Why No Filter, No Water Change Aquariums Are NOT For Everyone
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 25. 05. 2023
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â "All-natural aquariums" that use no filter, no heater, no water changes, and so on are very attractive for many reasons. Cory explains the concept, how it is similar to living "off the grid," and why he personally chooses to use some minimal amounts of technology to enhance his fishkeeping hobby. We encourage everyone to do their own research and decide for themselves what level they would like to be involved in the aquarium hobby. Enjoy nature daily!
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WHO WE ARE
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
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I want to upgrade my light, will you have a Memorial Day Sale đđœââ????
â@@BornAgainFarmGirl They don't do sales. They just lower the price if they can
"I love to stare at my hang-on-back" đđđđđ
Thank you@@savannamm they messaged me and now I am a member đ.
There are many ways to keep healthy fish tanks. The problem is when people act like their way is the only way of doing it.
There is basically the hard way and the easy way. You are absolutely correct.
@@casey1204point missed
Exactly! It's more like an ego fighting (and some dudes having interest in shell their own products)
As a newer hobbyist (less than a year), I appreciate this take. I recently saw a video on the Fishtory channel about this topic, and I think it's good for each person to evaluate what works for them. We tend to cling to doing things a certain way and treat opposing views as inferior or lacking. If someone tells me they do things differently than I do them, I would just ask, 'How's that going for you?'. If all is well and it brings more joy to your hobby, great!! I do appreciate the technology available to us. I'm a low tech hobbyist, but I admire no tech, high tech, and everything in between.
So 70 years ago when I got my first tank a 2.5 gallon carried in the front door by my dad complete with 2 baby guppies and 2 baby mollies. Low tech was the norm for a lot of us there were a lot of mistakes I did not make because I could not afford the equipment to make them. A few yeas later when I got a 15 gallon I had an inside box filter and later graduated to an under gravel I felt myself to be at the peak of aquarium technology.đđ
Have you been keeping fish for all of those years or did you fall out of the hobby from time to time? That's an incredible story regardless
yup, UG filter and the box filter was the tech. Still run my tanks "low" tech.
@@danm8004 except for one 20 year break from about 50 to 70 but when I came back I was so happy!
I forgot about the under gravel... never had one, but I heard about them. When I started in the 90s most tanks had a sponge filter or just an air stone.
I've been in for 50 years, and still run my first "big" tank, a 29 gallon, with the undergravel filter I bought with it. But I've been through a lot of air pumps; started with the Silent Giant.
I think we're experiencing a culture/counter culture cycle. What used to be a more natural approach is now not natural enough. It will swing back like a pendulum but I think you advocate for a reasonable, cohesive blend of technology and letting nature do its thing. It's like a good pair of jeans. They never really go out of style.
I agree. I feel like some people loves to project their style onto others. Just do what works for you
Yes, I'm waiting for under gravel filters to make a big comeback, best biological filter in the business and cheap. What's old is new again.
You nailed it. Love your videos too, you two are my (10 year, well-studied, experienced hobbyist) favorite channels because I learn something I haven't read in a peer-reviewed book consistently.
An ex of mine learned like six different no-tech ways to make fire. Two sticks, fire bow, found rock strikers, etc. Learning all those no-tech methods taught them a lot about how to set up and maintain fires. Now, they use a Bic because it's quick, cheap, and easy. They carried the knowledge forward to improve their methods when they have the benefits of technology.
thats not an intelligent way of phrasing it.
filterless techless tanks take care of themselves, you just have to have a decent level of competence, and understand when to interact with the tank(if any problems arise, which, in a well balanced tank, wont.)
its easier, thats your answer? you might as well be a tasteless kid who shoves 20 goldfish in an empty tank.
Excellent advice. Know your water, know your skill level, and know what you enjoy. How I set up my tanks depends on what fish I plan to put in them. I didn't set up my betta's tank the same way I did my Oscars' tank. After 8 years in the hobby, the best advice I every heard was "know your water" followed very closely by "know your fish". As you said, there are many ways to keep fish. Find what works best for you and for your fish. That's what I've done over the years. I appreciate you common sense approach to this topic.
Michael from Scotland here, I would just like to say, I have watched and followed you from your beginingnad am so impressed at the way you have evolved from the young enthusiastic business orintated aquarist to the caring eco friendly pioneer and consevationist of the wild and worldwide fish community, I feel you have become the trusted expert in fish health and the practical keeping of the species, you are a credit to the fish keeping community, and I wish you all the best for the forseable future. great to watch and listen to.
Well said
Well said.
I definitely think adding technology, such as a air stone, does far more in term of creating a ânatural environmentâ than a fish tank that has no aeration and is trying to achieve that ânaturalâ tank status.
it is important to consider what aspects in the wild actually sustain aquatic life, such as natural currents and surface agitation caused by wind, complex ecological systems and food webs which simply cannot be replicated in the home aquarium, without employing some form of technology or artificial input .
Thank you for another great video.
Well said also.
To claim you have an ecosystem tank you need it to have all the intricasies of an actual ecosystem!!
Great way to put it!
Yeah. And also considering what ecosystem you are trying to make. There's a huge difference better a lake, a rapid river, a slow stream, a stagnant pond, and a hundred different ecosystems between.
When I started keeping fish in the 70's, undergravel filters were the rage. My first 5 tanks were set up that way.
I have to completely agree with you Cory, I found myself starting the hoppy (4 years ago) with no education towards keeping fish and I've lost many fish to my lack of knowledge, now that I look back to this time I see that the products I bought for my fish lack educational purposes and more of "buy my product" and I completely agree, the only way to support this hobby is more education.
As I always say, " each to their own". If we don't explore, we don't get anywhere.†Thanks Coopy đđđŠđș
I LOVE not having to do water changes anymore because I understock, overplant, and use biological media. Low tech is great for me, easy and less expensive. But I couldn't imagine having NO filter at all! If it works for someone else that's good, but for me personally I think the waterflow and filtering out debris is much more of a benefit to my 'natural' tanks than a detractor. Plus I have species of fish and shrimp that require/prefer moving water. And the sound of humming filters/airstone is calming to me.
THIS! - "And the sound of humming filters/airstone is calming to me"...I love the sound of the running water from my HOBs, and bubbles breaking. I had one room that I removed the tank etc, and couldn't stand the silence...wanted to hear the water flow again. So set up another tank to replace it - cold water and natural light but has bubbles and filter noise.
@@hawkheights6953 yeah, it's like a white noise machine but better! i personally hate 'white noise' but i can't fall asleep in total silence, so the sounds of bubbling water and filters from the two small tanks in my room is quiet enough that it's not obtrusive, but calming enough to help me sleep well
I have a no-filter aquarium and I'm actually in the process of getting a new tank for the sake of needing to put more effort and work into it. My goal was to complete a wholly self sustaining ecosystem and I succeeded too well. As one might imagine, the bottom of a swamp or a lakebed is not something that would inspire awe or wonder equivalent to a takashi amano scape. These tanks need deep sand beds (4in+), healthy mulm layers (fish poo, yes, these tanks actually need the fish poo), and the algae will need to be allowed to grow unchallenged as it essentially serves as the measurement of aquarium health. You can avoid the algae problems with added CO2, but I am not currently set up for that and essentially what I ended up with is exactly what I had hoped for with less than 20ppm nitrate at any given moment, but it looks like the bottom of a swamp. So yeah, it's a good science project and you learn how to sustain an enclosed nitrogen cycle, but by no means is it something you want people to see when they come over. I think I'll attempt some deep sand bed ponds and rice fish bowls, but a respectable aquarium is something that requires well intentioned effort.
@justinthillens2853 well yeah, that makes sense. Ponds are relatively stagnant water, so things will settle out with no filtration and look kinda gross. Filters simulate stream/creek ecosystems where the water is naturally cycled out. I'm sure it'd be an interesting science project though :)
â@@He.knows.nothingSo Im new in all this. And I would love to have a nice Aquarium that is fully self sustaining. Would you say thats possible for someone like me, who is a noob. Lol
I started my hobby 3 yrs ago and I am SO glad I found Aquarium Co-op very early on. You have taught me everything I know, and my 2 tanks are healthy, stable, beautiful, and most of all FUN! Thank you Corey for always giving reasoned, intelligent, down to earth advice.
I had my first fish tank 14 months ago and have been very successful mainly due to this channel, Kg Tropicals and prime time . These channels make it easy for a new fish keeper be successful. I now have 3 fish tanks. The natural aquarium approach seems a little hard to understand for a new fish keeper and probably quite a few fish will doe at the start. Thank you Cory and the guys at the Coop for sharing the knowledge.
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This perspective really resonates with me. I only use what seems to be necessary on my tank to keep the fish/plants/inverts that I want. That means I end up running quite a few different styles of tanks, but the default is to use as little as possible.
love the explanation, the analogy, and the gorgeous tanks and fish in this vid!
And I like the fact that he doesn't present himself as the all-knowing, great teacher. Very sympathetically presented, balanced tips.
This concept has been confusing to me personally just because I actually enjoy maintaining my aquariums it brings me peace for some reason đ€·đ»ââïž
Not weird! I love maintaining mine as well! Trimming the plants, or taking care of dead leaves, maintaining water parameters, etc. So dang fun and soothing
@@jascemarie33 I agree đŻ%
I love all of it. Such a feeling of accomplishment and peace when Iâm finished
not if you have 100 tanks
â@Crystal Ball why have a 100 tanks? Unless you work at a fish store no need for that many tanks
@@omarbenouameur9780there is no need to have even one tank
So thankful for you and your willingness to pass your knowledge onto others. It has been extremely helpful in my journey.
Perfect. Air and water movement are my priority everytime I think of a set up. Aragonite sand helps greatly with stability too. That said, I love a lot of the DYI approaches and now embrace sponge use as much as possible on the intakes of HOB and Canisters filters.
I love having all the different points of view about how to keep fish. I've taken bits of advice from several channels that I enjoy watching and applied them to my first planted tank. I will probably never go no-tech, but I very much enjoy the low-tech way of keeping a tank. I still do water changes, I still test my water, I have to trim plants (and thin floating plants) about once a week or so. Low-tech definitely doesn't mean no work! But I love to do it, anyway.
Very well said. Clear and concise info đđ»
Good stuff sir ! Experience and time is the key to success. My take is this, when I started in the hobby 43 years ago, an undergravel filter with power heads seemed the high bar. I had an air pump with a clear triangle shaped filter, that you put your own carbon and filter floss in. Ive had some great success with breeding and keeping fish and also some losses that were expensive and painful lessons. Over the past 10 years Ive come to a place, where I have confidence in huge sump filtration ( aerobic and anaerobic bacteria factories ) and a waterchange regiment. It seems to be working well for me. I dont pay for super high tech, however I do spend in a need to have manner. Youve given much mental fodder. Agreed with statements about companies going light on information and heavy on trying to sell " bigger and better "
Cory very good points, I run dirted aquariums with sponge filters just to keep the water moving around, I do also run a undergravel filter plate in one of my other aquariums. I like my set ups for all 4 of my tanks. But simplicity is truly my favorite tanks.
After being in the hobby for 3 years now, completely agree with you. I have settled on lighting + sponge filters as a winning combo.
I just want an easy to maintain aquarium for when I go on longer vacations.
Hi Corey I appreciate this video. We have discussed one of my tanks before ( Easy Green conversation) I mentioned that I was able to unplug filters on it. To clarify, it was because my son with autism couldn't stand the sound of a pump. Since then I found an almost silent air pump and am using a sponge filter. I noticed the fish are Def more active in the tank with the filter, and of course the shrimp love munching off the sponge, and the water is crystal clear where it wasn't when I was filterless. Just my observations.
Amazing work Cory, this is exactly how i have always felt.
There is so much intricacies to fish keeping and to ignore that is crazy, there is lots of ways to keep a fish tank! It what is the best for the fish and the best for you.
I think the only other layer i would add is that if you do want to do a filterless super duper natural tank you need to also think about the fish you choose! Not just if you want to go that way. A betta might do pretty damn good in a large filterless planted tank as some live in similar shallower smaller water flats in the wild. But a discus? Or even neons? They are river fish. When they are in stagnant pond in the wild that is extreme cases they otherwise love a fast flowing river.
I love the talk Cory! Here is to hoping that people move from division to embracing eachother ideas around the hobby and learning how they want to best keep fish without a need for any 'opposition'
I used to do all the water changes, cleaning, chemicals, and it became a job. I ended up leaving the hobby for decades.
Now Iâm doing dirted and planted with a sponge filter. Less work, more enjoyment. And the side projects like propagating a pond culture is fun, as opposed to vaccâing gravel.
I feed a tiny amount of manufactured food twice a week and make sure Iâm adding water with wild food in it when I top up. My danios hang in the current and enjoy a buffet that comes to them. And the food puts in work in the tank before itâs eaten
I love the analogy that you used with no-tech basically being off the grid. As appealing as it is to not have to do so much maintenance, I'd rather stick to my sponge filters, heaters, and of course a light. I'm in the process of removing my remaining HOB filters and replacing them with houseplants instead (pothos is my favorite for this), it just looks so much nicer than staring at a big hunk of plastic.
@@NyssaMysteria pothos are amazing as a form of filtration. Also look into peace lilies. Theyâre also pretty cool and very pretty plants that enjoy having their roots in water đ
Technology is like tank size. It buys you time to figure out when something is going wrong. With experience, you can go very barebones, but that requires proper planning and patience. That's harder for a lot of newer fish keepers.
Great point ! I probably watched over 100 hours of these videos before setting up my first tank and Iâm glad I did . I would have ended up wasting $$$ and gotten frustrated managing the equipment then left the hobby .
I like to create an ecosystem in my aquariums but to do that I use some technology (air, filter, light and heater depending on the fish)
Makes sense.... As people have issues and fail in the hobby, or just find out that it's more work, they opt for the easiest way and "another method" that seems easy. This is the same thing people do when they want to argue on the internet, they search for what fits what they want to hear, but not what is necessarily the best answer.
Confirmation bias at its best.
A perfect example of this is my shrimp tank, neocaridina tank, that doesn't follow a lot of the traditional advice.
Great take on the topic. Not only about no filter tanks but a much needed insight in general. As a new hobbyist I appreciate your perspective
Returning to the hobby after many years off I have to say I love the tech. Hate the cost but it is what it is. I was never successful with plants before investing in an expensive plant light, but I also watched videos on dirted aquariums and loved integrating a more natural fertilization approach with nutrients from the soil layer. Iâm a tech guy so having a light that mimics sunrise and sunset and can demo a day in a minute is amazing and fun to me. Learning from your videos how to soup up a hang on back filter with sponges and modify what is sold to you is amazing. I agree with you, tech enhances and take the hobby where ever you want, personalize it, experiment and learn. And have fun.
I'm starting the hobby with a planted pond set up in a very large pot with rice fish, snails, and some critters from the leaf litter in the local pond. I wanted to start with a "no filter" just to have as low maintenance and fluff as possible to start. But you're absolutely right, the fish would be much better off with an air stone, like you said, and I'm really using this project to slowly wade into the hobby, and eventually try out a higher tech freshwater tank.
Agree with Cory. I've enjoyed the walstad method of tanks but the most enjoyable for me is when there is a sponge filter, light, and when applicable a heater. The great thing about keeping aquariums is that there's a wide variety of methods and tech that can be applied and they all work great! It's always a luxury when you can have a preference and it still works.
Thank you for your perspective on the mixed messages and content some aquarists are sharing out recently. I've long wanted to start this hobby and am in the stages of just learning as much as I can about it in terms of what are best practices and what fits my lifestyle and the level of effort so I can sustain and enjoy the hobby.
That was very clearly explained, well thought out and easy to understand.
Thank you Cory!
Always very humble and knowledgeable Cory. I love watching your content because youâre relaxed and not the usual over the top American CZcamsr
Such a great explanation †thank you. This kind of mindset actually offers alot of freedom to figure out a way to do both
Well said Cory. Weâre in full agreement on this subjectđđđ»
Great video, I really liked your analogy. The fact that No Tech tanks are possible (though not easy) is good to know, and indicates that often Low Teck tanks are sufficient for most of us. But if you like the High Tech stuff then go for it, its supposed to be a fun hobby after all.
I appreciate that I have the option to go to either extreme or somewhere in the middle and have the knowledge and info out there to do so. Great times in the hobby.
My LFS just started stocking a variety of your products and I am so happy!
I definitely needed to find this video. I have a 75 gallon aquarium that I am needing a change with and started finding videos on going natural. My head and my experience was telling me to not do it but the videos were making it interesting. I still need to figure out my direction for the 75 gallon but I am back on track with my common sense again.
I love your mentality towards the hobby.
Thank you so much for all the effort you put into creating this type of content.
Great video with fantastic choice of analogies too! Education is ALL! I love how humble you are with all this knowledge you posess
I've been in the hobby for several years, and you have helped a lot. I recently stumbled upon FF and decided to try it bc I'm curious if it will work. I'm only a week in, but I'm still using a seasoned tank, sponge filter, and a heater. Like everything in the world, do your own research and to each their own.
These kinds of videos are much appreciated, with some people out there (not going to point fingers) being very vague about the no water change setup.
Agreed... I have a hybrid approach I guess. I have a planted 10G tall tank that's planted with deep substrate. Use a budget light and HOB filter with a custom filter mix. Haven't done a water change or clean the tank in months and have actually seen an improvement in the quality of life of both my fish and plants. All I do is feed 4 times a week and top up water after evaporation
OMG the dude staring lovingly at the HOB about made me die from laughing! đ€Ł
đ my son
@@mattgray9297 Really?? đ
@@audrameyer9558 sometimes you just need a shot đ Heâs a sport
@@mattgray9297 I just love that!!He is awesome and seriously made my day!
Am watching aquarium after many years . I want to thank Cory for all the advice on the start of my journey years ago.
I love the practical honest information. Respect and gratitude to you.
I tend to lean towards low tech and keeping a more natural aquariums but I light and run a small sponge filter just to help the bacteria in the substrate
Always a treat hearing your advice Cory.
I'm a pretty "old-school" kind of guy. When I was heavy in the aquarium hobby back in the 1980s and '90s, my favorite filtration was undergravel. For those of you unfamiliar, undergravel filtration puts a fine plastic grid on the bottom of the tank that supports the gravel substrate. In the corners, lift tubes are installed that provide suction to the bottom of the filter, causing water to be pulled down through the gravel. Biological filtration (and to a certain extent, mechanical filtration, also) occurs in the substrate itself, which is the actual filter media.
At first, these filters were simply air stone-powered, with the air bubbles in the lift tubes creating the suction. But eventually, power heads were created to increase flow substantially. And there was always an external canister filter if you needed the water cleaned a little better. And those got bigger and bigger... MORE flow!!
Well, when I got back into it last year for the first time in more than 20 years, I naturally tried to pick up right where I left off. For my first little 10 gallon tank, I had to have undergravel filtration, of course! But even I realized that power heads on a 10 gallon tank would be excessive, so I did THIS tank with air stones. But, I also got a hang-on-back filter, AND a cute little Sun-Sun external cannister filter! Because there's just no such thing as TOO MUCH filtration, right?
Well, by this time I had discovered Cory, Zenzo & Irene's videos on CZcams, and VERY reluctantly I began listening to some of Cory's ideas on filtration. By now I had 2 more tanks, both 3 footers, one being a 40 "breeder" and the other a 30 "show". Of course, on these two I had power heads installed on the undergravels, HOB's and the same Sun-Sun externals.
My first baby step was coarse filters on the inlet tubes of the HOB's and the external canister filters. But when my HOB filter started making noises, I replaced it with an Aquarium Co-op coarse sponge filter. So, my biological filtration was excellent, which meant that I had no ammonia, no nitrite, but nitrate would accumulate, requiring frequent water changes. While weekly major water changes were not such a big deal for this man when he was in his prime, let me tell you: a five gallon bucket of water weighs 5 times what it did back then!
Next was upgrading the media in the external canister filters. They worked well, but after I serviced them the first time after running for a couple months, I began listening to Cory say he hated external canisters! The next time they needed service, they were simply removed completely.
So, thanks to the Co-op videos, I decided to try live plants (which I had NEVER been successful at back in the days when all we had was fluorescent lighting) in an effort to consume most of the nitrates, requiring water changes much less frequently. So, live plants, a whole bunch of them. I got them all from Aquarium Co-op, because the excellent quality of the plants when they arrive is WAY better than any I've seen in a local store. But, my experience was not fantastic, at first. It took me awhile to get on top of fertilizing with Easy Green and root tabs, Wonder Shell, Equilibrium & Malawi/Tanganyika buffers, and the WONDERFUL multi-test strips! While I had good success with a few plants, like Java fern, Amazon sword, Pogostemon "octopus", Brazilian pennywort, dwarf aquarium lilly. But I really struggled with the ones that sent out runners like Vallisneria, dwarf Sagittaria, dwarf chain sword. They would arrive beautiful, send out runners immediately with little baby sprouts, but then the "mother" plant would slowly die and fade away.
At this time, I got a message from Aquarium Co-op suggesting a review of the dwarf chain sword, and based on the difficulty I was having with them, I gave only 3 stars. Well, that prompted an email from Candi asking what the problem was. I told her the whole story, my whole setup (power heads!) sent a pic. She came back with the idea that the power heads were sucking all the root tab nutrients away before the plants could eat them. I had considered this myself, but I was putting a LOT of root tabs under these guys and their sprouts. But, hearing it from someone else gave me enough inspiration to try removing the power heads, and converting the lift tubes back to air stones. In addition, this is when I removed the canisters and any remaining HOB's. I was now running with just undergravel with air stones, and the coarse sponge filter. Very simple, very reliable. And it works well! This is my system for all my tanks now (11!). I've also begun to have more success with the plants that shoot out runners. I'll bet those plants would do even better if I dumped the undergravel filters altogether, but I just CAN'T! LOL
The final bit comes from selection of fish and critters to go in the tank. For me, there are 3 important factors for the "cleanup crew". First, there's scavengers for cleaning up uneaten food, which seems to affect ammonia and nitrates more than fish poop created by fishies eating that same food. My favorite scavengers are an army of Kuhli loaches and/or small corydoras.
Next is algae eaters that will clean the glass and decorations in the tank. I use a little albino bushynose pleco for almost every tank, I just love them! But one tank has hillstream loaches, and another has a small army of Otocinclus instead.
And the third is algae eaters that will remove "hairy" type algaes. Siamese algae eaters are my champs, but I'm also getting ready to get shrimp established in these tanks. An old guy having an absolute blast with guppies and Kuhli loaches!! Who woulda thunk it?
Anyways, that's my complete thoughts on filtration and how I got them: undergravel, sponge filter, live plants, scavengers and algae eaters. An ecosystem, for sure, but pretty low maintenance, and the tanks look good. Water changes every 3-4 months. Scrape the front glass very seldom. Hair algae is receding, black beard algae is GONE. 8^)
SO MUCH knowledge in one single video! Thatâs why you are my go to when Iâm on research about fish hobby and all it has. â€đđđ Thank you very much for being here educating us.
Please Cory, keep helping me to spoil my fish and making them as happy as they can be! đâ€đ God bless you!
Great point of view, do what you like and workâs best for you. There is many ways to keep in our hobby but nothing is better than you being happy with your setup.
You always talk sense mate. As someone pretty new to the hobby your videos have been useful đđ»đŽó §ó ąó „ó źó §ó ż
I've been watching u for at minimum like 4yrs. Thank u for the constant info ur willing to give out ... ur y I started having better/cleaner tanks .. thank u so much for ur time and efforts
I like your fishroom with the tanks all at an easy view level instead of a floor to ceiling stack...nice !
Been keeping fish on and off for over a decade, since I was a tween. When you're a kid and you don't have access to good information or you don't know how to access good information, you make mistakes. So while I've been doing this for a long time, I really started to get serious about five-six years ago, and have REALLY leaned into it in the last three years. In the last three years I've learned more than in the other ten and I've had a great time doing it. When the filter on my six gallon planted tank went out, stopped working, and nothing changed? I decided to take the leap. I made a filterless aquarium. But I used the knowledge that I have to make it work better. I kept an airstone in it to keep water circulating not only for oxygenation via gas exchange, but also so that waterflow around the tank would strengthen the muscles of the single betta inhabitant. I made sure to add floating plants because they are such heavy water column feeders to mitigate any ammonia or nitrite/nitrate spikes. I had a ton of little baby mystery snails in there, I pulled almost all of them out to further lower the bioload. It's been probably about three months running with just an airstone, but that tank has like a 12:1 ratio of plant matter to animal matter, and it matured for almost a year before I took that leap. I put so much thought into that, looked at so many different parameters. That's why I love this video because yes I was able to make a very low-tech tank (still use lights though) but I wouldn't have been able to do it from scratch without the tech to support the tank while it matured. If someone had just told me water, fish, plants, dirt, go... I wouldn't have a filterless tank. So I love how you were talking about yes everyone should probably experience this at some point, but having even a little bit of tech is so helpful. It's dangerous when people give permission to throw away tech that helps an aquarium flourish without educating on just how much that tech is making up for!
I also cannot agree with you more that even if you don't want to run a sponge filter, having that airstone in there is gonna make such a HUGE difference. I can forego a heater in some of my tanks because I have my fish set up in the most well-insulated and stable, warm room in the house. But several of my tanks do have heaters and I have to think that the warmth and stability in that room is at least partially due to them. I absolutely would not want to do this hobby without lights, either. Coming from a photography background and keeping the live plants that I do in my tanks, literally none of my tanks would be possible without lights.
You're way ahead of the game! It took me almost 20 years to figure out all of that. A lot less work than when I first started many, many years ago and tried to keep my tank sterile. My two tanks are now heavily planted, pond plant soil as a substrate covered with sand, and very good lights. I live in FL but I still need a heater for both tanks because in the winter I keep the house at 68, too cold for my fish and shrimp. Having a RO water system available to top off my tanks helps a lot, but I still test once a week, just to make sure everything is still within parameters. My 20 gal I change out about 4 gal every month or two, depending on what the testing shows. The filter outside the tank keeps it pretty clean and just rinsing the filter periodically to prevent it from getting clogged is all that really needs to be done, other than trimming the plants that get too tall or too dense. The 3 gal I just top off because it started as my plant nursery and it's very heavily planted. The snails and shrimp love it. My small outdoor pond gets the benefit of the extra plants after the winter die off. (Yes, even in FL it does get really cold for about 3 mos.). The outdoor pond also gets the excess fry so they can keep the mosquito larvae down. Now it's all a lot less work and a lot more peaceful enjoyment.
My setup currently runs
Tech: light and HOB filters (sponge on intake, DIY water-bottle-baffler on discharge)
Maintenance: add fertilizer for the plants, supplement the live food (tank contains blackworm colony and daphnea colony in with the nanofish community), replace leaf litter and coral as needed, prune plants as needed.
Most of the work is done by all the lower trophic level organisms: blackworms, isopods, shrimp, snails, daphnea, and plants of all types
The filter is just surface area for water circulation, assist with gas echange at the surface, and add surface area for biological filtration. All the maintenance the filters get is rinsing out the sponges as needed.
It's just the right mix of "natural" and "low effort" for me. I spend maybe 5 min per day at most managing the tank but will toss on a podcast, smoke a bowl, and watch the ecosystem do its thing for hours.
đđ on the subject matter, thank you Cory for putting out this video. đ
Thanks! Great visuals emphasize your points well.
I truly need to say: this guy, Cory has been and is my teacher, my adopted unknowingly master since i started this hobby! I learned so much from you, just like you said: i reached that top of the mountain, where you realize and learned that after testing so many products and tech in this hobby, i can not only run all my aquariums with some basic filtration like sponge filters, BUT ALSO you can save a lot of money on electricity by using them. That is not all ... What happens when we get a blackout or we lose electricity for hours or days? In my case, all of my tanks keep running without issues and just like if nothing happened, when using technology but at the simplest level where you can enjoy and SAVE MONEY and have a real HAPPY FISH living (not surviving)
PD: i hope Cory comes back to my country again, I'll sign up for the tour in Amazonas đ
Cheers from PerĂș
Iâm considering a January trip to Brazil for the fish festival and collecting/filming.
On the lawn mowing hobby, I would recommend trying a scythe at least once. On a small scale I find it fun, but on a larger scale it's a lot of work. It also gives the best/healthiest cut.
Great advice ! Balance!
I like both worlds. I have very natural tanks. Do a water change once a month. Or every 3 weeks. But I have filters, air stones and heaters.
Bravo Cory đ Great video.
I prefer heavily planted tanks, I use hang-on-back with Purigen for the shrimp tank. The Betta tanks have sponge filters from Aquarium Co-Op. Trying a bog filter for my whiskey barrel pond. Keep making those educational videos đ
Thank you for your insight. I was hooked by the idea of no filter tank. But as a newbie I should just get a proper stuff with filters and everything before trying to experiment.
I'm thankful for this video. I've gotten carried away by different you tubers. I've gone full circle. Now I'm back here watching aquirium co op. Thanks
I guess Iâm nuts but after watching your video on what filter oxygenates the aquarium the best , I will always run at least a sponge filter. In my bigger tanks I also run a Ziss or box filter,Iâve even ran an under gravel filter until the seem on the tank went bad.
Thanks for having this conversation. It's really cool đ
Great video and information đ
Thanks for this video, I got back to fishkeeping a year ago after not doing it since I was a teenager {I'm 56 now}. I like simple as well. I do not run a heater, because the room my 10 gallon tank is in stays at about 75-78 degrees all the time. I haven't gotten brave enough to do live plants yet though. Seems like there's so much that you have to do to keep them. If you have any tips for me on that I'd appreciate it. đ
This is why I don't agree when people tell newbies not to buy the beginner kits. They give beginners a head start in the hobby and spark an interest in it that will allow them to decide how far the delve into the hobby at their own pace and if they wish to go bigger or try something different they already have the equipment there as a back up plan if stuff doesn't work out for them. Sometimes no amount of research can replace the knowledge gained from making your own mistakes. People these days are so wrapped up in having everything perfect from the get go with everything and unfortunately that's not how things work. Without mistakes you don't gain the experience that works for you as only you know what your situation is and what you can handle doing in your hobby. While advice is handy and invaluable sometimes if it's not applicable to what you are doing and you can end up with more problems than you started with. Thank you for this vid!
What a great video. Iâm just beginning and looking basic info.
I had a 80 gallon pond type set up that didn't use a filter . Had tons of val and old unused skimmer that I had used for water flow. Had brichardi and flag fish
I go out collect some dirt and add some organic fert and mix em well and top off with construction sand. Around 1 inch of dirt and 1 inch of sand. Add the most easy and fast growning plants in the begining. All fill up the tank.. and only add fish after 3 days. In these 3 days just change 50% water.. thats it.. next time i change water when it seems abit cloudy... have done this like 4 times now in 8 years.. plants and fish thrive.. and they last even longer but i feel i need to change the setup after 2 years so.. i restart them again.. worked for me. Light and powerhead with filter are the only expenditure i have
Agree...I'm I guess in the middle. More confident that at the beginning. Tanks full of plants a sponge filter and HOB just to use filter floss to polish the water. I also use the HOB to seed sponge for quick use. I have light's and heaters. But I don't change water as often test monthly unless something is off. I don't gravel vac anymore....plants do better when I don't
Youâre talking sense , Cory. Most of this current controversy is caused by channel posting click bait headlines, to gain views.
Wow I looked this up only because I was looking to see if I could have like a big vase with tiny minimal stock with like a lily plant for my wife, but this video has a lot of information, thank you
Well said and excellent advice.
I have a heater but i have a deep substrate tank, planted and yes, to start off i did have a filter, but now i dont. All i do is top ups, no water changes (unless one day i see my water parameters are off and i need it), i look at my tank daily to make sure everyone is âactingâ normal, i do take algae out once and a while. I most likely will add root tabs eventually but right now my aquasoil is doing good. Also also do have a light, its a 75 gal tank
Your analogy is spot on. Living in a rustic cabin is doable but when there are modern conveniences wellâŠ.. I once took a wilderness course and the instructor told us that itâs good to know how to make a fire with a bow drill and flint but given the option of a lighter thereâs no argument lol. Same applies to your logic!
I'm actually trying out my first aquarium and it's a no tech tank, except for a light. This concept really speaks to me as I love to see how nature can maintain itself, how an ecosystem works. I will feed my fish, but I want them to help my snails in keeping the algae in check. I've introduced some bacteria and micro-organisms into the tank, from a nearby pond, to break down waste and to help fertilise the soil. The soil is pretty thick and has a dense layer of sand on top, to prevent oxygen from getting to the soil so the bacteria can flourish. And finally of course there are quite a lot of plants growing inside the tank.
Naturally I do agree that a no tech option isn't for everyone ( not even sure yet I'll actually be able to do it myself ), but I think the comparison to a garden with only one type of plant in it and not taking care of it isn't very accurate. I think it's almost the opposite, you get a lot of plants and other factors in the garden just right so that they amplify each other and you can watch them develop! When you DIY all this it can indeed be cheap, but it definitely won't be simple. Until you get experienced with it of course. You can get all wild and experimental with it from that point forward.
Again I am new to all this and I still have to see whether it works for me in the long run, but at least until now it's been very interesting. My fish are doing great and I'll see if I can get them to breed in there. That would mean ultimate succes if you'd ask me. Although it's a bummer I can't keep the young because they would disturb the balance... ^,^
Iâve done a aquarium no filter for a while because I didnât know that the filter had died. And then Covid came and no one could get out. And for me shipping is ridiculous so it was no filter for half a year. I think it is better to go from filter for about a year or two. And then just take it out.
Nailed it, I was looking forward to your views on this topic
I agree wholeheartedly with the video.
Back when I was starting in the hobby (with a help from my father) in the 90s, there was no high-tech, CO_2 fed aquariums, not even power head with large block of foam. I had few old books from the 70s and 80s which told measured, patient approach, air pump with a stone or sponge filter, water changes once in a month or two... I could see how even that simple sponge filter (with palm-sized sponge) helped... my first tank had a ball of Java moss, guppies and light bulb on top of it and it required water changes in a while. There are two extremes, on one hand there are beautiful CO_2 aquascapes which require ton of maintenance or setups which rely on filtration and frequent water changes... on the other end the closest would be a tank full of moss with guppies or shrimp which could go for a year without a water change (or collapse during summer heat wave).
Moderation and patience, after all patience brings roses.
I agree you, an aquarium should be as simple as possible, on the other hand, this kind of solutions save so much energy. Thanks for sharing, awesome tutorial.
With 70+ tanks running, I have both... All have an air stone at least... Depends what I'm doing each tank... Thanks, keep up your awesomeness and go enjoy some nature today...!
That's awesome! Are you just huge into the hobby or do you have a big breeding operation?
@@HopeB555 A little of both right now... I hope to, in a few years, sell my lawn service business and go full-time plant and fish guy...! Thanks
Thanks for all your great information đ đ
This is such a great channel. Thank u.â€â€â€
I am curious about the overhead filtration. I haven't researched it yet because I wasn't aware of it as a product at least. I made hanging brackets on top of my tank and layered some polyfil on top of that because my tank just wouldn't clear up. It is now amazingly clear. I was worried about the gas exchange but it doesn't seem to hurt it. I only cover at most about a third of the surface and I'm running a 4 or 5 inch flat air stone on the substrate under the middle of the polyfil. The air pump I'm using is only meant for a 10 gallon tank supposedly but I have it in a 40. I doesn't look the best being all handmade with limited resources and I would consider buying a readymade option to test against and possibly replace with for aesthetic reasons. Any video on the matter would be greatly appreciated as I am sure I will find plenty of conflicting information as I begin to look into this.
I love you man...seriously. This is about the best advice on the topic.
You always take the balanced approachâ€
This was great!!!! thank you so much
I like a mix of the old ways and some of the new ways ... the old ways are majorly important now with the situation with fish meds in Canada... i essentialy have to roll my own meds if i needs em ... and much of the old ways of doing things gets lost... so when its needed its hard to find ... I never really understood why undergravel filtration disappeared
I have to say this is your best educational video I have watched in your channel ... I prefer the low tech aquariums ... I always try to do the best a can within my resources.