that alone
they forget to count the seconds🤣they always remember nets loads of myths about fisha kipper is a fish nonsense its someone who sleeps a lot😉
We have 4 small tanks and all of my fish will eat from my hand (except the loaches Cory cats and algae eaters of course). The 3 goldfish go crazy when I open the hood of their tank and come up to the top because they know I feed them.
I'd put it this way: anything that has to do with "visually cleaning" the tank is BS.
That's just for the obsessive human who needs everything neat and tidy.
That's not how nature works.
I've been keeping fish for 25 years and over time I stopped doing all the things I was told to do.
Now I've got aquariums without a filter, I don't do water changes, I only fill the tanks up, and I have a lot of fish in them.
All that's possible because I've got 2-3 inches of soil and everything's filled with plants. My tanks also don't have a lid and I've got lots of plants growing out of the tanks or rather into them (hanging above the tank with their roots reaching into the water)...
oh, and of course I've got armies of snails. I'm the emperor of snails.
So, "Aquascapes" look nice and all... but they're not working eco-systems... if you want a natural aquarium you gotta get dirty...
Yes, I totally agree
Upload a video I would like to see your setup plz!
There can be a middle ground.
A tank can be an ecosystem and visually appealing.
I have a big ass apple snail in my pond I have no idea where it came from, but it ate all my Anubius. I was half tempted to have "Es cargo" or however you say the name. I don't speak French. Lol
I feel like getting a week of food In the tank for the fish would be much easier if you had a seasoned tank. Fish like guppies and goldfish will pick at the algea and get some food from it.
If you're a breeder, I feel like the QT rule makes sense. If you own one or two tanks, that isn't as necessary since you are probably putting a bit more attention to them. And if they are in rough shape. Guess what, they all probably need it and then you want to take actions.
This is how you get resistant bacteria/viruses is by fighting bacteria you don't need to be killing like that.
The wild caught fish you are right, probably should be QT. But most common pet shop fish are from farms I'd imagine.
Empathy works really well when it comes to pets and plants.
Very very true they can live months often times
Thats the number one rule my friend...everyone does it differently, and every animal needs it applied differently, but you are totally on point- if everyone just knew a little bit about their fish species, and little about the meds, that's the only "rule" we'd need. Thanks again for wise words!
I dont think the snail myth will ever go away.
my 1 blue mystery snail eats floating plants by the bucket
@@Skuzzybebe i don't doubt that with mystery snails.
But i meant pest snails(bladder, pond, trumpets, ramshorn). They only eat my dead or dying leaves of my floaters and other plants.
Mystery snails are a type of apple snail, which i mentioned
@@Fishtory well I would have to disagree about the mystery/apple snails, they are all different species with very diffrent diets, knowing how to ID them is the tricky part, so far I have seen 14 diffrent species sold in my local petsmart labeled as one or the other, most of which eat plants
lool i actually didn't realise the range of pleco diets
The more you know *shooting star
Love mystery snails, dislike ramshorn snails. They mysteriously appeared in a tank and my plants then had holes in the leaves. Just sayin.
Well like I said, if there is algae on a leaf or a dead spot they will then often times damage a plant or rip away the surface with the algae on it...which can be annoying. Plecos are even worse for doing that specific thing
Your fish don't need plants in your tank...?
Nope. But they sure like them
Is there such a thing as 'freshwater shrimp'?
Oh indeed! All neocaridina, babaulti, and caridina are freshwater groups
I've got to improve my researching abilities, the only shrimps I have found are saltwater varieties! We're in lock down now until December so it's an ideal time to research the species that you suggested and find someone who actually breeds them.
Thank you for replying I really appreciate it, take care my friend and please keep on making your videos 👍😷👍
there's lots of fresh / river shrimp available on the market , you be suprised
@@fredlakota3595 yes 1,800 known species around the world :)
I wonder how many people will get the revolution 9 reference.
(Me too! .... I am the walrus...turn me on deadman)
Beatles? I know it’s from music
@@pelhamsaquatics you got it, it's on the white album
hi alex great stuff but you must remember common sense aint common some people cant i give up sometimes trying to help people i hate saying to folks told you so suppose the bottom line is you can fix most things but you cant fix stupid i live in paisley scotland these mths are common here too trll you mine keeping fish is very relaxing i wish cheers pal keep on being right your new friend from paisley jjstewart
Well same to you, only from Seattle, Washington USA. My father's father was Scottish and I'm nearly half Scottish in total (DNA)... some day I need to visit my 2nd cousins and great uncle's children that still live in South Central Scotland, as well on the Shetland islands, and a few others near Loch Ness heh....they sent me a Nessy, Plesiosaurus toy as a child haha.
cheers alex just off the phone donald again says if he loses election he wants me over the pond to help him breed guppies easier to count than votes i told him i was too busy with ironing and washing right now but i relented on one condition i could cut his hair and play chess in the dark with his wife i would help awaiting reply 😁what a shamble that election only in america alex i am 66 now domt act it though but i must visit the states before too old perhaps we could share visits anyway long way off tell you my fav american right now sam harris another george carlin without the cussing someone you may know of alexander wilson the great ornithologist was born in paisley spent his early life helping the poor weavers in paisley get better treatment from bad employers cant win exiled to the colonies north america the rest is history send you pic of his statue if you like talk soon your new friend jj@@Fishtory
Apple snails won't eat your plants of you feed enough
True...but they CAN ...so i want to warn people. Its the same as keeping an Oscar or catfish... they may be full and happy, but if you forget to get them their food, anything that fits in their mouth is now their food
Why are your water levels so low?? Top them off lulzz..
I let my tanks cycle and mimic the dry season to get all my tropical species to spawn when I drop the temp and raise water level and drop tds ..super old school breeders trick for tetras, cypranids and catfish of all sorts
First :)