Aquarium Coop vs. Dr. Novak on Anoxic Filtration & The Impact On The Soul of the Aquarium Hobby.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
- Resources to Learn more about different filtration methods AKA FILTRATION SCIENCE LINKS:
Anoxic filtration guide:
www.mankysanke.co.uk/html/anox...
THE SUPER NERDY details you didn't know existed of Nitrogen Cycling Aquariums:
reefs.com/magazine/aquarium-c...
LINK TO JOIN AS CHANNEL MEMBER IS JUST BELOW THESE WORDS!
/ @fishtory
Ethically Sourced and Raised Fish:
DAN'S FISH! - The Premiere Independent Owned. RARE IMPORTS and Oddball Fish, Retailer. GET 10% OFF ENTIRE ORDER CLICK BELOW. INDEPENDENT
dansfish.com/ref/alex
Artwork and Merch!
teespring.com/it/stores/a-sec...
To financially show love to the channel. If I've earned it and helped you out, I appreciate any Patreon Donations or Venmo/PayPal gifts,
message me for details or use patreon link below.
PAYPAL- @ alexanderjwilliamson@gmail.com
VENMO - @Alex-Williamson-88
PATREON-
/ somainkdesigns
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×
MY FAVORITE ONLINE SHRIMP DEALERS
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+
AQUATIC ARTS . COM - BIG SAVINGS:
www.Aquaticarts.com For rare shrimp and beautiful plants. Bonus Channel Code -
HISTORYSECRET15" for a chance to win hundreds of dollars in 2021 giveaway prizes, a shrimp starter kit andddd 15% OFF ANYTHING in the store!
HISTORYSECRET10 - Use it UNLIMITED times for a 10% off discount on ANY item or Creature in the store, also it helpd represent us as a channel, earn the prize pool more money.
------×☆×------×☆×-----÷×☆×------×☆×-----÷×☆×------×
The Best Prices & Links to:
10 Gifts & Gadgets Under $10
------×☆×------×☆×-----÷×☆×------×☆×-----÷×☆×------×
Fluval Telescoping Shrimp & Nano Fish Net
My FAVORITE net, out of dozens I've tried - at half the usual retail price ~$10
amzn.to/2EdvBIU
20 Filter Media Bags For Only 9.99 killer Deal!
amzn.to/38wnUMb
Seachem PRIME Dechlorinator...the thing all fish keepers need to detoxify ammonia spikes and tap water. At THE LOWEST PRICE Out there.
amzn.to/36qiZu5
MY FAVORITE�� Hang-off-the-side Fry Box / Fish Isolation or Fry / Shrimp Box. Has independent filtration, screens for hatching, conditioning and acclimating new fish. 22 for large or 10 for small
amzn.to/2LKzb1F
Clear Acrylic Fry & Small/Nano Fish Keeper
amzn.to/2YDlVkq
Digital TDS, Temperature, & EC resistance Pen all in one. Great for shrimp or cichlid Keepers!
amzn.to/2YDivy6
Top Grade Brine Shrimp Eggs from Brine Shrimp Direct (Best Value By far!)
amzn.to/35e9D4F
2 bags of the best shrimp and snail food out there!
HIKARI CRAB AND CRUSTACEAN PELLETS- $8
amzn.to/35gW18N
(OVER 10....OOOPS!)
Clear 3-Compartment, Adjustable Fry Keeper or Betta Breeding Pen/ Conditioner, Breeding Box
amzn.to/36ohe0H
HOBBY Brand - Brine Shrimp Hatchery. (The easiest low/tech Hatchery in the world, no stinky mess, lasts 3 days per spoon full or eggs!) A must have & much less stinky way to spawn food for any Fishkeeper.
amzn.to/2PBVZlb
Fish Egg Hatchery. Air Powered, Cichlid, Catfish, Rainbow Fish + More : Egg Tumbler 29
amzn.to/2t9VzLn
Lee's Scoop & Pour Specimen Container.
Perfect for moving aquatic livestock, for stunningly clear photography. Best price 14
amzn.to/2qIxavs
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×
LINKS TO STUFF I LOVE USING!
+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×+×
Fluval Plant & Shrimp Soil (mineral and ph buffer W/O Ammonia) amzn.to/31KiyIU
API Liquid Master Water Test Kit 30% less than anywhere else! (ONLY $22.50!)
The Gold Standard of checking for Ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, ph and high range ph. - amzn.to/2XuJOJS
Kh& Gh - API- Liquid Test Kit & MUST HAVE for Shrimp Tanks. This determines, calcium, carbon and general water hardness at the lowest price
- amzn.to/2JV9JqM
Total Dissolved Solids, Electrical Conductivity, and Temperature Digital Testing Device - only $15! - amzn.to/2XoA7fR
The Best Cost Effective Co2 Regulator - amzn.to/2W4sCxV
CO2 Safe Pressure Friendly Air Line -amzn.to/2K7R5uW
this is the best Diffuser under 200 Dollars
Fluval Ceramic Diffuser Stone (good up to 40 gallon tank) -
amzn.to/30EGz4x 
Животные
A link to Dr. Novak's Critique of Aquarium Coop:
bit.ly/3NAaino
The Aquarium Coop Stream that sparked Novak's critique video:
ruclips.net/video/eLDk_p5DmNM/видео.html
Links in the description, to in depth answers on both anoxic filtration & aerobic or "normal" nitrogen cycle filtration science.
Alex watch out !!! Trolls are mounting up for ya !!! Been there 5 years ago 😂 You tube is just a prick of the tank. I am scientist 👨🔬 and I will do my own experiments as of all my tanks. That what it is. I am expert observer. Because at the end of the day, all you can do is watch , read , listen 👂, to learn something. It doesn’t require a mouth 👄 unless you want to ask questions at the end lol 😂
Hi Alex,
I know you will find this waster water treatment plant video very useful, and informative.
At 8:40 is the most interesting point of simultaneous nitrification/denitrification. This underpins the validity of highly porous filter media that enables both aerobic bacteria on the outsides and anoxic bacteria on the insides to coexist in a functional relationship.
ruclips.net/video/M3VDmhYQRrU/видео.html
I hope more people will take the good from this video. Nice content!
Another Anoxic bacteria video from Australia's Melbourne Water, who treat the city's wastewater ruclips.net/video/ORELsKkDnpM/видео.html
Dr. Novak is not a good presenter, but his facts are scientifically valid and helpful to hobbysists. Cory is a great presenter, and almost always polite and reasonable. That's why I was very disappointed to hear how dismissive he was about anoxic filtration. This is a fascinating hobby - success depends heavily (entirely really) on biology and chemistry, and yet it is saturated by opinion. I gotta say, regardless of where I could buy my supplies, I was sourcing them from AqCo-Op out of loyalty, but that one, nasty remark, turned me off entirely.
As someone who entered the hobby while I was studying micro I had to admit Dr.Novak had his appeal, but so did the aerobic. Its a cycle. Rather than 1circle nature is a collection if circles and figure 8s. I love the aerobic system because its easy to understand and relatively "clean". But diving into the anoxic science its just another part of the same nitrogen cycle. Unfortunately Father fish fell out of my favor when his teaching tone became more forceful and kind of bitter. I appreciate what I learned from him and actually prefer plenum set ups I had merged anoxoic aerobic concepts to my tank. Its just he's not for me any more and I prefer listening to Cory since those who come to speak are less one sided and more of a "lets share ideas, experiences and expertise" Cory often states ,"you COULD do it that way.....or your COULD do it this way." Hes always advocating trial and error.
I agree that a less bias wide scope view of things is much better. And while i get along with ff and happen to agree with his method as one of the 3 or 4 good ones that id recommend to hobbyists...but his tone, politics and sometimes drama laced rants turn me off from time to time
First time viewer. Solid points. I've been a fish keeper for the last 55yrs. We are at a point where there is so much information and products available that it can be overwhelming. Ultimately it's about clean, balanced eco systems of the type that pleases you. Plants always helps, but if you have Fish species that don't allow plants to thrive, then other methods must be pursued. Those other methods are vast to achieve the same end goals, healthy fish and a beautiful aquascape. I love high water movement and fish that thrive in it. Within these limits, I use high flow filters, high oxygen content, and deep "3in" sand bed. It works for me. I also love those fishkeepers that have incredible planted, low flow tank. Beauty is beauty in many forms and what make this hobby incredible. The science behind the eco system is a deep dive well worth the effort to explore. The salt water fans have a lot of information to offer too. Enjoy the ride.
Sounds like a great combo to me!
I’m just a nobody who loves fish and loves learning new things. But I’m so over some of the big names in our beloved hobby with their oversized egos who berate others that don’t do things their way and make us feel stupid. Enough is enough!!! That’s why I stick with channels like yours, LRB, Ryo and others who are knowledgeable, yet humble and passionate. Thanks for all that you do for this hobby.
Well I truly appreciate that. I'll take the education wherever the info is best vetted and hopefully free (I'll tip and pay if it's free..but some times in mylife I couldn't afford that, and I truly treasure those resources still. Take care and best wishes!
Hi, I Am 60 years old fish keeper, and according to my experience when i was in my teens ,i had quiet several fish tanks, i remember using under gravel filtration and never never never have any problems with disease in my aquariums, i discover at that time that was very important to keep air under de filter{ i didn't know the why}, changing water wasn't a thing , several months without changing water. as soon i moved to USA i start my aquariums again and a heard about cycling and external filtration etc etc and i switch to those kind of filtration systems , and then all hell broke loose in my aquarium for years trying to figure out what was happening almost giving up my hobby, dead fish , disease, continual water changes, etc etc to the point that i went several years whit out aquariums, that UNTIL a couple years ago found Dr, Novak, this is a very short example of the reality based on experience of the aquarium Hobby . Thanks Alex for your GREAT contribution to the Aquarium World .
I agree, I am 55 years old and started this Hobby when I was in France. I used to have a deep substrate and a "box" filter in my aquarium. I never change water, I used to clean-up my box filter once a month. Never experienced disease, and the tank was just full of life. Coming to the US, I learned a lot about the mechanism = nitrogen cycle, plants and CO2, lights, many different type of filters, water change, etc... does it make this hobby better, I am not sure!
I'm so glad you found a method that let's you enjoy the hobby to its fullest again! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Have a great week!
Yes, I have my first undergravel filters installed since the seventies lol. Wish me luck.
I hear this a lot from long time fish keepers who used the ugf, it worked but they didn’t necessarily know why or how the science of it worked. I remember looking into the ugf when I first started only a few years ago and everything I read or was told was stay away from them, or they are old school and I could not find them in any local stores. Since doing a little more research I now run the anoxic system and the ugf in all my tanks/ponds and found them so much easier to maintain. May the old timers had it right in the beginning 🤣🤣 but what works for some may not for others, we have to find the system that works best for us 😂👌🏾
I see 3 sides of this. Cory thinks anoxic is too complicated for the average hobbyists and totally not necessary. True. Novak says it's a fantastic system but he has $2000 worth of filtration lighting and Co2 timers and sumps. Man, that is way too much for anyone. Father fish has his method but he ruins that for himself with his attitude. Egos are a toxic thing in the American hobby no other country conflicts and needs a soap box daily. We are here for fish that's it!!!
Yup you nailed it. Thank you
Thank you!!! My sentiments exactly.
@@LadyKej I take a bit from them all Father fish got me into deep substrates. Kevin shows that you can take this hobby to any level you like. Alex is the person I tell others to watch if they want real answers that anyone can achieve.
You are totally right,
At the end of the day is what make you happy, you dont have time for daily water change, then yes you need a perfect filter. You want an over stock tank but don't like cleaning a filter filter, then do daily water change etc etc. As long as your fish and plants are happy and healthy, do it the way that give you the most pleasure out of it.
It's not complicated though. Dr Novak is a bit hard to follow but it seems to me he's right.
3 ingredients are all you need:
1. A UGF with an uplift tube to the surface (to monitor flow; a 90 degree bend at the top is helpful to see it), and an air tube with a valve, turned down for minimal flow, TBD after monitoring and such.
2. SafeTSorb (or maybe kitty litter but I haven't had good luck with that) for the substrate which I made 2 to 3 inches thick.
3. Liquid iron fertilizer. I soaked a small amount (about 3-4 tablespoons in my 20L) of rinsed and dried SafeTSorb with 4 times the recommended dose (do at or own discretion) for the size of the aquarium. These ones go after the first layer of substrate near the bottom, to replace the laterite.
It took mine about 2 months to go anoxic, the standard cycle was going quickly after setup with a regular intake filter. You could probably cap with gravel for a different look, but I haven't tried.
I have another 20L. I'm thinking about trying the UGF anoxic deep bed on the back left side, with sand in the front right (viewing side), because I've found it to be very efficient and reducible.
Great point of view. I watch basically every fish channel from Father Fish to the Coop, DIY, and everyone else (My favorite is Rachel O'leary and hope she recovers soon and can start making videos again soon.) but this is def. my new favorite channel. Keep it up, bud. Glad to have you in the community!
Thank you kindly. That means the world to me! I too watch a wide range of channels, and felt there was a lack of channels scientifically citing info in the hobby, and I'm working towards that goal...but not making it to uptight or elitist at all. Approachable? I hope? Anyhow. Thanks for the feedback and support! There are 900+ videos on this channel from nearly 6 years now hah, so if you wanna find a subject with my bias/style it may already have a video, and I'd not- let me know! I'll happily add it to the list if to'-do's. Cheers
To be fair, Cory said he had tried all of these methods and even elaborated, but had moved away from it because he just didn't have the time to invest at the end of the day and could achieve comparable results with easier methods. I feel like the "breaking up the aquarium community" over that comment is really not a fare depiction of his answer. Also, isn't acting as though if we all just want to learn more about this we could all shift to this "non sterile" way you and LRB prefer similar to the way you charactarized Cory's statement? We all have our own opinions and way we keep tanks, I subscribe to many channels and take some value from all. Cory has always said he caters to new hobbyists and arming them for future success to keep them in the hobby which has worked for me.
I don't understand what your saying. I didn't have a problem with corys past answers...he just was slightly rude in the video the other day...to which if you watched my whole video, I explain I didn't think he meant anything by it, other than perhaps he caters to beginners and has enough explaining and teaching to do, with nitrofying aerobic systems...why would he want to take on another system and confuse people who don't have the common method down yet, even.
I think we're on the same page here- I was saying that Novak took offense and then leveled all those claims...not that iam agreeing. He'll cory tells people to go to Novak for info on it... Novak should be thanking him...he should thank him for "getting him more subs in a day than in months" of his channel usually
Sorry, I have to dislike. I couldn't find one thing unbiased, Or fair, To either perspectives. Feels like a lot of talk over gossip. No real unbiased talk. And what was said of coop was not generally accurate, especially of his priority.
Not hating. Just disappointed!
The community is not torn apart in the community. we are just as we always we're. Having different opinions. Balance in diversity.
@@problemaquarium nothing biased was said about the coop at all in this video... are you talking about this video?
I actually watched a masterclass on soil and it was very informative and made me realize just how far behind our hobby is on understanding soil and plants and how they grow. I have ignorantly fell to trying anoxic filtering by using deep soil. After watching this class I understand more but still am aware there is much much more to learn. But sometimes I wonder if one of the hobbies biggest problems lies in the fact that it's a container with very limited space.
But 1 thing I think is always funny is when people take scientific facts (which are very precise in what they are saying) and apply them generally to everything and I feel a lot of times that is what fuels these arguments. A lot of times both sides say things that are true but only for a certain scenario. That's also how we get a lot of our things in the hobby like our "cycling" process and the nitrogen cycle, like these are facts but they are only a very tiny part of the whole. We get so caught up on being right and picking a side that we black out other facts and perspectives, it's about sharing our experiences and learning from others
Oh that kills me too. Cue eye roll. Lol but I really appreciate your feedback and thoughts on all this today. Thanks
Literally the biggest problem in all of the Aquaculture hobbies is lack of proper space and scale, a lake or a river has far far far different properties and benefits that we just don't have. Water volume has incredible effects on overall health and performance, sunlight and a breeze both deeply influence and benefit the aquatic landscape / health. Further a glass box is inherently sterile, we have to bring the balance to our tanks through active actions, microfauna/flora has to be introduced, then the macro. The fish, the decorations, the plants, all of it has to be balanced if we want a full true healthy aquarium and sadly most people think it's almost the complete opposite. That keeping water scrubbed clean of all the little critters means there's less risk to the fish, and you can keep a fish alive in an empty lifeless box of water if you really want to... you're just losing out on so much by doing so.
Diversity and equilibrium are the cornerstones in my opinion, just like the argument about deep beds or plenums or dirted vs non-dirted or whatever. Not many in the hobby can really just admit that we should be doing our best to replicate a natural environment as much as we can instead. The wild for us is not great, sitting in the grass being bitten by bugs, fighting for food everyday, dealing with the temperature swinging on the breeze, it's awful. But for fish it's different, little bugs are food and entertainment, plants are comfy and oxygenated, the motions of the current doesn't chill them, it keeps the water warm.
If we could I think the minimum size for a proper full healthy tank is 100 gallons and up, but a 40 is probably sufficient, anything less just seems too small to me. Sure that means some children and those with less space can't get into the hobby as easily but I'd take that anyday over uninformed idiots keeping goldfish in a flower vase for decoration.
As for anoxic vs otherwise? The more natural filtration you can provide for an aquarium the better, I'll never understand the people with 20 aquariums who complain about it being too much work. But I can also see where Corey is coming from, he's a business man and he makes money on fish, his fish room is a giant breeding pit to pump out animals to sell, so yeah it probably is too much work when the bare minimum keeps them alive too.
People with an actual love for fish however have no real excuse, it's a slice of nature in a box, not a sterile 'keep fish alive' box, the same way an empty house is not a home.
@@boanoah6362 I completely agree with you especially on the min tank size, I also feel like my 40g is too small lol. I don't even like my 75 that much. Trying to make it as close to nature as possible is what I strive for as well. That's why I created my own soil mix and don't do what hardly anyone on yt does. Plus all my tanks have soil and I don't change water except when I eventually need to for a few reasons like excessive overfeeding bc all my tanks are also breeding tanks. And I've even bred gobies and cories and many other fish by just letting them hatch and grow with all the parents even tho everyone says that's impossible lol.
Personally I don't think having a lot of aquariums is a lot of work even if they are all for breeding but that may be bc I set them up so I don't have to do anything to them and they keep themselves. Idk why people want to keep a sterile box of water when it is so much more work and so much worse and boring.
Yeah but Cory mostly has live-bearers so they literally take no work and if he says they do he makes it that way lol. Heck, common plecos and now many smaller cichlids take near no work and actually prefer if you'd just let the tank go as long as it's still healthy.
@@boanoah6362 I'm going to be doing a substrate with organic compost pellets for the base, then a clay-fine-sand mixed layer. And capped with cosmetic sand and pea gravel of some kind.
It will be a no filter, no heater, no CO2, no dosing aquarium. The key is the mix of compost, clay, and fine sand. That is mimicking nature. And compost pellets are richer and have more humic acid than organic topsoil.
Haven't been around lately. Work, life, man.. I miss less stressful times when I caught all your stuff. Thanks for everything Alex. Hope you're well with the surgeries and stuff.(yeah, I haven't been around for tooooo long!!) Appreciate what you do within this hobby. You're a great soul. You're still the only content provider/channel I became a member of..hope you never change, except for the changes your heart/soul needs .
This means the world to me, thank you so very much for the kind words and continued support. Thank you Jordan! Please always feel free to tell me if I've become "off the rails"...be it ego, content or attitude etc. I really value everyone's feedback, and sometimes the mirror and meditation only illuminates so much about yourself, you slowly become blinded and slip into unfortunate patterns of behavior. I'll always try my best to do what I can to keep on keeping on (doing what I've done thus far, but improving and finding more interesting topics hopefully). Have a terrific weekend, Jordan.
Thanks again, Alex.
You have a sincere care about the hobby and the people that deserves to be recognized. I don’t want to sound more ignorant than I already know I am about biology and fish keeping, but I really appreciate the aerobic filtration that I am getting used to and can easily find more information and advice about from friends and local pet shops. I hope other options are explored and people have the information and equipment needed for a healthy, lasting fish tank they can enjoy whichever method they prefer. I have watched a decent number of Cory’s videos on the Nitrate cycle and I personally believe him when he says he tries to line people up for success with fish and plants. His suggestions as well as a few others have really helped me get into planted aquariums with an overall more natural look and I enjoy getting home from work every day to check in on it.
I do hope your day goes well and your community grows at a healthy pace, things will be ok as long as people respect each other and understand the limitations of experience humans have with everything in life.
Awesome comments. Thank you. Also I agree with everything you said. I hope your week is a good one and weekend is even better!
Just putting water in a glass box, doesn’t automatically confer expertise. We all had a starting place and many have moved on to other levels. Cory does an astonishingly good job of helping beginners get started, and I don’t feel he is entirely motivated by money. Other platforms on RUclips have introduced different ideas and methods of fish keeping but getting started without killing fish, has been paramount for me. Cory espouses simplicity, which got me started. Now, I’m here, learning more. Every pot has a lid and it’s sad and unnecessary to be critical of views that don’t align with one’s own. There’s more than enough room for everyone.
I totally agree. And when I say he is motivated by money...I don't mean exclusively, but he has stated he would retire the RUclips if he felt he could, and until recently he didn't have much of a fish room to spend time in, due to business being so busy. I hope he can get back to basics, so to speak. Having fun with the hobby and sharing it from excitement as the first driver... but either way, he did a great job in his early videos and explanations of things like the nitrogen cycle and how basic elements function in our hobby.
Thanks for your thoughts on the issue at hand! Have a great week
You have helped me bring my scientist brain into this hobby. I recommend and share your videos as much as aquarium co-ops or anyone else’s because of your unique view and research heavy videos. You deserve way more subscribers than you have because of your knowledge. I hate the drama and fissions because almost everyone has something unique to bring to the aquarium stand. Thanks for another thoughtful and educational video!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for being a part of this community! The support is truly humbling. I hope you have a great week's end!
I do really appreciate that Dr. Novak go's into great detail. He has pointed out many times that he did not come up with the research and in fact talked about the French scientist that did and nobody would listen to him. Why he has decided to be the one to run with it for aquarist as you pointed out before i do not know. He asks for no membership , no streams and sells only a few t-shirts which are very cool looking. He used too set up big systems using anoxic filtration. I really think he is just tired of listening to big industry who will never recognize anoxic systems for aquarist mainly because of profit for them. Hey the good Dr. is coming out loaded and not holding back . Good for him! He is getting alot of poo poo thrown his way by the way so i enjoy him throwing it back at the industry. We need a Dr. Novak to stir things up. Cory just happens to be a big industry player at least on You Tube. Thanks for what you do !
I do appreciate and respect that he champions it...and most of what he says is very sound... however some of the underdog narrative/playing a victim sort of gives off a manipulative vibe you see from a classic "guru" figure...for better or worse, but I sort of think the industry would have already started selling all the equipment and or a pre-assembled bcb or anoxic setup if it were vastly superior... I see that it is vastly superior at saving water, and in tanks with big poop filled fish like carp, catfish or tilapia... however to me, it's about as good as a planted tank with any number of other filter systems ...so if you like it, great- do it! (I have several types of them also)...but if you wanna go for the path more traveled, it may be easier to get help if you need it or have questions/are new.
Omg!!!! Hey alex wow!! Amazing commentary. Even about Cory..loli just back in the hobby..but my approach was going more natural after landscaping and building backyard kio ponds. For years,Plus having my own for 20 years I’ve learned a lot..being a kid growing up was always outside in nature..as i home owner now in norther canada living on a lake and river system i can gather everything i need to put in my dirted planted aquariums.i can say is there’s a lot of diversity going on ..its amazing its like putting a camera in a under water pond..just like you said I prefer all the little critters happening in my tank both day and night..I’ve never used any store bought chemicals.. ‘not yet’I’m very pleased your teaching new hobbyist to go a more natural tank..yes it takes a lot of knowledge and understanding about the biosphere in a tank..trial and error for sure..just subscribe to your channel..no Kardashian tanks here.. lol😂 ps seen you on father fish.. you both inspired me.. thanks>>R~ my favourite look is to have floated flat pieces of driftwood with mosses growing on top.. Fisk love it…cheers 🍻
Thanks man! And welcome back to the lifest... err " hobby" lol
Hi alex, im 51 now, ive only just in the last couple of years started keeping fish again after keeping a lot as a young man, i gave up the hobby 15 years ago after a tank die off that was the final straw, i now have you tube 😃, i have learned more about fish keeping in the last 6 months than i gained in years of keeping before, i have plenums in most my mini ponds and big ponds and aquariums after listening to dr novak, I'm now trying soil based, heavily planted tanks, i want to go no power eventually on most of my set ups, I'm really hooked again as the information out there is virtually endless now, i have only just found your channel and im working my way threw your stuff, keep up the great unbiased, un-egotistical way you put your knowledge out there for us born again fish keepers, i am totally enjoying re-learning about all the ways that you can mimic nature in filtering aquariums, ponds etc, im liking your laid back way of explaining the way your doing your own tanks, there's no substitution for experiance mate, all the best from Scotland, cheers, yeti 🏴👍🏻
Grand! I'm so happy to hear that you are having fun and enjoying the immersion into the hobby and science again! Also welcome to the channel and don't be afraid to ask questions or share info with us here! We are a community and always learn from one another. Welcome welcome!
Cheers, Alex.
@@Fishtory thanks mate, all the best 👍🏻🏴
Thank you for your always balanced perspectives and impartation of information. I have combined 2 methods as of now...the slow moving plenum with out an uplift tube and Father Fishes layer of soil method with a sand cap...I am liking this more and more as time goes on...
See I love learning about what others in the hobby are doing and how it's turning out for them. Thanks for sharing! I think a hybrid combo of systems is probably ideal, and may even save money in the long run. I try to be objective and impartial but I definitely have my own bias...I'm trying hard to leave most of that out of things now days, and speak to their audience rather than the creators in this instance.
I hope you have an awesome weekend and I'm sure we will talk again soon. Cheers!
Subscribe what a great video Alex said it so well I have both setups at my house and they're both working very well . Thanks for making this video and hopefully it'll cause people to quit pointing fingers at each other and try out new ways. Always look forward to all your new videos without a doubt you're one of or informative fish channels out there deep dive into so many different things in explain it in detail. Thank you so much for what you do!
Alan, My friend, that means the world to me to read! I keep lots of systems...both of those included... some tanks with 2 oversized filters, some with sponge, some HOBs, walstad method, and no filtration!
It's all enchanting to me. I'm glad you feel the same way. Thanks again for your kindness and support in the community, and I hope you have a great week!
Good insight, man! Your words apply not only to the hobby, but just about every other aspect of life. Keep an open mind, but think critically about new ideas and other people’s experiences. As you said, there are so many reasons to be in the hobby, and so many different goals to work toward and mysteries to solve. I’ve been fascinated lately by all the different new facets that have been steadily developing over the last few decades. Honestly, this is a hobby that offers so much, and the last thing we need to do is tear each other down. We’re all keeping tanks, or bowls, or tubs because some aspect of aquatic life fascinates us. Isn’t that great in and of itself?
Well said (and much faster than u rambled on and on for haha.) Thank you. Have a great day!
Well said Alex. I been extremely busy the last few months and am barely able to lurk. Glad I caught this one. When I'm asked certain questions from beginning hobbiests, I always send them links from opposing views that both work.
That is brilliant. And thanks for stopping by! It's good to see you. I hope life is going great if not busy, and wish you the best!
5:20 "you don't need to cycle a tank just change water" and 6:20 "plant prefer ammonia to nitrate" I learned both of these through experience, trial and error in my recent return to this hobby. I had kept fish for years before, but took 8 years off, in the past I was by the books, bought everything, and followed LFS advice to the T. Had lots of fish and a great time, but never really understood as much about why certain fish would die, plants not work etc. Since reentering the hobby, and the massive YT community, I'm very DIY these days and try new things. Its taught me a lot and I highly advise people just try new things and get info from many sources and be able to test stuff on your own. This hobby is more rewarding the more you are willing to learn. Your channel is a great source of info and you always give others a fair shake, keep it up!
Love all this. The internet has trained humans that everything has only two sides and they must be defended to the end. Fights all day and night…Cheers to all the lovers chilling in the gray areas ☮️
Love and peas.... mmm green peas! Have a good one @herefishy!
So true and well said.
Thank you for simply verbalizing a need for us to consider perspectives other than our own. You’re brave to even go there and make any comments these days, that can be dangerous territory. We have so many massive worldwide conflicts, if we can’t even get it right in fishkeeping as a hobby, we’re not doing very well. Thank you for being well-read on your topic, and for being encouraging! THAT, we can use.
Thank you kindly. Im all for anything that is a sincere attempt at keeping fish more effectively, more simply...more technologically...whatever...but lets build each other up and consider all options ... was my main point
I've been keeping fish for about 35 years. I like the idea of father fish and Kevin Novak anoxic filtration system. I tried Novak's BCBs in an overhead sump about 8 months ago. So far, I will tell you it takes a while to establish but it's working as advertised so far.
I was going to do father fish and your dirted capped system, and I still might, but there are two reasons I decided on Novak at first:. 1) my son's tank and there's no plants and he wants the multi colored neon gravel. 2) I like to keep big cichlids and I don't want them digging through the sand cap and messing up the anoxic conditions/dirt.
I like the science that Novak does, but I think my planted tank I might try the dirted capped substrate.
The reason I was looking is that the typical way we do it seems wrong to me. It's too labor intense to keep the fish in peak conditions but somehow when I threw them outside in tubs in the summer, they did so much better than they do in the tanks with zero effort. They also do so much better in dirty creeks too. Started wondering why. I think this is one of the reasons.
I hear you! With cichlids or larger fish, I think methods like Novak's work well...otherwise you have to have ridiculous amounts of filtration
I run a plenum per Dr Novak's instructions. It cost me about $30 to setup. (Kitty litter, laterite, under gravel plate). I've been running it almost a year in a 20 gallon. Lite plant load. 7 tetras. 2 algae eaters. 1 bristlenose pleco. API test show almost zero ammonia, almost zero nitrites. Less than 5 on each. Nitrates are running between 5 and less than 10 ppm. I've added water due to evaporation but to this day I have not done a water change. I don't use fertilizer for the plants. They are growing very slowly and I've not lost a fish under this system. I will likely add a mechanical filter soon because my water is crystal clear but has very small particle matter and sometimes leaves floating in it. I'm a believer in Dr Novak's method but you do you and hopefully we can all be friends.
Have been on your and Cory’s channel for well over two years now. My sense is that both Cory and you make it simpler for the hobbyist in a simplistic manner. You both keep things very simple. If Cory wanted to make money he could have packaged the anoxic filtration and marketed it. Anoxic filtration to me came out “Too Much” even though am in the hobby for now close to 25 years. Yes both aerobic and anoxic filtration do have merits.
Well shucks...i have to agree with you 100% there. We try and make it simpler. And yes at the end of this video, i said the same thing about cory being able to sell an annoxic kit for cheap if he wanted to complicate his life lol. Cheers
Thank you. People need to hear this. There are a million and one ways to make it work. What I do and works for me may not work for another but we can learn from each other.
Amen! Thanks
Thank you , I always appreciate and understand what you have to say. So many people out there in the hobby want us to follow their way. I believe in trying everything and deciding what I want and what is easy for me .
I believe the exact same thing! Just here to try and provide options and knowledge that I'm learning about along side everyone else too. Have a wonderful weekend. Cheers!
I feel like I've been meandering down the standard pamphlet road for ages, and have only just started exploring all the other approaches in the past six months or so. This video was a great reminder of what I am trying to achieve with my channel. Cannot thank you enough for making me stop and reflect. Really great stuff!! Cheers. 👍
No problem! I know exactly how your feeling at this point in your hobby, and I think that's the part that is most exciting to me! Learning and trying new things based on that knowledge. Keep up the curiosity and kindness :) thanks for your input!
That's the one thing I love about this hobby. Trying new things and seeing how effective something might be or not. I agree we should try to always help each other even if we don't agree on things it's good to debat but not attack each other cause someone doesn't want to do it or try something different. If something works and its simple it usually works great for beginners but some of us find new stuff fascinating. Great video! 👍
Thanks...I'm right there with you! That and community amongst other passionate folks is what we should all be about.
I am glad you brought this up, it seems like everyone picks their own little camp and defends it as "the only way", cue in sponge filter, under gravel, canister filter, deep substrate, using sand or gravel, using dirt as substrate, hate or love glow fish, hate or love snails. You could see it in the chat yesterday when you were showing the hob, dismissing it right away because they like another filter.
I setup my 5.5 gallon nano with a UGF anoxic filter (3 inches of SafeTSorb) and a small intank filter (mostly to clean up floating debris) and it's been at zero nitrates for a while now. It's a bit overstocked but they dont seem stressed.
Thank you Alex. I appreciate what you are trying to accomplish. I've been seeing the same trend happening and it is definitely driving a wedge in our community. What I love about our hobby is that there isn't just one way to do things and what works for me doesn't mean it's going to work for you. I follow You, Dr. Fish, Cory and Dr. Novak and I take bits and pieces from all of you into my fishroom. I love it because it allows me to discover what works for me. What I don't like is how Cory, Dr. Fish and Dr. Novak will sometimes discredit each other's methods. Anyways great video. I love how you always try to be impartial and just keep to the facts.
I'm trying. I have opinions and in the past I've been judgemental of Cory mostly because he is also my local fish shop I deal with the most, but at the end of the day, I think almost everyone means well and thinks they're being helpful. I just wanted to sort of de-escslate some of the stuff I've been seeing/been asked about more and more frequently lately.
Thanks for your input and point of view. Also thank you for joining us here in the community based on thus channel... cheers!
Yea I agree , I watch most of them as well and take bits from everyone 👌🏾 , I personally have set up the anoxic and use bcb bags and baskets because with goldfish it makes a big difference in what filtration you use for these guys, and because of how the anoxic bacteria works is by far the best system I’ve used especially in my pond bogs . But yes what works for some may not work for others 👌🏾
Hobbyists, no matter what the hobby, tend to go "tribal" over their ways. I love hearing about someone's success doing things in an unconventional way. It's fascinating. Does that mean I want to break down my tank to install a plenum? Not yet. I personally don't see anything wrong with doing something for the money, if it makes more people successful keeping fish. Too many people set up an aquarium with zero knowledge or research involved. That's why I love all of these channels. I bought a great budget light, the Hygger 957, that suits my tank to a T because of your in depth review. Cory's Aquarium co-op has saved me WAY more money than he's ever made off of me. I AM hooked on their coarse sponge filters and pre-filters. His video of filter hacks has saved a lot of people money I'm sure. Your goal, and his goal seem to be similar, giving people the knowledge to not fail in the Hobby. Most people want to keep it simple, then others want to go down the aquarium nerd rabbit hole and end up with a fish room... or house, keeping fish in anything that holds water inside and out. Making the beginning Hobbyist successful is important for the future of the Hobby, and that's the gift y'all give to everyone. Thank you!
Well first off, thank you kindly. Secondly, - yes. I definitely agree with what you're saying. I think people who watched cory before he had a product to sell, definitely soured on feeling like he switched gears. But I agree with you...if you can make money and also provide more options to the hobby...it's a win win to me... if you don't like ads or a certain product, then just don't buy it haha. But I truly appreciate your thoughts and the fact that you're tuning into the channel, and seemingly, having a good time with the hobby. That's what its all about at the end or the day. Cheers!
@@Fishtory Let's not forget that Cory is running a business. If plenums and anerobic systems were big sellers, I'm sure that Cory would stock the materials and supplies needed for such systems. Every square inch of Cory's business has a dollar value attached to it. That's how business works! Why would Cory stock items that go against the modern trends, items that would not 'move' very quickly, items that would only take up valuable space, for long periods of time, and eventually prove mediocre in sales, at best? That would be bad business sense! Cory is simply profiting from current trends, and giving folks what they want and ask for! Dr. Novak, on the other hand, is not in the business of black ink, ledgers, nor profit margins. He is an educator, and a fine educator at that, however. He just does things a bit different than the current market trends tend to lean towards. There's nothing wrong in Dr. Novak's methods. They are solid, just not main stream. In short... nobody is wrong in the prescribed methods that either/or promote, and/or sell. Everyone is right! As much as I like Dr. Novak, I can't help but to think he could have approached this thing with a bit less controversy and offense. I'll still watch videos from both of them and enjoy the content of their videos!
@@RedneckEngineerMakerDude I also said these same points in the video. (Minus Novak handling it poorly, but i also agree with that as well.)
@@RedneckEngineerMakerDude I agree, and was incredibly disappointed by the "shock jock" approach he chose to take, definitely not the approach I was expecting.
As a retired woman in her 80th year I am just trying to figure out why my beautiful Angels are having trouble keeping their spawns hatching.
Thank you for talking about this situation. I just heard about Dr. Novak today xoxo
Congrats! Thats so amazing that you are still staying interested and invested in fish and trying new things! So many people half your age are already close minded and set jn their ways. You are truly LIVING life :D
As for the angel spawns, l would guess it's either too high of ph (they like 7.2 or lower usually, too low of temperate can also cause issues, but the 2 biggest reasons that i see angel spawns fail, is either lack of microorganisms for 4-15 day old fry, or eggs rotting., you can tell if its mold, if the eggs turn white instead of amber colored. ( you can remove the eggs and place them in a pen or small container with a few toothpick dips of methylene blue in the water...so it's faint blue....and if it's lack of food for babies, I'd look into getting infusoria or green water tanks set up, to feed to the fry for those first 10 days or so...then live baby brine shrimp. Best of luck, cheers!
how are the breeding going now? any update?
@@jamesnguyen7069 I've got an issue with my ph climbing. So last spawn the tails came out but the fry couldn't brake free.
I had collected rain water all winter keeping ph low, but now it's to high and climbing no idea why. Vinegar didn't help, last evening added oak leaves to each tank, will do ph test right now
Thank you for explaining that there are different views/ ways of going about our hobby. I am in the middle of trying something I have never tried before, in the hope that my fish are healthier for it. I'm doing my research on RUclips University as well as other sources to try and find out how best to give it a go, it can't be any worse than what I have currently going on, sadly to say. So yeah, there are 100+ ways to get from point A to point B, its really about the learning experience we get and the joy from watching our contained ecosystems grow and thrive to the best of our abilities.
Amen! Thank you
Good morning, Alex! I was over-thinking this last night, thanks for posting this video 😊
I had about 5 people menton it to me, so i figured i should say something...as someone not selling either system lol but using coop products and fish (its 10 minutes from my house after all!) And as someone who loves playing with new tech/science. But as always, Brooky, thanks for stopping by and dropping a line. Have an awesome day!
Absolutely, your channel is the 1st thing I go to every morning. I usually watch your videos and take notes until The Morning Show starts. Thanks for what you do, Alex 😊
Nice and much needed video Alex!
Cory, Dr. Novak and Father Fish all different ways to accomplish a task.
When I started the undergravel filter was the big deal. To be honest I had the best luck when running one in my tank. But I also don't mind doing regular water changes.
Exactly! Thanks for your input and support...as well as kindness in the community
Wow, a breath of fresh and rational air in a polarized and weaponized aquatic hobbyist community. As a physician and molecular biologist I have built my career around evidence based data. Both of my professional worlds can and are influenced by industry and economic factors as well as egos and legacy building efforts. I have always tried to peel back the onion to find the basis for a statement or assertion. I think you have presented a well organized, well thought out and well articulated summary of the state-of-the art regarding the controversy surrounding the current public debate of filtration. Bravo. I enjoyed listening to your coherent presentation. You have a new subscriber. Greetings from Rapid City, South Dakota.
Whoa! I'm thrilled to have you joining our community here! Welcome 🙏. I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the various options out there, seeing as you are a molecular biologist. I welcome everyone to the channel, but I really appreciate when someone is at home with the materials I cover so they can straighten me out lol (ps I know I accidently said negatively charged on the ammonia particle explaination...and it's nuetral etc...I was thinking of the ionic side of the equation). But regardless, you may also enjoy a video where Dr. Anthony Mazerol (ichthyologist) did a necropsy and anatomy of a discus and tilapia on the channel live.
Regardless thank you for your thoughtful comment and welcome to the community, please let me know if I can assist with anything, and if you notice something incorrect, please let me know, so I can get the proper info out.
I'm basically just doing a college level research paper worth of research each week for the channel, and then some off the top of my head reviews of scholarly news in the hobby...then a troubleshooting livestream on Tuesdays and Fridays at 730pm eastern.
My background is archeology, with minors in history and anthropology, so the science sometimes scrambles my brain a bit, but I try and get assistance from those experts willing to help me out with presenting things correctly hehe.
Again, thanks for writing. Have a great Sunday!
-Alex.
Good evening - The value of your channel based on the video I have commented is your open mind and willingness to entertain different points of view. I am a follower of Cory and do believe he has some valuable information to share but also recognize that he is a businessman, and a successful one at that. He is an entrepreneur and deserves all the credit for building his enterprise in the face of stiff competition. Dr. Novak has proposed some interesting arguments@@Fishtory in support of the anoxic filtration. I would like to see some peer-reviewed articles but have failed to put my hands on any. As a hobbyist for 50+ years I see the same trends in our hobby as I do in my medical practice. The debate and discussion of practices of clinical management that I discovered 35 years ago are still being debated with still no resolution of the issues. It seems we have come full circle such that in the twilight of my career we find ourselves at the same point where I began my career. I applaud fresh eyes, fresh arguments with regard to filtration recognizing that there is no one right way. As a community I think we are fortunate to have fresh and analytical eyes revisit the "old saws" that have been the underpinning of our hobby. Soldier on my friend, and carry the torch of unbiased commentary.
On so many levels, thank you. Thank you for being dignified on middle ground. I appreciate the realistic perspective and I hope people start to listen more and talk less. Most of it is noise because in reality it is all the same. And I completely agree with it is, as is most everything that gets heated, fear based.
Thanks for siding with logic and compassion! I hope we all can have more. I have my issues with things, of course...but lately I'm really trying to focus on moving the community and hobby forward as we all learn from one another
I built a corner ripairum filter its amazing at pulling everything out. But yeah there are lots of different ways of filtering. I really think esthetics is the biggest driver of filtration in home aquariums.
I hear that for sure. 👍 👉
One of the things I actually like most about this hobby is all fights n arguments. Highly entertaining and this wouldn't be a real hobby without 'em
Hahah oh boy! Not me unless it's a good spirited debate... drama is maddening to me.
@@Fishtory same here why can't we all just get along...we always have to remember no one is perfect and glean the good out of every information session there is enough negativity in this messed up world, we don't necessarily need to ad to it...
or try to read people's minds...
and assign intentions to all their comments...
I like the spirited debates as well, but what I hate is all the damned price gouging in the aquarium hobby, especially with high tech tanks; Ferts and plants get freaking insanely priced; it's almost worse than the price of the more colorful large fish.
This...this is great. Thanks man! I love trying different things with my tanks (all small with nano things - 20 gal is the biggest one I've got and only 1 there). The biggest thing I find we could use more of is exactly the kind of thing you are talking about. A merging of what the different species need to be healthy and happy and all the different methods of meeting those needs (preferrably in order of easiest to hardest to pull off with notes of what th eauthor of the list likes the best and WHY they like it) and uh, letting people have fun. I have no such list to provide, unfortunely, I am still too new to really have one thats more than like 2 bullet points long for any one thing (and there are usually dozens out there for different aspects).
When I started delving into this fish tank hobby, I unknowingly used deep substrate and aerobic filtration on my first tank, and I'm glad I did that.
First, my tank is divided into two sections: (i) the front tank, where I put my fish and plants, and (ii) filtration chambers, where I divide it into three connected small tank.
On front tank, I put bacteria starter at the bottom, ‘stir-fried’ garden soil/compost (just to get rid of unneeded pathogens) about 5-7cm deep, then cover it with 2cm pool-filter silica sand.
You can also mix some soil from local waterway or grab those brown sh¡ts from pond/aquarium filter. They work amazing as starter.
On filtration chambers, I had prepared 4 (four) different filtration media.
On first chamber, I put:
• black sponge, only to catch the debris, and;
• ~10cm ceramic block (not bioring), which also works as home for some shrimp who fled from the front tank… 😂
On second chamber, I filled it with kaldness micro k1, along with aerator (+stone).
On third chamber, it's mainly the pump, set up as undergravel filter.
This is why I love you and what I love about how you speak. Well done and thank you for your objectivity!
I'm trying haha. Thank you for listening and being so supportive. I always appreciate the energy and info / questions you bring to our little corner of fishtube here. Thank you!
I love how you research and learn merited facts and bring it on a neutral field. Perhaps some more knowledge on what goes on in our tanks depending on the set up and filtration even down to what we feed our fish/tanks and amount and how often. It depends on what the hobbyist is wanting out of their fish tank to begin with. Honestly I didn’t know what I wanted I just wanted fish again. And No! I didn’t want live plants!!! Lol now I don’t want a tank without live plants lol. So again Alex thank you for bringing this aspect of the hobby. I hate it when someone’s feeling get hurt or discourages them so bad that they get and go away wounded. It will happen but we can help discourage it by not being haughty and think we’ve arrived as the expert lol when really we all are learning something new everyday if we allow ourselves to be humble and open to new things information and ideas. Great video and lol yes, I loved your aerobic/not exercise lol and bringing light into the darkness . Great props with the car going by too! Lol 😂
Lol thank you Susan...you are always so supportive and kind. Thank you for bringing more compassion and reason to the hobby and our community here. I really do appreciate every comment I've seen you leave here. I hope people learn that, above anything else on this channel. To stay curious, stay light hearted when possible, and that knowledge is king, however that does not mean the bearers of knowledge arw too!
I hope you're doing well and have an amazing weekend.
I've just sat engrossed in this chap presenting the most interesting aquatic related video I've seen on youtube.
I have just subscribed (which I rarely do), and I look forward to discovering more common sense information in his back catalogue of videos. Well done and thanks for your work @Fishtory.
Excellent topic. In my fishroom, i'm running some 'anoxic' filters along with traditional setups.
Same here! And some hybrids.. and filterless, and some experiments too. The more the merrier! Cheers
Thanks for coming by Jassen! Always great to hear from you!
You know I love the video's you share, the deep dive content is the best! It's how I found you years ago & why I am a member even though I was born & bred in Australia. "nuff said.
Well that means an enormous amount to me. I truly cant express how humbled and blessed i feel for having the support of community members like you! Thanks mate.
Very much enjoyed this video. I’m 60 got my first aquarium at 13. Have a-lot of fresh and salt water experience.
The Hobby today is nothing like it was back in 1975. So glad because if Iv learned anything about life is that there’s no way I can know everything about anything. And certainly there is so much to learn (if one wants to) that it makes this hobby so much fun. When I put together a tank - I’m building a ducking world for some helpless critter that has no say. Lol. And these critters come from many different types of eco systems. I could go on but I’ll leave it at this - if your narrow minded or know it all or think you have the best way - well Iv found that those attitudes simply limit a person. In many many ways. And I personally have always colored outside the lines.
Again - Thank you for this video🙏🏽
Very well said 👏 thank you
Love the video, I agree, there's no one size fits all when it comes to aquarium setups. There are so many different ways that work. My new system, which has now been running almost a year and the last 7 months with no water changes. I'm using a plenum, with an inch of kitty litter and laterite powder, covered by a deep substrate of Eco Complete and Flourite Stratum, then capped with black sand. I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and pretty much 0 nitrates, and the plants are doing great. Very rarely do I see any color on the nitrate test. This tank is the easiest I've ever done. Also, no algae. Not even on the front glass. I do inject CO2, with moderately high light. And have to do plant trimming often. But it's more relaxing that my previous setup where I was constantly fighting BBA. Anoxic systems do work, and work well. Just as many other systems when done correctly. It's all a learning experience, and you need to find what works for you. Again, great video, loved it.
its great theres so much info now adays , ive recently returned to the hobby and cringe at my previous attempts . Its really getting the right set up you can easily manage ive gone simple lots of plants one species of fish and one type of shrimp only , and its the first tank ive fell in love with and already want another ...I feel often less is more in this hobby .
You got that! There's endless areas to nerd out on...to learn about, and there's always an evolution and change of tech and science in the hobby...I try and show what I'm interested in, and also try and cover what folks ask about, If I research it, and feel I can speak on it, or find an expert who can. Welcome if I haven't said it yet.
would you do a video explain anoxic filtration , I've watched doc Novak , but he talks over my head whereas you talk to me.
Lol sure. I have several already :) just search my channel for anoxic or anaerobic filtration.
In a very condensed explanation, his filter "attack" the ammonia at the source. If you remove the ammonia, then, no Nitrite and no nitrate.... then.... no water change, higher water quality?! I mean his solution (proven true) has been in this hobby for decades, especially on a bigger scale in Asia (koi pond). So, it is not new, but the introduction on this solution at a smaller scale is new. You have draw back, for example you need a Sump system to place the baskets. For fun you can have a sump system for any size of aquarium. I have a sump for a 10 Gallons.... just because I am experimenting and having fun trying different things. So, you can try, Dr. Novak has step by step instruction to create a BCB basket, then, no matter what, you need to educate yourself on how to build a sump system... my smaller version, I used commercial plastic tube...your imagination is the limits.
I think Cory was just saying that his general audience would be bored by a long video going into detail about anoxic filtration and he knows his audience, so I'll trust him on that. Novak is just trippin lol
And Cory was right. My eyes glazed over about half way thru this one 😂
Oh I think that's also true too. But there's this dumb notion that there is a conspiracy against anyone accessing the info... which was published 100 years ago and available online... so I really want the bickering to stop lol
Yeah, I wonder how people are entertained by him talking for 2 hours??
Exactly right. I watched that stream and that was all he meant - content that is great for a very small number of people, nothing more. Never sensed anything conspiratorial about not talking about it, just deeper into the biology that the average fish keeper want to get into. But that's why it's good to seek out numerous creators for a wider view on the hobby :)
@@jawjagrrl well I agree with that...but I'm assuming after getting asked 5,000 times the same question, it may have led to the negative tone or energy that some folks sensed. Not even just the content of the question, but the fact he has been bugged about it frequently. (I've seen probably 5 or 6 times when someone mentions it and Cory usually directs them to Novak's channel if anything.
It's always good to get alternative methods. The more you know the better.
Truth! Thank yuh!
I enjoy you and Cory and father fish you all came to me in my research and hobby as I needed you. Like you I’m keeping fish on a tight budget, but love to see and learn about fish and the cycle and and because I live in Canada I can’t use medications so I looked up how to use salt and found Father Fish and on his channel I found you. I’ve got deep sand beds in my tanks 4 inches deep, I ordered and received Salvinia, and saswasertang, and I’ve a few Anubis and marimo moss balls I took apart. I’m planning to get more Anubis, Java fern, bacopa, swords, and valisenaria to plant up my 20 gallon community aquarium. I am getting more moss for my first fancy shrimp 3.5 gallon aquarium with Orange Sakura shrimp.
Glad to hear it! I think there's room for everyone who treats fish kindly :)
Good talk. I accept that people use air driven sponge filters that are as noisy as they are ugly. They work. It's about the acceptance that there is more than one way to have success keeping fish, shrimp and plants. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method and pushing these ideas beyond a suggestion to other hobbyists isn't worth the emotional trauma it can cause. This is a hobby that is relaxing and fun; there is no need to take the small things too seriously. As a rule, I am suspect of anyone who has a business interest in the hobby; I take nothing they say at face value and hang back until their assertations are proven over time or if I'm interested in the subject/item and want to invest time/money I look at a number of reliable sources and make a decision to proceed or not. I know, I don't know everything and I don't expect any one person to know everything, but our collective knowledge is getting there, so I try to use it as much as possible. On the upside of internet battles... clashes are sometimes useful in revealing source materials via sides trying to prove their points. So in a perverse way, maybe the battles are good for the hobby or at least for people in the hobby who take a step back and try to better understand the subject.
I agree with you, but you are an educated and "critical" hobbyist. It makes the difference, you want to learn before acting. Not everybody is like that, they want a quick solution. Thank you for sharing.
True, I just don't like the drama or paranoia I sense around all this. To each their own! Cheers
I'm a beginner and I truly appreciate you brotha! Great vid 🙏
Well. Welcome Sir Vancealot! And please feel free to ask any questions you may have...or share any cool stuff you think others may benefit from. It's a two way street here and we have some awesome community members and live chat folks who help one another Tuesday's and Fridays at 730pm eastern time. Cheers
@@Fishtory thankyou! I'm sure I will have some questions. I started with a 10g, a deep substrate of snowy river aquarium pebbles for my platinum male Betta. Just a regular filter and 3 Frazeri anubias and 1 java Fern. Have a mystery snail but not sure how I feel about it because it's rather messy leaving white stuff. Love it all. Been a few months though now everything looking good and plants growing. I have watched a few of your videos. I like your style 👍
I LOVE listening to you! You’re well rounded in your knowledge of stuff
Why, thank you. Im here all week...every week lol
Thank you for a message of peace and quaperation. There is always more than one way to do things.
Always. And even if someone is wrong...as long as something isn't hurting others or animals.. as in, they don't know why they're doing something but the tank is healthy regardless... then I'm not one to get picky... but I try and find info to relay that is, as correct as science seems to think it is, currently. Thanks for writing and for your support!
I remember being on a Discord call with the king of DIY (joey Mullen) and asking him what he thought about Kevin Novak and his anoxic filters and his response guides me to this day. The anoxic filters work and can be useful but that’s not to say a tank with a HOB or sponge filter is “wrong” as long as the fish in the aquarium are happy, you can use what ever filter works for your tank.
MORE tools in your toolbox, allows you to solve MORE problems as they arise.
I use a combination of all of these depending on the tank or tote/planter pond. The knitting mesh UGF filters I make are super easy to custom size for round/non uniform bases.
IMHO though, my tanks with my anoxic UGF's have been the most stable with little involvement or intervention from me over the last few years. They're just my put stuff in and things survive tanks. Even in my 10 in my room, I just found out I still have dwarf crayfish in with my paradise fish. I thought they were gone for awhile, hence the paradise fish.
One is a convicted felon, one is a retail business owner, and one is a biologist - doesn’t take a rocket scientist here to figure out who knows his stuff. Ego is always a factor but facts remain facts.
@@CocoVanderbilt-wx5ijhahaha wow I think you just formed the Voltron of logical fallacies. None of those things you mentioned about their backgrounds have anything to do with someone being more factual than another. Also, if you are impressed with a PhD you have not met enough Phds. Their ratio of morons to geniuses in comparison to the general public’s appears to be about the same.
I think people sometimes diss anaerobic tanks, beacause it is geekish and not very sexy (lol). Understanding cycles of N and C can be difficult , espessially when some people seem to think that plants are only for decor.
Also chemoautotrofs as a group are not that well understood. And nobody ever talk about Arcs, only bacteria when it comes to nitrogen cycles.
And telling people to check redox-tower to understand bacteria in their tank might be too scary.
I think Walstad brings good points in her book about both ways, high tech and low tech.
Understanding both methods helps us as a hobbyist to take better care of our tanks and fish 🐠
100% I couldn't have said It better... if I could have lol...the video would be 5 minutes instead... maybe you should be my script writer haha. Have a good one my friend!
@@Fishtory it is good to have people who are explaining these things to people who are interested in these topics, but find it hard to study on themselfs.
I actually think Aquarium Co-op and Dr. Novak are both great for the fish hobby and for its future growth. Different opinions drive experimentation and innovation and there is nothing wrong with doing things differently than others. Co-op is trying to be like an ambassador and Dr. Novak is the professor trying to teach. I think the some of the animosity is coming from people who want a voice or may be a name in the industry and arguments seem to find more people than agreements. Great video, thanks.
I agree for the most part. Novak's video have been decidedly more paranoid and dark since I posted this though. And I hate to see that.
one guy is a salesman masquerading as a fish keeper. his vids are full of his mistakes. is it ok to ask about what happened to the hundreds of clown loaches he had in the 800 gallon that just quietly went away. the whole tank of discus he set up in 2 days that blew up? the other guy is just a fish keeper.
@@Fishtory it's not fish doing it. political turmoil has stirred up regular people like a nest of angry wasps. they are attacking financially, sexually, racially, speech, freedoms, law, taxes, inflation, covid lockdowns, the border crisis, the drug crisis, anything and everything, even the FAA was invoked yesterday to shut down transportation. the fabric of society is coming apart and will continue until usa looks like a post apocalyptic nightmare from "clockwork orange' a movie way ahead of it's time.
@@bobs5596 You must live in Russia, in America companies need salesmen to build a business. You can't build a company on stupidity, you need salesmen and people that appeal to the customer. But I guess you're smarter than they are so that's why you run your mouth.
@@lw7238 i always seem to find the loser...
Hey, just discovered your channel, great stuff. There's definitely more than one way to skin a cat. Anoxic filtration is fascinating. Deep sand beds have been used in the saltwater hobby for a long time where water is far more precious than for us freshies. Richard (pondguru) with the biohome media used anoxic filtration to digest nitrates. Walstad talks about anoxic zones in her book, I think she talked about using blackworms to turn over these zones but I can't remember exactly. I vaguely remember reading an article about using a dirty sponge filter, very slow moving water and all that, not sure how well that'd work in a sponge but they claimed success.
Bingo! You got it. Black worms work but Malaysian trumpet snails seem to be Even better from my experience and what I hear anecdotally. But I try it all out and then take bits or pieces that work for me. And try not to idolize anyone for their role in the method also...which I never thought would be "a thing" when re-entering the hobby 8 or 9 years ago haha
@@Fishtory thanks for the reply, I use Malaysian trumpets as well, but mostly because they're available to me and multiply like crazy for me.
I've kind of gone full circle, I have a couple of planted nanos that I play with, aquasoil, walstad, got some worm castings on the way, I'm excited to try that out but now I'm back on undergravel filtration, I use a network of pvc pipe under a 5 inch (or so) gravel bed driven by a maxijet powerhead and honestly it's been my most stable set up (I put a short on my channel if anyone wants to see the tank) I have had in years
I love rewatching your stuff. Well said sir about the topic.
Thank you very kindly my friend
Ooof, I was afraid I would run into this very debate two years ago when I was considering what Dr. Novak and others were presenting. I've been in and out of the freshwater hobby since I was 11. When I came back to the hobby in my 20's my favorite filter was gone. No versions of it were available anymore. That change forced me to learn more about all aspects of fish keeping. When I returned to the hobby a third time, it was all about the planted tank. I really wish this hobby of all the things to do on the planet was a continuous learning refuge. Maybe it still can be. I certainly hope so because I have learned from Walstadt, Novak, the planted tank garden crowd, the shrimp crowd, Tanner's imaginative experiments, and yes; this channel over the last 5 years.
I'm honored if I can even a make a footnote in that list of yours! Haha. And yes... I think Novak has some personal grievances or something, because his content is needlessly defensive ..or perhaps incorrectly focused on who to be defensive of? I mean I've watched cory of co-op send people his way like half a dozen times when they ask about the topic... regardless of the individuals and egos involved, I just hope we can all keep an open mind and try bits and pieces from all over the hobby and take what works best for each of us. Have a great week, by the way!
@@Fishtory You've been at or near the top long before Novak. You had me at "archeology" five years ago 😉👍
The problem I find is when people hold an accepted wisdom as the only truth. Yes, that accepted wisdom can work but it doesn't necessarily exclude other wisdoms.
....Now there's THE TRUTH! lol
Thanks for explaining what went on. I stay outside the community just because of things like this - its always been this way - but I heard there was some recent drama and wondered what it was.
Run... run far away. Lol no, it was mostly Novak feeling attacked and leveling some pretty intense criticism at Cory...and I know cory had pointed people his way over and over in the past, so my guess is he was partially tired of being asked
I'm in the process of setting up a couple of breeding tubs for shrimp and was considering installing an anoxic filter. What I like about the idea is that they take up basically no room in the tank and I believe that shrimp won't end up under the filter (lol, we will see about that!) Back in the 90's I had undergravel filters and found that they did a good job but like most I got sucked into adding power heads and hang on the back filters. Before I knew it my tanks were noisy and a lot less fun for me. Over the last couple of years I have been using corner matten filters and they work well also but take up a lot of room in a smaller tank, thus the anoxic seems more desireable. Long story short, thanks for the video, I appreciate your perspective and knowledge sharing.
Sure thing. Go for it. It's worth seeing if you like it. But its just a lot of science that isnt fully understood yet
I didn't realize that I was using anoxic filtration back in the 70s! Now I use canisters and have learned about the ammonia - nitrogen cycle. The canister works too. As long as my fish are colored up, growing, eating and happy I'm good.
Exactly! Great point! 👍
Great video! Wish I had seen it sooner. I think it's unfortunate that these egos are getting in the way of helping people learn more and try new things. New hobbyists are finding these channels every day, and it's sad they are learning these dismissive and closed minded habits from creators who should be setting a better example. Nobody has the "right" method. Diversity and variety in this hobby should be encouraged, not shunned. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on this.
You and me both!
Can I ask what you think the downsides of bcb anoxic filtration are? Do you think it could be used in a very large (,ie, 25,000 litres) outdoor pond system either as a standalone system or alongside a more traditional system? Thanks. I enjoyed this video and have subscribed.
Please point me in the right direction on other videos about this, specifically on deep substrate. You and Father Fish have motivated me to start my first dirted tank. I want to learn as much as I can about this! Thank you!
Any of my tank builds or videos on substrate and filterless tanks should have lots of info on the topic. I hope that helps
I have a slow moving plenum in my high tech tank that's in all my videos. I can't get scientific but I can say it ate phosphate heavily for a long time and this tank seems to stay super clean, whereas before the build, I was doing mega water changes often. Past few months I just top off and do small wc only if I mess with the plants. Maybe something there? 🤔🤷♂️ I'm not a biologist.
I find in small tanks the system hasn't seemed to work for me...and quite a few others, but the bigger the pond or aquarium,.the better that system seems to work (just my 2 cents and observations). But thank you for sharing... I sort of keep a loose tally in my head as folks tell me their experience with various things in the hobby
I think Cory shares his honest opinion and should be allowed to do so without someone claiming he's in it for the money. Well, of course he partly is, but he is a hobbyist and master horticulturist as well. I have watched a few of Mr. Novaks videos and have disagreed with him, but I didn't leave a mean comment saying he's a pompous know it all because he has a PH.D... None of Cory's advice has ever strayed me wrong, nor yours, nor Father Fish's. You all share a lot of views and disagree on a lot as well, and that's healthy- what isn't healthy is tearing others down, regardless of status. We can all learn together and from one another, none of us know it all, and never will.
100% and I appreciate your take and mature handling of ... well being an adult lol. Thank you
👍
Cory likes to delete comments that run counter to his narrative…remember he’s really just trying to peddle his wares
Just a thank you for everything you do for the hobby. Take care. Thanks again.
This is so kind and thoughtful! Thank you so much. I hope you have a wonderful finish to your week
You said you’re no expert however you’ve said things I’ve never heard before that are on another level. Hats off to you, sir. I’ve learned here. I agree though, there’s different ways to do things. Just like parenting. People will disagree with how you do your habits but if it works for you- then do it.
Definitely check out any of my videos on whatever subject your curious about... there's 900 over nearly 6 years...they can be boring to non fish nerds for sure...they're often just sharing new research papers and so forth.
But if you have more questions that you don't find answers to on my videos, please don't hesitate to write me/leave a comment.
Good morning Alex. Thanks for the awesome info 🤩
Good morning Angie! I hope you have a great day!
I have a 5 gallon tank in my room fully planted and no filtration due to the tank inhabitants; killifish and dwarf pencilfish, as they don't like current. It's been thriving for a year w/o filtration due to the amount of plants. Nature has made it so simple for us. Humans and industry are the ones who complicate it, but I get it... people gotta make money and sell products..😆
I agree with you, I am keeping fish for a long time, and I have to "call" fish from time to time to keep higher quality fish in my stock... My wife wanted to rescue the fish I "discarded". I put a 2 gallons tank in her bathroom, no filter, no heater, full of plants. Then, I forgot about it. The fish are very much alive, and every 6 months my wife is asking me to change the water... and with shame I remember OH shit! I forgot about your tank!! and to my surprise, the fish look great.
@@fredgerard7375 Frequent water changes are for tanks with plastic plants! 😆
Part of the reason this works for you are the fish you keep, killifish generally do well in more stagnant setups , they like clean water like all fish, but don't need dissolved oxygen at high levels or absolutely pristine conditions , like many more active faster swimming fish do
Lol yes... I have several "filterless" tanks too. I get why some systems and species benefit with that tech, and also love that some species are just fine in a natural style tank
@@knyghtryder3599 I definitely wouldn't do a hillstream tank like this lol
I live for this. I've been watching for a couple of years already. How time flies
Well thank you kindly! And officially... Welcome, Zimrian! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
Great video very interesting topic. The way you said "get outta here, go enjoy your life" reminded me of an actual teacher!
Lol oh geeze am I getting to that point now? Well there have been almost 1000 videos now in 5 years and I did teach while in college...maybe I got it from that hehe
Ammonia (NH3) is actually neutral and NH4 (ammonium) is positively charged. They must use negatively charged media to bind to ammonium, not ammonia. I think people generally use the word “ammonia” when they actually mean “ammonium”.
Yes, thank you and I got it switched around while speaking off the cuff. But I do get it...but what a screw up lol. Thanks for putting the correct info out. I appreciate it!
Great job, new here. Loving your channel and info… thankyou
Welcome to the channel and thank you kindly. Make yourself right at home! Cheers
Thank you, really. It is a relieve to see a channel that does not take side. By reading the comments below, it is interesting to see that many of your viewers are, let say, more seasoned, experienced than the average fish keeper. I have been watching Dr. Novak ideas for a long time, to the point I set up a BCB system myself. I also created a Bio wood chip reactor as an experiment. I cannot say with great success, but trying and developing knowledge is prime. I also provided review (bad and good) to the CO-OP products, and I am a customer. Bottom line, you are completely right. It is a big disappointment to see RUclipsrs dismissing each other without healthy discussion. Regarding plants, thank you, thank you, thank you... it is so more difficult for a plant to absorb nutrient under water, than in the atmosphere. After decade of review, it is clear that plants are helping, but a true positive results means a massive planted aquarium, and in opposite, few plants will not make a lot of difference (chemistry wise). Today, I have great success by having "terrestrial" plants in baskets and developing their roots inside the aquarium. Why it is the best of both world for me? because the plants are growing in an atmospheric environment and still focusing on photosynthesis (easily), and the roots are using nutrients from the water. Not adding the esthetic point, it looks nice. I also agree with you, we forget that this hobby is branching out to different forms. Some want to create a natural set-up, some want to focus on reproduction, some want to have their mega tank in their leaving room, some create a fish room in their garage, etc... we are different, but with a common goal = fish, and no matter what, we need good water quality. What I believe, it is the way we grow-up in this hobbit, we are becoming more educated one step at the time. What I will recommend is to learn step by step, and grow in complexity based on experience and knowledge. I do not see a young beginner starting a betta fish tank with Dr. Novak solution... see what I mean? thank you for your channel and your viewers.
Thank you for your wisdom and input! Very well put
I'm just happy there are so many ways to keep a successful tank and the info is so easy to find now despite the drama. You never know what nugget of info you'll come across to add to your arsenal of knowledge, doesn't really matter if I like the person giving it or not it's all useful. I don't care for the drama as most of it is petty and quite unnecessary but I can tell you a lot live for this kind of drama and like to fuel it unfortunately. I appreciate your channel btw and have gleaned many good "nuggets " of knowledge from your videos, so thank you.😁 I've been in the hobby since I was a child and have come to a point where simplicity is the ultimate sophistication for me.
Haha thank you. I dont love the drama... we are all just trying to keep fish at the end of the day
Anoxic filtration is working for me. Learned about it from you. Thank you for sharing
There you go! I keep tanks with it in use. I keep tanks with NO filters...and I keep tanks with 2 OVERSIZED filters lol. I just think we should share the info that exists. I don't think Cory was being conspiratorial about making money by ignoring it...it's just a niche concept and a bit more info to learn beyond what many people know in the hobby already. I always love hearing your feedback Brian. Thanks my friend.
Thought I had already subbed you - fixed that. You may not be an expert, but I put you at the top of the list along with @Michael's Fish Room for straight, honest, researched and experienced information. I will also say that the sheen has faded from The Co-op in my eyes, it seems the bigger he gets the less he remembers why he started doing it. Thanks for the videos! ( I use deep bed, heavily planted with a decent sponge filter and have been top-off only for almost 3 years on my longest running. As I move tanks to expand my fishroom, I will be changing from sponge to matten and adding undergravel in the larger tanks)
Well thank you kindly and welcome. 🙏
Yeah my experience with the kitty litter baskets was that it did not provide any significant reduction in my weekly accumulation of nitrates. I tried 6 large baskets in a 40 gal sump for a 135 gallon african cichlid tank (no plants). The baskets were in there for 11 months. The end result was that it just worked the same in comparison to any other biomedia I’ve tried. It absolutely won’t hurt your fish. I also think the baskets are lower maintenance than the other biomedia I’ve used. My pot scrubbies and seachem matrix, bio balls- they all would get clogged up with detritus after several months. The baskets did not. But I did not see any significant reduction in my weekly accumulation of nitrates. I really wished it did, but it did not for me. I still had to do my regular water changes to keep down the nitrates. That’s the only problem I have with Novak is that he claims it’s reducing nitrates significantly, which wasn’t the case for me and many others that I know have tried it. And his research isn’t published in any peer reviewed scientific journal either, which is strange for a PhD in my opinion. But I appreciate everyone being passionate about the hobby and having fun. It’s sad to see the finger pointing on each side. Novak can be a little harsh on people that disagree with him and he deletes any comments that don’t go along with his viewpoints. He has blocked me from commenting a long time ago, ha.
Yeah we're in the same boat then lol. Thanks for sharing your experiences. There is work published on anoxic filtration/ microbes but some of his claims are dubious at best...and I'm currently trying to find if he has a PhD in anything...because I have found no proof of it and he suspiciously won't answer.
@@Fishtory that’s funny, we’ve gone down the same road. I got a little suspicious in his book where he quotes his background but gives no mention of where he got his education or did research. Here is the quote from his book under “about the author”: “An ichthyologist and limnologist consultant and a mechanical programming design engineer by profession. With a PhD in Ichthyology and post graduate studies in limnology and aquatic microbiology, respectively.” That’s a lot of hats to wear and more education than a medical doctor. I could not find anything in my searches to find out what degree he actually has or what university he was at. My colleague and I have asked him several times on RUclips where he got his PhD and where he used to be an ichthyology professor at, but he deletes the questions. I usually don’t like talking about this because it goes back to finger pointing and seems like I’m badmouthing another aquarists, but I just keep coming back to that question. Please let me know if you find proof. Would love to have that answered.
@@Fishtory I and at least one other colleague have asked Dr. (Mr?) Novak directly where he has his PhD, where he has his academic credentials from, and where he has taught related subjects- which he has frequently mentioned. All we hear is "crickets" from Dr. (Mr.) Novak so far and these questions have been asked for more than a year.
@@HalfManHalfCichlid I too have asked with my account and burner accounts... I'm going with Mr. Novak until I see any proof. Maybe he has some phd...maybe even in limnology but that is an extremely specific field only taught at 9 schools in the USA as a Dr. Level.
His take was pretty straightforward and inoffensive unless you're very insecure in your own approach. All he said was he personally, having tried it, has no interest in it because you can accomplish something functionally similar (ie assimilatory denitrification via plants) with much less effort (and comparable or lower expense), and it's not something that is going to be interesting to his main target demographic which is novice or 'basic' fish keepers. Something like 37% of the people who watch him according to a poll have only one tank if I remember right. One tank people probably aren't going to be messing around with AFS. There are those folks out there who enjoy aquariums as chemistry projects, but most people are in it for the fish.
There are a large number of paths to success and an equally large number of paths to failure, and 'success' and 'failure' themselves are often open ended concepts in this hobby. You can have a tank full of healthy, active fish with dull water and a substrate that's 50% mulm, not pretty but it's breeding fish! Or you can have fish wasting away from mycobacteriosis in crystal clear
I'm with you 100% ... and the baskets work at a certain mass and surface area...theoretically and in practice of labs and sewer plants, but I'm also of the opinion that in a tank there are a lot of variables. and I think I'm now convinced, after many trials and listening to others... that they get coated in nitrofying bacteria and just end up being clogged surface area at some point . My filterless planted tanks often run at 20 ppm or lower nitrates WITH NOTHING lol
@@Fishtory Every thing Cory says ends up costing a lot of money. I started with him. Cory:Plants, moderate amount of substrate, Fertilize substrata and water, No CO2, lower light levels, small amounts of quality food, water change if tests are high, medicate your tank. I was blaming myself for not understanding the complex balancing act of light water condition, temperature and food that is needed in Cory's method, but after a couple of hundred dollars and much more research, I found he doesn't make logical sense. Without CO2 and high light levels plants cannot make vigorous growth and unless they are growing plants don't take up much nitrogen. Cory's system simply breaks down into feed your fish super minimally and change your water as needed by test results. With the BCB, I took out the sponge and bio media in my existing tank and swapped it for the BCB with fish in. I used a tank starter I think API and no problems from day one. From the second day my tank has had zero Ammonium, nitrates and nitrites - I am using cat litter so it sucks up nitrogen even before the bacteria develops, it also sucks up calcium so don't put in a new BCB with shrimp. Anyway, my tank is now more than a year old and it is running fine. BCB is the easier filter to run, it is just these YT fish experts are too lazy( or financially scared) to actually try it full on( no gravel at bottom, either no substrate, plenum, or planter baskets).
I'm a novice. Cory helped simplify things for me while I'm still learning. All these other stuff just turns me off. Only thing I've noticed is snooty people trying to tear someone down just to boost themselves and their method just because it's a lot more complex. In other words, elitist.
@Hydra Bob B I'm no Elitist. But I am not a novice either, I've kept a very neglected tank for 30+ years but last summer the last fish in that tank died. It was a Striped Raphael Catfish that lived for 20 years even though I virtually never did water changes, filter cleaning or regularly fed the fish(and the few times I fed them I gave them way to much to make up for the difference). Basically by accident I created a balance with the huge amount of bacteria and algae in the tank. The walls were covered in an inch long plush carpet of beautiful colored algae and all the creatures that were living in that micro-sphere and on the other end an spectrum an Aquaclear 70 full of so much fish poop that the sponge feels like its in-bedded in clay(You have to keep squeezing under water to break down the poop-clay) so the filter inside was completely Anoxic. That Anoxic poop filter and the lush algae grow cleaned the water amazingly. I cleaned the filter and change the water(3/4 water change) once a year and fed the fish about a teaspoon of Wardley flakes every few months(I fed him when I remembered to do so). The fish was about 5 inch long and was in a 20gal tall with HOB and air stone, 1 inch white gravel, no plenum. So after its death, I decided to get back in the hobby but this time educate myself and learn from an expert. The one the came to my attention first was Cory. I was thinking "Oh, I'll be replacing the algae with Aquatic plants". So I setup my tank with 2in(2 bags) Eco complete black and buy some of the plants he suggested: Anubias, Crypts, Java moss, Java fern, Dwarf Lilly, and
Aponogeton But watching more Coops videos made me think I need more substrate so added to more bags to get 4 inch. Month later, nothing is really growing well and the water still needs biweekly water changes(1/4 tank) every two weeks. I put fish and plants in at the same time so expected frequent water changes until the tank cycled but after a month I thought I'd be about closer to my catfish tank. Watched more videos and decided I needed fertilizer for water and substrate and a $50 plant light. No change to tank but still watching coops videos and from those decided I needed better and more varied fish food, got Amano shrimp and Nerite snails(those were good advice). Also bought the triple medication and water conditioners too. No change. I found the tank maintenance requirements were the same as an unplanted tank but because of the light, I was getting algae like crazy - not the wonderful stuff that grew in my catfish tank but instead, black beard algae and gray string algae. I figured I did not dial in my light balance, water quality, fertilizer, or amount of fish food I gave. But after several months without reaching anywhere near what my old tank did, I just stopped and started analyzing Corys method and it does not make sense. You cannot process a lot of Ammonia and nitrites unless the plant is actively growing - a plant at rest respiring uses little nitrates. Growth requires CO2 and strong light. Without these the plants can only process a little fish waste so uneaten food must be kept to a minimum. But the truth is if you don't over feed and do 1/4 water change a month, any tank will work fine - even a simple plantless tank like the kits they sell at Petco and you don't have to buy all this extra stuff and try to learn a balancing act. At this time I saw Dr Novaks videos and it caught my eye. By now I've been researching sewage treatment and off grid black water processing and noticed its all the same. Anoxic bacteria is used to decompose nitrates in these systems but the flow is super slow. Design-wise this is hard to do. How do have a strong enough flow to suck fish poop out of your tank yet the filter can handle only a drip for a flow? The BCB filter is ingenious. It allows you to convert a regular filter into anoxic. The normal flow of the filter catches poop in the sponge(clean regularly) but lets the flow back mostly flow around the filter so that only a trickle flows. I made a BCB and it works. A properly built BCB baskets work wonders. The choice of cat litter is also ingenious, Cat liters intended purpose is to absorb animal waste and it does this very well. However, it sucks up all minerals(like activated charcoal does) so if you have things that need minerals, you should allow a BCB to settle down about 2 months. So otherwise, you can setup a brand new tank, new fish, BCB and just use a starter like the API one. The cat liter will suck up the waste so you wont need to water change and after a while the bacteria kick in and the minerals are no longer absorbed. My tanks been running 6 months with BCB and no water changes. The BCB costed about $30 to make and its trouble free. Coops methods costed me hundreds of dollars and their system is so temperamental and delicate.
I'd say for a beginner, taking a few hours to understand a BCB basket and then making one is easy and tank cycling is a thing of the past. But RUclips channels that requiring funding from viewers will not promote these system because it will kill their income. For the same reason you will never see BCBs on sale so you have to make them yourself.
@@hydrabobb6407 exactly. Demeaning someone just to prove your point is pretty toxic. Not sure what kind of person would gravitate towards that. I'd ask one of them but don't really have the energy to hear their story as they try to stroke their egos. ☝️😴
It's ironic that you spoke on this because about 2 weeks ago I stumbled on dr novaks channel. You said it all perfectly .different ways for different people or situations. Well put :)
Well I'm glad we can agree to let folks disagree haha. Cheers
Well said Alex, 👍👏👏there are many different ways to reach the same destination, no need to be putting anyone down for it. I've seen Cory be INCREDIBLY honest about how your LFS can benefit from you having sick fish even but not want to do that to his customers. I've also seen him tell stories about the early days and times he nearly went bankrupt. Personally I go for heavily planted, but I can understand why breeders often keep bare tanks. No need to have any of this divide us, 🫶 we're stronger together than apart 🤝 🙊🙉🙈
Edit: oh wow, Cory really did shut that discussion down fast 🤭 off to watch the Dr Novaks one 👀
Haha yeah well novak goes off the handle too ( if the vodeo is still around) lol. But yes... cant we all just...get along?!
Love your ability to be diplomatic. I understand the different 'type' of keeping that's out there. 30, 35 years ago we called it 'clear-water' and 'yellow-water' ( not actually yellow or nasty water ) The 'clear' water crowd has those sterile perfect balance of this and that where the keeper is the balancer / scientist, then there's the 'yellow' water crowd where the keeper lets nature, environment and some basic science dictates what happens. Some claim each method has it's benefits and that's where I'm at. Many of us old F _ _ ks are into under-gravel filters or Walstead but the newer crowd won't hear of it. I love both camps. If a person loves the hobby they'll weigh a few things out and let their style develop. On my 'Tank You' page ( FaceBook ) I try and keep any tips simplified and good for families and children, nothing worse than turning people off. When a family is ready to advance then they'll seek more thorough knowledge like yourself, Father Fish and Dr. Kevin Novak. I'm far from the guy who 'should' be giving out advice, but some people need it. I'm the retired printer / artist who makes free art for the hobby so I give suggestions in memes. Let me know if you'd like any FREE art. Thanks a million-five .......
One thing ive thought about is:
If you have a well run in canister filter, how much of the sponges in there is fully aerobic?
There is a lot of bacteria in a filter which form a biofilm, which can be stacked by species which need different nutrients and amounts of oxygen, with bacteria that prefer less oxygen such as the denitrifying bacteria living under a few layers of other bacteria
At the same time, not all nitrogen comes out of fish in the form of ammonia and there also need to be microbes breaking down organic matter and organic nitrogen compounds in the filter
Those bacteria in the mats might also be able to use some nitrogen from the water coloumn and remove it that way
I think my point is that filtration is complicated and often, the ecosystem will also adapt to what you do if it has a chance to do so
Regarding Cory:
I pretty much agree with your assessment of what he is doing
While he is very openly selling stuff i got the feeling, that a lot of his own product line stems from a long time fish nerd being annoyed at bigger players in the hobby throwing garbage onto shelves of fish stores
I didnt watch any of the description vids, but ive seen cory being asked about undergravel filters and he basically said that there is people that do it but he isnt one of them and thus cant really give good advice
Maybe he phrased it poorly, but imma try to not feed the YT algorithm too much with drama stuff because at the end of the day i dont really care
And this also gets to a problem with those algorithms in general
Conflict seems to drive increased engagement within any given community almost independent of the platform.
Not sure if thats a factor here though
And whatever the actual reason is, ive seen some drama happening here with that Monarch or whatever and I dont think it was productive for anyone involved, regardless of the reason behind it
Yeahhhh, also I believe plant roots generally create oxygen around their roots in a thin layer anyhow, let alone the micorrhizal activity of fungus and plants working together
I agree with SC here... maybe something is going on in low oxygen within the filter, we haven't Even studied all the various bacteria that adapt and colonize these ecosystems...so while maybe something is going on, it's definitely different than the low oxygen regions v. Totally absent of o2 regions.
when I siphon mulm out of my ancistrus tank, I sometimes think I smell H2S. Is it possible that, not more then 1 cm of mulm, is in fact an anoxic environment within my well aerated tank, and so aerobic and anoxic layers co-exist in aquariums (substrate, mulm,...) and filters more then we think even when we intent to only create an aerobic environment ? I'm sorry if asking obvious things, i'm not a chemist.
@@SC-hk6ui Honestly, I think you are too dismissive of the value of excercising your knowledge
I specifically phrased my comment as a question asking to what degree we might find the required conditions for denitrification within conventional filtration systems vs systems specifically designed to support denitrifying bacteria
Its a question of adaptability, coexistence, competition and sybiosis we are not even close to fully understanding IMO
Im also of the firm conviction, that any given ecosystem adapts to its conditions.
Regarding this, I can tell you about one of my two tanks, which is a valesneria jungle but also has several other slow growing plants (enchilodus, java fern) which dont do much denitrification.
Since the soil is only gravel, it stands to reason, that the val takes most nitrogen from the water coloumn.
Its a 200l (50 gallon) tank which didnt have any algae eaters in it.
Normally the tank kept a steady 10 ppm NO3 for months at a time with a canister filter.
When I added 3 bristlenose plecos, the nitrate shot up to over 100 ppm within 24h, just because the plecos removed a bunch of biofilm (which was probably fully aerobe).
So plants are not the full story and denitrifying bacteria dont seem to be the full story as well.
Which brings me back to my original comment also mentioning other potential mechanisms of removing substances which might play a role in the whole picture.
Im perfectly aware, what actual research into this takes and i sure as sh*t dont have those resources at hand.
In absence of this I like for example watching this channel and excercising my brain about concepts im generally familiar with that are related to a passion of mine.
If all you care about is "real science" then commenting under YT channels definetively isnt that.
I was hoping that someone might know more details about a topic im only loosely familiar with regarding the N requirements of aerobic microbes or plants and how this relates to the n cycle in general.
Im in the process of doing my master thesis currently , but one thing ive already realized is that the attitude of many scientists is resonsible for a general distrust within the public. I dont presume to know anything extraordinary, but did some speculation and was met with literal ridicule for essentially mainly agreeing with you, as it turns out.
Thanks for engaging in an open minded conversation where you share so much of your knowledge :)
Hey Alex,
No doubt about it, that fish and aerobic microbiota need to live in an oxygen abundant habitat, and that anoxic micro-organisms need a different and separate habitat to exist, allowing the two different environments to co-exist and interact requires a strategy.
In the 1980's I bought a German made SERA Brand, Bio-denitrifyer. It was a hang on the back sealed elongated box, which had aquarium water trickled in at one end, and it trickled out the other end after passing through at about 1 litre per hour.
You dropped in a carbon source tablet every other day, to stimulate the anoxic bacteria to convert dissolved NO3 into Nitrogen gas.
These days I run a trickle flow plenum in the substrate, but high aerobic flow water filtration with canister filters in the water column.
In this way I incorporate both microbiota habitats in the one aquarium, and very happy with my results after 40 years with this style of fish keeping.
Great video topic mate :)
@@SC-hk6ui WOW!!!
You are confusing anoxic with anaerobic.
Anoxic is low oxygen.
Anaerobic is no oxygen.
We'll have to disagree then mate.
They were not carbon dioxide tablets either, they were carbon source, and the water leaving the SERA denitrifying box had zero measurable nitrate.
@aussie aquatic, I hear you, but I think that's a different filtration method done with anaerobic bacteria that require carbon, sulphur and iron (if I recall?) I dunno ..there are a ton of ways to do things though and u appreciate your input and you sharing your experiences. Thanks
I guess I am an experimenter too I have regular aerobic filtration hang on the back tanks I have some very heavily planted anaerobic tanks (and yes they do work I haven't registered nitrate in them in some time or amonia and nitrite for that matter) Granted I use the API test which starts out reading at 5ppm but if its staying under that I am happy. I have recently started an anoxic plenum tank and it is beginning to work as well (it takes about 2 months for the anoxic bacterium to colonize). So I like what you are saying here, we can all get along and should and don't knock a thing until you've tried it. From what I can tell all of these systems work and have merits in different situations I have shell dwellers well they dig dig dig the substrate so deep substrate systems whether anoxic or anaerobic don't work well there. I have a deep substrate heavily planted anaerobic tank with angels and rummy nose tetras ottos and others it works wonderfully for that and I rarely do water changes of any kind to it. I have started as I say experimenting with anoxic and what I really want to do with it is use it for my outdoor pond but also if I find it works well maybe have a discus tank using it, I would love to have discus but daily water changes deter me to be able to do it once a week or what have you would be amazing. So there you have it 3 scenarios where different systems of filtration have merit.
100% you nailed it... I have 7 different filtration methodologies/ styles including none lol. So If science supports it, or I'm just experimenting based on mimicking nature, I think it's always a good thing... but when you get tied to one concept in any field or arena, you start to lose objectivity. Something which I value about as much as a social construct and consensus of "truth". Cheers!
Is there a timestamp on the aquarium co-op stream when the anoxic filtration convo happened?
Yeah I listed it in the pinned comment...it's very subtle and quick...but triggered like 5 emails and 2 texts headed my way, after Novak posted about his feelings on things.
It's only about a minute into it
@@Fishtory cool cool thanks
OK Alex bring them together and you should be the moderator. Wouldn't that be something? Better yet bring Corvus and the doctor together.
Lol I'd love to. But there ain't a chance in Hell unfortunately.
I'm all for under gravel , with any other type of filter to collect solids , hell I even use under-gravel for my 40,000L tank (plastic pallets with shade cloth over top ), essentially 60 x uplifts with 40x of them running to external filtration systems to separate solids out so no build up , I rather use air for filtration over water pumps
I hear you :) all preference and depends on what your doing... spawning, community, cold v. Warm water and plants v rift cichlids or whatnot. Thanks for sharing your favorite method. I'm always curious what works best for different keepers. Have a good week!
Can you explain how to use air filtration? Thank you.
As an Aussie, living in China, Cheers, Great Vid!! Well rounded and thoughtful. Happy Days mate!
Haha right on. Thanks. Cheers to you as well. Have a wonderful weekend!
I had a 30 gal tank that I ran for a few years with a hang on back filter, but after I got my java moss up and going I slowly stopped doing water changes. For several years I only added water to it when it was low, it was supporting 40-60 mollies and countless babies. Eventually, my 30 gal was starting to smell pretty bad, now and then I had to syphon up the mulm off of the bottom. Java moss completely took over. It lasted for several years only adding water, but eventually I had to go back to syphoning / water changes or else the mulm would take over.
Some filtration is needed, you don't want a ton of mulm/mud/crud/etc... build up. Around ponds and lakes the mud can be several feet thick.
Yeah it wont last forever, that's for sure
You are awesome my man thanks for the new upload
Thanks for coming by Ivan. Have a great day