my son pushed me to buy tank/fish 4 months ago and after 2 weeks he lost the interest. So, all the cleaning, adding chemical.... was on me, and I hated it. I was about to give up, just searching in youtube, and I found you by accident. I set it up your way three months ago in a 15 liter tank (so small), and I was so skeptic :). Since then, no water change no cleaning, almost nothing.... they have bredded :), and living happyly. some fishes died (which I did not took them out, they were eaten in few days) but in total the number of fishes increased over time. and the water is cryustal clear!
When I first got into the hobby, I joined a few FB groups. I bought a 2.5 gallon kit that came with a built in light and terrible filter. I got discouraged within the groups, because it was "buy this, buy that, weekly water changes, etc." It went from a fun hobby to very expensive and time consuming. Just as I planned to sell my tank and betta, I remembered seeing something about you (Father Fish). Watched two videos and I was like YES! I now have FOUR Father Fish style tanks. All are doing great, especially my 10 gallon. My plants are doing wonderful and all my dish, snails, ADFs, and ghost shrimp are living happily. I got kicked out of or left many of those FB groups after saying I use FF methods.😂 The amount of people who think natural methods are considered radical and outdated. Haha! So, thank for your CZcams videos and Discord. They're all so helpful, also the beautiful plants from your store.❤
I've had tanks for over 30 years back to when I was 9 with a 55 gallon with undergravel filters in my bedroom. I've always loved fish, but the headache of cleaning gravel, scrubbing, and water changing makes it just not seem worth it a lot of the time, it just gots so tiring. A year ago I found FF and I jumped in headfirst like an addict looking for any way out. I top off my tanks once a week and do a little surface vacuuming, filter rinsing, and plant trimming every 2-3 months now and MORE people ask me now how I keep my tanks looking so good and most don't believe me when I tell them how little I interfere with the tanks. For the first time in my life I have to add fertilizer because my tanks run negative nitrates. The plants actually consume more nitrates than my fish produce.
Yes he knows what he's talking about . I've had aquariums since I was 10 now at 51 I've always spent lots of money keep one going 2 months ago I set one of his natural tanks up .well it's been flawless and has cost me nothing after set up . Plants are growing , thriving . All the fish are still alive not lost one fish . I wish I knew the back then . I would have saved thousands of dollars and time cleaning tanks . I never would have thought dirt and sand in tank would work but it's amazing
I got a little 10 gallon tank for my kids about three months ago, (ok, it was for me. But they like it too). The pet store set me up with some tetras and Cory catfish, gravel, and a few plants. I’ve been fully invested in keeping up with cleaning schedule, not over feeding. About a week in I found Father Fish and loved the idea of a little ecosystem rather than a tank that stresses fish with constant interaction. As I slowly watched my plants suffer (gravel), I decided to go for it. Made a complete switch today and so excited to watch it flourish. Added a bunch more plants, 1 inch dirt from my yard (with lots of goodies in it), 2 1/2 inches sand. It just feels right and already looks so much cooler. Thanks so much Father Fish!! You’ve got another believer here 👍
Father fish your method of tank keeping has been great for my fish and they seem much happier than when they were in my heavily maintained fish tank era
I’ve never had a fish tank before and joined a FB group. I was intimidated by all the set ups and by chance found Father Fish. I followed his method and set up my first shrimp tank. It’s been two months and I already have baby shrimp! I’m excited to set up another tank using his advice.
I agree, a good tank is stable first, nature can tolerate changes if it has time to recover, which sometimes implies to "do nothing". Water is also chimical so changing too much water is like using chimicals if the PH or minerals we add aren't the same as the water we remove, if we think about it water is what makes a tank "stable" as it dissolves everything, that's why life appeared in water. The cool thing with life is it makes the environment resilient, we can trust life, basically you could just randomly put dirt, water, plants in a tank and observe, it just needs a current for the elements to move everywhere or a soft wind at the surface, plants IRL don't need human to survive, some even need to break to reproduce.
Now if anyone didn’t understand F.F explaining this simple view and spoken in a professional way.. I would recommend watching it again..Well done F.F❤STOP !! Buying all those chemicals from the store you wont need them once your tank is balanced naturally 😊 just like a garden.R~
Thank you friend from a disabled Christian fishkeeper , i gave up regrettably my 4foot tank thinking i needed powerheads undergravel filters and regular monthly waterchanges which i can no longer do . . . . . Then😊 i found you, and now have a much smaller tank ( money reasons ) but a deep substrate with aqua soil , capped by sand and densely planted . One year later and only one small water change my tank is thriving.
I constantly struggled with keeping my fish alive for more than a few weeks, Then I randomly came across your channel, Followed your advice about Natural Aquariums, and I haven't had a single dead fish for over 1.5 years.
Thank you so much! I'm cleaning my 70l (18 gal) fish tank EVERY DAY. Me, my husband, my betta and my applesnails are stressed and tired. I was looking for a more natural and sustainable way but everybody keeps says that i should maintain my aquarium "aseptic". I will start my natural fish tank tomorrow. Wish me luck! And thank you again!
Great video Father Fish I used under gravel filters back in the late 60's and 70's and your right they were great filters. Most people did not under stand how they worked, and would vacuum the gravel all the time and take the good bacteria out of the tank. Your Friend Joe H Navy Seabee
4 years 60 liters tank with male and female Neolamprologus leleup. I have first two spawns alive and growing. They are preparing third spawn this year, I got them 4 months old. I have never cleaned anything else except the inner 25 liter/h filter and the front glass. I have never did a water change only getting water in after evaporation. I have 5-6 fingers of substrate and few plants. The water I only add is 14 days old at least, 8.1ph I do that very easy. If ph is low I add sodium bicarbonate + calcium chloride + a spoon of sea salt (only once!). If water hp is 8.0 8.1 I add only calcium chloride + tea spoon of sea salt, the first time, wait 14 days in a dark and cool space. Keep a barrel of this water always, keep the lid closed but so it can breath a little, add this water after evaporation. Same goes preparing the water for the first time before adding African Cichlids. I feed only once a day mixing flakes or small granules or krill. I don't feed one, some times two days a week. Temperature 25o at winter 26-28 pick summer. My water is good for drinking 😅
I just built a Father Fish 29. I have a deep substrate tank that I used gravel instead of sand. I think it's probably loaded up. I'm going vacuum the gravel and add a layer of sand. My new build is probably medium tech. I don't have high end lights but they're sufficient. 22:20
@@FatherFish did it but it's only temporary. I'm going move everyone to my 20 high. Right now I have seven inches of substrate. When I rebuild it I'm going to set it up with about 1 1/2 inches of soil and two inches of sand.
When I was a kid my parents got me a tank and we tried quite hard, but it never turned out nice. A few months ago I felt the need to get one again and googled how to keep a successful one without having to put in much effort. This lead me to your channel and I am glad it did. My tank is now thriving, looking as beautiful a tank as I have ever seen one in person. The logic to your method made sense to me from the beginning, but still I was a bit sceptical and wary if this would work for me, having my old, rather smelly tank still in the back of my mind. But it turned out that the internet was actually not promising too much here (as it otherwise usually does haha). So thanks, FF, for sharing this incredibly rewarding, yet so simple approach to fish keeping with us!
I'm glad I learned the proper method for a natural eco tank. It has saved me thousands of dollars across my 3 tanks (20 5 and 3 gallons). No need for expensive filtration or concentrated ferts medicines or supplements. My plants may not be as vibrant as a co2 high tech but my plants still have natural beauty.
All my tanks started out the "industry standard" way, and somehow mysteriousley every "standard" tank fails my whole life. Even the tanks i have right now began as "standard" and I re-scaped the exsisting gravel tanks to house U.G.Fs and then put in media bags of your soil mix and capped it with a lot of sand. Then super heavily planted. Lots of plants failed in the beginning with the "industry standard" and now the only reason my plants fail is bc the fish eat them lol. It has removed so much labor and added so much joy having natural tanks. I even got a couple leopars frog tadpoles (which is said they need very pristene waters to survive) has been thriving. I got them and they started growing their back legs.
I took on your challenge on 1st January 2024 My tank is doing well. Well, I had a few deaths since, but I also got quite few births ..my platys love having babies Thank you Father Fish
Hi father fish I imitated your method..I used garden soil and then I capped it with beach sand and I tried to plant Egeria densa and I was very happy because it grew..I thought the plant would not survive if beach sand was used ..next I will add other types of aquatic plants..Thank you very much for what you taught us..greetings from the Philippines
Been loving my unwashed creek sand I've been using in my tanks lately. My sand here is basically compressed dirt. Not much hard rock. The plants grow like crazy and the fish love it. Even with little or no filtration. Seems to work better than sand and dirt always keep it simple.
It's interesting what you mentioned about the under-gravel filter. When I found your channel, I was all ready to set up my 10 gallon aquarium the Novak way. When I decided to set it up the Father Fish way, I had already began setting up the tank with the under-gravel filter system. Not desiring to waste the under-gravel plenum, I decided to set up the aquarium the FF way and with the plenum installed under the dirted substrate and sand, but not hooked up to anything - it is static (I may be wrong, but I believe this was something mentioned in the Walstad method). This tank has been a pleasure to work with, one of my best tanks ever.
Oh I love love your message we absolutely are here by Design and that's why I love having a natural ecosystem Aquarium because I think about how amazing creation is how everything was thought about nothing was missed
i follow all your teachings and my aquarium is beautiful, its looks natural with clear yellow water because of driftwood and indian almond.. plants are thriving, fish are healthy and i dont clean it i just leave it alone.. the poop the dead plants matter is not an issue in my aqarium because of 1 inch soil cap with 2 inches of sand and plants.. it was amazing
@@Lobby4U im from phililpines i dont have access to his stores.. but according to his teaching you can use any kinds of organic potting soil or just your backyard soil...
Ang sakin lods ginamit ko potting soil tapos ang sinubakan kong maglagay nang beach sand na pang capping.tapos natanim ako nang egera densa laking tuwa nabuhay naman.akala ko kasi hindi pwedi ang beach sand..@@jaggybuggy
I really like the clear totes that's exactly what I'm using in my basement for my guppies when I bring them back in this fall from the outdoor tubs are those the 17 gallon or the 27s?
I always watch your video and so I inspired in your natural fish tank and I decide to do what you've said . In my tank happily my fish is healthy ❤ - watching From the Philippines❤
Hello father fish, your video is very good. Could you please make a specific video talking about water circulation in your aquariums? Is required? how to make? Other questions would be about aeration and filtration. Do I necessarily need an oxygenator and filter? How do you deal with aquarium heating? I don't have an aquarium yet, so I'm sorry if the questions are silly. Thank you very much for exposing these techniques to the world. I've always wanted to have an aquarium, but the way it's done has always seemed like a lot of work and cost for little return.
If you are near the sea collect sand from the littoral water and put 2" in your tank. Cap with cleaner wild sand about 2". That's it. Run a power head and find plants to grow in it - macro algaes are great. If you do not live near the sea use plain sand, 4-6" and get some live sand from an existing tank, a little bit is all you need. NO DIRT!
That was a really good video. I am thinking about getting a 6-foot tank next year and I want to do it the way you said. I would like to know if you know about all the different species of fish so that they can live together without fighting each other. cAN YOU ALSO RECOMMEND THE BEST FILTER SYSTEM FOR A 6 FOOT TANK? THANK YOU
I have a very small tank with 2 neon tetras, soil, sand, dried leaves and 1 plant. Im not doing anything and just feeding them occasionally. After a month without doing anything I saw a couple of snails in my tank.
My water's mostly hard & when my tanks fluctuate, it's usually because of some of the hardscape or bacterial colonies. I had a very hard tank because of seiryu stone & a soft tank because of colonies that were on some of my lava rock imports. I added several oak leaves & removed a seiryu stone to bring down the ph in the hard tank & removed, boiled & added the lava stone back in & added that seiryu stone to the soft tank & now they're within .6 of each other (in the 7 range). (I had a lava stone from the same batch that I boiled first & added it to a different tank with no ph change, so I figured it had to be something that hitch-hiked on that batch.)
In the UK adding tap water is not a good idea. The water authorities specifically tell you that the chlorine will kill the fish especially in summer when they increase the chlorine levels. More information about the chlorine can be found on their websites. I use rain water collected in water butts, I put a piece of bog wood and some floating plants in the butt and all seems to be ok. I use your dirt system and my fish our healthy and thriving although my water does turn a tea colour every 4 weeks or so but I am very happy.
Hello Father Fish, I just ordered and received your soil supplement for 100 gallon aquarium. I'm setting up a 75 and just going to use it all in there. My question is will a 50lb bag of pool filter sand be enough to cover a 2in sand cap in a 75 gallon aquarium. 4feet by 18in. Thanks
Father fish my betta is dying. I treated water with E.M. Erythromycin. Then did a 75% water change and treated him again. I’ve seen no improvement. What do you suggest
Father fish I spoke to soon. I got up yesterday morning and he was swimming around like nothing ever happened to him. He’s back to eating and coming to the front of the tank when I call his name. I’m so happy I saved him from near death. I’m really ecstatic.
If I'm adding leaf litter from my wildlife pond into the tank - could I also keep all my plants cuttings in the tank aswell? Weighed down under a stone with the leaf litter? In my mind it would create a little closed circular cycle where all the nutrients would decompose and then be taken up by the plants - never needing for additional things to be added? What do you think @fatherfish?
Father Fish, I need your advice. Are damselfly nymphs okay for betta aquarium? I just found them in my tank after starting natural tank. Thank you for all you do!!
I think that under gravel filtration is unnecessary and gives opportunity to unprocessed food to go back to the water column... Which gives algy extra power to go... Am I wrong?
Hi father fish! Not sure if you will see this, I want to switch the substrate out of my older tank. The soil I originally used years ago as a beginner, I mixed with so many rocks then only put a thin layer of sand and gravel on top. The soil is almost rock hard, and extremely difficult to plant into in most areas, (My epiphytes are great)and I want a deeper sand substate for a healthier tank. I have 21 small nano fish and a mystery snail and a handful of shrimp in a 29 gallon. Is there a safe way to transfer my fish into a temporary set up while I quickly change out the substrate and place all my plants and rocks and wood back then put them in without killing them? and If so, how long do you leave them out before adding them back in then original tank, does it have to "season" ?
Yes. Remove plants and fish to a bucket with an air stone. Remove all of the water but leave your substrate. Add my soil formula to 1", add 2" of sand and carefully fill the tank without disturbing the sand. Add plants on day one and the fish on day two. Onward!
Father fish what plants would you recommend as most resistant to the negative effects of aquarium salt? And how much and how often should I give my fish a dose of aquarium salt without killing my live plants?
@@FatherFish how can I order sturdy plants from you father fish? I would want to buy plants from you in the near future as soon as I get some lawsuit money coming my way.
So, do I just go out and put some leaves from a body of water in my new tank, or can I buy that or does it come with your substrate? I’m trying to start my own bioactive tank, and this is all new to me.
GREAT> Joiin us in the Father Fish SHOAL where are the happy fish keepers live. Go to fatherfish.fish and click on the DISCORD link at the top. We have so much to share with you.
Father fish, how do I get rid of my black algae? It has spread everywhere while I was away and found it insanely difficult to scrub off the windows and getting every single one off the plants and filter and heater. Is my aquarium doomed? I’ve never seen these before. But I do believe it is black algae
I am switching my tank from all fake to living tank. Do I use the old water when I add everything back in. I only have a couple of bottom feeders and a suckered and a couple of tetras.
I used your planted tank method and against your advice I rushed process and forgot to wet dirt and capped with sand so I just went ahead with rest of steps and now I’m getting many bubbles coming up from the sand I’m barley on day 4 and my fish are doing ok but I did lose a shrimp
I hope someone can answer this question for me ❤ I have a good tank that has been settling for quite a while, but I realized it doesn't have the right amount of sand, so I want to take all the fishes and plants out to put more sand, it's that OK? I don't want to kill my fishes or messed it up. (And I really want to put in more sand and plants)
Fish are excellent dodge ball players. They will not allow the sand to hurt themselves. Just pour in well washed sand, half an inch a week and all will be well.
Hi! Just have a little question: Today i was walking in the local forest here in Scandinavia. There i saw some wonderful pieces of rotten wood, both in a pond and on dry land. If i where to put that wood in a tropical aquarium, could the fish be harmed? (parasites, ph-values f.eks)
Hay Father Fish The temperature of my tank is 29 degrees, which is hot where I am. Should I use a cooler? I would be happy if you help. thank you in advance
Would you help me with my tank or to change my tank to make it more natural and thrive. Aswel when you add your tap water do you still dechlorine it? And in the natrual tank do you still use a filter or just a air pump. I tried to join your discord and i still dont get what im doing so sorry thank you. Ive got so many questions.
Sir I'm not able to get any dead nd decaying matter or water from a water body as I don't have one near me is there any way to make a ecosystem without it?? I have this other tank kind of mid tech tank with aquasoil, co2 etc there are some seed shrimps spawning in that tank can I siphon them nd add them in my ecosystem tank??
my son pushed me to buy tank/fish 4 months ago and after 2 weeks he lost the interest. So, all the cleaning, adding chemical.... was on me, and I hated it. I was about to give up, just searching in youtube, and I found you by accident. I set it up your way three months ago in a 15 liter tank (so small), and I was so skeptic :). Since then, no water change no cleaning, almost nothing.... they have bredded :), and living happyly. some fishes died (which I did not took them out, they were eaten in few days) but in total the number of fishes increased over time. and the water is cryustal clear!
Thx 🙏 father fish
@@PeacefulSleepMelodies nothing like crusty clear water.
When I first got into the hobby, I joined a few FB groups. I bought a 2.5 gallon kit that came with a built in light and terrible filter. I got discouraged within the groups, because it was "buy this, buy that, weekly water changes, etc." It went from a fun hobby to very expensive and time consuming.
Just as I planned to sell my tank and betta, I remembered seeing something about you (Father Fish). Watched two videos and I was like YES!
I now have FOUR Father Fish style tanks. All are doing great, especially my 10 gallon. My plants are doing wonderful and all my dish, snails, ADFs, and ghost shrimp are living happily.
I got kicked out of or left many of those FB groups after saying I use FF methods.😂 The amount of people who think natural methods are considered radical and outdated. Haha! So, thank for your CZcams videos and Discord. They're all so helpful, also the beautiful plants from your store.❤
I've had tanks for over 30 years back to when I was 9 with a 55 gallon with undergravel filters in my bedroom. I've always loved fish, but the headache of cleaning gravel, scrubbing, and water changing makes it just not seem worth it a lot of the time, it just gots so tiring. A year ago I found FF and I jumped in headfirst like an addict looking for any way out. I top off my tanks once a week and do a little surface vacuuming, filter rinsing, and plant trimming every 2-3 months now and MORE people ask me now how I keep my tanks looking so good and most don't believe me when I tell them how little I interfere with the tanks. For the first time in my life I have to add fertilizer because my tanks run negative nitrates. The plants actually consume more nitrates than my fish produce.
Most only need a plenum to make this method work for aquascaping
I absolutely agree. I dont want a perfect crystal clear photoshoot aquarium, I want life, green and natural. Cant wait to finish setting up my tank!
Yes he knows what he's talking about . I've had aquariums since I was 10 now at 51 I've always spent lots of money keep one going 2 months ago I set one of his natural tanks up .well it's been flawless and has cost me nothing after set up . Plants are growing , thriving . All the fish are still alive not lost one fish . I wish I knew the back then . I would have saved thousands of dollars and time cleaning tanks . I never would have thought dirt and sand in tank would work but it's amazing
I got a little 10 gallon tank for my kids about three months ago, (ok, it was for me. But they like it too). The pet store set me up with some tetras and Cory catfish, gravel, and a few plants. I’ve been fully invested in keeping up with cleaning schedule, not over feeding. About a week in I found Father Fish and loved the idea of a little ecosystem rather than a tank that stresses fish with constant interaction. As I slowly watched my plants suffer (gravel), I decided to go for it. Made a complete switch today and so excited to watch it flourish. Added a bunch more plants, 1 inch dirt from my yard (with lots of goodies in it), 2 1/2 inches sand. It just feels right and already looks so much cooler. Thanks so much Father Fish!! You’ve got another believer here 👍
Father fish your method of tank keeping has been great for my fish and they seem much happier than when they were in my heavily maintained fish tank era
I’ve never had a fish tank before and joined a FB group. I was intimidated by all the set ups and by chance found Father Fish. I followed his method and set up my first shrimp tank. It’s been two months and I already have baby shrimp! I’m excited to set up another tank using his advice.
I agree, a good tank is stable first, nature can tolerate changes if it has time to recover, which sometimes implies to "do nothing". Water is also chimical so changing too much water is like using chimicals if the PH or minerals we add aren't the same as the water we remove, if we think about it water is what makes a tank "stable" as it dissolves everything, that's why life appeared in water. The cool thing with life is it makes the environment resilient, we can trust life, basically you could just randomly put dirt, water, plants in a tank and observe, it just needs a current for the elements to move everywhere or a soft wind at the surface, plants IRL don't need human to survive, some even need to break to reproduce.
Now if anyone didn’t understand F.F explaining this simple view and spoken in a professional way.. I would recommend watching it again..Well done F.F❤STOP !! Buying all those chemicals from the store you wont need them once your tank is balanced naturally 😊 just like a garden.R~
Thanks for that Ryan!
Thank you friend from a disabled Christian fishkeeper , i gave up regrettably my 4foot tank thinking i needed powerheads undergravel filters and regular monthly waterchanges which i can no longer do . . . . . Then😊 i found you, and now have a much smaller tank ( money reasons ) but a deep substrate with aqua soil , capped by sand and densely planted . One year later and only one small water change my tank is thriving.
please make a update on the 22 year old aquarium
I constantly struggled with keeping my fish alive for more than a few weeks, Then I randomly came across your channel, Followed your advice about Natural Aquariums, and I haven't had a single dead fish for over 1.5 years.
The Angelfish in this video are absolutely stunning .
I'm trying for the natural way of fishkeeping 👍😊💙
Wow! This video explains so much! Every fish hobbyist needs to see this video. We need to return to nature. Amazing work. Preach it Father Fish!
Please will you do a tour of all your tanks?
Another awesome learning video for us fishkeepers...thank you for all you do!❤
Thank you so much! I'm cleaning my 70l (18 gal) fish tank EVERY DAY. Me, my husband, my betta and my applesnails are stressed and tired. I was looking for a more natural and sustainable way but everybody keeps says that i should maintain my aquarium "aseptic". I will start my natural fish tank tomorrow. Wish me luck! And thank you again!
When changing or topping off water I always bubble out the chlorine in a 5-gal bucket and my one gal jugs I just shake them up once in awhile.👍
Great video Father Fish I used under gravel filters back in the late 60's and 70's and your right they were great filters. Most people did not under stand how they worked, and would vacuum the gravel all the time and take the good bacteria out of the tank. Your Friend Joe H Navy Seabee
Such a wonderful video. The evolution of the true self supporting aquarium is fascinating.
Thanks for sharing.
Another great video Father FIsh keep up the good work love everything you have taught me about since finding you on CZcams
1:45 Nothing wrong with that! I’m with ya! Nature is perfect and amazing! The closest we can get to that is all we want!
4 years 60 liters tank with male and female Neolamprologus leleup. I have first two spawns alive and growing. They are preparing third spawn this year, I got them 4 months old. I have never cleaned anything else except the inner 25 liter/h filter and the front glass. I have never did a water change only getting water in after evaporation. I have 5-6 fingers of substrate and few plants. The water I only add is 14 days old at least, 8.1ph I do that very easy. If ph is low I add sodium bicarbonate + calcium chloride + a spoon of sea salt (only once!). If water hp is 8.0 8.1 I add only calcium chloride + tea spoon of sea salt, the first time, wait 14 days in a dark and cool space. Keep a barrel of this water always, keep the lid closed but so it can breath a little, add this water after evaporation. Same goes preparing the water for the first time before adding African Cichlids. I feed only once a day mixing flakes or small granules or krill. I don't feed one, some times two days a week. Temperature 25o at winter 26-28 pick summer. My water is good for drinking 😅
Tanganyikan fish are stupendous colony fish.
Amazing video. My tanks are alive thanks to you.
Our father fish is a wonderful philosopher of life 😂❤❤❤...love u father fish :) ❤❤❤...i am from India 😊
Fantastic video FF, however this reminds me why I got out of the hobby because it’s so much work. Thanks for posting this ❤
I just built a Father Fish 29. I have a deep substrate tank that I used gravel instead of sand. I think it's probably loaded up. I'm going vacuum the gravel and add a layer of sand. My new build is probably medium tech. I don't have high end lights but they're sufficient. 22:20
DO NOT vacuum the gravel. Leave all the dirt in it and cap with an inch of sand. You will be glad you did!
@@FatherFish thank you!
@@FatherFish did it but it's only temporary. I'm going move everyone to my 20 high. Right now I have seven inches of substrate. When I rebuild it I'm going to set it up with about 1 1/2 inches of soil and two inches of sand.
Great Video ❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤ thanks father ❤❤❤❤ I appreciate the detail you went into super helpful
When I was a kid my parents got me a tank and we tried quite hard, but it never turned out nice. A few months ago I felt the need to get one again and googled how to keep a successful one without having to put in much effort. This lead me to your channel and I am glad it did. My tank is now thriving, looking as beautiful a tank as I have ever seen one in person.
The logic to your method made sense to me from the beginning, but still I was a bit sceptical and wary if this would work for me, having my old, rather smelly tank still in the back of my mind. But it turned out that the internet was actually not promising too much here (as it otherwise usually does haha).
So thanks, FF, for sharing this incredibly rewarding, yet so simple approach to fish keeping with us!
God bless you Father Fish ❤
I'm glad I learned the proper method for a natural eco tank. It has saved me thousands of dollars across my 3 tanks (20 5 and 3 gallons). No need for expensive filtration or concentrated ferts medicines or supplements. My plants may not be as vibrant as a co2 high tech but my plants still have natural beauty.
All my tanks started out the "industry standard" way, and somehow mysteriousley every "standard" tank fails my whole life. Even the tanks i have right now began as "standard" and I re-scaped the exsisting gravel tanks to house U.G.Fs and then put in media bags of your soil mix and capped it with a lot of sand. Then super heavily planted. Lots of plants failed in the beginning with the "industry standard" and now the only reason my plants fail is bc the fish eat them lol. It has removed so much labor and added so much joy having natural tanks. I even got a couple leopars frog tadpoles (which is said they need very pristene waters to survive) has been thriving. I got them and they started growing their back legs.
I took on your challenge on 1st January 2024
My tank is doing well.
Well, I had a few deaths since, but I also got quite few births ..my platys love having babies
Thank you Father Fish
Hi father fish I imitated your method..I used garden soil and then I capped it with beach sand and I tried to plant Egeria densa and I was very happy because it grew..I thought the plant would not survive if beach sand was used ..next I will add other types of aquatic plants..Thank you very much for what you taught us..greetings from the Philippines
This is the wisest advice I have ever heard in my lifetime. Thank you, Lolo. You're the best!
Been loving my unwashed creek sand I've been using in my tanks lately. My sand here is basically compressed dirt. Not much hard rock. The plants grow like crazy and the fish love it. Even with little or no filtration. Seems to work better than sand and dirt always keep it simple.
Thank you Father Fish.
Multumim pentru sfaturi! Va salut din Romania!
Totally agree with the father fish approach. GOAT...I have not cleaned my tank for the last 10 yrs.
It's interesting what you mentioned about the under-gravel filter. When I found your channel, I was all ready to set up my 10 gallon aquarium the Novak way. When I decided to set it up the Father Fish way, I had already began setting up the tank with the under-gravel filter system. Not desiring to waste the under-gravel plenum, I decided to set up the aquarium the FF way and with the plenum installed under the dirted substrate and sand, but not hooked up to anything - it is static (I may be wrong, but I believe this was something mentioned in the Walstad method). This tank has been a pleasure to work with, one of my best tanks ever.
Yes. Perfect
❤Thank you😊
Oh I love love your message we absolutely are here by Design and that's why I love having a natural ecosystem Aquarium because I think about how amazing creation is how everything was thought about nothing was missed
Preach! No wonder they call you "Father" :)
Baba seni kutluyorum her zamanki gibi mükemmel bilgiler verdiğin içinde teşekkür ediyorum .
i follow all your teachings and my aquarium is beautiful, its looks natural with clear yellow water because of driftwood and indian almond.. plants are thriving, fish are healthy and i dont clean it i just leave it alone.. the poop the dead plants matter is not an issue in my aqarium because of 1 inch soil cap with 2 inches of sand and plants.. it was amazing
Did you use father fish soil or organic soil
I’m thinking of starting a tank with organic soil 1 inch 2 inch sand cap but it’s store bought organic soil will that be ok
@@Lobby4U im from phililpines i dont have access to his stores.. but according to his teaching you can use any kinds of organic potting soil or just your backyard soil...
@@jaggybuggy I will use some I bought from Tesco today thank you for your advice
Ang sakin lods ginamit ko potting soil tapos ang sinubakan kong maglagay nang beach sand na pang capping.tapos natanim ako nang egera densa laking tuwa nabuhay naman.akala ko kasi hindi pwedi ang beach sand..@@jaggybuggy
Estoy muy asombrado con sus palabras. Y ciertamente conmovido.. Tengo 66 años y voy a continuar con el acuarismo, siguiendo esta v{ia. Muchas gracias.
I was surprised to see that my Anubias shot their roots down into the substrate. They must have knew it was goid stuff in there!
I really like the clear totes that's exactly what I'm using in my basement for my guppies when I bring them back in this fall from the outdoor tubs are those the 17 gallon or the 27s?
I always watch your video and so I inspired in your natural fish tank and I decide to do what you've said . In my tank happily my fish is healthy ❤
- watching From the Philippines❤
Saan ka sa pilipinas lods?
I like how u explained the basic of aquarium keeping ❤
Thanks father fish I always get great knowledge from your video
Thank you father fish for all the help
Well said! 🌿🐟
Thanks!
Thank you
Father fish you are the man love your content
Hello father fish, your video is very good.
Could you please make a specific video talking about water circulation in your aquariums? Is required? how to make?
Other questions would be about aeration and filtration. Do I necessarily need an oxygenator and filter?
How do you deal with aquarium heating?
I don't have an aquarium yet, so I'm sorry if the questions are silly.
Thank you very much for exposing these techniques to the world.
I've always wanted to have an aquarium, but the way it's done has always seemed like a lot of work and cost for little return.
I love the discord group 💜 learned so much. Fishkeeping done the right and stress free.
Nice, but please tell me how to make this work with saltwater.
If you are near the sea collect sand from the littoral water and put 2" in your tank. Cap with cleaner wild sand about 2". That's it. Run a power head and find plants to grow in it - macro algaes are great. If you do not live near the sea use plain sand, 4-6" and get some live sand from an existing tank, a little bit is all you need. NO DIRT!
Father Fish for President!
Wisdom for generations of aquarium hobbyists to learn.
❤i wgree with anyrhing you said.thank you very much!
Thank you dear f.f.
That was a really good video. I am thinking about getting a 6-foot tank next year and I want to do it the way you said. I would like to know if you know about all the different species of fish so that they can live together without fighting each other. cAN YOU ALSO RECOMMEND THE BEST FILTER SYSTEM FOR A 6 FOOT TANK? THANK YOU
Join us in the SHGOAL for conversations about these concerns and more.
Do we still need filter (gravel, top or skimmer) for the natural tank?
Not if you have enough plants
@@deathbyfishtanks how do I know it enough?
@@jeffrey0091 should be fine as long as you have a lot.
@@jeffrey0091 but the way I figure- if your water is clear and doesn’t stink, you have enough plants
I have tops on most of my tanks. I use sponge filter, heaters, and lights.
I have soft well water with a TDS of about 16. I need to add stuff the water to get plants to stay alive! Dirt helps.
Regards from Pakistan ❤️🇵🇰
What causes a tank to start leaking? We had a tank with a slow leak and we don't know if we caused it or something else did. We love your videos.
WEAK SEAM
I declorinate all the tap water I top off with . Is that ok.
Awesome my friend
Hello FF. How would you go about deworming a fish that is infected with internal parasites?
timeless wisdom
I have a very small tank with 2 neon tetras, soil, sand, dried leaves and 1 plant. Im not doing anything and just feeding them occasionally. After a month without doing anything I saw a couple of snails in my tank.
Do you have any advice for tank mates for bettas? And how many fish you can keep in a certain sized tank?
Спасибо 🌹
My water's mostly hard & when my tanks fluctuate, it's usually because of some of the hardscape or bacterial colonies.
I had a very hard tank because of seiryu stone & a soft tank because of colonies that were on some of my lava rock imports.
I added several oak leaves & removed a seiryu stone to bring down the ph in the hard tank & removed, boiled & added the lava stone back in & added that seiryu stone to the soft tank & now they're within .6 of each other (in the 7 range).
(I had a lava stone from the same batch that I boiled first & added it to a different tank with no ph change, so I figured it had to be something that hitch-hiked on that batch.)
In the UK adding tap water is not a good idea. The water authorities specifically tell you that the chlorine will kill the fish especially in summer when they increase the chlorine levels. More information about the chlorine can be found on their websites. I use rain water collected in water butts, I put a piece of bog wood and some floating plants in the butt and all seems to be ok. I use your dirt system and my fish our healthy and thriving although my water does turn a tea colour every 4 weeks or so but I am very happy.
Hello Father Fish, I just ordered and received your soil supplement for 100 gallon aquarium. I'm setting up a 75 and just going to use it all in there.
My question is will a 50lb bag of pool filter sand be enough to cover a 2in sand cap in a 75 gallon aquarium. 4feet by 18in. Thanks
Father fish my betta is dying. I treated water with E.M. Erythromycin. Then did a 75% water change and treated him again. I’ve seen no improvement. What do you suggest
Go onto discord and post on the disease section to get expert advise on treating your fish
Father fish I spoke to soon. I got up yesterday morning and he was swimming around like nothing ever happened to him. He’s back to eating and coming to the front of the tank when I call his name. I’m so happy I saved him from near death. I’m really ecstatic.
If I'm adding leaf litter from my wildlife pond into the tank - could I also keep all my plants cuttings in the tank aswell? Weighed down under a stone with the leaf litter?
In my mind it would create a little closed circular cycle where all the nutrients would decompose and then be taken up by the plants - never needing for additional things to be added?
What do you think @fatherfish?
Absol;utely. You are on the right track.
@@FatherFish should I be worried about the nitrate spike that the breakdown of organic matter causes in this situation?
Father Fish, I need your advice. Are damselfly nymphs okay for betta aquarium? I just found them in my tank after starting natural tank. Thank you for all you do!!
Yes they are. As food
@@FatherFish thank you so much
Love you're videos ff
I think that under gravel filtration is unnecessary and gives opportunity to unprocessed food to go back to the water column... Which gives algy extra power to go... Am I wrong?
You are essentially correct.
The way I look at it, why fight with nature when you can work with it
Hi father fish! Not sure if you will see this,
I want to switch the substrate out of my older tank. The soil I originally used years ago as a beginner, I mixed with so many rocks then only put a thin layer of sand and gravel on top. The soil is almost rock hard, and extremely difficult to plant into in most areas, (My epiphytes are great)and I want a deeper sand substate for a healthier tank. I have 21 small nano fish and a mystery snail and a handful of shrimp in a 29 gallon. Is there a safe way to transfer my fish into a temporary set up while I quickly change out the substrate and place all my plants and rocks and wood back then put them in without killing them? and If so, how long do you leave them out before adding them back in then original tank, does it have to "season"
?
Yes. Remove plants and fish to a bucket with an air stone. Remove all of the water but leave your substrate. Add my soil formula to 1", add 2" of sand and carefully fill the tank without disturbing the sand. Add plants on day one and the fish on day two. Onward!
Father fish what plants would you recommend as most resistant to the negative effects of aquarium salt? And how much and how often should I give my fish a dose of aquarium salt without killing my live plants?
There is typically no good reason to dose your tank with salt. Swords, val and sag are ok with limited salt.
@@FatherFish how can I order sturdy plants from you father fish? I would want to buy plants from you in the near future as soon as I get some lawsuit money coming my way.
Father fish is the God Father of Aquarium hobby🔥🔥🤘
So, do I just go out and put some leaves from a body of water in my new tank, or can I buy that or does it come with your substrate?
I’m trying to start my own bioactive tank, and this is all new to me.
GREAT> Joiin us in the Father Fish SHOAL where are the happy fish keepers live. Go to fatherfish.fish and click on the DISCORD link at the top. We have so much to share with you.
Hello. Do you add DIATOMITE to the soil?
yes
Love it!
Father fish, how do I get rid of my black algae? It has spread everywhere while I was away and found it insanely difficult to scrub off the windows and getting every single one off the plants and filter and heater. Is my aquarium doomed? I’ve never seen these before. But I do believe it is black algae
Take a deep breath. It is a function of high nitrates and is not dangerous. It will reduce nitrate level and disappear. Defeat it with more plants.
I am switching my tank from all fake to living tank. Do I use the old water when I add everything back in. I only have a couple of bottom feeders and a suckered and a couple of tetras.
you can,, yes
I used your planted tank method and against your advice I rushed process and forgot to wet dirt and capped with sand so I just went ahead with rest of steps and now I’m getting many bubbles coming up from the sand I’m barley on day 4 and my fish are doing ok but I did lose a shrimp
Should not be a problem
I hope someone can answer this question for me ❤ I have a good tank that has been settling for quite a while, but I realized it doesn't have the right amount of sand, so I want to take all the fishes and plants out to put more sand, it's that OK? I don't want to kill my fishes or messed it up. (And I really want to put in more sand and plants)
Fish are excellent dodge ball players. They will not allow the sand to hurt themselves. Just pour in well washed sand, half an inch a week and all will be well.
Hi!
Just have a little question: Today i was walking in the local forest here in Scandinavia. There i saw some wonderful pieces of rotten wood, both in a pond and on dry land. If i where to put that wood in a tropical aquarium, could the fish be harmed? (parasites, ph-values f.eks)
start with small amounts
@@FatherFish ok thank you
This should be the first video a new fish keeper watches
Hay Father Fish
The temperature of my tank is 29 degrees, which is hot where I am. Should I use a cooler? I would be happy if you help. thank you in advance
FINE TEMP
@@FatherFish thank you very much
Colourfull gravel is horrible I don't get how somebody can put to fish tank something like that
Green is not so bad. Pink is frightening!
@@akwarista-ps1fn First time betta owners.
And I was guilty of having pink gravel.
Now it's dirt and sand with natural plants.
Would you help me with my tank or to change my tank to make it more natural and thrive. Aswel when you add your tap water do you still dechlorine it? And in the natrual tank do you still use a filter or just a air pump. I tried to join your discord and i still dont get what im doing so sorry thank you. Ive got so many questions.
try again to get on the SHOAL. It is a very powerful tool for just such concerns as you are raisng.
Father Fish is based!
Sir I'm not able to get any dead nd decaying matter or water from a water body as I don't have one near me is there any way to make a ecosystem without it?? I have this other tank kind of mid tech tank with aquasoil, co2 etc there are some seed shrimps spawning in that tank can I siphon them nd add them in my ecosystem tank??
YES
@@FatherFish I did that but then I never saw any seed shrimp in my ecosystem tank??