@@NaturalAquaria Absolutely, but even a proprietary system can be replaced with non-name-brand sponge/floss/media. Like the Fluval FX series for example, everyone assumes you need to order new sponge from Fluval, but all you need is a sponge pad with similar PPI and cut it to fit yourself. Even then, that's a once per year replacement in most cases. DEFINITELY not trying to be argumentative, I'm just *very* against cartridge-style filters lol
I find the true commitment is time, which drops dramatically once the tank becomes balanced.. well worth every minute tho considering how much enjoyment i get out of it. :D
Setting up a new saltwater aquarium. Should I add live rock before it has cycled or after? And can you do a video of using bottled amonia to cycle a tank vs using livestock? Tanks.
I think one of the most common aquarium misconceptions is that small aquariums are harder. Probably the most important maintenance for most tanks is water changes. With a 2-1/2 or 5 gallon tank, changing a few cups of water once or twice a week is all that's needed. And if there's a small difference in temperature difference this will not affect most species and can actually induce spawning. I'm always hearing larger tanks are generally easier, but from my experience this simply isn't true, even for saltwater aquariums (with the possible exception of tanks for SPS [Small-Polyped Stony] corals).
@@andystokes8702 Just had family over for spaghetti dinner last week. A comment I heard while I was in the kitchen "Enough is ENOUGH!" She has no idea of my dreams of Apistos, Shellies and/or Baddis! If she only knew my past. I got it bad!!!
@@kinglyzard I would love to offer some sort of lifeline but unfortunately I can't. MTS is virtually incurable, one you have it there is nothing that can cure it.
Learned something new! Was admiring my crystal clear water thinking it’s a good sign the water is in good shape...now I know, need to replenish the test strips! Also was wondering if I needed to add an air stone. Thanks!
Test strips, IME, are not as accurate as the bottled, liquid reagents. They're a little more work and a few more bucks, but your fish are worth the extra mile. Airstones don't hurt, unless you have a seriously planted aquarium that requires added CO2 gas. Otherwise, they add some current and additional O2
relatively new to fish hobby, just under a year. I added an air diffuser to heavily planted 10 gallon tank with sponge filter, liked the extra surface bubbles. Learned quickly this causes CO2 off gassing and my PH shot up from 7.2 to 8.2 quite quickly. Nobody mentions that until it happens and then you google it.
You don't even need filter cartridges. You can replace a single use cartridge with a reusable sponge. Then just rinse it off once a month and put it back.
I don’t know if you will see this but my goldfish fry are 4 days old and won’t eat anything. We have tried mosquito wrigglers and boiled eggs and brine shrimp. Do you have any tips. Thanks
A 20g is only big enough for gateway fish like Guppies and Bettas, but it *never* stops there. I'm up to three tanks now, ranging from my 10g Betta tank, 20H Ram pair and 65g community. Contemplating a 30g. It's addictive!!
Aquarium misconception: you have to get rid of your colored gravel if you want plants. Plants that don’t need substrate nutrients like java fern can thrive in tanks with gravel
looking great ! I had people ask about how expensive my 2 tanks are to run ( 15gal fluval Flora / 9 gallon flex) it was a bit expensive starting out buying all the stuff, fish, food and such, but now its only a few bucks here and there now. Bonus, fish can be left for days at a time with a feeder and light bio load, they also do not shed hair or leave food all over the floor ha ha ( unless you are like me and drop a can of food... damn it)
I have a dog that cost me about $120-150 per month to maintain. I also have 5 aquariums with about 150 gallons of water combined, for an approximate cost of $20 or so per month in maintanence. Aquariums may be expensive to buy, but they are really cheap to own. But buying second hand and being able to do some things yourself in filters can cut the cost of starting up an aquarium to fractions of the cost of buying a new one.
@@NaturalAquaria I have, more than once, spotted my dog licking the floor in front of my fish tanks. Umm, yes Kita? Did I drop a crumb of flake on the floor??? Maybe it's my fault she's developed a taste for it - I like to give the fish some variety, but also worry about food getting stale once opened. So I have sometimes sprinkled leftover fish food on the dog's meal, to use it up.
@@NaturalAquaria Thank you! Well, even to set up a 20 gallon tank that is store bought, including decoration and fish cost about half as much as my dog, maybe even a third if I try. And my dog isn't one of these fancy breeds, it was approximately $800 to buy. (I don't live in the US, but it's hard, borderline impossible to get a bastard puppie for less than $400 here, just for reference.) So a $400 tank from the store isn't very expensive, but I can get a second hand 15-20 gallon tank from the equivalent of Craigslist for $50-100, including fish, equipment like nets and food for the first month or so. That's not even close to buy me a dog, it is not even supporting my dog for a single month! But of course, going for 55-100+ gallon tanks, prices go way up, but still cheap if we compare it to owning a dog.
I have a chocolate cichlid and i want to start feeding him live food. However , i want to grow them at home to save money but i dont have any idea what i could grow..any recommendations? Love the videos btw keep it up
Malachi Fry i try not to give him much live food usually just the occasional fly or two but i have eels and a turtle that would eat the live food as-well.
@@NaturalAquaria I've always been a purist, with my gardening too. I generally don't use statuary or other art in the yard either. I'm just pedantic that way. I am much more into the natural look. Plants, driftwood and caves made from natural rocks really are eye catching to me, and the fish look happier too. I can imagine a soft silky Hygrophylla augustifolia feeling a lot softer on the skin than a scratchy old Plasticia petsmartii to any fish.
And if you go with sub tropical fish like white clouds and hill stream loaches, you don’t need a heater. “Superman”??? Doesn’t Aquaman have la motte master test kit skin cells? (Well he should)
Rinse the living s**t out of it (salt LOL) I once used pure white sugar sand (Pamlico) from a beach in Florida. It was gorgeous in my tank. The Cory Cats and Loaches loved running it thru their gills. I rinsed it over and over, until it no longer tasted salty in any way.
Misconception #6 : Pet store employees tell you everything that you need to know about pets with 100 percent accuracy . Wrong , wrong and wrong . Here in Malaysia (probably other countries too) store employees don't know anything about the animals , they tell you a bunch of cheesy lies so that you would buy that animal only to see it die an hour later so that they can get higher payment .
Big box pet stores like Petsmart are only good for buying tanks, hoods, filters and other hardware at a good price. As for fish, plants, reliable test kits and meds, I strongly recommend stores that only deal in aquaria and know their fish. Big Box employees don't get paid enough to give a shit, in my opinion.
Dear jesus, although you already know what I am about to ask you.. why did you speak about fish bowls in part one of this series if you provide that product in store? If big als knows about the fish bowl dilemma why sell them at all? I solely shop in your store so it's just a curious question as one of your customers. Lol
Hey John, There are many use cases that people use these bowls for. 1) If you have a sick fish that you want to keep a close observation on. 2) If you need a easy way to transport a fish 3) If you are doing work to your main tank and want a temporary housing solution so that your fish doesn't get hurt in the process. 4) If you want to bring in a water sample to the store. 5) Can be used to store fish nets and other wet products that you use for regular maintenance. This is just a few reasons we sell them. There is a winery in California that uses them as a fish bowl beverage cup for their customers.
@@BigAlsVOD Thank you for extensively answering my question. It makes much more sense now... very informative. Thank you for doing these videos as well, love em and love the store.
I always find using reverse osmosis water to be best. Not only do you not have to worry about chlorine, but it is truly neutral which means that it is easier to adjust the water parameters for the fish species you keep.
Ask questions. What fish does he already have? What size tank? Is there room for more fish? Does he have a way to quarantine? The worst thing you can do is *surprise* someone with one or more live animals. They may not be able to accommodate it or them for whatever reason.
@@thaitichi So he knows he's getting fish in advance. That's good. If you're close by, a quick drive will get the fish from Point A to Point B. If you know his tank temp and parameters, you can slowly match those for these fish before transport a few days prior. Adding stress coat helps during transport. Your coworker can also minimize stress on the incoming fish by turning the tank lights off for the first day. This really chills the fish out. It also will help when he introduces them to his tank. It will not only decrease stress and help the new fish settle in, but it will reset the other fish and diminish possible bullying or territorialism. Rearranging the furniture will also help reset edtablished territorial fish.
Why don't you tell ppl they can save a ton on filter cartridges by buying course foam sponge (Ebay, Amazon, pet store) and make there own filter that's better and lasts 90% longer than the stock filter
Thank you, Fish Jesus..
LOL i was thinking the same thing.
This hobby cost a lot to sustain because you will always be like I need new fish and a new aquarium.
I drink a glass of my aquarium water everyday. If it tastes pissy, I do a water change.
Every sunday is water change day, some are quick suck and go, others are cleaning and scrubbing the nice green alge wall I seem to make
It's Friday for me
Is your tank by a window? Or maybe your aquarium lights are in to much.
Great tips for young beginners. One of the few fish channels that includes this necessary category of hobbyists. Great job!
And if you get a filter that doesn't require cartridges, you can cut that monthly cost in half lol
@@NaturalAquaria Absolutely, but even a proprietary system can be replaced with non-name-brand sponge/floss/media. Like the Fluval FX series for example, everyone assumes you need to order new sponge from Fluval, but all you need is a sponge pad with similar PPI and cut it to fit yourself. Even then, that's a once per year replacement in most cases. DEFINITELY not trying to be argumentative, I'm just *very* against cartridge-style filters lol
@@espeterson522 you're 100% right on
I find the true commitment is time, which drops dramatically once the tank becomes balanced.. well worth every minute tho considering how much enjoyment i get out of it. :D
Setting up a new saltwater aquarium. Should I add live rock before it has cycled or after? And can you do a video of using bottled amonia to cycle a tank vs using livestock? Tanks.
Add your live rock at the beginning. It's the bacteria on the rock that is going to cycle your tank.
I think one of the most common aquarium misconceptions is that small aquariums are harder. Probably the most important maintenance for most tanks is water changes. With a 2-1/2 or 5 gallon tank, changing a few cups of water once or twice a week is all that's needed. And if there's a small difference in temperature difference this will not affect most species and can actually induce spawning. I'm always hearing larger tanks are generally easier, but from my experience this simply isn't true, even for saltwater aquariums (with the possible exception of tanks for SPS [Small-Polyped Stony] corals).
The only misconception I know about is me thinking to myself that I will only get one more fish/tank
Fish Fever!
@@kinglyzard Right??
Multiple Tank Syndrome is a very real problem. 'I have enough tanks, I don't want another one' - said no fish keeper ever.
@@andystokes8702
Just had family over for spaghetti dinner last week.
A comment I heard while I was in the kitchen
"Enough is ENOUGH!"
She has no idea of my dreams of Apistos, Shellies and/or Baddis!
If she only knew my past.
I got it bad!!!
@@kinglyzard I would love to offer some sort of lifeline but unfortunately I can't. MTS is virtually incurable, one you have it there is nothing that can cure it.
I love the evolution of your hair. It looks great you do you! Thank you for another useful video
Great contents. Thanks again for the awesome chat Thomas. Was great to get your input on my aquariums.
"and I do sometimes" 😹🙈
Good video, very informative
Learned something new! Was admiring my crystal clear water thinking it’s a good sign the water is in good shape...now I know, need to replenish the test strips! Also was wondering if I needed to add an air stone. Thanks!
Test strips, IME, are not as accurate as the bottled, liquid reagents. They're a little more work and a few more bucks, but your fish are worth the extra mile.
Airstones don't hurt, unless you have a seriously planted aquarium that requires added CO2 gas.
Otherwise, they add some current and additional O2
relatively new to fish hobby, just under a year. I added an air diffuser to heavily planted 10 gallon tank with sponge filter, liked the extra surface bubbles. Learned quickly this causes CO2 off gassing and my PH shot up from 7.2 to 8.2 quite quickly. Nobody mentions that until it happens and then you google it.
really good one well done congrats
You don't even need filter cartridges. You can replace a single use cartridge with a reusable sponge. Then just rinse it off once a month and put it back.
I don’t know if you will see this but my goldfish fry are 4 days old and won’t eat anything. We have tried mosquito wrigglers and boiled eggs and brine shrimp. Do you have any tips. Thanks
Love from india i wonder why you only have 105k subs you desire atleast 1mil i guess it is because of your video freq
On spot!
This is what beginners need
Bring Big Al's back to BC
Is it possible to do water changes just on rain water?
A 20g is only big enough for gateway fish like Guppies and Bettas, but it *never* stops there.
I'm up to three tanks now, ranging from my 10g Betta tank, 20H Ram pair and 65g community. Contemplating a 30g.
It's addictive!!
@Ella
All out, full blown FISH FEVER :-)>
Aquarium misconception: you have to get rid of your colored gravel if you want plants. Plants that don’t need substrate nutrients like java fern can thrive in tanks with gravel
Love your videos but please do more tank reaction videos please
looking great !
I had people ask about how expensive my 2 tanks are to run ( 15gal fluval Flora / 9 gallon flex)
it was a bit expensive starting out buying all the stuff, fish, food and such, but now its only a few bucks here and there now.
Bonus, fish can be left for days at a time with a feeder and light bio load, they also do not shed hair or leave food all over the floor ha ha
( unless you are like me and drop a can of food... damn it)
My dogs don't leave their food all over the floor. Or the cat's food. Or the fish food. Or food that I've dropped.... lol
I have a dog that cost me about $120-150 per month to maintain. I also have 5 aquariums with about 150 gallons of water combined, for an approximate cost of $20 or so per month in maintanence.
Aquariums may be expensive to buy, but they are really cheap to own.
But buying second hand and being able to do some things yourself in filters can cut the cost of starting up an aquarium to fractions of the cost of buying a new one.
@@NaturalAquaria I have, more than once, spotted my dog licking the floor in front of my fish tanks. Umm, yes Kita? Did I drop a crumb of flake on the floor??? Maybe it's my fault she's developed a taste for it - I like to give the fish some variety, but also worry about food getting stale once opened. So I have sometimes sprinkled leftover fish food on the dog's meal, to use it up.
@@NaturalAquaria
Thank you!
Well, even to set up a 20 gallon tank that is store bought, including decoration and fish cost about half as much as my dog, maybe even a third if I try.
And my dog isn't one of these fancy breeds, it was approximately $800 to buy. (I don't live in the US, but it's hard, borderline impossible to get a bastard puppie for less than $400 here, just for reference.)
So a $400 tank from the store isn't very expensive, but I can get a second hand 15-20 gallon tank from the equivalent of Craigslist for $50-100, including fish, equipment like nets and food for the first month or so.
That's not even close to buy me a dog, it is not even supporting my dog for a single month!
But of course, going for 55-100+ gallon tanks, prices go way up, but still cheap if we compare it to owning a dog.
When’re you doing more tank reviews? I sent mine months ago :(
@@NaturalAquaria Oh I missed the livestream. Ill have to check that out. Thanks
Love me a fully submersible filter for surface agitation..
It’s fish Jesus
I have a chocolate cichlid and i want to start feeding him live food. However , i want to grow them at home to save money but i dont have any idea what i could grow..any recommendations?
Love the videos btw keep it up
Live food has the risk of parasites. Please don’t feed live food as a whole diet but maybe just as a treat
I'd keep him on frozen, or the occasional Ghost Shrimp as treats
Malachi Fry i try not to give him much live food usually just the occasional fly or two but i have eels and a turtle that would eat the live food as-well.
Grindal worms.
Thanks cool knowledgeable dude
I love your videos sweet man 😜👍🏻
Wait, what's this about drinking rum?
Hate toys in a tank. And fake plants!!
The rum stays in the liquor cabinet. Not long though ;)
@@NaturalAquaria
I've always been a purist, with my gardening too. I generally don't use statuary or other art in the yard either. I'm just pedantic that way.
I am much more into the natural look.
Plants, driftwood and caves made from natural rocks really are eye catching to me, and the fish look happier too.
I can imagine a soft silky Hygrophylla augustifolia feeling a lot softer on the skin than a scratchy old Plasticia petsmartii to any fish.
Ok
what is the song in the background?
And if you go with sub tropical fish like white clouds and hill stream loaches, you don’t need a heater.
“Superman”??? Doesn’t Aquaman have la motte master test kit skin cells? (Well he should)
Initial investment on a breed dog is also high. Can cost 1000s also. And the food is expensive too.
In first misconception you forgot a water tests that you should do every week (that you told in some other video).
Sand is harder to keep clean, apposed to gravel. ...I love my sand tanks,pool filter sand..
I live near the beach and I want to know if i can use beach sand for freshwater aquarium
Rinse the living s**t out of it
(salt LOL)
I once used pure white sugar sand (Pamlico) from a beach in Florida. It was gorgeous in my tank. The Cory Cats and Loaches loved running it thru their gills.
I rinsed it over and over, until it no longer tasted salty in any way.
Even if you wash all the salt out it may contain a large percentage of broken shells which will dissolve.
Is it a misconception that you need RO water for a reef tank? Enjoy the videos as always.
All the best. Aengus
what if you have a black water
Misconception #6 : Pet store employees tell you everything that you need to know about pets with 100 percent accuracy .
Wrong , wrong and wrong . Here in Malaysia (probably other countries too) store employees don't know anything about the animals , they tell you a bunch of cheesy lies so that you would buy that animal only to see it die an hour later so that they can get higher payment .
Big box pet stores like Petsmart are only good for buying tanks, hoods, filters and other hardware at a good price.
As for fish, plants, reliable test kits and meds, I strongly recommend stores that only deal in aquaria and know their fish.
Big Box employees don't get paid enough to give a shit, in my opinion.
@@E.Asinus
Agree wholeheartedly
If I’m setting up a 20 gallon reef aquarium should I do corals or fish first
Typically setting up the aquarium fixtures first is the way to go.
Corals is probably better first
Dear jesus, although you already know what I am about to ask you.. why did you speak about fish bowls in part one of this series if you provide that product in store? If big als knows about the fish bowl dilemma why sell them at all? I solely shop in your store so it's just a curious question as one of your customers. Lol
Hey John,
There are many use cases that people use these bowls for.
1) If you have a sick fish that you want to keep a close observation on.
2) If you need a easy way to transport a fish
3) If you are doing work to your main tank and want a temporary housing solution so that your fish doesn't get hurt in the process.
4) If you want to bring in a water sample to the store.
5) Can be used to store fish nets and other wet products that you use for regular maintenance.
This is just a few reasons we sell them. There is a winery in California that uses them as a fish bowl beverage cup for their customers.
@@BigAlsVOD Thank you for extensively answering my question. It makes much more sense now... very informative. Thank you for doing these videos as well, love em and love the store.
Do you always need to dechlorinate your water when doing water changes?!?! Or do you need or do you not need to dechlorinate your water at ALL?!?!
I always find using reverse osmosis water to be best. Not only do you not have to worry about chlorine, but it is truly neutral which means that it is easier to adjust the water parameters for the fish species you keep.
Anyone have advice or tips for giving a coworker some fish?
Ask questions. What fish does he already have? What size tank? Is there room for more fish? Does he have a way to quarantine?
The worst thing you can do is *surprise* someone with one or more live animals. They may not be able to accommodate it or them for whatever reason.
@@kinglyzard We're both fish keepers. We're just not certain of the best way to transport them to minimize stress on the fish.
@@thaitichi
So he knows he's getting fish in advance. That's good.
If you're close by, a quick drive will get the fish from Point A to Point B. If you know his tank temp and parameters, you can slowly match those for these fish before transport a few days prior. Adding stress coat helps during transport.
Your coworker can also minimize stress on the incoming fish by turning the tank lights off for the first day. This really chills the fish out.
It also will help when he introduces them to his tank. It will not only decrease stress and help the new fish settle in, but it will reset the other fish and diminish possible bullying or territorialism. Rearranging the furniture will also help reset edtablished territorial fish.
@@kinglyzard Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to use this info.
@@thaitichi
Good luck and happy fish keeping :-)>
Why don't you tell ppl they can save a ton on filter cartridges by buying course foam sponge (Ebay, Amazon, pet store) and make there own filter that's better and lasts 90% longer than the stock filter
"Fancy gold fish do better in dirty looking water"........... no, just.......no.
Goldfish, fancy or not, belong in ponds or proper tanks and not bowls.
this guy looks like jesus, fish jesus
Lot's of poisons are crystal clear 😓
3.5 gallons for a betta minimum.
Try having in your vid the bloopers included, dont cut them out.
@@NaturalAquaria Nah, if it's you i would actually watch the full 40 minutes. You really make it interesting and fun
@@NaturalAquaria it would show that with some of them you are doing this with more fun.
FISH JESUS
Boy I wish that my 120 gallon SPS tank cost $6.25/month, lol!
@@NaturalAquaria Dude, we should play mini golf with the best clubs! Best of both worlds!
Thing is nowadays I can get a 40 gallon tank and stand for the price of a new chainsaw so there not that expensive
Jesus saves. Money.
More work than $$, but a labor of love