I've heard the nitrogen cycle explained many,many times but this was the most educational and entertaining presentation of it ever.I learned a new thing today {the effects of nitrites on the blood} thanks for that.

2:36 confuses the best of us 🤣

You can also grab some substrate,mud,leaves from a pond or stream to jump start the system. Great vid Dan !

I waited 9 days to watch this cause I was like, I've read books, watched hours of vids, I have the master test kit even! I'm so pro I don't need this... We ALL need this, even if it's just a refresher, you'll prob learn some new little tidbit that sticks with you. ✌️

The only thing i wish people would talk about is that during the breakdown of wastes over time can cause a drop in the buffering capacity of the water and eventually start dropping the pH. The drop is slow enough generally to not bother existing fish but can play havoc with new fish. Also if something happens and a large volume of water is changed the existing fish can stress. Ive had customers whose idea of water changes strictly covered evaporation. Their water would creep down and then the "fall cleaning" would raise heck in the tank. At my last lfs job we called it old tank syndrome. Existing fish did great most all new fish either stressed and recovered or not. So hard to teach people stability works wonders. Some things dont need to be spot on as much as stable over the long run.

Please the next eps is about Deep Substrate

Dan the freaking man

Thanks for the lesson Dan. Keep up with the good work. Hit the like button guys

I know you're trying to help, and the brief history lesson was good, (by the way, Winogradsky spelt his name with a W) but what this - and other similar videos - fail to mention is that what they are presenting only covers one half of the nitrogen cycle. The cycle does not stop and continue with nitrate. The nitrate is further broken down to nitrous oxide and other intermediates back to nitrogen. Whilst this part of the cycle is conventionally thought of as taking place in anaerobic conditions it has recently been discovered that there are archaea capable of reducing nitrate in the presence of oxygen, albeit at low concentrations. Pointing out the dangers of "new tank syndrome" is extremely important. That should go without saying. Advising on mitigation measures, such as the use of bacterial cultures, is good. Other advice, such as telling people to keep their pH at 6.5, at which value ammonia is hydrolysed in to ammonium, would have been helpful. The more information on keeping fish safe - the better. I support what you do, and your ethical stance on wild fish collecting. I love your presentation on the racoon tetra, very good.

Awesome

Thanks for this brilliant video.

That was a great explanation. Thanks! :)

Awesome video lots of good information

Awesome video Dan! It was very informative! I just started doing what you taught in the video for seasoning the sponge filter, letting it run for months in another aquarium then adding some snails and critters, feeding them to have the cycle going, and then waiting a few weeks and adding the fish but monitoring the parameters to make sure everything is ok.

great video

Great video Dan , I was wondering if you were ever going to get L600 back in stock

Not first!

🚥🚦🚦🚥🚥🚦🚥🚥🚦🚥🚥🚦🚦🚦

Those bottled bacteria are even more suspect, since nitrifying archea/bacteria are all mostly aerobic. Those bottles don't have oxygen in them.

First!

I hope this video was not a result of running out of topics to talk about. There are a plethora of utube vids on this. Most are the same rehashing. I watch you for the fish insight. In fact, I'm really intrigued with your Raccoon Tetras. I use a plenum on my 40 breeder and won't ever do anything differently if I setup another aquarium. Complete cycle. Thank you for your passion in bringing in fish humanely. Btw, I use Dr. Kevin Novack's plenum system. I took a chance and it is working. 1.5 years w/o detectable nitrates. Just focus on the fish and the steps you take to bring them in. My 2 cents.