It's amazing how much you can tell by simply looking at your aquarium, but that only comes with years under your belt. People always ask me how often do you test your water, I tell only if I see or smell something unusual. Great video.
For me, everyday I will dip my finger in my tanks and smell it. If it doesnt smell fishy or generally just smell like the plants or the substrate, then its all good.
You’re still so young Nick! I’m only 30 myself but have had a few times in life where I’ve had my heart set on a decision, ie, selling the shop, only to later change my mind. It’s strange to reflect on those days where you felt your future would be entirely different, imagining yourself in the future without the shop, only for that decision to then change often overnight and you’re back to where you started but with a fresh take on things. That’s a journey man! These are the things which help us grow as a person. Lots of us here will support you regardless of your choices because we love your content, your calm vibe and the beautiful friends you bring us on RUclips. Just keep on going brother and know we’ll be here no matter what. 🐟
I put 4 ramshorn snails in my main aquarium to help out with cleaning. That was about 5 months ago. They have laid eggs everywhere from week 2 in the tank and I have 4 ramshorn snails still. My guppies love those eggs! 😂😂😂😂
@@BackyardBlacksmithingjust float a piece of lettuce over night, or pop a slice of cucumber or zucchini in a bottle or something, and the next morning you can remove the majority of them if you ever have a snail problem from eg. overfeeding.
Congrats on deciding to keep the shop. It's part of your Legacy and can still provide a lot of quality fish etc. to others. I really enjoy your videos and I've been keeping fish for 40 years and I'm always open to learning or mentoring others. That is where the real satisfaction is.
That's great that you are keeping your store! Definitely wouldn't make sense to give up on something you worked so hard for! So I'm very happy for you that you are keeping the store! And hopefully one day I can come visit! But that will be a long trip all the way from the Netherlands lol
Great video, these are valuable tips for newcomers. I’m glad to hear you’re keeping the shop. I think a manager will really help you to keep the shop but still take care of the other things you want to focus on.
Love your videos, I keep 6 fish tanks now, with a variety of species. I especially love the long tour videos you do, keeps me entertained whilst on the tractor!
It’s cool you’re keeping the shop and can juggle things around for a better work life balance. I will say though it’s a bit unrealistic to say you’re going to sell something and still expect it to be run the way you want it to. It’s like if I sold you my car but told you how to drive it.
Another great video Nick. Glad you're keeping the shop, I noticed a lot more fish on the website lately! I'll see you in there again soon for some more fish and bug buffet!
I second this. Having them around may not fancy to watch, but these scarvengers help sifting sand and taking care of leftover/uneaten food. If they're appearing too many, it's mean the tank is getting dirty or overfed. (less feeding will help decreasing their population.)
This video like your other videos are so genuine and awesome, we love your content, as someone who has watched almost every step of the way, the first fish room, the store, deans Fishroom, and now this! Your videos are simple and easy. Thanks for being my fish mentor. You’ve guided me from two upstairs tanks, to four tanks upstairs and 15 downstairs :) from Angels, to rainbow fish to live bearers ! You rock
Hot take: I love my bladder snail army. they keep my no filter aquariums super clean almoust no alguie. Literally the only issue I found was maybe 12 trying to eat one of my plants but I just added more duckwead to the tank and they love that little floting play so much they ignore all my other plants so they even keep in control my duckwead population from all my tanks and whenever I think they are to much I just drop a veggi waffle so they get in a big group, pick them up and give them as a snak for my turtle
I have different tanks with different types of "pest snails" that turned out to be great for my tank, keeping any algae clean. The only time I run into a problem is when overfeeding for any fry growing out in a tank with snails, but then I just fish them out and put them in my 1000litre pod. I have also have received pond snails and rams horns and other types of hitchhiker snails on aquarium plant orders, and put them into tanks for a pop of variety of species in my tank Edit: when I first started with only 5 smallish tanks, snails were the bane of my existence.
@jaihamilton7458 I kinda started this year with a gupie tank and already have 4 betas and one community tank with a gurami and a small school of neon tetras and I have shrimp and snails on all of them
I've been beekeeping for 8 years and fishkeeping for 2.5 years. It's amazing the similarities between those two hobbies. Glad to know I'm not the only one that combined them.
Awesome thanks, I am a 7 year hobbies. I use salt, kosher salt every water change, every week. I never get sick fish, I over load my tanks, never need because salt is a preventative to sicknesses.
3:30 - I almost never used air pumps because of the noise they produce. It's hard to sleep anywhere nearby, unless of course it's piezo-electric pump. I heard those are pretty quiet, but they are rather recent addition to the hobby. I never used one, but I'd probably recommend it to a beginner. Also hang-on back filter or power-head on a sponge, slightly more expensive (something like 15 euros for smaller models), yet way cheaper than canisters and often near silent. Air pumps are great for a fish room, they don't need to be in the same room (noise reduction) and the sponges make great pre-filters for external filters.
Great point and one that many people probably don’t consider when buying their first tank. I remember when I kept aquariums, I went through so many different types and brands of filters trying to find the quietest one so I could sleep at night. Air pumps are the worst. Also, the ones that go in a pond are terrible too. I could hear it humming in the pond from my room and I’d have to go out at night and turn it off. I felt so sorry for the fish too. I eventually stoped running those kind of pond pumps.
A good source for stone is get a bag of pretty river rock that's used for hardscaping. Cheap. Love sponge filters, I like to use a power head on top. Circulates the water much better - reduces "dead spots" in the tank. I would love to try a Hamburg Matten Filter someday - it's like a sponge filter on steroids.
A quick note on house plants and some fish. My red eye tetras love to eat plant roots. I am sure some other fish will to. This has stunted my plant and root growth. I use a small plastic basket around the roots to keep the fish away from them. I wish I could find something a little larger so the roots could grow more. Keeping the shop and having a manager sounds like a great idea. I hope it works out for you.
Objection on the rams horn snail! They actually do bring in income if you own puffers or sell to people who have puffers. So they have some uses at least.😂😂😂
Hello from Michigan!!✋.... I've been watching you for a little over one year since I started with aquariums and I am happy to hear that you're going to keep your shop. I get a lot of information from you
Thanks for the simple straightforward advice. I am glad you are keeping the store as you may change your mind later. I hope your manager is great as that will be the key to making it all work.
The market in Europe is a bit different and it very much depends where you live if you can source materials in nature. Like, you have to be sure the materials aren't polluted by industry or anything. Like, I can probably find plenty of alder cones here in the city probably but I buy them from shops for safety reasons. We're also not allowed to take such large materials from forests. Taking an acorn and some leaves from the ground on the side of a road is ok, but you can't disturb the forest. Forest and nature authorities don't allow removing branches and pieces of wood. And you're not likely to find nice rocks since The Netherlands is largely a sedimentary basin. And you don't want to take rock from the south of Limburg province because it's made of marine shells and skeletons. You may find gravel and pebbles from river beds though. In the North you might find drift boulders, but you can't take those either because of their protected status.
That depends on a country and region. If it's normal forest or a stream in Czechia, it's fine to take even branches up to certain size. Like mushrooms it's allowed here to pick leftover branches smaller than 7 cm from the ground. Few small rocks and smaller driftwood should be fine. Also away from heavy industry or mining. Of course, if there is anything to find. When I look for alder cones, there's just few of them or green on the trees. I bought some gneiss from a landscaping shop, because I haven't seen rocks with that pattern anywhere nearby. It would be different in a national park or more localized resort with similar protection where it's forbidden to even stray from official paths.
@@PaulZyCZ in The Netherlands you may forage for a little bit of forest fruit or mushrooms if you know which species are safe, but no more than like 250 g. And you can´t disturb stuff. So foraging for hardscape in a Dutch forest is basically a no no. I do have a little bit of beach sand and sea water in a jar.
This is something I can relate to a lot! I live in a fairly urban area in the states, so almost all of the "forested" or "natural" areas are wildlife preserves or state parks which forbid disruption (such as taking branches or even just rocks). The soil where I live is super sandy, so no good for a dirted tank, and almost all of the rocks you'll find are made of limestone or sandstone that would really mess up water parameters over time. I envy people who can just go into their backyards and find enough hardscaping for an entire tank, haha!
@@seatingchart I think there are always affordable options like garden soil for a dirted tank. In my Juwel Rio I'm using pool filter sand as a substrate which is much cheaper than what is sold in aquarium stores. Nicely rounded grain as well since it's supposed to be decently permeable for water considering it's intended use. In The Netherlands (and most of Europe) we have this budget brand called Superfish (by Aquadistri). These are kits that come with a lid, light, internal filter and some basic stuff like a net, bottles of water conditioner and liquid bacteria, and a sachet of Hikari fish food. They also have a line of rimless scaper tanks which are basic, but decent. They come with a light, HOB filter, plant fertiliser, foam mat and background poster. These kits are what gets many people started in the hobby over here. Also, some materials like rock and gravel can be bought at garden centres and hardware stores, but you buy larger amounts for a relatively low price. That can be convenient if you're keeping more tanks. Storing these materials may be an issue if you're living in an appartement but in that case most people have a storage in the building's basement.
Definitely check for used tanks. I got a 20 gallon long and a 10 gallon for $20. It also came with some fake plants I use when I quarantine fish now. Both have been great
Great tips! I remember when I started out as a teenager a lifetime ago I had ramhorn snails and like you said, it's really hard to get rid of them. However I didn't know much about fish except what I read at the library(before internet), that's how I found a fish I can't remember the name of, it had small hooks under the eyes. It ate snails like no tomorrow after a few months there were no snails left at all. We dismantled my childhood tank a few years back, it was 150 liters and not a single snail for over 20+ years. That snail eater died back in early 00's if I recall. The problem I ran into was the fish store owners, they always tried to sell you fish that didn't go well together.
Great Video Nick! Thanks for sharing some of the really simple but often overlooked areas of the hobby. I particularly appreciated your mentioning the amazing wisdom that comes from some of the other long-time experienced ones that have a remarkable amount of knowledge. Most people are extremely happy to share what they know with others starting out and who wish to learn about proper fish keeping. BTW, I too disdain the dreaded duck weed. Greetings from FishEZ in Toronto!
I used to think people were overreacting about snails. I've had hitchhiker bladder snails for almost a year and hadn't had a problem. I just thought people were super picky. Then i woke up one day and there were thousands of babies in my 10 gallon and my water parameters were all kinds of bad. I'm currently on a crusade to remove them and keeping an eye on my other tanks for any spread.
That's easy to fix! Feed your tank less. They will eventually die off & provide free fertiliser for your plants. A population explosion is a sign you are over feeding your tank.😊
I have one 10 gallon aquarium that I let the ramshorn snails thrive in. However I only have one ramshorn living in my 40 breeder, one in the quarantine tank and one in the shrimp tank. They get all the biofilm and uneaten food to themselves and grow much faster.
While I agree with a lot of the advice you are mentioning in this video, and I still respect what you have done in the hobby with your success as a breeder and keeper being very clear; I have a very strong disagreement with the approach towards beginners here. No matter how you look at it, this hobby is far more complex to tackle as a beginner. Every bit of information conflicts, and everyone gatekeeps and/or doesn't know what they are talking about. I find the worst advice is to tell someone who has no prior introduction to fishkeeping: "just do research". This has often lead to mass confusion, and people become overcautious or misunderstand how they are suppose to start with out hiccups, causing mistakes that could have easily been avoided. The biggest hurdle facing beginners today, is simply getting one set up and maintained without constant fear or anxiety looming over them about "what am I doing wrong". My personal advice for this is to see what the optimal trend is for fishkeeping, in this case being natural aquariums and planted aquascapes, and find the **one guide or one person** that you are most comfortable following in order to become *successful with your first aquarium.* Without deviating to other sources. This is because it is far understood that most fishkeeping methods work perfectly fine, but they don't always work in conjunction with each other. For example, you wouldn't do a "fish-in cycle" by putting both the fish, and 2ppm of ammonia standard on the same day. That confidence after successfully keeping just one aquarium will set a foundation for understanding what keeping an aquarium is far greater than wasting time doing meaningless research on forumsabout a hobby filled with debating old heads misrepresenting basic biology and parroted copypasta articles with vague information. Afterwhich, joining clubs, interacting and learning from others, posting on forums, and expanding on research and healthy experimentation is perfectly valid.
I have 4 Monstera Thai Cons growing hydroponically in a 20 gallon long with some corys and German rams. Insanely beautiful, and never nitrates. I do have to overfertilize it though
i love ur vids uve insired me to start my fish breeding buisness right now all i breed is guopies and tiger barbs but i want to expand and become a blue eye and tetra breeder
Great job, my friend! I really appreciate the informative content you provide-it's always so valuable. Thank you for keeping things authentic. I was wondering if you offer shipping to the U.S. The G Man is definitely on board with your work!
I can vouch for Bug Buffet…I originally bought 6 triliniatus cory’s and although they spawned several times I couldn’t get the fry to thrive. I bought a packet of Bug Buffet and finally I started to get some success…..now my three foot tank is over run with cory’s
LOL. I love pond snails. I agree with everything else though. Good luck keeping duckweed under control. It’s called weed for a reason! 😂 Great advice. I’m so glad you are keeping the shop.
Tell you one thing you can use is men Finn before you put any fish in your tank you put them in it for about five minutes helps to kill disease and any parasite
Love your videos, I have to object to snails and duckweed lol , the fish I keep love both and as a natural feed can’t beat free natural food not to mention the water and waste benefits 😉 but I understand some fish and tanks it will over run. Just have a tank or pond you can transfer the excess to. My acaras, loaches and obviously Goldie’s love snails and keep them at bay and duck weed is amazing for goldfish and it will never over run with Goldie’s if u don’t over feed store foods. But in general agree 100 percent with everything u mentioned 👍🏼
How do you deal with electric code in your store ? Water and electricity don't mix with outlets over water. Most places use outdoor seal lighting fixtures to keep employees safe.
When I got bug buffet, all my fish loved it, aside from my perch. He/she only liked the browner looking pellet of the bug buffet, and would spit the greener ones out. I didn't use it all quickly enough, and when it goes off its much easier to tell its off with bug buffet than with other fish foods, the smell changes after about a month and a half to two months (dont quote me, might be longer for others that store it correctly, or sooner if you store it incorrectly)
Between 5-7 fairly heavily stocked tanks, I went through almost the entirety of the small bag within about a month and a half, and was down to the last 1/4 teaspoon of powder when I noticed the smell start to change and it felt stale. Other fish foods go off just as fast for me, but I don't notice it, which leads to me accidentally feeding my fish rancid food. I recently had a fish start acting weird, realised my fish food was over a month and a half old, some older, so got new food and all my fish look much happier now, including the sickly looking one. I'll definitely be getting more bug buffet, the quality and peace of mind it gives me that I know my fish won't be eating rotten food makes it perfect. Not to mention I can also separate the powder for my fry and shrimps, and keep the pellets for my larger fish and cichlids, so all birds (fish) with one stone.
Great Video, and I love that tank you are proud of. Are you ever anxious over stacking rocks like that in the corner? I am in the process of setting up a 110 rainbow tank, I want to stack rocks in a couple places like that but am a bit concerned of the massive weight! I also am considering making stacks of slate for caves for my cories etc. thanks Nic, been following you for a long time.
I have cheap little pumps that are from 10 to 30 years old...Still going..Small pumps are the last thing that brakes in my fish room.. But the bigger ones do brake every few years depending where they are made..
Please do not hate snails, they can be your best friends. Apart from using them in breeding tanks (where they will eat fish eggs), they are more beneficial than one might think, aspecially for begginers who tend to overfeed the fish. Snails are very good cleanup crue and they are good indicators. If you have too may snails, it means you have an exces of decomposing stuff. They only reproduce if they have something to eat, and they will die off if there is not enough food for them. Also, they are not too sensitive to ammonia or nitrites so they can be used when cycling an aquarium.
I love your videos man but I love the snails, never breed like crazy in my 50+ tanks. I’m very careful with feeding that’s why. When I pulling out plants trimmings from the tank I putting snails back in 😂😂😂
I don’t know if it’s good or not but I crush the bladder snails on the edges of my tanks and let them drop in and the fish seem to go nuts over eating them.
Some cheap floodlights have this noticeable strobe effect, very obvious if you point your camera (and look at it on the phone) at the fishtank. I'm not sure if it's detrimental to the animals in the fishtank but it's said that it affects our eyes.
A video on what and how to to source hard scape and what not to source would be awesome.
It's amazing how much you can tell by simply looking at your aquarium, but that only comes with years under your belt. People always ask me how often do you test your water, I tell only if I see or smell something unusual. Great video.
If the bubbles aren't popping instantly when they reach the water surface, time for a water change to reduce nitrates. Or add more plants.
For me, everyday I will dip my finger in my tanks and smell it. If it doesnt smell fishy or generally just smell like the plants or the substrate, then its all good.
You’re still so young Nick! I’m only 30 myself but have had a few times in life where I’ve had my heart set on a decision, ie, selling the shop, only to later change my mind. It’s strange to reflect on those days where you felt your future would be entirely different, imagining yourself in the future without the shop, only for that decision to then change often overnight and you’re back to where you started but with a fresh take on things. That’s a journey man! These are the things which help us grow as a person.
Lots of us here will support you regardless of your choices because we love your content, your calm vibe and the beautiful friends you bring us on RUclips.
Just keep on going brother and know we’ll be here no matter what.
🐟
Thank you! Yea it is funny but that’s the journey. Thank you ❤
Keeping the shop was absolutely the right decision.
My husband helped himself to the river rocks out of the garden bed at Costco! Ive never been so embarrassed....
I put 4 ramshorn snails in my main aquarium to help out with cleaning. That was about 5 months ago. They have laid eggs everywhere from week 2 in the tank and I have 4 ramshorn snails still. My guppies love those eggs! 😂😂😂😂
Agree, pest snails get a lot of hate despite being beneficial and honestly not hard to control.
@@BackyardBlacksmithingjust float a piece of lettuce over night, or pop a slice of cucumber or zucchini in a bottle or something, and the next morning you can remove the majority of them if you ever have a snail problem from eg. overfeeding.
Congrats on deciding to keep the shop. It's part of your Legacy and can still provide a lot of quality fish etc. to others. I really enjoy your videos and I've been keeping fish for 40 years and I'm always open to learning or mentoring others. That is where the real satisfaction is.
That's great that you are keeping your store! Definitely wouldn't make sense to give up on something you worked so hard for! So I'm very happy for you that you are keeping the store! And hopefully one day I can come visit! But that will be a long trip all the way from the Netherlands lol
Great video, these are valuable tips for newcomers. I’m glad to hear you’re keeping the shop. I think a manager will really help you to keep the shop but still take care of the other things you want to focus on.
Love your videos, I keep 6 fish tanks now, with a variety of species.
I especially love the long tour videos you do, keeps me entertained whilst on the tractor!
It’s cool you’re keeping the shop and can juggle things around for a better work life balance. I will say though it’s a bit unrealistic to say you’re going to sell something and still expect it to be run the way you want it to. It’s like if I sold you my car but told you how to drive it.
I think that's code talk for no buyer willing to pay his probably high price.
Another great video Nick. Glad you're keeping the shop, I noticed a lot more fish on the website lately! I'll see you in there again soon for some more fish and bug buffet!
I am so happy your keeping the shop
One small point on snails , Trumpet snails are useful for substrate maintenance there burrowing prevents dead spots especially in deep substrate
And also good at absolutely f*cking your tank (speaking from experience)
I second this. Having them around may not fancy to watch, but these scarvengers help sifting sand and taking care of leftover/uneaten food. If they're appearing too many, it's mean the tank is getting dirty or overfed. (less feeding will help decreasing their population.)
This video like your other videos are so genuine and awesome, we love your content, as someone who has watched almost every step of the way, the first fish room, the store, deans Fishroom, and now this! Your videos are simple and easy. Thanks for being my fish mentor. You’ve guided me from two upstairs tanks, to four tanks upstairs and 15 downstairs :) from Angels, to rainbow fish to live bearers ! You rock
Wish I had a LFS like yours! Glad to here you plan to keep after it!
Hot take: I love my bladder snail army. they keep my no filter aquariums super clean almoust no alguie. Literally the only issue I found was maybe 12 trying to eat one of my plants but I just added more duckwead to the tank and they love that little floting play so much they ignore all my other plants so they even keep in control my duckwead population from all my tanks and whenever I think they are to much I just drop a veggi waffle so they get in a big group, pick them up and give them as a snak for my turtle
I have different tanks with different types of "pest snails" that turned out to be great for my tank, keeping any algae clean. The only time I run into a problem is when overfeeding for any fry growing out in a tank with snails, but then I just fish them out and put them in my 1000litre pod.
I have also have received pond snails and rams horns and other types of hitchhiker snails on aquarium plant orders, and put them into tanks for a pop of variety of species in my tank
Edit: when I first started with only 5 smallish tanks, snails were the bane of my existence.
@jaihamilton7458 I kinda started this year with a gupie tank and already have 4 betas and one community tank with a gurami and a small school of neon tetras and I have shrimp and snails on all of them
I've been beekeeping for 8 years and fishkeeping for 2.5 years. It's amazing the similarities between those two hobbies. Glad to know I'm not the only one that combined them.
Awesome thanks, I am a 7 year hobbies. I use salt, kosher salt every water change, every week. I never get sick fish, I over load my tanks, never need because salt is a preventative to sicknesses.
3:30 - I almost never used air pumps because of the noise they produce. It's hard to sleep anywhere nearby, unless of course it's piezo-electric pump. I heard those are pretty quiet, but they are rather recent addition to the hobby. I never used one, but I'd probably recommend it to a beginner. Also hang-on back filter or power-head on a sponge, slightly more expensive (something like 15 euros for smaller models), yet way cheaper than canisters and often near silent.
Air pumps are great for a fish room, they don't need to be in the same room (noise reduction) and the sponges make great pre-filters for external filters.
Great point and one that many people probably don’t consider when buying their first tank. I remember when I kept aquariums, I went through so many different types and brands of filters trying to find the quietest one so I could sleep at night. Air pumps are the worst. Also, the ones that go in a pond are terrible too. I could hear it humming in the pond from my room and I’d have to go out at night and turn it off. I felt so sorry for the fish too. I eventually stoped running those kind of pond pumps.
Same I have been keeping fish since I was 12 and now I am 14 going stronger than every I aspire to have a channel and fish room like you.
Your shop is unique! I think keeping the shop and hiring/training a manager who will help you go forward in your mission is a great choice.
A good source for stone is get a bag of pretty river rock that's used for hardscaping. Cheap. Love sponge filters, I like to use a power head on top. Circulates the water much better - reduces "dead spots" in the tank. I would love to try a Hamburg Matten Filter someday - it's like a sponge filter on steroids.
A quick note on house plants and some fish. My red eye tetras love to eat plant roots. I am sure some other fish will to. This has stunted my plant and root growth. I use a small plastic basket around the roots to keep the fish away from them. I wish I could find something a little larger so the roots could grow more. Keeping the shop and having a manager sounds like a great idea. I hope it works out for you.
Objection on the rams horn snail! They actually do bring in income if you own puffers or sell to people who have puffers. So they have some uses at least.😂😂😂
I used strawberry plants as houseplants on a tank 😊 works like charm, the runners even root on the water
Hello from Michigan!!✋.... I've been watching you for a little over one year since I started with aquariums and I am happy to hear that you're going to keep your shop. I get a lot of information from you
Thanks for the simple straightforward advice. I am glad you are keeping the store as you may change your mind later. I hope your manager is great as that will be the key to making it all work.
Congratulations on finding a way to keep the store while pursuing what you love and enjoy.
The market in Europe is a bit different and it very much depends where you live if you can source materials in nature. Like, you have to be sure the materials aren't polluted by industry or anything. Like, I can probably find plenty of alder cones here in the city probably but I buy them from shops for safety reasons. We're also not allowed to take such large materials from forests. Taking an acorn and some leaves from the ground on the side of a road is ok, but you can't disturb the forest.
Forest and nature authorities don't allow removing branches and pieces of wood. And you're not likely to find nice rocks since The Netherlands is largely a sedimentary basin. And you don't want to take rock from the south of Limburg province because it's made of marine shells and skeletons. You may find gravel and pebbles from river beds though.
In the North you might find drift boulders, but you can't take those either because of their protected status.
That depends on a country and region. If it's normal forest or a stream in Czechia, it's fine to take even branches up to certain size. Like mushrooms it's allowed here to pick leftover branches smaller than 7 cm from the ground. Few small rocks and smaller driftwood should be fine. Also away from heavy industry or mining. Of course, if there is anything to find. When I look for alder cones, there's just few of them or green on the trees. I bought some gneiss from a landscaping shop, because I haven't seen rocks with that pattern anywhere nearby.
It would be different in a national park or more localized resort with similar protection where it's forbidden to even stray from official paths.
@@PaulZyCZ in The Netherlands you may forage for a little bit of forest fruit or mushrooms if you know which species are safe, but no more than like 250 g. And you can´t disturb stuff. So foraging for hardscape in a Dutch forest is basically a no no.
I do have a little bit of beach sand and sea water in a jar.
This is something I can relate to a lot! I live in a fairly urban area in the states, so almost all of the "forested" or "natural" areas are wildlife preserves or state parks which forbid disruption (such as taking branches or even just rocks). The soil where I live is super sandy, so no good for a dirted tank, and almost all of the rocks you'll find are made of limestone or sandstone that would really mess up water parameters over time. I envy people who can just go into their backyards and find enough hardscaping for an entire tank, haha!
@@seatingchart I think there are always affordable options like garden soil for a dirted tank. In my Juwel Rio I'm using pool filter sand as a substrate which is much cheaper than what is sold in aquarium stores. Nicely rounded grain as well since it's supposed to be decently permeable for water considering it's intended use.
In The Netherlands (and most of Europe) we have this budget brand called Superfish (by Aquadistri). These are kits that come with a lid, light, internal filter and some basic stuff like a net, bottles of water conditioner and liquid bacteria, and a sachet of Hikari fish food. They also have a line of rimless scaper tanks which are basic, but decent. They come with a light, HOB filter, plant fertiliser, foam mat and background poster. These kits are what gets many people started in the hobby over here.
Also, some materials like rock and gravel can be bought at garden centres and hardware stores, but you buy larger amounts for a relatively low price. That can be convenient if you're keeping more tanks. Storing these materials may be an issue if you're living in an appartement but in that case most people have a storage in the building's basement.
Ramshorns are easy to control if you put in real veggies. Wait for them to flock to the veggies and then remove the veggies with the snails attached.
I also enjoy your content with other peoples hobbies, touring their spaces of aquarium "stuff". thanks again.
Definitely check for used tanks. I got a 20 gallon long and a 10 gallon for $20. It also came with some fake plants I use when I quarantine fish now. Both have been great
great news about the shop buddy
Great tips! I remember when I started out as a teenager a lifetime ago I had ramhorn snails and like you said, it's really hard to get rid of them. However I didn't know much about fish except what I read at the library(before internet), that's how I found a fish I can't remember the name of, it had small hooks under the eyes. It ate snails like no tomorrow after a few months there were no snails left at all. We dismantled my childhood tank a few years back, it was 150 liters and not a single snail for over 20+ years. That snail eater died back in early 00's if I recall. The problem I ran into was the fish store owners, they always tried to sell you fish that didn't go well together.
Great Video Nick! Thanks for sharing some of the really simple but often overlooked areas of the hobby. I particularly appreciated your mentioning the amazing wisdom that comes from some of the other long-time experienced ones that have a remarkable amount of knowledge. Most people are extremely happy to share what they know with others starting out and who wish to learn about proper fish keeping. BTW, I too disdain the dreaded duck weed. Greetings from FishEZ in Toronto!
Giant duckweed and redroot floater are amazing alternatives for duckweed slower reproduce and easily removed
I like the stache you're rocking
Great advice indeed. Totally agree about going to a good shop with guys who know what there doing and talking about.
I love Hikari foods.
great instructional video mate, knowledge is key and well done on deciding to keep the shop.
Ive never had a duck weed issue in my aquarium, tried to introduce in the garden pond but the comets saw it as a free buffet 😂
I used to think people were overreacting about snails. I've had hitchhiker bladder snails for almost a year and hadn't had a problem. I just thought people were super picky. Then i woke up one day and there were thousands of babies in my 10 gallon and my water parameters were all kinds of bad. I'm currently on a crusade to remove them and keeping an eye on my other tanks for any spread.
That's easy to fix! Feed your tank less. They will eventually die off & provide free fertiliser for your plants. A population explosion is a sign you are over feeding your tank.😊
I have one 10 gallon aquarium that I let the ramshorn snails thrive in. However I only have one ramshorn living in my 40 breeder, one in the quarantine tank and one in the shrimp tank. They get all the biofilm and uneaten food to themselves and grow much faster.
24 y/o and so succesful! Congratulations!
Yes !!!! Keeping the store! You definitely would have regretted selling it.
I always go to nearby creeks to find driftwoods and rocks and also visit nearby rivers to get sand and always got the best stuff from nature
Love the duckweed shirt. Got one for myself here in Texas.
Thank you!
Just started working at a local fish. Shop
Wanna start my own shop because of you
I'm just starting out and your videos are such a bonus for me. Thank you!
I'm so happy you're keeping the shop ! I don't know why but i'm happy! Maybe because i closed mine and now i regret...
While I agree with a lot of the advice you are mentioning in this video, and I still respect what you have done in the hobby with your success as a breeder and keeper being very clear; I have a very strong disagreement with the approach towards beginners here.
No matter how you look at it, this hobby is far more complex to tackle as a beginner. Every bit of information conflicts, and everyone gatekeeps and/or doesn't know what they are talking about. I find the worst advice is to tell someone who has no prior introduction to fishkeeping: "just do research".
This has often lead to mass confusion, and people become overcautious or misunderstand how they are suppose to start with out hiccups, causing mistakes that could have easily been avoided. The biggest hurdle facing beginners today, is simply getting one set up and maintained without constant fear or anxiety looming over them about "what am I doing wrong".
My personal advice for this is to see what the optimal trend is for fishkeeping, in this case being natural aquariums and planted aquascapes, and find the **one guide or one person** that you are most comfortable following in order to become *successful with your first aquarium.* Without deviating to other sources. This is because it is far understood that most fishkeeping methods work perfectly fine, but they don't always work in conjunction with each other. For example, you wouldn't do a "fish-in cycle" by putting both the fish, and 2ppm of ammonia standard on the same day.
That confidence after successfully keeping just one aquarium will set a foundation for understanding what keeping an aquarium is far greater than wasting time doing meaningless research on forumsabout a hobby filled with debating old heads misrepresenting basic biology and parroted copypasta articles with vague information.
Afterwhich, joining clubs, interacting and learning from others, posting on forums, and expanding on research and healthy experimentation is perfectly valid.
I have 4 Monstera Thai Cons growing hydroponically in a 20 gallon long with some corys and German rams. Insanely beautiful, and never nitrates. I do have to overfertilize it though
Wish I knew about cycling a tank. I’ve got rams horns in 5 tanks and never had a problem with them overbreeding🤔
Excellent video / excellent advice !!
Really happy for you!!
Skol Vikings! You were wearing my teams shirt!! MN Vikings!!!
Wave maker will keep duck weed away. I have feeding rings so I can protect the duckweed.
My zebra snails are gems...the 2 i have are several years old now!
i love ur vids uve insired me to start my fish breeding buisness right now all i breed is guopies and tiger barbs but i want to expand and become a blue eye and tetra breeder
Great job, my friend! I really appreciate the informative content you provide-it's always so valuable. Thank you for keeping things authentic. I was wondering if you offer shipping to the U.S. The G Man is definitely on board with your work!
This is cool bro love your vids
I can vouch for Bug Buffet…I originally bought 6 triliniatus cory’s and although they spawned several times I couldn’t get the fry to thrive. I bought a packet of Bug Buffet and finally I started to get some success…..now my three foot tank is over run with cory’s
LOL. I love pond snails. I agree with everything else though. Good luck keeping duckweed under control. It’s called weed for a reason! 😂 Great advice.
I’m so glad you are keeping the shop.
I wish i could buy bug buffet here in United States 😢. I would love to try it😊. I have so many aquariums that would love bug buffet
Theres a purefin website that you can buy it and they ship to the US. It take 10-28 days but you can get it
Tell you one thing you can use is men Finn before you put any fish in your tank you put them in it for about five minutes helps to kill disease and any parasite
I think you will be very happy with the shop decision.
You should definitely make a video about your bee keeping!
Gold mine of information!!!
Yay Mystery snails 🐌💛
Love your videos, I have to object to snails and duckweed lol , the fish I keep love both and as a natural feed can’t beat free natural food not to mention the water and waste benefits 😉 but I understand some fish and tanks it will over run. Just have a tank or pond you can transfer the excess to.
My acaras, loaches and obviously Goldie’s love snails and keep them at bay and duck weed is amazing for goldfish and it will never over run with Goldie’s if u don’t over feed store foods.
But in general agree 100 percent with everything u mentioned 👍🏼
I would love to see a video on the airpumps what size pump to use for a room running say 20 large sponge filters.
Keeping the shop is a great decision nick 👍
Yes I love bees and fish!!!
Lice combs will help pull the duck wheat out.
Awesome. Thanks for the video.
How do you deal with electric code in your store ? Water and electricity don't mix with outlets over water. Most places use outdoor seal lighting fixtures to keep employees safe.
When I got bug buffet, all my fish loved it, aside from my perch. He/she only liked the browner looking pellet of the bug buffet, and would spit the greener ones out.
I didn't use it all quickly enough, and when it goes off its much easier to tell its off with bug buffet than with other fish foods, the smell changes after about a month and a half to two months (dont quote me, might be longer for others that store it correctly, or sooner if you store it incorrectly)
Between 5-7 fairly heavily stocked tanks, I went through almost the entirety of the small bag within about a month and a half, and was down to the last 1/4 teaspoon of powder when I noticed the smell start to change and it felt stale.
Other fish foods go off just as fast for me, but I don't notice it, which leads to me accidentally feeding my fish rancid food.
I recently had a fish start acting weird, realised my fish food was over a month and a half old, some older, so got new food and all my fish look much happier now, including the sickly looking one. I'll definitely be getting more bug buffet, the quality and peace of mind it gives me that I know my fish won't be eating rotten food makes it perfect.
Not to mention I can also separate the powder for my fry and shrimps, and keep the pellets for my larger fish and cichlids, so all birds (fish) with one stone.
I'm aware this sounds like an advertisement, but I just wanted to give feedback to you as a customer, and to say keep up the great work
Great information. Thanks for sharing
Nice some great tips
good advice except for the snails i try to add them to all my aquarium they clean the leftover food they really help in fry tanks.
use tropicolor to bring out the colors in your fish
Snails can be great, if you have chooks to feed them to.
For floodlights, do you look for the 6500k ones?
dying to see a beekeeping video
Great Video, and I love that tank you are proud of. Are you ever anxious over stacking rocks like that in the corner? I am in the process of setting up a 110 rainbow tank, I want to stack rocks in a couple places like that but am a bit concerned of the massive weight! I also am considering making stacks of slate for caves for my cories etc. thanks Nic, been following you for a long time.
Plants your going to kill 😂 true biz
Air pumps break down though
I have cheap little pumps that are from 10 to 30 years old...Still going..Small pumps are the last thing that brakes in my fish room.. But the bigger ones do brake every few years depending where they are made..
Please do not hate snails, they can be your best friends. Apart from using them in breeding tanks (where they will eat fish eggs), they are more beneficial than one might think, aspecially for begginers who tend to overfeed the fish. Snails are very good cleanup crue and they are good indicators. If you have too may snails, it means you have an exces of decomposing stuff. They only reproduce if they have something to eat, and they will die off if there is not enough food for them. Also, they are not too sensitive to ammonia or nitrites so they can be used when cycling an aquarium.
I love your videos man but I love the snails, never breed like crazy in my 50+ tanks. I’m very careful with feeding that’s why. When I pulling out plants trimmings from the tank I putting snails back in 😂😂😂
Hey could you please leave a link to the lights you use or does anyone know what there called?
Nice video 👌
hey what bunnings floodlight do you use ... have had a bit of bad luck with them getting hot and just being dull
@@popastunnz2342 good question, the one I have looks the same as Nick's but gee whiz does it get hot! Like burn your hands hot!
The stache is back 🥸🥸🥸
Ha ha ha! bringing duckweed back into the fishroom in a controlled manner -- impossible.
Let's see the Bee Keeping Videos KeepingBee'sSimple
I don’t know if it’s good or not but I crush the bladder snails on the edges of my tanks and let them drop in and the fish seem to go nuts over eating them.
Some cheap floodlights have this noticeable strobe effect, very obvious if you point your camera (and look at it on the phone) at the fishtank. I'm not sure if it's detrimental to the animals in the fishtank but it's said that it affects our eyes.
I'm going to keep hounding you Nick Please Please can we have bug buffet and green cuisine in the UK PLEASE 😂😂😂
I unleashed a pack of assasin snails on my trumpet snails. The trumpet snails are now extinct. Duckweed affected the Danio's feeding. Got rid.