*Why wood anyone ask you how many fish they can put in their tanks? Who is you ngga? The Pet fish police that a mufcka got to get permission from or something?*
I just stumbled over your video hello and I am impressed thank you so much I am not a newbie to this hobby but would love to know a few things about my tank if possible I just recently got a I believe is a 39 gallon fish tank and I would like to know how many live plant can I put in my fish tank. ? Also i love love guppies 😉. I know they breed pretty good. How many male & female can I add to my tank to start ? And also these nickel size snails, how many ? Also my fliter sucks, can you recommend one please and ty. I hope to hear from you soon. ❤
Man I love your videos! Husband came in and asked me, "Why are you watching this? You know all this stuff." I simply said, "Because I like him" 😊 You're awesome and hilarious
I have a 29g with a Tidal 110 filter and it is very heavily planted. In it I have 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 female Bristlenose Pleco, 1 male guppy, 10 Black Skirt Tetra, 7 Harlequin Rasbora, 8 Albino Cory, 4 Oto's, and an unknown number of Assassin Snails (they are breeding like crazy and I have already sold 15 a few months ago). I know my tank is over stocked but I am religious about maintenance and do weekly 60+% water changes. The tank has been running like this for 3 years without issues.
Your videos have evolved over the years. I love the added personality. It keeps me coming back even for the beginner topics. The hardest question for me to answer or get answered is cohabitation. Whether it is how many blank with blank, or Can blank live with blank? I have been doing this awhile and have the question often due to the endless variables, and those variables are what make it so hard to answer. We need people like you and a handful of other creators who provide the foundational knowledge to not try something too ridiculous, but the confidence to try and push it to gain the experience for ourselves. Also go Nats. Looks like they are heading your way.
I just want to say thank you for all the videos you both post and how helpful all the info is. I work at a pet store and we sell many fish. I spend so much of my time trying to help people figure out their fish situations and trust me it’s challenging. Sadly most people don’t have much of a clue when it comes to keeping fish even with all this great info available. Your videos have helped me so much in learning this hobby and how to help others.
I want to thank y’all for your Betta info. After struggling with a male with fin rot in a 5 gallon for months, I took a chances and upgraded him to a 14 cube with 4 minnows, 4 Cory cats, and 2 Kuhli loaches. He began to thrive! He is so happy and healthy now. We did the same with our next Betta and he is enjoying a 10 gallon with a few various tetra buddies. The color of the other tank mates seemed to matter 🤷🏻♀️ and of course each Betta fish was different.
This is the best video I have seen while figuring out what I am doing. I am the typical consumer that bought the 29g kit from the big box store and plans on doing the required maintenance to maintain a healthy ecosystem but also isn't going full nerd zone. thanks.
When I first got into the hobby this was the question I asked the most. Started to get frustrated with people cause everyone says something different. The more I understood about fish keeping the more I realized that this is a complex convoluted question to answer and that there are an incredible amount of variables to take into consideration in order to answer it. I may have figured this stuff out by man what a great video. For anyone new to the hobby this is the best video for this question.
This is a great video. One thing I would add based on my experience is that you should go slow. I’ve stocked a 75 gallon community tank over the last 8 months. I wait at least two weeks and usually more like a month before adding a new batch. This does two things. First, it lets your biological filtration catch up to avoid ammonia spikes. Second, it lets you monitor your parameters (and behavior) to make sure your ecosystem is adapting
Son got me a aquarium for Christmas and wanted to do research and came across your channel and had to come to comments to Thank you for putting out all this info so THANKS
Not to be contradictory, but my last 55 gal was running for 6 years when it developed a seam leak and had to be broken down. But up until that point it was filled with live plants, and had an adequate hang on filter and additional air. It also had between 200 and 300 mixed Tetras that flourished, along with plenty of bottom/cleanup crew. Though I am not a water parameter tester, I am a good fish Dad and keep a close eye on conditions and adjust accordingly. Great tips overall in your video. I always enjoy them, keep it up 😁
Love the videos. Miss my aquarium and seeing the tanks on your videos reminds me of sitting and watching mine like they were TV. I started my biggest tank 125gal around 2000ish? Started with 5 electric yellow labs a common pleco and 2 senodontis cats ( should have looked up the spelling on that one) 10 years later I had to break it down and sell the tank and find a home for the fish due to health. Never lost any of the cats and the pleco was nearly 16 inches. And the 5 yellow labs multiplied into over 100. My local pet store was delighted when I called to see if they ha space for them. I miss the hobby so much and watching videos with good info and clips of amazing fish helps fill the void. Keep it up.
I am getting a 10 gallon tank in the new year. I never kept fish before so am relying on expert advice. The plan is to do an initial set up with just plants and no fish. The experts say to get a test kit and monitor the tank chemistry frequently, so this is what I will do. Once the plants are growing well and water parameters are stable (who knows how long that will take) I will think about fish. Because I have no experience with keeping fish I will get a small number of easy fish - platys look promising - and see what happens. Any new hobby is a learning process and I feel lucky to be able to draw on the valuable experience of folks like KGTropicals. To KGT and all the other RUclips aquarium channels I say "Thank you!" because you give me the confidence to be a fish keeper.
Same Im in the same situation relying on RUclips and google im a little scared to make sure my fish wont be just surviving and not thriving as they should
Merry Christmas John, Lisa & fishfam! Nice basic video on a frequently asked question. Here's just a few that really irritate me throughout my years in the hobby. "What should I put in my 20G (any size) tank?" I reply "water". "How many fish can I put in my tank?" I reply "all that it can support". "What do you mean I have to change water and use test kits, no way?" I reply "don't get into the hobby". "My fish had babies a few days ago, what do I do with them and how to feed them?" My reply "should have researched that when you bought the fish". The list goes on...
I find it refreshing to see someone who actually gives an intelligent answer to this question. As an experienced aquariaist, I learned to disregard all other answers I've ever heard. When I answer beginners, it is always a small number of fairly small fish. (I'm experienced in 55 and smaller tanks.) I apologize for thinking you'd give the same old "rules of thumb" as almost every one else. Thank you for this video.
Loving this solution to the stream issues you were facing 🤙 no matter how experienced I become, having a mortality is always a demoralizing event… I can understand how it might motivate someone to leave this wonderful hobby 😭🥲 thank you for helping them keep their fish ALIVE ❤
3:57 😂 I have a 55 gallon with a family of guppies, an african frontosa, 3 bala sharks(didnt how big they got when i bought them they are still small lol), corydoras, ruhas, one pleco, and a betta. They all get along good 😅🎉
Ive folowed all your advise ive got 50 guppys in a 100liter tank i think 26.5galons and i do a regular water change and ive got a good filtration system i love working on my aquarium it calms me down thankyou for your videos
Awesome video lots of important info. I think a good point for beginners is to try and fill all the levels of your tank for a good ecosystem. Get some top feeders mid level ones some scavenges and the mandatory "cleaner fish" your specific set up needs. It makes the whole tank active to look at. Make the fish and plants do the hard work haha.
I'd say avoid fish that swim at the top for a beginner. There are generally less of those kinds of fish available and they are basically all jumpers. You have to be on top of you game and have a taller tank.
I’m coming back to the hobby after taking a break for a number of years. I’m LOVING your videos. The common sense you present is a welcome change. I’m in So Maryland and plan to take a field trip to Glen Bernie to check out fish soon.
I am in this hobby for the relaxation it gives me to sit and watch the tank, not spend hours fussing over it, so that being said: 50 gal tank Aquaclear 50 filter 1 Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami 5 Tiger Nerite Snails 15 Green Neon Tetras 15 Glowlight Tetras 6 Panda Corys Lots of rocks for hiding spots and not very heavily planted. Vacuum, 25% water change and clean the filter once a month. Everybody is happy and no algae issues!
Merry Christmas one and all I just love the humour in the videos. Always informative and entertaining. Just for clarity, when you asked why would you want more than one common Pleco, I have more than one because I absolutely love them
A couple of oddities I noticed when I was quite into fish tanks and had multiple. I had better results with more fish in a tank than only a few of one type of fish in a tank. Also having different types of fish and having fish that swim in different levels of the tank also I found I could safely keep more in the tank.
Just found your channel. Thanks for the top tips and advice. I have a 170 litre and stock cold water fresh water fish only, but a wide variety from ranchu, ryukin and demekin, to black moor amd a loach and two plec, with mountain minnows. But it seems that the mountain minnows may get eaten, as they are quite small. I started to add real plants and ive realised plastic plants dont help the water. In the past i changed the water every 4 to 8 weeks, but it evaporates at maybe a few litres a week. I keep the lid on at night for around 8 hours. The light is on for about 10 hrs, but i used to have it on for longer before, maybe 12 to 14 hrs. I have plastic grass as well and some babies have been born there as there are gaps for them to hide, but maybe other fish could eat them.
What!!? I recently adopted an aquarium. I have lots of house plants. There are all artificial decor in this tank. I need to figure out this plant/fish thing
COMPLETELY off topic but.... those Rummy-nose tetra's in the background are gorgeous and amazing! I like the way they flow together. A big tank like that really brings out the best in them. First time watching this channel but I already destroyed that like button. You sir got yourself another new subscriber
This really came in handy, I'm stocking my 20 gallon tomorrow, so it gave me a good idea of how many fish i'll be able to comfortably stock. Great vid!
I'm almost positive I heard you say 1 inch per gallon as a general rule in an old video, but I believe it was specifically about small community fish. And even then you still said it varies wildly depending on filtration, plants, and such. I could be mistaken and thinking of someone else but I can't think of who it could have been.
It goes almost without saying but your mileage may vary with all of this, my main display tank at home is slightly overstocked but the filtration can handle it, being a fluval 307 on a 29 gal. I change water when nitrates approach 50 ppm and service the filter every month.
My angels had babies and I still have 15 in a 37 gallon. They are about 2-3 inches. There’s so many plants carpeting that it keeps my nitrates at zero. Ammonia is watched every 2 days and I’m not an over feeder. There’s a couple random fish in there like a pea puffer and mollies.
OMG Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. I now have a video to point people to because I get this hated statement before your hated question. "I am thinking about getting an aquarium. So...." Then people get mead at me because I have about 15 typical questions and they have thought no further then "Glass box cool." I do offer to help them plan out a tank though. I have been taken up on that offer about once per decade.
I had the exact opposite reaction to getting everything cool I saw. I tend to get really nervous/have some anxiety and I was super adamant about that “1 gallon / inch” rule and I think our aquarium might’ve been a bit empty.
Just to add - I have 2 filters - a sponge one plus the hang-on-the-back one with sponge, ceramics and active coal one - both cleaned once every 2weeks. Water chnges every 2 weeks.
Question: I love the guppies and lyre tail mollies and swordfish - but do not want an overpopulated tank. Can I just buy males, so that they don't make babies? The males are pretty, but will they fight? Thanks!
I’ve got a 14g with 12 danios and 6 Corys, and dozens of shrimp. But it’s incredibly densely planted and I check water parameters frequently, and feed small small amounts daily. It’s a lot of work
What do you think of my tank? Heavily planted, 2 filters, 40g. 30 ember tetra, 12 pepper cory, 1 female betta, 6 mystery snails. I do a 50% water change and siphon gravel each week. Once a month I clean the filter media (in old tank water ofc). I'm sure the snails are too much bioload but they are my babies and I clean extra thoroughly because of them lol. I also have a planted 10g with 1 male betta and 2 mysteries. At some point I want a 90g or more for a betta sorority (AND SNAILSSS)
I seen a heavily planted tank have issues because the mystery snails were eating the plants. If yours is working then you are lucky. Nice set up, plants and double filters is the way to go. Best to over filter then under filter
How many fish can I put in my fish tank? Lol love the video, and thank you! Just getting into fish keeping and I've been loving your content. Appreciate you sharing your fish keeping wisdom 😄
I have a 20 gallon tank with 7 tigerbarbs, 2 platties and 1 peppermint catfish. Is this too much? They are healthy and happy. My aquarium is planted and I have an oversized filter (Seachem 35)
Same-ish. I had a guppy-outbreak, & pond-snails too. I bought a 20G for female-fry (maybe 20, all less than 3/4”), live-planted, soil substrate capped w/ sand, tossed in two snails. I water-change every Saturday, feed QUALITY every third day-ish. Guppies are growing slowly (no no one has died, no one is starving), snail population is low, no algae outbreak, water quality tests perfectly for guppies every time. But all that is WORK and $$.
Hi John good video I have a question about the 5 gallons and 5 orcas lol no that was a joke lol But my question is I have a 125 with 2 large canisters, and one medium I believe the 2 large ones push 350 gph and the medium one 265 GPH for a total of 965gals GPH I have 27 fish in total but my cichlids are breeding like crazy Do you think I can add up to 50 in my tank ?
I would think your filtration system would matter as well. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 1 Betta, 5 Neon Tetras and 2 Cory cats. I'm running a Fluval 107 canister with one compartment filled with Fluval Biomax as well as many plants. Great video thanks. Merry Christmas!
Ouuu my setup is similar! I have the common fluval flex. 1 betta and 6 neon tetras, it’s planted as well. I was thinking about adding 3 more tetras because I want them to be comfortable in their school. What do u think?
@@nicolecruz4967 I think it would be fine. Check your water parameters and keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites. I would hold off on cleaning your filter for a bit after you introduce the new tetras. I just added 6 Blue Dream shrimp to my tank. They're awesome to watch.
@@skytrooper506 I’ve been checking the water every week so far so good and I know the plants will help as well, I think I’m gonna get the other 3 I wanted initially :) I’m probably going to do a shrimp tank in my other betta tank. My other betta is old and will be passing in a couple months I’m guessing, he’s 4 years old 🥺
@KGttopicals: I have a freshwater, live planted tank, recently set, and I added 3 guppies, 2 harlequin rasboras, 2 neon tetra and one platy. I have been told that that’s too many, and I need 1 fish per 2 gallon. They also advised I should not make 25% water change more than I once a month. I am happy to do more frequent maintenance if needed, and bought all small fish on purpose. Should I be worried? Many thanks for your super informational videos!
I'm relatively new and made sure that I gave the guy at the fish store the relevant information about my skill level, planting, and tank size when asking for the number of fish I could get as well as fish compatibility
Merry Christmas 🎄 Question: do Geophagus fish like redhead Taphoes or altafranz need a sand substrate to be safe and healthy? Question: if you have severums that eat plants and want to use plastic or fabric plants to decorate, what brand of fake plants are the most sturdy, long lasting and most natural looking? Thanks for being Awesome! Love your show!😊
i go by the old rule of thumb which is 1" of adult size fish per gallon, double if heavy filtration and cleaning ... i.e. 4 - 4" angelfish could fit in a 20 gal easily tho i'd recommend larger tank to get the full beauty of the fish. or say in a 20 gal with platy & swordtail 10 -12 fish would be plenty, especially with the way they breed. all in all the 1"/gal seems to work fine
Funny video as always. It’s amazing that people still ask you this. 😂 Doesn’t anyone do the least bit of research?? I guess this is people’s version of research…😂😂 The saying is true about fish as with other things. “Some people should not have boats.” “Some people should not have kids.” “Some people should not keep fish.” Just saying.
I’ve got a 20 gallon with 8 neon tetras and 5 Julie Cory Dora’s and a few snails and they’re thriving Heavily planted, hang on the back filter and sponge filter all going strong! I barely touch the tank unless it’s to feed, top up the water and clean the filters 🥰
Nice! I have 10 Pearl Danios and 8 Julie Cories in a 40 breeder with lots of plants and a big canister because I'm lazy so I need a very low stocked and low maintenance tank.
I like to keep my 50-gallons understocked - A school of small fish (Tetras, Barbs or other small Caraciformes/Cypriniformes), one or two Bristlenoses, sometimes one or two "centerpiece" fish (some years ago was the last time, and I had a pair of Pearl Gourami), but just if the other fish being present are very small (in that case, there also were ten Cardinal Tetras). I now am hosting eight Congo Tetras with one Bristlenose and I have to say the result is very good, also on an aesthetic point of view: fish are more free to move, and with a tank all for them, with no potentially more aggressive fish from whose they might have to guard themselves, they can show even brighter colours than they usually do. I think when possible best option is a mid- or large-size tank (at least 40 gallons) with a prudent, sparse stocking: a group of small, colourful schooling fish might be enough to make for a spectacular view.
Great idea for a new series! I often see mixed information about minimum tanks sizes. For example, some say a rainbowshark can go in a 29g, others say a 55g. I guess that this is also because it depends on multiple factors. What are some tips to improve your chances of succes with a species when minimum tank size is unclear? Merry Christmas!
I have a 10G running a Fluval AquaClear for up to 30G tank. I also have a few live plants. I have 5 red eye tetras, 3 albino cory catfish, 2 flame dwarf gourami, 2 platy and 3 guppy. I do 20% water change weekly. So far so good.
Can you talk about a planted aquarium what is low light and what is a light planted tank an how many plants would be considered heavy planted and would a under gravel filter be good for root feeder plants?
I have 78 gallons worth on fish in a 55, going by the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule of thumb. With 2 filters that would cover 170 gallon tank in total. With driftwood and well planted. Largest fish reaching 6 inches. Most fish at 3-4 inches. All South American cichlids. And they do wonderfully. I feed heavy and partially change the water 2x per week. I am obsessed!
If someone wanted to start a community tank, with Angels as the 'feature" fish what advice would you give them? I'd like to avoid the pit falls while also having a diverse and happy live tank. I've looked into different fish mates but have no idea what size tank to get.
Happy Holidays to you and Lisa. That’s a question I always want to ask but figure it’s always best to have a small number of fish to be on the safe side.
Genuine question from someone who constantly worries about their tank, i have a 75 gallon with 15African peacock/Mbuna cichlids, 2 Demasoni cichlids, 1 Golden Chinese Algae eater, 1 regular Chinese algae eater, 1 Striped rafael catfish, 1 sailfin Plecostomus and 1 Dragon Bashir. From this video i understand my tank is most liekly too small and am currently working on getting a 125 gallon. i have Moss in the bottom of the tank as well as a fluval filter made for up to a 125 gallon tank. just curious of any tips you might have besides upgrading my tank?
No fish capacity calculator can be 100% accurate because there are variables that are not taken into consideration. (For example, water chemistry, use of live plants.) However, I use the output to make decisions about how many of which species to add to my aquarium. The calculations seem reasonable, and I'm sure that they are more accurate than using the 1" per fish rule. One of the ways I use it is to determine the relative bioload of various species I am considering adding to one of my tanks. As an example, I found that in a small (10g) tank, the model estimates that a guppy has several times the bioload of an ember tetra and even an Endler livebearer, even though they are all small fish. But generally speaking, the bioload it outputs seems to be reasonable given the relative volume/weight of the fish.
I say do what make you happy. I have a very mixed African cichlids tank with about 20 Peacocks, 12 Mbuna, 2 🔥 mouths, and 1 Convict Cichlids all in a 75 Gallon getting along well with tons of color. Must admit tons of filtration and weekly 50% water changes too
I'm thinking of getting a few more tetras but waiting to see how much waste is going to build up as is. I have 7 tetras and a clown pleco in a 7 gallon tank. Will probably wait till they grow a bit more before adding more.
So many moving parts. As I often say, it’s a fluid situation. There’s no easy answer like, “One inch per gallon.” Good video, but you’re still going to get the question🤣
Believe it or not you answered my question even tho I was only looking for a ballpark answer starting with a 30 gallon and 4 angle fish only to find out they can grow to 6 inches I was worried about over crowding if I added more.
I used to work in the IT support (informatics) and yeah… I’ve had a list of the weirdest questions from our customers 😂. But let’s be honest, we (also I) tend to forget that everyone isn’t a "geek" in these domains we spend our lives on and some questions are and always will be asked once a while (or too often 😂).
Hello John i have a R 60X 36 x 40 cm Aquarium tank.. i am planning to have a Low Tech Set up. And going to put fish like Ember Tetra Cardinal Tetra Neon Tetra this will be my choices of small fishes plus a Corydoras... i am going to using a Hang on Filter Hob... is six or Eight of one of these. I am going to choose only which appease my eyes. Maybe Ember Tetra or Cardinal Tetra and Corydoras of the same pieces like the fish i'll choose... i might get a center piece fish like a Pleco like Zebra pleco the L series. Only one. Thank you very much for your advice..
Dr. William T. Innes, from the main Aquarium Book in the Aquarium Hobby published from 1935-1966, "Exotic Aquarium Fishes." He was into sand and plants. "For fish the size of a grown pairs of Guppies, 3 square inches of air surface per fish. That is to say, an aquarium 9 x 20 inches, (I converted that if 12" high, that is a 10 gallon tank), with an air surface of 180 square inches , can safely support 50 grown Guppies, giving each over 3 inches." pg. 9 John, considering the dumb rules by pet stores, "No more than 1" of fish per gallon," your 18 Cardinal Tetras in a 10 Gallon tank completely challenges that rule. Cardinal Tetras are beautiful, yet are a little difficult due to Ph requirements. Thank you!
To further complicate things: ok, you have a 55gal tank, but you also have a 40gal sump, so you actually have 95gal, so you can technically house more fish provided you have the space for them.
*Are you subscribed to our channel yet? Here's an easy way to do it, just click this link:* ruclips.net/user/KGTropicals
*Why wood anyone ask you how many fish they can put in their tanks? Who is you ngga? The Pet fish police that a mufcka got to get permission from or something?*
I’m subbed
3 blood parrots and a green terror in a 55?
I just stumbled over your video hello and I am impressed thank you so much I am not a newbie to this hobby but would love to know a few things about my tank if possible I just recently got a I believe is a 39 gallon fish tank and I would like to know how many live plant can I put in my fish tank. ? Also i love love guppies 😉. I know they breed pretty good. How many male & female can I add to my tank to start ? And also these nickel size snails, how many ? Also my fliter sucks, can you recommend one please and ty. I hope to hear from you soon. ❤
Thanks for the reminder! Subscribed!!
This guy taught me almost everything I know about the fish keeping hobby
Same bro
❤
Same!!
Kaveman aquatics is a great one too i love them both
He teaching me too 😂😂😂
Man I love your videos! Husband came in and asked me, "Why are you watching this? You know all this stuff." I simply said, "Because I like him" 😊 You're awesome and hilarious
I have a 29g with a Tidal 110 filter and it is very heavily planted. In it I have 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 female Bristlenose Pleco, 1 male guppy, 10 Black Skirt Tetra, 7 Harlequin Rasbora, 8 Albino Cory, 4 Oto's, and an unknown number of Assassin Snails (they are breeding like crazy and I have already sold 15 a few months ago). I know my tank is over stocked but I am religious about maintenance and do weekly 60+% water changes. The tank has been running like this for 3 years without issues.
Your videos have evolved over the years. I love the added personality. It keeps me coming back even for the beginner topics. The hardest question for me to answer or get answered is cohabitation. Whether it is how many blank with blank, or Can blank live with blank? I have been doing this awhile and have the question often due to the endless variables, and those variables are what make it so hard to answer. We need people like you and a handful of other creators who provide the foundational knowledge to not try something too ridiculous, but the confidence to try and push it to gain the experience for ourselves. Also go Nats. Looks like they are heading your way.
I just want to say thank you for all the videos you both post and how helpful all the info is. I work at a pet store and we sell many fish. I spend so much of my time trying to help people figure out their fish situations and trust me it’s challenging. Sadly most people don’t have much of a clue when it comes to keeping fish even with all this great info available. Your videos have helped me so much in learning this hobby and how to help others.
I want to thank y’all for your Betta info. After struggling with a male with fin rot in a 5 gallon for months, I took a chances and upgraded him to a 14 cube with 4 minnows, 4 Cory cats, and 2 Kuhli loaches. He began to thrive! He is so happy and healthy now. We did the same with our next Betta and he is enjoying a 10 gallon with a few various tetra buddies. The color of the other tank mates seemed to matter 🤷🏻♀️ and of course each Betta fish was different.
This is the best video I have seen while figuring out what I am doing. I am the typical consumer that bought the 29g kit from the big box store and plans on doing the required maintenance to maintain a healthy ecosystem but also isn't going full nerd zone. thanks.
When I first got into the hobby this was the question I asked the most. Started to get frustrated with people cause everyone says something different. The more I understood about fish keeping the more I realized that this is a complex convoluted question to answer and that there are an incredible amount of variables to take into consideration in order to answer it. I may have figured this stuff out by man what a great video. For anyone new to the hobby this is the best video for this question.
This is a great video. One thing I would add based on my experience is that you should go slow. I’ve stocked a 75 gallon community tank over the last 8 months. I wait at least two weeks and usually more like a month before adding a new batch. This does two things. First, it lets your biological filtration catch up to avoid ammonia spikes. Second, it lets you monitor your parameters (and behavior) to make sure your ecosystem is adapting
Son got me a aquarium for Christmas and wanted to do research and came across your channel and had to come to comments to Thank you for putting out all this info so THANKS
Not to be contradictory, but my last 55 gal was running for 6 years when it developed a seam leak and had to be broken down. But up until that point it was filled with live plants, and had an adequate hang on filter and additional air. It also had between 200 and 300 mixed Tetras that flourished, along with plenty of bottom/cleanup crew. Though I am not a water parameter tester, I am a good fish Dad and keep a close eye on conditions and adjust accordingly. Great tips overall in your video. I always enjoy them, keep it up 😁
Merry Christmas everyone
Same as well
Merry Christmas
Love the videos. Miss my aquarium and seeing the tanks on your videos reminds me of sitting and watching mine like they were TV. I started my biggest tank 125gal around 2000ish? Started with 5 electric yellow labs a common pleco and 2 senodontis cats ( should have looked up the spelling on that one) 10 years later I had to break it down and sell the tank and find a home for the fish due to health. Never lost any of the cats and the pleco was nearly 16 inches. And the 5 yellow labs multiplied into over 100. My local pet store was delighted when I called to see if they ha space for them. I miss the hobby so much and watching videos with good info and clips of amazing fish helps fill the void. Keep it up.
I am getting a 10 gallon tank in the new year. I never kept fish before so am relying on expert advice.
The plan is to do an initial set up with just plants and no fish. The experts say to get a test kit and monitor the tank chemistry frequently, so this is what I will do.
Once the plants are growing well and water parameters are stable (who knows how long that will take) I will think about fish.
Because I have no experience with keeping fish I will get a small number of easy fish - platys look promising - and see what happens.
Any new hobby is a learning process and I feel lucky to be able to draw on the valuable experience of folks like KGTropicals. To KGT and all the other RUclips aquarium channels I say "Thank you!" because you give me the confidence to be a fish keeper.
Same Im in the same situation relying on RUclips and google im a little scared to make sure my fish wont be just surviving and not thriving as they should
Platys and guppies are so fun and great for beginners. I love watching my gups and platys swimming together ❤
Merry Christmas John, Lisa & fishfam!
Nice basic video on a frequently asked question.
Here's just a few that really irritate me throughout my years in the hobby.
"What should I put in my 20G (any size) tank?" I reply "water".
"How many fish can I put in my tank?" I reply "all that it can support".
"What do you mean I have to change water and use test kits, no way?" I reply "don't get into the hobby".
"My fish had babies a few days ago, what do I do with them and how to feed them?" My reply "should have researched that when you bought the fish".
The list goes on...
I find it refreshing to see someone who actually gives an intelligent answer to this question. As an experienced aquariaist, I learned to disregard all other answers I've ever heard. When I answer beginners, it is always a small number of fairly small fish. (I'm experienced in 55 and smaller tanks.)
I apologize for thinking you'd give the same old "rules of thumb" as almost every one else. Thank you for this video.
Loving this solution to the stream issues you were facing 🤙 no matter how experienced I become, having a mortality is always a demoralizing event… I can understand how it might motivate someone to leave this wonderful hobby 😭🥲 thank you for helping them keep their fish ALIVE ❤
3:57 😂 I have a 55 gallon with a family of guppies, an african frontosa, 3 bala sharks(didnt how big they got when i bought them they are still small lol), corydoras, ruhas, one pleco, and a betta. They all get along good 😅🎉
was literally packing a bowl, and he said "Stop that, i know what you're doing down there!" 1:13
Ive folowed all your advise ive got 50 guppys in a 100liter tank i think 26.5galons and i do a regular water change and ive got a good filtration system i love working on my aquarium it calms me down thankyou for your videos
Merry Christmas John and Lisa...and everyone else for that matter! Thank you for the info (and entertainment) you both provide us thru your channel.
Awesome video lots of important info. I think a good point for beginners is to try and fill all the levels of your tank for a good ecosystem. Get some top feeders mid level ones some scavenges and the mandatory "cleaner fish" your specific set up needs. It makes the whole tank active to look at. Make the fish and plants do the hard work haha.
I'd say avoid fish that swim at the top for a beginner. There are generally less of those kinds of fish available and they are basically all jumpers. You have to be on top of you game and have a taller tank.
I’m coming back to the hobby after taking a break for a number of years. I’m LOVING your videos. The common sense you present is a welcome change. I’m in So Maryland and plan to take a field trip to Glen Bernie to check out fish soon.
I am in this hobby for the relaxation it gives me to sit and watch the tank, not spend hours fussing over it, so that being said:
50 gal tank
Aquaclear 50 filter
1 Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami
5 Tiger Nerite Snails
15 Green Neon Tetras
15 Glowlight Tetras
6 Panda Corys
Lots of rocks for hiding spots and not very heavily planted.
Vacuum, 25% water change and clean the filter once a month.
Everybody is happy and no algae issues!
Merry Christmas one and all
I just love the humour in the videos. Always informative and entertaining. Just for clarity, when you asked why would you want more than one common Pleco, I have more than one because I absolutely love them
My guess is because commons get huge and poop like goldfish.
A couple of oddities I noticed when I was quite into fish tanks and had multiple. I had better results with more fish in a tank than only a few of one type of fish in a tank. Also having different types of fish and having fish that swim in different levels of the tank also I found I could safely keep more in the tank.
Just found your channel. Thanks for the top tips and advice.
I have a 170 litre and stock cold water fresh water fish only, but a wide variety from ranchu, ryukin and demekin, to black moor amd a loach and two plec, with mountain minnows. But it seems that the mountain minnows may get eaten, as they are quite small. I started to add real plants and ive realised plastic plants dont help the water.
In the past i changed the water every 4 to 8 weeks, but it evaporates at maybe a few litres a week. I keep the lid on at night for around 8 hours.
The light is on for about 10 hrs, but i used to have it on for longer before, maybe 12 to 14 hrs. I have plastic grass as well and some babies have been born there as there are gaps for them to hide, but maybe other fish could eat them.
Houseplants are also excellent filtration. Grow a few pothos or monstera in the top and that will do wonders once they establish roots.
Wow! Thanks for the tip 😊
What!!? I recently adopted an aquarium. I have lots of house plants. There are all artificial decor in this tank. I need to figure out this plant/fish thing
I enjoyed your video learned a lot been in the fish hobby almost 30 years. Learn something new every day.
COMPLETELY off topic but.... those Rummy-nose tetra's in the background are gorgeous and amazing! I like the way they flow together. A big tank like that really brings out the best in them. First time watching this channel but I already destroyed that like button. You sir got yourself another new subscriber
This really came in handy, I'm stocking my 20 gallon tomorrow, so it gave me a good idea of how many fish i'll be able to comfortably stock. Great vid!
I'm almost positive I heard you say 1 inch per gallon as a general rule in an old video, but I believe it was specifically about small community fish. And even then you still said it varies wildly depending on filtration, plants, and such. I could be mistaken and thinking of someone else but I can't think of who it could have been.
It goes almost without saying but your mileage may vary with all of this, my main display tank at home is slightly overstocked but the filtration can handle it, being a fluval 307 on a 29 gal. I change water when nitrates approach 50 ppm and service the filter every month.
My angels had babies and I still have 15 in a 37 gallon. They are about 2-3 inches. There’s so many plants carpeting that it keeps my nitrates at zero. Ammonia is watched every 2 days and I’m not an over feeder. There’s a couple random fish in there like a pea puffer and mollies.
Your videos are really good and give tons of valid information.
I just found your channel and I freaken love it!!! Thanks so much for your help
Thank you so much 🙏👏 its shch a pain in the ass explaning this to new fish keepers. I hope lot of them see this
Loved the delivery! People will still get it wrong. Your efforts are much appreciated.
Thanks for being a responsible voice in the hobby.
Merry Christmas... great answer, it really helped me a lot! Thanks
OMG Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. I now have a video to point people to because I get this hated statement before your hated question. "I am thinking about getting an aquarium. So...." Then people get mead at me because I have about 15 typical questions and they have thought no further then "Glass box cool." I do offer to help them plan out a tank though. I have been taken up on that offer about once per decade.
8:53 Tell it like it is, my friend!
I had the exact opposite reaction to getting everything cool I saw. I tend to get really nervous/have some anxiety and I was super adamant about that “1 gallon / inch” rule and I think our aquarium might’ve been a bit empty.
Just to add - I have 2 filters - a sponge one plus the hang-on-the-back one with sponge, ceramics and active coal one - both cleaned once every 2weeks. Water chnges every 2 weeks.
Love these vids! Merry Christmas John and Lisa!
Question: I love the guppies and lyre tail mollies and swordfish - but do not want an overpopulated tank. Can I just buy males, so that they don't make babies? The males are pretty, but will they fight? Thanks!
I’ve got a 14g with 12 danios and 6 Corys, and dozens of shrimp. But it’s incredibly densely planted and I check water parameters frequently, and feed small small amounts daily. It’s a lot of work
Merry Christmas. How often do you feed fish and how often do you do a water change? I have 5 angels and about 10 silver tip tetras in a 75 gal.
What do you think of my tank? Heavily planted, 2 filters, 40g. 30 ember tetra, 12 pepper cory, 1 female betta, 6 mystery snails. I do a 50% water change and siphon gravel each week. Once a month I clean the filter media (in old tank water ofc). I'm sure the snails are too much bioload but they are my babies and I clean extra thoroughly because of them lol. I also have a planted 10g with 1 male betta and 2 mysteries. At some point I want a 90g or more for a betta sorority (AND SNAILSSS)
I seen a heavily planted tank have issues because the mystery snails were eating the plants. If yours is working then you are lucky. Nice set up, plants and double filters is the way to go. Best to over filter then under filter
How many fish can I put in my fish tank? Lol
love the video, and thank you! Just getting into fish keeping and I've been loving your content. Appreciate you sharing your fish keeping wisdom 😄
Merry Christmas John and Lisa.Thank you for your channel. Very much enjoy you both and the information you provide
I have a 20 gallon tank with 7 tigerbarbs, 2 platties and 1 peppermint catfish. Is this too much? They are healthy and happy. My aquarium is planted and I have an oversized filter (Seachem 35)
Thank you for teaching me so much about fish I Love having my tank it's helped me find a way to handling My stress
I do water changes every 2 days and I have tons of mollies in a 30 gallon. They all seem to be doing fine.
Same-ish. I had a guppy-outbreak, & pond-snails too. I bought a 20G for female-fry (maybe 20, all less than 3/4”), live-planted, soil substrate capped w/ sand, tossed in two snails. I water-change every Saturday, feed QUALITY every third day-ish. Guppies are growing slowly (no no one has died, no one is starving), snail population is low, no algae outbreak, water quality tests perfectly for guppies every time.
But all that is WORK and $$.
Awesome 👍
Wow thats a lot of water changes
Every 2 days 😳
That is way too many water changes. Is there a specific reason you're doing that? Bad water tests?
To everyone that celebrates: Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Hi John good video I have a question about the 5 gallons and 5 orcas lol no that was a joke lol
But my question is I have a 125 with 2 large canisters, and one medium I believe the 2 large ones push 350 gph and the medium one 265 GPH for a total of 965gals GPH I have 27 fish in total but my cichlids are breeding like crazy
Do you think I can add up to 50 in my tank ?
Hey bud thanks for all
The free information on this beautiful hobby ! Just upgraded from a little 10g to a 30… already want to jump up again 😅😅😅
I would think your filtration system would matter as well. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 1 Betta, 5 Neon Tetras and 2 Cory cats. I'm running a Fluval 107 canister with one compartment filled with Fluval Biomax as well as many plants. Great video thanks. Merry Christmas!
Ouuu my setup is similar! I have the common fluval flex. 1 betta and 6 neon tetras, it’s planted as well. I was thinking about adding 3 more tetras because I want them to be comfortable in their school. What do u think?
@@nicolecruz4967 I think it would be fine. Check your water parameters and keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites. I would hold off on cleaning your filter for a bit after you introduce the new tetras. I just added 6 Blue Dream shrimp to my tank. They're awesome to watch.
@@skytrooper506 I’ve been checking the water every week so far so good and I know the plants will help as well, I think I’m gonna get the other 3 I wanted initially :) I’m probably going to do a shrimp tank in my other betta tank. My other betta is old and will be passing in a couple months I’m guessing, he’s 4 years old 🥺
@@nicolecruz4967 let me know how it goes!
@KGttopicals: I have a freshwater, live planted tank, recently set, and I added 3 guppies, 2 harlequin rasboras, 2 neon tetra and one platy. I have been told that that’s too many, and I need 1 fish per 2 gallon. They also advised I should not make 25% water change more than I once a month. I am happy to do more frequent maintenance if needed, and bought all small fish on purpose. Should I be worried? Many thanks for your super informational videos!
I'm relatively new and made sure that I gave the guy at the fish store the relevant information about my skill level, planting, and tank size when asking for the number of fish I could get as well as fish compatibility
Also if you have great filtration and lots of maintenance you can get a lot more in. I had about about 60 cichlids in my rift valley 100 gallon.
Merry Christmas 🎄
Question: do Geophagus fish like redhead Taphoes or altafranz need a sand substrate to be safe and healthy?
Question: if you have severums that eat plants and want to use plastic or fabric plants to decorate, what brand of fake plants are the most sturdy, long lasting and most natural looking?
Thanks for being Awesome! Love your show!😊
Great content! 💯 Love the cabinet of the discus aquarium in the back. Would love to see it in full. 🙃
Very informative video! Just one more question: Can you house female betta in aquarium with predominantly guppies?
👍😎 Well Done John . Merry Christmas John and Lisa 🎄🎄
i go by the old rule of thumb which is 1" of adult size fish per gallon, double if heavy filtration and cleaning ... i.e. 4 - 4" angelfish could fit in a 20 gal easily tho i'd recommend larger tank to get the full beauty of the fish. or say in a 20 gal with platy & swordtail 10 -12 fish would be plenty, especially with the way they breed. all in all the 1"/gal seems to work fine
Love your videos john help me a lot
Funny video as always. It’s amazing that people still ask you this. 😂 Doesn’t anyone do the least bit of research?? I guess this is people’s version of research…😂😂 The saying is true about fish as with other things. “Some people should not have boats.” “Some people should not have kids.” “Some people should not keep fish.” Just saying.
It may be your least favorite question, but you gave me the best answer I have ever heard.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Fish are pets treat them well and enjoy them. That being said what make you happy in the tank
Merry Christmas Lisa & John. 🎄 Thanks for another great video!
I’ve got a 20 gallon with 8 neon tetras and 5 Julie Cory Dora’s and a few snails and they’re thriving
Heavily planted, hang on the back filter and sponge filter all going strong! I barely touch the tank unless it’s to feed, top up the water and clean the filters 🥰
Nice! I have 10 Pearl Danios and 8 Julie Cories in a 40 breeder with lots of plants and a big canister because I'm lazy so I need a very low stocked and low maintenance tank.
Thanks. Very informative.
I like to keep my 50-gallons understocked - A school of small fish (Tetras, Barbs or other small Caraciformes/Cypriniformes), one or two Bristlenoses, sometimes one or two "centerpiece" fish (some years ago was the last time, and I had a pair of Pearl Gourami), but just if the other fish being present are very small (in that case, there also were ten Cardinal Tetras).
I now am hosting eight Congo Tetras with one Bristlenose and I have to say the result is very good, also on an aesthetic point of view: fish are more free to move, and with a tank all for them, with no potentially more aggressive fish from whose they might have to guard themselves, they can show even brighter colours than they usually do. I think when possible best option is a mid- or large-size tank (at least 40 gallons) with a prudent, sparse stocking: a group of small, colourful schooling fish might be enough to make for a spectacular view.
Great idea for a new series! I often see mixed information about minimum tanks sizes. For example, some say a rainbowshark can go in a 29g, others say a 55g. I guess that this is also because it depends on multiple factors. What are some tips to improve your chances of succes with a species when minimum tank size is unclear? Merry Christmas!
I have a 10G running a Fluval AquaClear for up to 30G tank. I also have a few live plants. I have 5 red eye tetras, 3 albino cory catfish, 2 flame dwarf gourami, 2 platy and 3 guppy. I do 20% water change weekly. So far so good.
Either a lot of plants or a lot of filtration! It's hard to do both at once.
Can you talk about a planted aquarium what is low light and what is a light planted tank an how many plants would be considered heavy planted and would a under gravel filter be good for root feeder plants?
I have 78 gallons worth on fish in a 55, going by the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule of thumb. With 2 filters that would cover 170 gallon tank in total. With driftwood and well planted. Largest fish reaching 6 inches. Most fish at 3-4 inches. All South American cichlids. And they do wonderfully. I feed heavy and partially change the water 2x per week. I am obsessed!
What a lovely video!!! I’m glad to see a video like this again!
If someone wanted to start a community tank, with Angels as the 'feature" fish what advice would you give them? I'd like to avoid the pit falls while also having a diverse and happy live tank. I've looked into different fish mates but have no idea what size tank to get.
Happy Holidays to you and Lisa. That’s a question I always want to ask but figure it’s always best to have a small number of fish to be on the safe side.
Super super informative! Thanks for this type of content
Great video Merry Christmas 🤶 🎄 🎅
At 4:16, what type of fish are those? They’re beautiful.
Great INTRO!!!!!
Thank you! Happy Holidays!
Genuine question from someone who constantly worries about their tank, i have a 75 gallon with 15African peacock/Mbuna cichlids, 2 Demasoni cichlids, 1 Golden Chinese Algae eater, 1 regular Chinese algae eater, 1 Striped rafael catfish, 1 sailfin Plecostomus and 1 Dragon Bashir. From this video i understand my tank is most liekly too small and am currently working on getting a 125 gallon. i have Moss in the bottom of the tank as well as a fluval filter made for up to a 125 gallon tank. just curious of any tips you might have besides upgrading my tank?
How do you get your tank clear
Are wave makers good for fish tank
How "accurate" is the AqAdvisor stocking calculator? I understand it can't be 100% correct but are the numbers it gives you somewhat in the ballpark?
No fish capacity calculator can be 100% accurate because there are variables that are not taken into consideration. (For example, water chemistry, use of live plants.) However, I use the output to make decisions about how many of which species to add to my aquarium. The calculations seem reasonable, and I'm sure that they are more accurate than using the 1" per fish rule. One of the ways I use it is to determine the relative bioload of various species I am considering adding to one of my tanks. As an example, I found that in a small (10g) tank, the model estimates that a guppy has several times the bioload of an ember tetra and even an Endler livebearer, even though they are all small fish. But generally speaking, the bioload it outputs seems to be reasonable given the relative volume/weight of the fish.
I say do what make you happy. I have a very mixed African cichlids tank with about 20 Peacocks, 12 Mbuna, 2 🔥 mouths, and 1 Convict Cichlids all in a 75 Gallon getting along well with tons of color. Must admit tons of filtration and weekly 50% water changes too
I'm thinking of getting a few more tetras but waiting to see how much waste is going to build up as is. I have 7 tetras and a clown pleco in a 7 gallon tank. Will probably wait till they grow a bit more before adding more.
So many moving parts. As I often say, it’s a fluid situation. There’s no easy answer like, “One inch per gallon.” Good video, but you’re still going to get the question🤣
Love this guy best fish youtuber
This is the guy that kept my dream alive of owning aquarium
Believe it or not you answered my question even tho I was only looking for a ballpark answer starting with a 30 gallon and 4 angle fish only to find out they can grow to 6 inches I was worried about over crowding if I added more.
I used to work in the IT support (informatics) and yeah… I’ve had a list of the weirdest questions from our customers 😂. But let’s be honest, we (also I) tend to forget that everyone isn’t a "geek" in these domains we spend our lives on and some questions are and always will be asked once a while (or too often 😂).
Hello John i have a R 60X 36 x 40 cm Aquarium tank.. i am planning to have a Low Tech Set up. And going to put fish like Ember Tetra Cardinal Tetra Neon Tetra this will be my choices of small fishes plus a Corydoras... i am going to using a Hang on Filter Hob... is six or Eight of one of these. I am going to choose only which appease my eyes. Maybe Ember Tetra or Cardinal Tetra and Corydoras of the same pieces like the fish i'll choose... i might get a center piece fish like a Pleco like Zebra pleco the L series. Only one. Thank you very much for your advice..
Dr. William T. Innes, from the main Aquarium Book in the Aquarium Hobby published from 1935-1966, "Exotic Aquarium Fishes." He was into sand and plants. "For fish the size of a grown pairs of Guppies, 3 square inches of air surface per fish. That is to say, an aquarium 9 x 20 inches, (I converted that if 12" high, that is a 10 gallon tank), with an air surface of 180 square inches , can safely support 50 grown Guppies, giving each over 3 inches." pg. 9
John, considering the dumb rules by pet stores, "No more than 1" of fish per gallon," your 18 Cardinal Tetras in a 10 Gallon tank completely challenges that rule. Cardinal Tetras are beautiful, yet are a little difficult due to Ph requirements. Thank you!
To further complicate things: ok, you have a 55gal tank, but you also have a 40gal sump, so you actually have 95gal, so you can technically house more fish provided you have the space for them.