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'm 16 years old and my first ever tank is now 2 years old ✨ it's got potting soil at the bottom capped with sand, a pearlweed carpet, small bunches of stem plants and some duckweed. It's a 6 gallon stocked with a school of Japanese rice fish, no filter or fertilizer necessary! Ive even added a decaying leaf from a local stream that brought tons of little critters with it, I'm glad I came across your tutorial while I was just getting into the fishkeeping hobbie :) you've truly built a legacy and I hope natural tanks become more popular soon Thank you father fish for your content and I hope your tanks live forever!

Can we just have more people like you in the world??? We had Bob Ross, Mr. Roger’s, Steve Erwin… and this guy. We literally need more people like this. Thank you so much for being who you are.

My fish have never been healthier since watching this channel. Instead of constantly needing to monitor everything and adding things to my tank… I can actually enjoy it and can tell that my fish are beyond happy. If you’ve ever noticed, the KZfaqrs, who don’t agree with his method typically have online shops that sell all of the chemicals that he suggests not using. Just something to keep in mind when you are vetting who you’re going to take advice from. The FF method has been incredible in my home and I’m never going back.

Since I moved from the East coast to the West coast of Australia 13 years ago, I have not had an aquarium... The itch was there but only recently became strong enough to want to start again. Then I found this channel and the deal was sealed. New tank arrives next week and it will be setup just how Father Fish advocates. Starting off small with a 2' tank and when that convinces the Good Wife that keeping fish is fun I will negotiate to upsize to a 4 or 6' tank and keep African Ciclids again😁 Thank you for the inspiration, Father Fish.

I am from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Here it is all about Aqua Soil for planted aquarium. Doing my part to get FF method to my small part of this world through my channel. FF is my god father.

Im glad i found your channel few days ago i was planning to have my own aquarium..I will follow all your instructions to my best understanding.your knowledge should be preserved and pass to the next generations, and thats what im gonna do, with my daughter. your explanation is not only for aquariums its an explanation about life itself. Im gonna document everything on my channel our journey of having our own aquarium, by following and understanding all your teaching, thank you so much for sharing a knowledge that will continue until life exist.

I've been in this hobby for about forty years now. And i've watched a lot of videos on youtube and read a lot of books.. I've had good luck in the hobby, And kept many fish different species. You're the first one who's really inspired me to try something different. I want to thank you buddy and keep up the good work.

Because of pressure from classes and exams i have neglected the hobby and i drifted further and further apart until my arowana died because of my incompetence after having relocated or lost all the fish that had been with me for years i have decided to start again with a neat little planted aquarium and rekindle the fire and fall in love with this hobby all over again. Thank you sincerely Dear father .f you have given me hope and inspiration i shall not forget :)

Father, I love listening to your speech. You are so kind, wise, patient and inspiring. In the near future, I will try to build an aquarium for the children at my school using your method. 😊🙏

This is wonderful! My fish tanks have not been surviving and I have only one fish left :( This gives me hope that I can start fresh again with this hobby 🥺🥺

Hey, 'Dad', Just giving my compliments to the title pic...it's BEAUTIFUL !.....the stream, the forest all around, the nice aquarium juxtaposed at the right spot and Dad with his illustrious white beard. I know people usually don't compliment title pics...because it's not easy to make an Amazing one !

My FF tank is 8 months now and it just keeps getting better. Thanks Father Fish 🙏

I will be moving soon maybe within the next month or two but I have already bought the soil from you and sand. Can't wait to set the tank up right. 65 yo in March. Plan on passing the tank onto my niece.

Thank you so very much, sir! 59 plants for $59 is absolutely unbelievable and I really didn’t believe until they arrived! Some of these plants are sold for $7.99 each and some are sold for $4.99 each. I can’t believe youdid this and sold this to me for such a little price. Thank you so very much. Sincerely Michael.

You're truly charming.. I'm happy you've had the chance to create this legacy 🙏

Hello FF from Portugal its now 5th day of my 25 years 130 lt tank with ff system. Thank you ff for yours videos and help.

Soy española. Espero que pueda traducir este mensaje.. llevo 1 mes con acuarios de peces pero toda mi vida (i'm 51 years old) amando a las plantas y la naturaleza. Descubrir su canal y aprender de Ud. Es lo único bueno que he conseguido. He perdido mucho tiempo y dinero. Thanks a lot I love U very much

Father fish what a true gentlemen really made me fall in love with this hobby ❤️

Another great video father fish. I love watching your videos they are so helpful and knowledgeable thank you keep them coming 😊

THIS!! THIS TITLE RIGHT HERE IS MY GOAL FOR 3 YEARS NOW

Watched one of your videos and now I want more natural tanks. We just switched the beta tanks to a natural setup with a substrate and sand and some Dorf grass.

The first few minutes of this video is a very important part. Long time commitment.

So happy and excited to follow your lead and get my tank where it needs very little maintenance still watching all of your videos so when I move I can set it up exactly the way you teach us.

As always you are right on the spot, father fish! Thanks for this and all your previous videos!!

Love this style of aquariums. My tank is only a little over a year old now. But can not wait to see how it wil look over a few years :)

What a great knowledge Father Fish! I love your videos! Thank you! ❤

Utterly brilliant philosophy, a wonderful hobby, thank you so much Father Fish

I have tanks set up about 10-12 years, planted with gravel. I am excited to try your method. I have one thing that keeps me from having certain fish. Fish that seem to do well for others. That is well water, and very hard. However I have pretty care free tanks, not as balanced as yours but on the way! I like to set up one community tank, and one semi aggressive tank community tank! Fish keeping is something I started as a child and here I am 61 years young! Still excited! God bless you FF~!

Dear Father Fish! I’m so happy to follow you and now have a thriving aquarium ! I even have a very happy Beta male cohabitating with four Tetra and a few shrimp! No chasing or attacking ❤

Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I was able to set up and establish a tank for some goldfish I received unexpectedly and I have had amazing results with them; I kept goldfish as a teen and they were so challenging to care for but your methods have been amazingly helpful and they’re thriving along with their tank mates.

Hi Father Fish, you have inspired me to go in a different direction with my aquariums, for years i used under gravel filter and always just had a lot of work to do! I truly wish you could see them!

Thank you for your wisdom Father Fish. I have only just stumbled upon you. I am glad a lot of the things i can learn from you are on the internet. I believe you will live on forever in the minds of aquarium hobbyist. Appreciate your time and effort so much

It’s amazing how your tanks last for years and years. Thank you for sharing your method.

Que conteúdo maravilhoso...

I always have enjoyed the hobby it started when I was 25 had a 10 gallon tank and through different learning curves I was proud of many successes I have had with keeping fish alive for years. I have tried real plants before but always failed. I am excited to learn that now there is a way through trials and errors on other people's efforts to have real plants in your tank and that they will survive . I followed your instructions and have only a small tank but its been two weeks and plants are still looking green and doing well so far. So I'm hoping to learn more and hopefully have a full green plant live tank for days to come.

Thank you so much for all your wisdom and knowledge.

Such a great comparison! I Have both. I have a 55 gallon in my garage that I set up over 15 years ago and I can't wait for spring to upgrade to more of a FF model.

Love this video! I agree we should all create systems that withstand the test of time. Low maintenance with maximum payoff

Thank you Sir !

Nice video thanks- Fishkeeping is a form of moving meditation for me. I have a FF inspired aquarium that only requires minimal maintenance 🙂

@FatherFish please write a book for posterity! I was looking for one recently because I love a good book to have as a reference when I can't access KZfaq. Your knowledge is incredible and I hope it lives on forever!

Brilliant !!!!

Woooohoooo bless FF!

May God richly bless you sir! Thank you for your wisdom!!

Just made my first one about a week ago. My 4 comet goldfish are blooming! Im gonna get a 75 gallon and then build a pond for my goldfish when they get big enough!

I am so glad I have found you. I work for a big box store and I recommend your channel ALL the time to my guests wanting to start a fish tank. I always suggest a planted tank over a plastic one ❤

Love it! Don't plan on ever taking my aquariums down either

Great video Detroit 😊

You are the substrate to the world ❤. I havent had any sort of aquarium animals in over 10 years because i always want more than i could give them, ive always been a grounded to mother earth person and wont let a creature exist in famine. In a matter of a week i have bought a 55 gallon tank, started an ecosystem from the ground up and gave a part of myself to such a little but massive world; mind you theres less than 25 souls in this tank and most are shrimp and snails. Youve replaced my music at work. Thank you for being true to oneself.

I love the idea of a forever tank and just let it be and watch it mature and grow into something amazing!

thank you Father Fish 🙋💕💯🏝️🎏🌌🐾💪🤙🌲🇵🇭

I watche nearly all ur videos I now hav 8 tanks in my small 2 bed house all minimum of 4” substrate Iv only kept fish for about 4 months and learning all the time and just want to thank yo for all your advice 😊

Hi Father fish, could you do a video on discus care? I really want a discus & tetra tank but I’m discouraged because all of the videos about them say they’re difficult to care for, that they need to be fed several times a day and that water will need to be changed twice a week. Thanks in advance !! 😊

Hi I just discovered you I really liked you because unlike other KZfaqrs you recommend a natural method a bit like Wastald's, I'm a bit confused, so what is better to use? The gravel recommended by Wastald or the sand?

Thanks!

Hi Father Fish. SOOOO happy I found you!!! I have about 7 tanks that consume a lot of time and I stumbled upon this natural aquarium way of fish keeping because I was looking for answers to fish parameters and how to keep my fish healthy and happy. I have watched many of your videos and starting to transition my tanks to natural ones. I visited your online fish store and purchased plants and your soil additives but haven't gotten the order yet. While watching videos and researching, I STILL have a few questions I thought maybe you could answer..... 1. Are there certain plants that some fish should not be in the same tank with? 2. Does a hospital tank need to be a natural set up as well? 3. When putting new/fresh water into your new natural tank, does it still need to be dechlorinated with chemical dechlorinate? 4. What fish can NOT live in a natural tank? 5. Can a 125 gallon be an ok size for neon tetras or any small fish or are large tanks too overwhelming for little fish? 6. What plants will Buenos Aires fish NOT eat? 7. Does a 125 gallon require a higher than 1 inch soil layer? 8. Do you boil your natural wood, or the drift would you get from stores to remove the tannins that cause the water to turn colors, or do you leave it alone and keep the tannins in your water? 9. Can Angel fish be happy in a natural aquarium with other NON angel fish? 10. Are there certain plants that make water more acidic or alkaline? 11. Do you really NOT need to test PH because we'll never get it right? 12. Does PH naturally balance itself out eventually? 13. Do you have any videos that strictly talk about water parameters? The fish I have are: Koi ( Golden Marble) Angel fish (and their fry), Buenos Aires fish, Rosy barbs, Dalmatian mollies (male and female), Blue gourami's, Long fin black skirts, Serapes, Bleeding Hearts, Neon tetra's, Orange tail dalmatian mollies, Red Wag platys, Dojo loaches (LOVE these guys), Cory catfish, Kuli loaches, a tiny brown pleco I call "Nugget" who I never see unless I am cleaning the tank, and 3 large 12" plecos. I want to make sure the fish I put together all get along and are compatible in a natural tank. Do these fish have different "naturals"? The reason I am asking this is because anytime you read about parameters, you then see something about "well, these fish were bred on a farm in a pond for decades and not the Amazon or Peru".... so, what do we do??? If I knew your email, I would send all this there, but I don't. I am so sorry to bombard you in a comment, but I want to make my fish happy, so they don't die.... and I am not without losses, and it really hurts. I love my fish. Over the last few months, I have started losing my large 3" Dalmatian molly girls that I have had since they were a fry. They are only 2 years old, and they are in a 125-gallon tank with other fish that appear to be fine. I need to get this right for them. So hopefully I don't lose anymore.

❤amen F.F love bonsai.. keep it natural folks🎉 thx F.F were changing the hobby for the better learning..

How do you take an aquarium with you if you have to move states? Is it freakishly expensive? I believe that is one of the most common reasons people give up their aquariums, at least the second hand ones on Facebook tend to be mostly listed for that reason.

Sir..... I have learned a lot from your videos and have recently set up a dirted nano tank with a small sponge filter connected to an air pump. Since this tank is specifically meant for shrimps so I am a bit confused about whether it is harmful for the shrimps if I run the air pump uninterruptedly for 24 hours everyday.

Gosh I need to find an heir to my tank fortune! My kids are in their 30’s and not interested in aquariums. They do like mine, but even tho I explained the natural tank seldom needs fiddling with other than few top offs and a trim on occasion, they never really caught the bug. Oh well, no worries…..I’m retired (early) and loving all the spare time to watch my creations. I plan on being around for a good while. And maybe, just maybe, add another tank here and there😂 Yes my fam says I have an addiction, but I could be addicted to much worse. I’m only 6 tank setups since a year next month. Making up for too many years out of the hobby. As always, thank you ff…..addiction or no😁☮❤🐠🦐🪴

I love everything that you do, you have more like philosophical approach to life. You should do more of short videos in witch you explain certain type of fish, maybe like that you get even wider audience . Goal is you to get more than million followers in order to promote the best way of watching tropical fish

FF another lovely video! When setting up a tank like this and adding water, will tap water kill all the microbiology in the sponge filter, or the microfauna in the soil etc. I know you said chlorinated water is fine, but surely this will be bad for the first fish I add on day2?

Sir i have a doubt..i have a FF tank..many plants and fishes are thriving..but i have no spaces to add humic (dry leaves ) into tank as the tank is filled with that much plants..what can i do? Should i deposit the humus materials in the narrow gaps of plants?

Hello! Love your channel! I am Starting a planted aquarium that will be part of a paludarium. I'm wondering, does the tank have to have water movement or can you have a functional healthy planted aquarium with still water. Thank you so much for all your knowledge

Well I set up a 55 gallon it's been 10 days apz and I did rich black top soil with peat moss in it. Layered at bottom amd them marble rock on top amd sand . I added 25 plants diffrent types and after day 1 added 10 rummy nose and 4 mollys . Waited 3 days later and added my angles fish and clown ciclids and waited 3 more days and added platies . ( I added seeded sponge filter from a 40 gallon tank I had ) and day 5 had 5 nitrate max . The tank is running strong and good . I did have one rummy nose die day after putting in however only because it was ill when purchased , it didn't school woth the others

I actually love your wisdom and videos Thank you for everything and you are wanna heck of a role model for what is the perfect setup.

Sir you are not Father fish you are the God of fish tanks :) ❤❤❤❤ Love every single tank you have shown to us wish I was able to do what you do 😢 Thank you for uploading all this videos to us so we see what fish keeping mean ❤❤❤

The biggest challenge is to pass the hobby , any hobby , to the ,,heirs" .

Owned a tank for just over 20 years, but decided to swap for a new one on the grounds that the silicone holding it together must be near end of life. It was an easy change over using a large new clean dustbin for the old water and fish.

I love pencil fish, they are very curious and doesn't get spooked easily.

Ciao father fish, sarebbe interessante sapere come hai fatto ad abbassare il substrato... è stato un duro lavoro? Grazie mille

Challenge accepted thanks for being a inspiration

Can I add soil then sand on top to an established concrete pond with fish. I know the water will be dirty but will settle. Then I can add the sand. It is 5m x 2m x 70cm deep. Or do I need to drain and start again?

Any advice on an already established tank with no soil layer? I only have sand and I’m now worried my tank will be suffering. I will take your advice and get some leaves from a local water source. I wish I had found your channel before I set it up. Thanks for the knowledge!

Hello Father fish cn you make topic about hydra on aquarium?

I've decided to set up a new natural aquarium, but I have all the filters too. (hand on filter, internal sponge filter, and under gravel filter). Question - would it be beneficial to run all these along with setting up the aquarium as prescribed by Father Fish ? I am thinking if I do that all external and internal filters would be allowed to run with very little or no filter changes,,, maybe change out the charcoal filter bags annually ? ..... about to hit father fish web site today to order the plants and looking forward to trying this method in my 31 gal cube.

Do you use a filtration system with any of your tanks? How often you do water charges? Also do you use heaters?

These videos are so inspiring! I was wondering if the father fish aquarium method would be suitable for a pet axolotl? I am enamored with those funny fellows and also just discovering your beautiful tank methods!!!

You'Re right. It is also like embracing one universe with life and death 🥰

Father Fish, can/should I place saltwater shells that have been cleaned properly, into my 20 gallon long, freshwater tank populated by corydoras including their 2 new babies born last month, one female beta, and four x-ray tetras, and planted with Amazon sword and ferns, saggita grass, thfts of dwarf grass colonies, pup-sprouting Java ferns and several varieties of other vigorous plants, all thriving? If yes, how many shells are enough? I have received quaag, oyster and whelk shells and fragments from a best friend with a half century of fresh water aquarium experience. Still hesitating. Thank you for your opinion. Subscriber.♥️

Hi father fish, I have set up my new tank about 4 weeks ago I just added fish, prior to that I added lots of plants (garden soil base) plants grow nice but I noticed there is a loads of green coating like dirt I don’t know what it is and how to get rid of it?

my father's 150 gallon planted tank has been up and running since 1997! and counting

G'day from Australia Father Fish. I've kept aquariums and used gravel for 40+ years with as you can imagine mostly poor success with plants. Did all the water changes and upkeep, still lost fish along the way for various issues and was recently finding myself getting tired of it all and considering finally packing it up. Anyway, been watching your informative videos for a couple months and you've been singing a song to me as I'm now excited to restart my tank dirted and let it look after itself. I have some peat moss and potting mix and my plan is to mix it with soil sourced from the local river then cap it with sand. Will this be enough nutrients to sustain the plants/tank over several years or will I need other supplements as well? And do you tip your resurrection jars into your tanks after they've matured?

It is. My first planted tank has also been my greatest experience having an aquarium. Ive never had an experience where I didnt have to do water changes during the nitrogen process...topping off is the most I had to do. Its been locked in since the start. With the organisms that came in on a plant shipment, my need to feed is alot less, leading to a consistent 0 Phosphate reading. No out of control algae, just what the aquarium allows to be produced. I have a healthy population of snails which clean everything, including the plant leaves. Have had no snail deaths due to planaria, which hasnt seemed to happen since adding fish. ..Every part of this aquarium is functioning like any natural body of water....I do follow all the parameters I can, because I like to know them. Plants have produced a 15 oxygen reading...i feed frozen foods every other day...Flake foods are a thing of the past for me. They never get fully consumed unlike brine shrimp and blood worms. My 7 fish are very healthy, and by looking at their coloring, are very content. I have an aquarium...One thats taken on a life of its own, and it is amazing to witness!

I`ve had an old platy 10 gallon tank set up as a red cherry shrimp and snail tank for 4 years all I ever did to change it was move hardscape around and replant but the same sand-capped soil has stayed for so long. When I first started I used to be obsessed with aqua-soil but at some point I started stealing potting soil from my mom`s stash and adding sand and I basically reformatted all my tanks to be that way. Obviously noone can see my setups personally but the biggest piece of advice is definitely to always go the cheaper and simpler route. I got 2 big plastic tubs from family dollar, some play sand, some flower pots from homedepot, and 2 desk lamps from walmart and made 2 guppy breeding tanks, and I used some of those small plastic 2-ounce takeout cups with lids, with some gravel and some plastic mesh screen and old tank water to grow all my different types of moss, using those lamps to do so. I`ve tried keeping my hobby super budgetty, and somehow all my pets are doing good

i've accepted the challenge. thank you FF

I am setting up a new tank based on FF method and had a question which some of my friends also had, 1. Doesn't the water get yellowish? 2.Do we need a filter in a tank or just an oxygen air pump is enough? 3. Many of ths pet store shops advise that I need a CO2 air pump as well for the plants to be healthy. Any advise from the community is really helpful. Thanks in advance for all the wonderful content. Also the shop owners kept on forcing to buy products such as aquarium salt, and other kinds of liquid. Is any of that required any time in the care of the tank?

im about to go to my creek and get substrate from the creek. i currently have that crushed coral for substrate. can i put it right on top of the crushed coral or should i take it out?

Father Fish! I want to put the layer of soil under my substrate like you mentioned either in this video or another one, But I already set up the tank without it and have new fish in there. Unfortunately I didn't see that video until after I had already set up my tank but it's a new set up in a previously used aquarium. How long should I wait before I tear the tank down so I can put the soil underneath the substrate... The tank has been set up for a few days only.I just put new fish in it yesterday after I had the water tested. So I don't want to stress the fish out by tearing it down so soon... What is your best advice?Because I also have plants in there that I want to flourish

I'm 68 and will be building my first tank, I picked up a 10 gallon and will be doing a dirt/sand/live plants. A man and his daughter I met today recommended you and I'm so glad they did. He recommended your Father Fish supplement; do you have a smaller bag then I seen on you shop page. I only need enough for my 10 gal. I will be getting a Betta fish, will also be needing plants and would like your suggestion before I make my order. thanks in advance

Hello, I want to make a sand bottom aquarium to plant with soils below the sand but the one thing I have not learned yet is weather to use a fine riverbed sand or a larger grainy riverbed sand? Thanks in advance.

God bless you too

Dear FF, I have an year old tank (no dirt, only gravel topped with sand) but most of the plants and fishes were dead. I plan to start over by adding plants. Can I start from scratch by adding dirt and following other steps based on your method or just add an inch of sand and continue planting without disturbing current setup - what do you suggest?

Please help me. I have loads of while wiggley things swimming in my tank. I never see them on my fish but all my shrimp have gone and only 2 guppy left. Wondered if it the bristle nose catfish pleco eating everyone as he's really fed up with fish or the white wiggley things. I brought in some floating pond plants and now there's loads of them. I also have tons of brown algae

Does this system work with Orandas that are messy poo machine's. .Love your channel

What type of heating do you recommend ? I have 20 gal tank.

Tak!

Hi Father Fish. I set up my five gallon dirted tank last Saturday after my plant package arrived from you. The plants have filled the tank and I have a very small sponge filter running. I'm also running an Oase heater. My issue is that the heater will bring the tank to temperature, but the temperature will not hold. It is set at 80 degrees which it reaches in about an hour, but in the morning it is back to 68.I'm thinking that maybe there is not enough water movement, or has the heater failed?I am anxious to get some fish into the tank. Your thoughts? Thank you very much.

Challenge accepted 😊 Great Video!