Change Polluted Water. Do Not Change Healthy Water.
Fish tank water and water changes has become a matter of controversy. How do we keep aquarium water pure and healthy and avoid doing water changes? Are water changes even necessary?
There is a simple rule: Make nature your partner. Going the industry way of dosing your pure, and healthy water with chemicals and other treatments will not only turn your pure, healthy aquarium water toxic, but it also creates the unnecessary need to change water on a weekly or daily basis. But if you follow this simple rule and make nature your partner, nature will do 99% of work for your fish tank and you simply can enjoy your fish keeping hobby and you can stop changing water in your aquarium.
Some in the fishtube community have been going hysterical about the previous video 'Stop Changing Your Water!' without understanding how simple it is to maintain pure and healthy fish tank water without water changes. It is time to explain to you and to them how one can maintain a healthy tank, water, plants and fishes by following this simple rule without having to change water at all!
FATHER FISH is an advocate for natural aquariums. His research over 25 years provides a wealth of information about the creation and maintenance of natural aquariums.
On this channel you will find scientific research as well as personal testimonials by countless hobbyists who have applied the Father Fish System and are enjoying its amazing benefits.
THE FATHER FISH SHOAL on Discord is a wonderful way to meet and make new fishy friends as well as get the help you need. Join us at Father Fish Server on Checkout our store! You can buy plants, soil supplement, & more: father-fish-aquarium.myshopif...
THE FATHER FISH SHOAL on Discord is a wonderful way to meet and make new fishy friends as well as get the help you need. Join us at Father Fish Server on Checkout our store! You can buy plants, soil supplement, & more: father.fish/shop/
24/7 live on Discord: / discord
This is a wonderful way to meet and make new fishy friends as well as get the help you need. Join us at Father Fish Server on DISCORD!
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Editor: @deadmanswill
All clips used in the video are for representation or visual beauty and there's intention of maligning anyone. We always use clips contributed to us directly on discord or clips released under the Creative Commons license on KZhead or other platforms.
Our Discord Clip Contributors:
Titia's Planted Aquariums
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Gill in the Grove
/ gillsinthegrove
Clips used under CC license:
Aquarium Adventures
• All fish dead - all my...
sciencefix
• Observing Microorganis...
The king Ajay
• Video
Michael's Fish Room
• These Petsmart Fish ar...
khat sokkhy
• 🐠Goldfish, Koi Fish, c...
• 🐠Goldfish, Koi Fish, c...
Palawan Ornamental Fish Hub
• Beginners Planted Tank...
Aqua Apprentice
• Seachem Flourish revie...
Dustin Sheffield
• Lake Tahoe I 4K
Mysis Shrimp
tahoe.ucdavis.edu/mysid
Under The Microscope
• Cyclops Under the micr...
vivaria
• Daphnia
• Lil ' Dippers Toy #asm...
0:00 Teaser
0:29 Controversy and Context
2:29 Stop changing water
3:42 Plastic and Unnatural Aquariums
5:26 Make Natural Aquariums
7:49 Magic Ingredient
9:00 Story of Lake Tahoe
10:07 Nitrates and Carbon
11:40 Bottom Line
#FATHERFISH #deepsubstratetank #naturalaquarium #waterchange #nowaterchange #deepsubstratetank #naturalaquarium #plantedtank #plantedaquarium #fishtube #fishtank #fishkeeping #dirtdtank #walstad #foodweb #fishfood #naturalaquarium #deepsubstrateaquarium #leavesinaquarium #balancedaquarium #selfsustainingaquarium #healthyaquarium #feedfishnaturally #livefoodforfish #livefishfood #sandsubstrate #deepsubstrate #naturalsubstrate #naturalfishkeeping
STEM PLANTS BUNDLE SALE - Over 75 plants - 15 Species for $59! Limited Time OFFER so HURRY! father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/ For Special Soil Supplements, Plants, FIsh & Merch in your country: fatherfish.fish/
I feel the need to chime in here. When I first got into this hobby I wanted to learn as much as I could and like many others used KZhead to do that and what I discovered was shocking. The majority went on about the dangers of Nitrates, the importance of weekly water changes of 30 -50%, the importance of vacuuming your substrate, the importance of fertilizers for your plants and so on. Then I stumbled across father fish and he was saying the exact opposite of what almost everyone else is saying. So instead of dismissing what father fish was saying I did a deep dive into what he was saying and started to find that what he is saying is kinda making sense to me so I really started to dive deep, so much so that I adopted father fishes way of doing things. What I found out was that Father Fish was absolutely right, all the problems I was having started to fade away and my tank and the life in it started to thrive. When people see my tank their first reaction is wow what an awesome looking tank. I stopped doing water changes, I stopped worrying about Nitrates (you don't want to get me going about the whole Nitrate fiasco) and I stopped cleaning my tank. The tank is pristine, Nitrates are not harming my fish, the water is not going bad because I stopped changing water and you would think I spend a lot of time cleaning the tank because it's so clean looking when I don't clean it at all. I struggled with the advice of many others, it wasn't until I adopted Father Fish's way of thinking that my tank started to thrive. Now I get to enjoy the beauty of my tank instead of fighting the tank. Giving Father fish the benefit of the doubt was the best thing I ever did in this hobby, not only that father fish backs what he says up with expert researchers who have also been right and know what they are talking about. If your new to this hobby do yourself a huge favor and be open minded, it would serve you well to listen to what this man has to say. Best part is it won't cost you a dime you just have to spend the time to listen and learn. Father Fish has taught me to enjoy my hobby and to let go of some of the fears I had. I owe my success and a huge Thank You to Father Fish. If you come across someone who says father fish doesn't know what he is talking about then that's the person you should not take any advice from because they don't know what they are talking about. Cheers!
You go Kosys. Thank you for the beautiful statement.
@@FatherFish No, Thank You sir, I'm just saying it like it is.
I don't even know where I would be without FF. ❤
@@Gracie-ln4ic I hear ya, you and me both. He is a wealth of information and a great asset to the hobby, no doubt.
True but I have hard water and after getting away from frequent changes I found out my snails were dieing. No calcium left in the tank. I keep rainbows and religiously changed my water for years without incident. Then the city water changed and all he'll broke lose. Got a carbon filter system and the problems went away. If I go too long fish start having problems.
The dude has a 20+ year old tank, a tank whose inhabitants never have to be fed by him and the water inside gets 10% water change once a year....i think he knows how to make a healthy tank. Bravo sir!
I love the old timers. In a world full of basically fake everything, they are genuine, honest and truthful. It's refreshing.
It's because they still have REAL experience in this fake world.
Watched literally thousands of channels for thousands of hours about the hobby, and Father Fish has gave me literally EVERYTHING that I need to be successful in 3 VIDEOS! Just wow!
Impressive!
Nature is rejected by these other KZheadrs because they're sponsored by food, medicine and aquarium supply companies. It's hilarious 😂
Hi Father Fish! I wanted to tell you a story. I am 26. 9 years ago when I met my girlfriend I already was in love with aquariums. So I shared it with her and placed an aquarium in her room at her parents house 😂 big layer of sand, bunch of plants and a good amount of fish too. But since then we were always at my house. So she was not home most of the time. My own aquariums at my house always had issues. Crazy algae all over the place, plants didn’t grow, cyanobacteria etc. Tried everything and bought everything the sellers offered me. Did waterchanges. But it never really worked out as it should have. But the tank of my girlfriend at her parents home, that tank was crazy. The plants were growing very well, the water was clear, no algae to see, the fish were happy and even spawned. But no one ever touched that tank. Only feed sometimes. We never knew how?? But now you’ve learned me why. Back at that time I wondered if it was because of not touching it. But apparently all those brainwashed people who told me to use this and that chemical, or to do waterchanges more often or use gravel instead of sand cause sand will get rotten over time, they didn’t know anything. Thanks you father fish. You are like a grandpa to me I never had. And also the dad I never had to share this hobby with ❤
Well said brother!
I was very pro-plastic and pro-glow tank for a long time, and it costed me a lot of failure and innocent fish lives. I grew frustrated as I didnt know why my fish kept dying, and I came across Father Fish. I'm glad I did. I have been tuning into FF videos over the past month, and his advice has fixed my fish tank. My water was unhealthy, polluted, and was a death trap for fish - unbenounced to me. Since tearing down my tank, replacing the gravel with sand, and fake pink plastic plants with real breathing plants, I have fixed all the errors I was making, and finally have a healthy suitable home for my fish. My PH is finally stable. My KH is finally buffering out water acidity, my nitrate levels are finally in check, and most importantly, my new fish are fucking thriving in this natural, beautiful tank. Thank you for the help, FF.
I hope and pray Father Fish is mentoring someone in order to keep this channel to continue with his teachings. This man is legendary.
I feel sick that I have been deceived for so many years. How many more precious years could I have gotten out of my fish family had I adhered to these teachings. The lesson is MUCH MUCH appreciated Sensei.
The very least I could do is thank you for all you do. It’s been 2 1/2 years now since I set up my 75 gallon using your method and it is truly balanced and teeming with life. While the computer has given us access to vast amounts of information unfortunately it has made it easier to be disrespectful to anyone whose opinion differs. Your response to the negativity and bullying was handled in the way you always take. Head on,factual,and respectful. So lucky to count you as a true mentor.
Thank you Ken. You honor me.
@@FatherFish so what about cleaning it how alot of people hoover the bottom do you do any thing like that thanks
i can tell you with the upmost security..no no messing with the substrate if you have a dirted deep substrate planted tank @@micknufc5011
I had a few tanks but gave up the hobby over twenty years ago. About six months ago, I was going to create a new tank so read a book which made everything so complex, I decided it was too much work. A few weeks ago, I found this channel and cannot wait to set up an eco system aquarium. Thank you Father Fish for passing on your knowledge and igniting my interest in this wonderful hobby 😀
Well good luck!
You will find that once you get it going that it will be a lot less work than you think. Yes it was little bit of work in the beginning but now I do very little. I add top up once a day and change a small piece of filter pad. Oh and I feed every other day, that's it. I just enjoy the tank and keep an eye on things. Good luck and welcome back to the hobby!
You can do it! It's not as hard as other aquarists make it out to be...
Good luck! It will not be easy, there is no magic, it will anyway go through all the cycles aquarium must go through. You will have to solve problems and learn a lot, that's is what this hobby is for... if you think you can do it without learning, it's wrong. As every individual Eco-system, each aquarium is different, only common rules are the same. One plant can thrive other can die, algae booms will happen for sure. It is not just put some soil, sand over top, plants and tree leafs and all will go fine. You must understand the processes that are happening in your aquarium, and learning and trying to understand this is best part of the hobby. It is learning nature... And most importantly patience... in natural aquarium all things go slowly.
This was the answer to my problems I haven't done a water change in two months and my 50 gallon has never been better. Thanks for the knowledge!
We live in a society based around making money. Setting up a natural tank doesn’t cost much money. Leaves, rocks, wood and dirt are free if you get them from a stream or pond. That’s what I did. My tanks have come alive! I used to do weekly water changes and fight with my tank almost every day. Now I just sit back to watch the life explode in my tanks. I love the hobby more than I ever have thanks to Father Fish. Please keep delivering your wonderful videos on Discord and KZhead and we will keep on listening and learning. Thank you FF.
Thank you Dave.
I'm 60 years old and have been keeping fish pretty much my entire life. Found the Walstead method about 10 years ago and between that and Father Fish I have fallen in love with fish keeping all over again after tiring of doing constant water changes as I thought I had to do.
Thanks for sharing Tejas. This is an old man's hobby, done best with a mint julep in one hand and a fish net in the other.
@@FatherFish Exactly, the secret to life is learning to relax. There is nothing more relaxing that sitting watching my tanks so why let them stress me out to begin with? Fish keeping doesn't have to be stressful and in fact should not be stressful.
@@redarmysoja”The secret to life and a learning how to relax” so true!!
Just stumbled onto The Good Father's channel... and my head is spinning! After nearly 20 years of struggling to keep tanks clean, nitrate-free, crystal clear, and free of algae using as many of the techniques and equipment from the modern Aquarium Industrial Complex that I could afford, I gave up. I couldn't keep a tank healthy for more than six or eight months. And I "knew what I was doing." Thanks Father Fish! I cannot wait to try again!
Your heart will be filled with joy.
Could you please come back with an update?
@@bigmonke3348 will do!
I did my first ever tank with the FF method and it's been a month since I set it and watched it.Didn't do any cleaning, or did I water change
You Go!!!!!!!! Preach that truth!!!!! Love the message. You never stop learning, at 72 yrs old and never had an aquarium I was given the responsibility of keeping my 5-year-old granddaughter's 25-cent feeder fish alive she won at a school fair. Well, 4 years later and 3 tank size upgrades our beloved Cupcake is going in a Father Fish dirted tank. Cupcake is 9 inches long now and here's hoping her many more years to come.
Goldfish can live to be 100. lol. Look forward to the pics of cupcake's new digs.
@@FatherFish goldfish can live to 100??.. I'm starting to think you're half goldfish pappa 😍😂
After 50 years of being obsessed with this hobby, I'm loving being a new fan of your channel, sir! That's always so much to still learn, and I enjoy smiling at listening to fellow old-timers bring back things we were mostly all doing back in the 1970's, and the wisdom of the day was about stability and balance.
I love your way of fish keeping because I love nature ❤. I have five tanks. My oldest son came home for a visit and was shining the flashlight on his phone at the bottom of my biggest tank. "Mom you have worms in there!!!", he said. I said, "Do I look at your garden and tell you you have worms?".... 😊😂😂
EXCELLENT my dear!!
ITS allive 😅 bei proud in your Aquarium they are good live food for your fish
I have a 23gal tank, fully planted and botanical tank it’s a self sustaining ecosystem. I haven’t done a water change in months but the tank is so clean and healthy and my fish are thriving. Just goes to show what happens when you let Mother Nature take her course.
What do you do when you need to add water? Also, do you have a filter? I just started watching FF and I really like this way of going about a fish tank. I am about to get a 55 gallon tank and will be mimicking FF's way of having a self sustaining tank. I don't know if to get a filter.
Sponge filter is all you need according to FF.
I’m sooo grateful for coming across this gentleman’s KZhead channel. He’s definitely brought me into the light! They way he’s explaining how to set up an mini ecosystem in a fish tank makes soo much sense! Thank you Father Fish!
I discovered your method by accident. I have been keeping fish my whole life. my tanks would last 1 year then everything would die. One day I was hiking in the jungle (I live in Hawaii). I noticed that the river soil looked like ada soil. The pools here are full of prawns and fish all year around. My brother decided to go get some soil and take it home. We set up a tank and then abandoned it. I maintained my tanks like crazy but the algae never stopped. But then it hit me his tank was amazing. He never changed the water never only topped it off. From that point on I've never had a tank crash. My tank only has a small pump feeding a waterfall.
I will never visit Hawaii because I will never leave if I do.
Wow! I had aquariums in my teens. Then in my 20's I got a 55 gallon. Always did plastic plants, water changes etc. I swore I would never never get an aquarium again. Now I am about to retire and am contemplating getting back into it. After watching numerous videos of aquarium care, I had decided I didn't want the hassle to keep a tank, even if I have time. After watching this video, I am once again thinking I will give it a try this way. It all makes so much sense.
go for it
If you don't want the hassle of keeping an aquarium, maybe you should try sedoku or crossword puzzles instead.
@@DeeGee-mv6eq You literally didn’t read his comment.
@@DeeGee-mv6eq go kick rocks 🪨
Father Fish is the reason why my tanks are a success. I have been in this channel since it started. I am so proud to see how much this channel has grown. From 100 member to 54K!!! Amazing!!!
It's great to see someone finally teaching what I've been saying for 30 yrs! Thank you!
Preach brother! I have a 125 gal with just a powerhead for circulation. I've had it for 5 years and I barely ever do water changes.
I've been operating my tanks the same way as you do and everything is better than it's ever been.
Excellent!
I love this way of fish keeping. Haven't done a water change in months since first watching Father Fish, just top off the tank every once in a while. My fish have never looked happier. And they seem to live longer too
When you top off, do you put any chemicals to treat the water? or do you top off with a certain type of water?
Amen!!🙏 I’m a true believer in you! I just found you out like a month ago n wished I knew about you 10 years ago when I started my 90 gallon tank. My tank is very well established n is doing great . I have plants n just a sand substrate. I just started adding dead leaves from a local lake. I’ve put on hold my weekly water changes and see how my tank responds. Keep doing what ur doing..Father Fish. Your definitely teaching us new ways n ideas in this hobby! Soooo I thank you!! 👍🤡👍
I have been unsuccessful two times, losing all my fish while trying to maintain a sterile environment for the fish. I felt bad with cloudy water, so the next thing I did was change the water. I only replaced 30% of it, but within the next two days, all the fish were dead. I've just subscribed and will try to follow this; it makes much more sense.
You should have done a 100% water change. Whatever was in that water was still in there when you only did a 30% water change. What you should have done was clean out the whole ttank and start fresh to make sure the tank does not get cloudy again. And if you don't have any established water from another tank to use, I'd suggest getting those quick start bottles and use it once to cycle the tank and start it up again.
no you are dead wrong @@jbmjbm323
I AM BLOWN AWAY! And very excited to use this method! It makes complete sense. As someone who has spent a lot of time outdoors, I have seen crystal clear pools, vernal pools, tiny puddles of water in a tree trunks, THRIVING with life! I even came across a vernal pool with little brown freshwater clams in it! It was in spring & it was in a tire track (power line maintenance) in the mud on a mountain! While exploring an abandoned, dilapidated house I found a trash can filled with water.( and some trash, lot's of leaf litter) it had a beautiful green moss that grew under & outside of the water. (I actually took some home & added it to my paludarium tank, where it is thriving) That trash barrel was teeming with life! Little crustaceans, etc. I plan on following Father Fish's advice. No more partial water changes? Healthy thriving fish & plants? I'm in!
You have to see it to believe it. NICE!
@@FatherFish going to the local river today today to gather some MUD, sand & leaves to transform a 6 gallon betta tank. I am moving soon & will set up ALL my tanks with your recommendations. Very excited about this. THANK YOU!!
@@laurabilger8910 Sounds wonderful. Post some pics on the Father fish Shoal discord.gg/vQJvcQge
Wow. My eyes have been opened. This approach makes TOTAL sense and all of a sudden the aisle after aisle in the big box pet stores seem like just another scam. Which they are. Creating problems then selling the so called solutions to the problems the original chemicals caused. Thank you for sharing this wisdom and approach with the world. Be well everyone ☺️🍃
I work as a cashier at one of those big box pet stores, and I’ve started recommending Father Fish’s channel to the customers buying fish. 😬 Might not be good for business, but it’ll make the customers happier!
Tree leaves are absolute pure gold It's quite hilarious how blinded ppl are by these general fish stores , and how others think they know it all only driven by their ego obssesed with keeping an aquarium soo sanitized it's insane yet they forget where these fish/plants came from. Thanks for all you have said , it's 100% true no matter how much these clowns try to complain and act like freaking chemists and some sort of aquarium professionals 😂
lol. Yes. It is amusing.
I've been keeping fish tropical and marine and I've never seen anybody do a video that talks and explains it in easy to understand and so much sense I love this guy well done Father Fish thank you
Thanks Lyndon
Thank you Father Fish for what you do for the fish community. I'm lucky that I found your channel and thank you for helping us fish keepers on how to setup and how to take care of a natural tank. 👊
I appreciate that Steve.
I had the same issue years ago. I spent a lot of time reading and trying things out. Spent a fortune on test equipment and half my life on water quality and nutrients etc. The freshwater side of the community was so toxic every forum I went to had nothing but problems. So I left and got my own podcast. Never looked back. Was the best thing I ever did. You must have control of your own channel to prevent censorship by the idealists. That was years ago now. I don't keep fish anymore. In the end, I came to the same conclusion you seem to have. Nutrients are not the enemy. They are part of the ecosystem and keeping plants will take care of it :D
Thassit!
I found your channel through watching Alexander Williamson's channel The Secret History Living In Your Aquarium and I'm so glad I did. Had a heart transplant and was told I couldn't keep fish because I could catch something like tuberculosis from doing water changes. I'm getting back in the game now! I'd heard a little about this but never tried it. After watching jar ecosystems, LRB, Alex's channel and now your's I'm convinced I can do this. Thank you! I'm so much happier with fish in my house! I appreciate the work you do!
2 great men. Happy to be in their company.
This man has changed my life and my aquarium for the better, and forever. He speaks common sense and truth. The aquarist industry is vested in you buying and re-buying chemicals and additives while selling the false premise on what's a healthy aquarium. Yes, this info is for fresh water tanks. But this method works wonders. All I have to do is top off my tank every 10-12 days. I use 5 gallon buckets of tap with a capful of Prime to take out the chlorine/chlorine. My plants are healthier. My fish, more energetic, and the tank just looks better. Thank you Father Fish
pure vitamin C works well for me as a chlorine remover
saving people from being lost in this hobby is exactly what you are doing!!!
I’ve learned so much from you in the pass 2 days. I gave up keeping fish years ago because of all the money it cost and labor. Water changes, ph chemicals and all kinds of other crap. I’ve always wanted to go natural and everything you’ve said has been 100 accurate and makes complete sense. I definitely use to over feed and over chemical.
I started keeping fish in the late 70s when I was a kid. It is funny all the advice I got from the fish stores. Some people said you have to do partial water changes (back then it was more like of 10% of the water each week or daily partial water changes for Discus). An old Scottish shop owner told me never change any of the water. He said. "the older the water; the better". In any case, it is funny to see how things go full circle.
I've been following father fish for over a year, everything he sais is true, recreating nature in a glass box is the answer never had an issue with my tank since adopting his methods
As a person with a plastic tank and plastic plants this makes total sense...I will take this to heart...i have 1 fish...and it is a nightmare at this point...I'm Glas I found your channel...I provide quality information on Appliance repair...and this is quality information on keeping fish..I love the channel thank you for your service
Your the only reason I haven’t thrown in the towel. When it comes to my new hobby. Keeping up with the water changes and the all the different and expensive things, I’m told I need to buy. I watched your video stating to cap off the gravel and add plants. Just did that last week. I love the idea of a natural tank. The old way takes the fun out of the whole experience. Which at one time brought so much happiness and excitement. Slowly but surely I’m changing my tank over… I’m still testing the water to keeping an eye on everything as it slowly transitions.
Bravo Saneathis
I don't understand all the hype from other channels all of a sudden, your information has always been clear about how exactly to create a natural setup without water changes. Thank you for all you wealth of knowledge and wisdom as to how to connect with your aquarium and all the life it contains!
Correct Joao
I've seen a lot of people bagging out your videos because they take one piece of information out of context. No waterchanges only works when you have a balanced ecosystem so they would be right in complaining that you have to do them if they don't have enough plants and feed their fish heavily and often but they don't take all of the information that you share on-board with a holistic approach. In summation, after watching your videos and listening to the information, it just makes sense what you are saying. I fully support your vision and mission to inform people and improve the hobby and fishkeeping experience, and I thank you for that. Keep doing what you're doing and remember, the truth is often surrounded by much controversy.
Thank you Caleb.
“My word!”, I love this man! When I first got into the hobby, I went artificial which lasted all of a couple days. As Father Fish said, common sense. I rushed into it but quickly realized my mistakes & did what I should have done from day 1, researched. A year later, all my original fish survived & I now have 4 aquariums running (1 gallon low tech with hitchhiker snails, 29 Betta community, 55 community & 75 goldfish/dojo loach), all of which are natural & healthy with very little maintenance. Well more with the goldfish because they eat EVERYTHING I put in there including everything they’re supposedly not fond of but point being, we need more people spreading this message. “This is the way”. Keep it up OG, triple OG!
Thank you Peratus.
Father fish you are a force of nature. Thank you for your great content! I totally agree, long live mulmy goodness! ❤
Best video I’ve seen in years. You nailed this. Everyone trying to improve nature. Can’t be done. Live in peace. I love you all.
I just wanted to leave my 2 cents here as well. My 20gal with plants was doing rather well & I did my 20% or so water change like I have had drilled into me to do to keep my water from going south so-to-speak. I lost a few of my fish and my plants are now withering as well as having algae run amok. Which is fine, I have shrimp. I decided to really start watching and listening to your videos & I have come to the conclusion that you have covered in this video & have decided to let nature do it's thing! As for your way of keeping fish? I am on board & am thankful to have found your channel. I was skeptical at first (which was about 3 weeks ago?) ... anyway, off to get some dead leaves from my oak in the backyard. Be blessed and ty!
Appreciate you Nomad
I'm so glad I found Walstad's book and learned about the natural method of fishkeeping, which is in line with what you talk about here, Father Fish. If not for that, I wouldn't have fish anymore, due to chronic health issues that make constant water changes out of reach for me at times. It's only through learning about natural, balanced ecosystem tanks that I'm able to have fish at all, and it's even healthy for my fish! Win-win. Thanks for working so hard to educate folks, and don't let the naysayers get you down. They don't deserve the emotional energy it would take to deal with their negativity and know-it-all-ness, especially when it's not even based in SCIENCE and nature. BTW, because of one of your more recent videos, I got my hands on dried oak leaves. I was already using almond leaves, but now I've added oak leaves to my tanks, too. One of these days, when I get the chance and can drag hubby out with me, I'll go down to the river and get some water, mud, and leaf litter and see what sort of little organisms are in our local water. I'm willing to set up a small tank just for that, so I can harvest the microorganisms for my other tanks. I'm excited to try that!
Perfect Dawn.
Love your channel. Thank you so much for this information. I can’t believe that for decades I have thought that water changes and chemical additives were the way to keep an aquarium.
WOW! same message, with some incredible editing...finally has an impact. So well done. Happy to see you thriving, FF. Keep spreading the word.
Thanks Thomasin. Yep! Samee message. Prettier package
Thanks man I have been telling this to alot of people but they see me as a young kid who dosent know anything. I love fishes I have been in this hobby for 8 years. I started when I was 10.my father taught me everything before he died
I’ve been in this for awhile and I’ve had failures and total Wipeouts and then I learned about your videos I tried your techniques and I’ve been thriving ever since
Delighted to hear it Renlys
As a disabled person who can only maintain this hobby by having low maintenance aquariums, I am so grateful to have invested so much of my own time into researching complex micro-organisms and the multi-facetted ecosystems that make up a healthy, primarily self-sufficient aquarium. It's always nice to hear you speak so passionately on this subject, as it bolsters my belief in myself to enjoy this hobby and succeed. Thank you for sharing your experience and insight and adding to the resources available for those who benefit from such knowledge.
Hello from Belgium! At the end of last year I discovered this channel and I tried FatherFish method on a 10 gallons tank and since then I just do top ups to keep the water level and clean the filter once in a while. The water quality is perfect since then, I trim the plants once in the while to keep the light level and I started to see so many small critters appearing. I rarely give food (i got only shrimps and snails in this tank) and everybody is fine. Then I started to do the same with my guppies and amber tetras aquarium and the water is pristine and the fishes are healthy.
Father Fish all I am going to say you are a class act one of the best
You are very kind Cory.
I was tired of doing water changes,I was doing RO water changes by the bucket. Now I can see how water changes hurt your aquarium. The RO water gets conditioned by plants , sand , leaves and fish waste build up the mineral content of the water , the deep sand substrate takes care of the bad thing in the water. This old aquarium water gives new aquariums instant life . I set up new tanks and by the next day they look like they been set up for a month already. This water is gold.
I thought I've learned it all but Father Fish keeps me inspired! A pleasure to listen to him!
I'm so happy that I found Father fish. My tank has never been healthier, my fish has never been happier and it kept me in the hobby and now I'm not constantly changing water and spending hours on hours taking care of my tank. Now I spend my time watching my tank thanks again and keep up the great work!
A refined fish keeper is a meditative monk, learning the secrets of creation!
keeping fish should be a relaxing stress relieving hobby. Many have made it quite the opposite. Have a Betta 10gal heavily planted. No filter, and I've never had a healthier Betta fish before. I've always stressed on my paramaters. It's relieving when you realize nature knows what the hell to do.
I love hearing you preach not changing your water all the time and not siphoning the gravel once a month stuff. I have always maintained my planted tanks for years on end without doing massive water changes weekly or monthly and never siphoning the substrate. I only add new water when the tank evaporates too much. And my tanks have thrived. The Plants grow and spread my fish get fat are healthy snd start making babies. My friends always ask me how much time I must spend taking care of my tanks. Lol. The only time I spend is cutting back over grown plants or planting growth in a difficult section. I still use a filter but I also don’t change the media once a month. Depending on how much silt has been stirred up my filters can last 6 months or more before I start changing them out.
You are responding to the needs of the tank, not forcing a rigid dogma on it.
You're the best, father fish! I'll be starting my first natural aquarium inspired by your videos.
These other KZheadrs get popular by jumping on whatever topic has gotten views recently on KZhead just ignore them father fish and keep on creating these great videos . Cheers
I am picking up what you're laying down Father Fish. I've been watching your old videos and what I've heard so far makes complete and total sense to me. I'm going to start a dirted tank in the next week or so. Soon it will be time to forage for some pond poop. Great job, keep up the good work.
Go for it.
Teach them all, Father Fish 👍
That's the plan Buick!
@@FatherFish Hello Father, what would you suggest for fish like Oscars? I've had quite a few in the past and they are a very rowdy lot. They tore up anything I put in their tank and plants would never work. I could only use hardscape like a rock and plastic tree ornaments, which they also broke.
@@redarmysoja in that case you have basically two options (really three, I'll explain). Water changes, or a sump system where you have a dirted deep substrate system and plants in the sump. Keep a deep sandbed substrate in the tank with the oscars, but you can prevent most water change needs by having the sump full of plants. You can also maybe get away with some plants in the tank with the oscars. Father Fish says in another video that all freshwater fish, with the exception of silver dollars, will tolerate some plants. I used Bing AI to find a couple of articles for you to check out: aquagoodness.com/can-you-put-live-plants-with-oscars/ www.fishaholic.net/2021/05/Oscar-Fish-Tank-Setup-Plants-Filter-Lights-Care-Guide.html?m=1 fishkeepingadvice.com/oscar-fish-care-guide/ www.aquariumsource.com/oscar-fish/ From those sources, Bing recommended banana plant, java fern, java moss, and salvinia natans as options if you place them strategically in the aquarium.
@@redarmysoja also if you want a reply from Father Fish directly, he doesn't always get notifications of comments on comments so he's unlikely to see your comment (personal experience). Make a comment on the video directly to make sure he sees it instead of replying to another comment.
@@Giftig--Daniel-P Been doing this 50 years, I know all that. Never had Oscars that wouldn't wreck any tank.
Your method brought me back into fish keeping. Now I have a super healthy natural tank with happy fish, snails, shrimp and plants. Thank you.
I love this video! your methods have proven to me that I don't have to change my aquarium water every time I turn around. Love you too!
It makes a lot of sense. What better environment for a living being to thrive than in its natural one, only without any predators to worry about? You can tell Father Fish has a lot of wisdom from years of doing this, and I’m glad I came across this channel. I will be using this channel to guide me through my entry into the fish world.
Great video glade to see your channel is growing the more popular you get the more you will find people trying to stop you from informing the aquarium hobby about your knowledge of it keep going father fish 👍👍
I set up my first aquarium 1 year ago and followed this guys advice. Haven't changed any water , never checked PH , never added any chemicals , just added lost water from evaporation and cleaned filters and fed the fish twice a week - PERFECT , thanks Father Fish
Thanks for sharing
I have 4 tanks and will convert my cutie 10gal to a natural environment. I cannot wait to try this out! Thank you, sir. Very well received.
TONS OF RESPECT FATHER FISH! YOU ARE THE GUY KZhead HAS BEEN WAITING FOR. COMMON SENSE FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Salutations Gregory!
My mother is 94 now but when she was younger she kept tropical fish. And with my four older brothers, she didn't have a lot of money to spare. So she used what she had at her disposal, exactly how FF is describing. And when I started to keep fish, I, of course, went the opposite way and my tanks failed every time! And I was exhausted, spent a lot of money and time when if I had just listened to her, I'd probably still have my tanks. So glad I found your channel FF! Can't wait to show my mother!😁
Would love to meet your mother.
Fish keeping is trial and error, this is the longest time I had fish (about 2 years), I change 1gallon (I have a 10 gallon tank) every 3 months. I have scuds (small animals found in the substrate).
I am sooo glad someone is saying this. If you have set your tank up correctly, it becomes it's own ecosystem. In 5 years I've never changed my water. People are doing these 70% water changes all at one time, then they wonder why their tank has crashed.
Father Fish, the haters will always come when you’re doing something right! Not to mention the multi million$ aquarium industry selling chemicals etc.., will go out of business if, and when people finally catch on.. Blessings to you Father 🐠
Thank you Exotic Water.
Love this guy! Ever since i started watching his videos I stop doing water changes, added more live plants and its been 8 months since I did a water change in my 75gal and 35gal tanks...I just top the tanks off evry now and then...
May I ask if you had to start over from the base of the tank, adding in potting soil and decomposing leaves? I want to understand if it's an already established tank without dirt, but with aqua soil etc. (no gravel) what is the way to go?
I have my aquarium planted and it really is something very unique to see how beautiful it is and without a water change for months thanks to this person who explains how nature can take care of stabilizing this entire system thanks for such good information
Good job Delfino
I have learned that the palaudarium Style, low stocked and a ton of terrestrial plants that like to grow wet roots is the most stable enviroment that you can create. But its very important to always top up with reverse osmosis water!! Like nature does with the rain. I had 3 years with no water change and my fish are spwaning in the 5th generation now!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Father Fish 🙏
This is absolutely refreshing to hear. I've been keeping fish for 32 years in tanks and ponds. Koi, goldfish, tropicals and natives. Any time I've gone against the grain on water changes I get berated. The hobby and industry makes money by selling people chemical and filtration fixes. By telling people to change so much water that their tanks/ponds are in a constant state of turmoil. I refer to these types of tanks as "sterile systems." They never allow a true self sustaining eco system to establish.
You have a very strong message father fish, and you do an amazing job at spreading it. Every time I see one of your videos I feel newly inspired again.
I recently upgraded my tank. Did everything like I initially learned it and afterwards started to research, if i did it right (ya know - the adhd way). I saw so many videos and got so scared, because apparently everything i did was wrong. Until I saw Ff again and he reminded me, that i am doing everything right. Dirt, Sand, Water, Light, Fish, Plants and that's all you need. Feeding once a week, no water changes, heavily planted, low tech, ecosystem. Reminded me why I got into the hobby in the first time. Father Fish, you're making this so easy and calm. I could listen to your advice all the time and appreciate your videos so much! Thank you.
Ive watched father fish for a while and thank you for informing people on the natural approach to a aquarium. Truly a passionate fishkeeper and youtuber. Thank you
Yep, I have multiple tanks heavily planted where I don't stress with water changes if not needed but it all makes sense here, definitely my next project, dirt and dead leafs from a puddle. By the way, I love the way you explain everything.
I had a slight ammonia spike and my plants and animals were all in good shape the water was a bit cloudy on and off first 2 months but all other parameters were perfectly fine I reigned in my anxiety and let it go. Almost all of my basic plants and shrimp are reproducing, after ammonia clouding it cleared up in 2 days, and I got more plants and it has turned out awesome and even though my anxiety doesn't help i have restrained myself and it worked out better than introducing chemicals and doing 30+% water changes. Water clouds a few days, my shrimps and snails and betta and plants didn't get upset and actually thrived. Water cleared in less than a week. Natural >than artificial. I had one leaf die from my anubias and was about to take it out, but just let it sink and my tank cleared up in less than a week.
Self control is the key! Congrats.
This is the best channel by far on how to have a successful aquarium! I have Lake Seminole in my back yard here in South Georgia and, I go down to the shore and get plants, snails, water, the dreded algae, (lol), dead wet leaves, branches, drift wood and plop all of that stuff right into the tank. And by far this is the most successful beautiful tank that I have. I have 2- 55 gallons, one with African Cichlids and the other the community fish and that is the one I have Lake Seminole in, lol. The community fish love it when I drop in sand and the little critters, they are on a hunting spree and are so happy. Thank you Father Fish for all of your wisdom! I'd be lost without you, listening to all of those other guys. 😊 Much ❤❤❤ from the South.. ❤
And I am very new to the hobby, like 2 months new! So glad I found you FF!
Start adding the same material to the cichlid tank. they will enjoy it too. If your sand in that tank is less than 3" add more of that too.
Your message is getting thru; When I found your KZhead channel you had about 20k subscribers. That was about 1-2 months ago. Now you are close to 30k. Way to go.😄
This channel has been refreshing and vindicating; I used to do frequent water changes and always struggled maintaining a tank. Through happy accidents that are entirely too long to type out, I have several different substrate layers, the ones at the bottom being pitch black. I have as many live plants as possible, nothing plastic in the tank, and I fortunately live in an area where the water isn't soft. My fish have been alive and well for 8 years, and I never do water changes. They're nearing the end of their lifespan, so I've cultivated their eggs (they breed regularly) and have 10 healthy fry growing rapidly. I don't use charcoal filters, only mechanical and biological, and really more for surface agitation than anything. My plants are huge, my fish are healthy, and snails galore - its wonderful watching it taking care of itself. The only chemical I use is seachem prime to dechlorinate - I add a bit to a gallon jug, and then fill it up, let it sit for a few minutes and then top off my tank. I was worried about not changing the water 2-3 years ago, and then surprised how month after month, I saw no signs of distress or a failing tank. It was a little anxiety inducing in the beginning to watch my tank flourish in an environment that, according to almost everything I've read, shouldn't be possible. I do water testing and I have zero nitrites, zero amonia, and just a bunch of nitrates (100-150ppm). The only thing I ever adjust is if I start to develop hair algae, but that's been corrected by changing the the blue/red spectrum of light on my aquarium light and reducing my feeding a little - after a week or two it goes away. This comment has gone on too long and I'm sure my thoughts seem disjointed (this was going to be a one or two sentence comment), but I just wanted to thank you for your videos - its given me confidence and reassurance with how my tank is maintained.
Excellent. You have learned through practice.
Father, I flipped my tank upside down just to follow your advice on how to naturalize the fish tank, and the result was astonishing!! My fish tank looks much healthier. Thank you Papa!
That is awesome!
My grandfather passed on two years ago and I still miss him terribly; he was the only grandfather I know since my other grandfather passed way before my parents even met. Just hearing you sign off with "love you all, bye" hit me surprisingly hard. Thank you, FF.
I've only seen the KGTropicals video, but I feel like they were very reasonable, they said they agreed with your methods, just warned people to actually watch the video and understand it rather than just read the title. Can't wait to implement some of your practices in my tank
Yes. I agree. Although he did not start with that attitude.
@@ericp_ski You can try hornwort.
I have been in this hobby since my teen and now my kids have them. I totally agree with you as the information given by you is totally based on true facts, instead of getting sponsored by different brands, trying to sell their products. God bless you. we need people like you in this world.
Thank you! I just found your channel. I’m just starting my 90 gallon set up in my new house and I’m doing a planted community fish tank. I’m learning so much from you. Some I have heard but a lot is new. I look forward to seeing what happens and I’ll share with you my results! Natural! Thanks!
Absolutely love this, so very well said and explained. Thank you Father Fish!!!
You are very welcome Bambi
I have to say, my entire way of fish keeping has been turned upside down this year and I love it. And my fish are loving it too, in a big way. I never realized how much I enjoyed keeping plants until I put them in my fish tanks, and now I'm down at the river on the regular looking for drift wood and leaf litter, every chance I get. So please, keep the wisdom coming! My fish are probably more grateful for it than I am, even.
Lovely, kind sir. It's all about the fish, after all!
Glad to see your response Father Fish! Your videos have always been very evident that this is the way to keep a NATURAL tank! Which I am looking forward to working up to eventually - I have 5 tanks all with live rhizome plants and gravel right now - eventually I want to try the dirted, deep substrate tank with planted plants as well. There really was no need for the drama from others. Obviously if you’re not into plants and enjoy the water changing etc. then go for it. But your videos are about natural tanks and how to set them up - not laziness - just education and a more natural way to keep fish. Thanks for all of your info! It’s very interesting and I’ve learned a lot so far!
I am so excited to see how my tank turns out. I am about one week into my new tank that I put sand/mud from the creek next to my house after watching one of your videos. NO FILTER! which is so crazy to me but i want this self-sufficient, natural environment! I have tried so hard over the years.. but there always seems to be something wrong. So lets give this a go!! ill post again in a few months with progress. 'm going to try really hard to be patient and just let it do its thing which will be hard for me haha.
Best wishes. Be sure to join us on the Shoal where you can get tips and support: discord.gg/father-fish-shoal
Nothing can beat the beauty of nature❤ It's what I wanted when I started in this hobby, I was drawn towards the lush, planted tanks, the Father Fish method made that possible to for me❤ I've never been happier with my tanks, and it's all thanks to you Father Fish