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After a 40 year hiatus from fish-keeping, I am now 74 and getting back into the hobby. Back in the day, I had a 25 gallon tank. Now I’m in the process of setting up a 75 gallon tank. I’m super excited and every day I’m studying EVERYTHING. So much more is now known and a lot has changed in fish keeping so there is a lot to learn. We are putting together the stand for the aquarium now. Before buying any fish we will have the water perfectly ready. In the past I had Discus, Angels, Neon Tetras and some Cory Cats, which we are planning for again. Your videos are absolutely excellent and exactly what I need now to be successful. Thank you!!

Here's the quick rundown: 1. Water conditioner (1:00) 2. Spare air pump/hose (2:19) 3. Python water change system (3:25) 4. Breeder boxes (4:48) 5. Spare heater (6:12) 6. General Cure (7:18) 7. Aquarium salt (8:16) 8. XTreme fish food (9:30) 9. An extra tank (10:46) 10. Test kits (12:06)

my fish room is my bedroom xD luckily im right across from the bathroom so 5 gal buckets are my friend for water changes haha

"You look in your tank, and see something that catches you entirely off guard" *looks to the left where my fish tank is* My biggest female guppy: :D *starts dropping babies*

Gotta have a fine mesh net! It makes removal of excess food, floating debris during water changes, and dead plant matter a million times easier (and countless gallons of water saved). I also love it for those unsightly canister filter restart debris. Of course, the fish transfer is a huge one, too. Finer, softer mesh means less risk of hurting our buddies, too.

This backdrop is the same exact backdrop in all of my grade school picture day photos.

Newbie to the tank world :) I had a situation where my tank had al leak and I had no idea what to do but knew I needed to take the tank down befoe all the water was in my carpet. I did not even have a bucket in my house to put my fish in. I am grateful to Dale at Fantastic Fins in LIvonia, MI for allowing me to put my beautiful fish into a spare tank in his shop. This happened on a Sunday night about an hour before they closed. Well now I have a spare tank and just about everything you listed here because stuff happens!!! So now I am prepared. Also you gave the names of a few things that I do not have so I will be shopping to get my list of spare items together and on stand bye. Thank you so much for the videos. I really appreciate them.

Catch me being humbly surprised that I already have all of these products! 😁 I really wish that I could show all of your Top 10 videos to everyone who wants to get started with fish.

3:25 This is so true. I never thought I would love doing maintenance on anything. Especially the type that requires cleaning. There is always that great feeling in the end where I sit down relax and watch my fish enjoy their clean tank. My wife even jokes and says "if only you were that good at maintaining your man cave clean". I feel that I got even more attached to my fish because I individually named them. I have 24 now.

I absolutely love how you cover basics in every field because no matter how much I think I know about fish you don't make me feel dumb ...just explain everything

I love this video and all of the "must haves." My number one would be water conditioner and two would be back up products. Both can be overnight fish-life changers.

Thanks for the bloopers, they gave me a good laugh! Life is more fun when we're able to laugh at ourselves.

I started keeping fish on my own a year ago since for 8 years I have had them as family pets, and my first fish were 2 oranda fish, I was really struggling and stressed with keeping them since I had the mindset that keeping fish was impossible and they would die after 2 days anyway. And the one thing that helped me learn how to keep care of my fish and helped me stay educated on keeping my fish was your videos! I now am completely confident and happy with my now 13 fish! I just got a new one today as well so thankyou for your help! 🌸🌸🌸🌸

Great list ! The ending was excellent. I’m glad you’ve retained the ability to laugh at one’s self. We all need that these days. Jim

quarantining the fish just like we are quarantining ourselves!

You two are great. Good aquarium care channels are hard to come by. Thanks so much, i literally bought almost everything on this list because you you

Once again a very helpful vid for any fish hobbyist! I have all these items ready to go 😁 and by the way...you are sooo right about heaters 😆🌱💕🐟

Another tip, if you don't need the item right away, let it sit in your cart for days, weeks, months and check the price frequently. For example I don't always need tap water conditioner but I will eventually. I let aqueon and fluval sit for awhile and the prices on each dropped down to no joke $2 each, for like a 16oz bottle

I love you guys. Learning so much, just started my first tank and now I already have a second😂😂😂one week later. You guys are hilarious!

Love the bloopers 😅❤️

One does not consider 'fun' when they must buy more products for their fish, but this, does bring a smile to my face.

This probably falls under "water conditioners", but I really like having charcoal bags on hand. I do aquaponics, and once after adding a new plant, I noticed some shrimp dying off in my tank. I quickly put a charcoal bag in the tank near the filter, and was able to save the rest of the shrimp. It turns out, the retailer that I got the plant from used some kind of spray containing copper to protect the plant from pests, and that has a negative reaction with shrimp. Charcoal absorbs toxins, but has the unique ability to hold on to them, and not leach them back into the water.

The python syphon or the aqueon one like this is such a life changer. 100% worth the money

Thank you so much! All of your videos are very helpful and keep posting! For not only the beginner hobbyists but for everyone who loves their animals, keep it up brah!

Bloopers are my favorite!

Love it when Lisa made the faces at the end!😄

Thanks for supporting local mom and pop fish stores!!!

With all the tanks I have I use safe instead of prime. Most of this stuff you mentioned I always keep in hand. I just recently added the general Cure. Great video!!

I'm very new to this and looking forward to getting better. This was really helpful and I will be getting everything that I don't already have. I started with a Betta in a 1 gallon. unpgraded when my parents Betta died, a month after getting mine, to their 2.5 gallon. I then bought a 10 gallon and put tetras in it. First set survied (4 lemon tetras) the rest (neon variety pack) died. Sad times at our house. I learned about the Nitrate cycle and ammonia throught this page and others. I will note, my family had fish growing up and I loved them! I got our fish after a knee surgery and COVID-19 as a way to bond with my daughters. We then upgraded to my parents 20 gallon tank when they got their first 75 (previous biggest for them was 55 fresh, then salt water). I now have their 20. I cycled for a few days with that tank and I think its good for my fish. We added our fish, and they're doing well. I am now preparing my 10 gallon for new fish. I am getting it cycled, with bacteria from my cycled 20 tank and levels are smoothing out. My plan is to get Panda Cory's (4) and then add my male black orchid Betta after the Cory's settle in. If the Cory's and Betta don't get along, the cory's will move to the 20 with 6 tetras and a pleco. I hope it works since my 11 year old is stoked about getting Guppies and possible breeding them. I hate losing fish, and feel guilt every time, but this adventure so far has been an amazining teacher in life for my girls. I hope I'm learning enough to be succesful in making my 10 and 20 gallon succesfull! If I am successful, I will probably sneak a 55 in with or without the wifes approval. I know my 11 year old will have my back. LOL PS: I will keep the 2.5 as a quarantine tank, and if I upgrade, the 10 will take its place. 2 tanks is all I think I can handle.

Why are there thumbs down. You guys are so honest and also keep saying be aware of miss info about if you follow your advice than that is good.

PYTHON! Yes. Buy it! Belieeeeve me, you'll be forever thankful for this tip!!!!

Nice ...I have been a hobbyist some 55 years .....I could make self love by listing all my tanks-ponds.....but this video on what to have is 100%

This was actually so helpful. I didn’t really think about getting a spare heater or air pump before this!

Great stuff as usual. The comment about not telling your significant other about the spare tank had me in stitches! 🤣😂

The must haves are Very helpful, Thank you guys for that , But those bloopers were the highlight for me🤣 What a Darling couple you two are!

One of my favorite videos so far! To me its all basic knowledge stuff but to the newcomer, its great info! Super funny at the end. I would have to say that the quarantine tank is probably the most important and underused item on the list.

13:26-13:29 is likely most of us during this quarantine. Thanks for the excellent information.

Love the video thanks for making it. You two have helped me so much with my fish care. Water changes have worked wonders for me.

Yet another great video, you guys have great advice as I’m a beginner! Also, I love the bloopers! Keep them coming!

He’s been keeping fish since before I’ve been alive lol. Glad I found this channel before getting some fish. Now to figure out what to get 🤔

Love the list...I have all of the things listed. I’m ready (sort of) for a pending fishpocalypse 😂🤣

You folks are great! Love the bloopers too!

Great advice! I’ll be picking up an extra heater and some chemicals I hopefully will never need. But you never know right? I want to say that the outtakes at the end were hilarious. Every video should have those 😆

I love yalls bloopers 😂 also very helpful video I’m adding items to cart right now!

I like you 2. Bloopers keep everything real, loved to see it at the end of the video.

Five gallon buckets, are helpful to have around for many reasons. Other than water changes they can be used as a holding tank to quarantine sick fish or babies, mixing conditioners or salt, cleaning out for aqua scapes, rinsing filters, soaking rocks or wood, etc..

You should use the dirty tank water to water your plants. It will give nutrients to your plants. My plants were not doing good with normal clean water but when I started doing this they have started thriving.

your list is spot on and the bloopers are to funny!

Very good tips and advice also loved the bloopers it goes to show you making KZfaq videos isn’t always easy!

You guys are a trip! Thanks for the great videos. I really loved the bloopers!

I wanted to say thank you so much you made my life so much easier by introducing me to the python tank cleaner! It is so worth the money and I couldn't be happier with it!!! Would love to neet y'all one day and get some amazing tips.

Thank you guys! I’m a new fish keeper and your vids helped me a lot!

Prime is my go to water conditioner but I also really like Stress Coat. Been using python hoses for over 20 years. Worth their weight in gold!

I love the outtakes! Especially in these times, it’s nice to have a little laugh! And if you see this comment, could y’all do a video on maintaining pH in aquariums or treating FUNGAL infections? (Or link me if I’m just dumb and can’t find it lol)

I just bought almost all of this after watching youre videos as well as a few others. Didn't see this one tho or I would have used all you links. Thanks for the good info!

Love the bloopers. Made me laugh out loud. Been watching your videos for almost a year now, even went to meet you guys at pvas meeting before pandemic started. Ty again for the selfies and extreme flakes. I was kinda star struck meeting you guys and completely forgot all my questions. From the vids I finally got your names, John Hudson and Lisa. ( my last name is Hutson with a t instead of a d) My question is what does K and G stand for in KG Tropicals? I hope I find the answer one day if your unable to answer, doesn’t matter, still love you guys. Hope to meet again someday when pandemic is over.

Here before I buy my next betta! Planning on getting a pretty expensive boy, trying to learn all I can

Great video, love the bloopers at the end.

Love u guys. Thanks for all yalls tips. Really enjoyed the blooper real at end. I to suffer from mts. Lol. Thanks again

I rarely do water changes. My tanks have a perfect balance of loads of live of plants (which are the main reason I dont need water changes), the right amount of wood, shells, and not too many fish. I add ferts for the plants and thats it. I top up my tanks with tank water. If you do the tanks a certain way you dont need water changes, or rarely. Think the last water change I did for any tanks was 2-3 years ago.

Dude those bloopers were amazing! Love y’all’s videos!

Great advice even though I have kept and bread fish for years, you learn every day, thank you much appreciated , like the new food for extreme feeding, I will look for some here in the UK. Again thank you.

Great video. The outtakes at the end are fantastic!

Bloopers were the best part!

Thank you!! Thanks to me binging on all your other videos I had everything on your list... except for the Xtreme Fish Food. Time to order some for my Bettas and my Guppies. Thank you for the great info AND the entertainment as well 😺

kgtropicals is my new favorite youtube. thank you all so much for all the knowledge and help!!!

Omg awesome adding the bloopers to your end of the video just added more watching value and you already have awesome watching value 😀 😊 😎

God, I love your videos so informative and helpful. I live on a small reserve and my closest fish store is 8hrs away. Soo i always thought maybe I was a little over killing it with extra things but, I guess not always better safe then sorry. Actually all of my equipment came from one store. I reached out to them with questions and that led to them getting everything together for me. So they put every thing on a plane that flys to the reserve got my tanked cycled it then got my fish flown up made everything so much more special to me I guess. They made the hobby possible for me cuz I don’t drive aha. Awesome video once again just wish you had more on reef aquariums

Hey when it comes to things I need and I'm going to go ahead and buy it anyway.. heck I appreciate the links from my favorite KZfaqrs. That way I know how to use them correctly and it helps my friends too

Got a few spare heaters and I have an extra uv stabilizer sitting around also. The heater is a must cause most people’s tanks are not heated or cooled by the ac in the house. Comfortable room temp for us is not the same as comfort to the fish. The heater is for sure a must just in case.

They are 100% right...I have all these things as backup ....I have used it all at one time or another ....

"Welcome to multi tank syndrome" Oh I have that. Started out when my toddler fell in love with the bettas at the pet store and tried to grab a cup and run out the door, so I thought to myself "oh it would be cute to get a little betta tank to put in his bedroom, I'll run it by my fiance when I get home." Fiance told me a story about him and his ex getting a small tank for my step son's room when he was little and he had swordtails. One morning one of them was mangled and floating dead. They asked what happened and he said he was trying to tell the fish a secret but the fish kept getting away so he had to squeeze it. So fiance and I decided no fish for toddler's room and I thought "maybe we could do a slightly bigger tank in the living room instead and have a betta and a few other fish." Said I was going to pick up a five gallon. Started researching and saw that a 5 really isn't big enough for tankmates with a betta and came home with a 10 instead. Got it set up and let it run a few weeks before getting fish. Picked up tetras and corys to start with plans to get a betta later. Then my friend's cichlids were attacking his two angelfish so he brought them to me to house temporarily until he could set up another tank, they were both young. A week goes by and everything seems to be going OK, until one angel started attacking the other and he got pushed up against the filter intake and mangled pretty badly. Cue a second 10 gallon hospital tank in my bedroom. Alas, the angel did not make it, but I did what I could for him. Then the other one started eating my tetras, so he got moved to the hospital tank. Which he will outgrow. Friend is getting discouraged by the hobby and isn't ready for a second tank yet, and now I'm emotionally invested in this murdery angelfish. So I just scored a 125 gallon tank off Facebook marketplace because obviously now I need to have a huge tank in my dining room to house a handful of angelfish and maybe an army or corydoras, idk yet. Picking the tank up this weekend and it will take some time to set up and cycle. And I still don't even have a betta! Which is what started this whole thing! Somehow it started with "I'll just get a little 3 to 5 gallon betta tank for my kid" and snowballed into "I obviously need a giant community angelfish tank. With blackjack. And hookers." And now I'm also dreaming of one day digging a koi pond behind the garage and putting a little fire pit and seating area next to it. Because if I have indoor fish why not outdoor fish, too? And we will never be able to sell the place and move all the fish 😅

I loved the video so much! I watch these all the time! You guys are the best channel ever! Keep making these videos because they are awesome! Thanks for all the amazing information!

Wow guys just love all of the trips an tricks u guys have....iv been binge watching your because of the challenge im taking on....keep it up...new subscribers 😁😁😁

Thanks for the tips and I loved the bloopers at the end lol

Just want to say thanks for the hard work and info. It IS appreciated.

Super helpful video thanks guys

I love the bloopers jajaja alway show the real funny part of the behind the scenes super nice video guy. Hi from Philadelphia + 🇩🇴

The bloopers and the dorkiness lol love it

Great vid for all experience levels.

I’ve heard that another option instead of buying a quarantine tank is to get a big clear plastic tub and set it up. Never tried it but have seen other you tubers do it.

Great video. The bloopers were priceless 😂👍

Love these videos...big supporter here in the panhandle of florida...keep em coming!!!

lol great video John and Lisa!!! the bloopers are awesome lol

Hysterical bloopers......I needed a good laugh. Thanks! LOL

Excellent video, loved the bloopers at the end. Hope you are going to do a top ten blooper video sometime 🤓

I like the Hygger AC power aquarium vacuum/siphon. It has a super long hose and does not need batteries, just an electrical outlet. I open my window and siphon the water out of my tank, goes up and out the long hose, and straight into my flowerbed. To fill up, I just switch and put the hose in a bucket of treated water and pump it back into the tank. No muss, no fuss, and saves your back. Doubles as a gravel cleaner/siphon, so I do both for water changes. Easy peasy!

Just came to comment that, THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL THUMBNAIL AND PICTURE!!!

I've been keeping fresh and saltwater fish for the better half of 20 years, and i worked at Petco for 9 and I never recommended anything other than prime and/or stress coat for conditioners. Even if people didnt wanna spend the money for them, I'd squirt a bit into a bag or vile for them to use. They really are my absolute favorites 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

As an alternative to extra tank, is big box or washing tub, saved my fish from leaking tank.

Bloopers!!! I love you guys! When you use your Python how do you drain the water out of the hose afterwards? I probably looked like a crazy person trying to drain mine. I kept thinking that there has to be an easier way than holding the tubing up over my head and dancing around with it, trying to get all the water out!

YAY! I literally have all these products except a breeder box.

Nice shout out to Python, and excellent vid! Python are the only brand I could find here in the UK which have longer syphon tubes. God send if you have a column aquarium like myself.

So glad I found you two!

Thank you for the video it was very helpful and informative.

10:45 - 12:00 a good alternative would be a cheap rubermade tote and keep extra filter media like a sponge filter in your current tank. That's a quick tank that can be set up in 10 minutes

If your filter goes out its not a dire situation at all unless your tank is heavily overcrowded. A lot of people dont have filters on purpose in fact. In youtube search bar type 'No filter aquarium' , amazing tanks! If your tank is set up properly (but one that needs a filter) you can safely wait several days or ever a week or two depending on how big the tank is, how many plants, fish, etc. An air stone would mean you could wait much much longer before getting a new filter. or if you have a spare water pump you can make your own filter. Google is your friend.

Just keep on posting these info's hobbyist like us should know... info in advance... not keep our guard down... were glad you always gives us always a head info.... thank you so very much from both of you...

I can't wait for our Python water changing system to come in. We upgraded to a larger tank and I knew I was going to need one.