*Are you subscribed to our channel yet? Here's an easy way to do it, just click this link:* kzfaq.info

This guy taught me almost everything I know about the fish keeping hobby

Man I love your videos! Husband came in and asked me, "Why are you watching this? You know all this stuff." I simply said, "Because I like him" 😊 You're awesome and hilarious

I have a 29g with a Tidal 110 filter and it is very heavily planted. In it I have 1 Pearl Gourami, 1 female Bristlenose Pleco, 1 male guppy, 10 Black Skirt Tetra, 7 Harlequin Rasbora, 8 Albino Cory, 4 Oto's, and an unknown number of Assassin Snails (they are breeding like crazy and I have already sold 15 a few months ago). I know my tank is over stocked but I am religious about maintenance and do weekly 60+% water changes. The tank has been running like this for 3 years without issues.

I just want to say thank you for all the videos you both post and how helpful all the info is. I work at a pet store and we sell many fish. I spend so much of my time trying to help people figure out their fish situations and trust me it’s challenging. Sadly most people don’t have much of a clue when it comes to keeping fish even with all this great info available. Your videos have helped me so much in learning this hobby and how to help others.

Your videos have evolved over the years. I love the added personality. It keeps me coming back even for the beginner topics. The hardest question for me to answer or get answered is cohabitation. Whether it is how many blank with blank, or Can blank live with blank? I have been doing this awhile and have the question often due to the endless variables, and those variables are what make it so hard to answer. We need people like you and a handful of other creators who provide the foundational knowledge to not try something too ridiculous, but the confidence to try and push it to gain the experience for ourselves. Also go Nats. Looks like they are heading your way.

I want to thank y’all for your Betta info. After struggling with a male with fin rot in a 5 gallon for months, I took a chances and upgraded him to a 14 cube with 4 minnows, 4 Cory cats, and 2 Kuhli loaches. He began to thrive! He is so happy and healthy now. We did the same with our next Betta and he is enjoying a 10 gallon with a few various tetra buddies. The color of the other tank mates seemed to matter 🤷🏻‍♀️ and of course each Betta fish was different.

Merry Christmas everyone

This is a great video. One thing I would add based on my experience is that you should go slow. I’ve stocked a 75 gallon community tank over the last 8 months. I wait at least two weeks and usually more like a month before adding a new batch. This does two things. First, it lets your biological filtration catch up to avoid ammonia spikes. Second, it lets you monitor your parameters (and behavior) to make sure your ecosystem is adapting

When I first got into the hobby this was the question I asked the most. Started to get frustrated with people cause everyone says something different. The more I understood about fish keeping the more I realized that this is a complex convoluted question to answer and that there are an incredible amount of variables to take into consideration in order to answer it. I may have figured this stuff out by man what a great video. For anyone new to the hobby this is the best video for this question.

I’m coming back to the hobby after taking a break for a number of years. I’m LOVING your videos. The common sense you present is a welcome change. I’m in So Maryland and plan to take a field trip to Glen Bernie to check out fish soon.

Loving this solution to the stream issues you were facing 🤙 no matter how experienced I become, having a mortality is always a demoralizing event… I can understand how it might motivate someone to leave this wonderful hobby 😭🥲 thank you for helping them keep their fish ALIVE ❤

Merry Christmas John and Lisa...and everyone else for that matter! Thank you for the info (and entertainment) you both provide us thru your channel.

This really came in handy, I'm stocking my 20 gallon tomorrow, so it gave me a good idea of how many fish i'll be able to comfortably stock. Great vid!

Awesome video lots of important info. I think a good point for beginners is to try and fill all the levels of your tank for a good ecosystem. Get some top feeders mid level ones some scavenges and the mandatory "cleaner fish" your specific set up needs. It makes the whole tank active to look at. Make the fish and plants do the hard work haha.

Merry Christmas one and all I just love the humour in the videos. Always informative and entertaining. Just for clarity, when you asked why would you want more than one common Pleco, I have more than one because I absolutely love them

Son got me a aquarium for Christmas and wanted to do research and came across your channel and had to come to comments to Thank you for putting out all this info so THANKS

I find it refreshing to see someone who actually gives an intelligent answer to this question. As an experienced aquariaist, I learned to disregard all other answers I've ever heard. When I answer beginners, it is always a small number of fairly small fish. (I'm experienced in 55 and smaller tanks.) I apologize for thinking you'd give the same old "rules of thumb" as almost every one else. Thank you for this video.

I just found your channel and I freaken love it!!! Thanks so much for your help

Love the videos. Miss my aquarium and seeing the tanks on your videos reminds me of sitting and watching mine like they were TV. I started my biggest tank 125gal around 2000ish? Started with 5 electric yellow labs a common pleco and 2 senodontis cats ( should have looked up the spelling on that one) 10 years later I had to break it down and sell the tank and find a home for the fish due to health. Never lost any of the cats and the pleco was nearly 16 inches. And the 5 yellow labs multiplied into over 100. My local pet store was delighted when I called to see if they ha space for them. I miss the hobby so much and watching videos with good info and clips of amazing fish helps fill the void. Keep it up.

Merry Christmas John and Lisa.Thank you for your channel. Very much enjoy you both and the information you provide

Great idea for a new series! I often see mixed information about minimum tanks sizes. For example, some say a rainbowshark can go in a 29g, others say a 55g. I guess that this is also because it depends on multiple factors. What are some tips to improve your chances of succes with a species when minimum tank size is unclear? Merry Christmas!

Ive folowed all your advise ive got 50 guppys in a 100liter tank i think 26.5galons and i do a regular water change and ive got a good filtration system i love working on my aquarium it calms me down thankyou for your videos

Love these vids! Merry Christmas John and Lisa!

Great content! 💯 Love the cabinet of the discus aquarium in the back. Would love to see it in full. 🙃

I am getting a 10 gallon tank in the new year. I never kept fish before so am relying on expert advice. The plan is to do an initial set up with just plants and no fish. The experts say to get a test kit and monitor the tank chemistry frequently, so this is what I will do. Once the plants are growing well and water parameters are stable (who knows how long that will take) I will think about fish. Because I have no experience with keeping fish I will get a small number of easy fish - platys look promising - and see what happens. Any new hobby is a learning process and I feel lucky to be able to draw on the valuable experience of folks like KGTropicals. To KGT and all the other KZfaq aquarium channels I say "Thank you!" because you give me the confidence to be a fish keeper.

Merry Christmas... great answer, it really helped me a lot! Thanks

Merry Christmas Lisa & John. 🎄 Thanks for another great video!

What a lovely video!!! I’m glad to see a video like this again!

Merry Christmas John and Lisa, the last thing you said it so fast! I been lie to all this time?! I 'm the one been told 1 inch per gallon for fish. but I just start this new hobby at September i do keep asking people how much fish I can feed in my 5 gallons tank.

Merry Christmas 🎄 Question: do Geophagus fish like redhead Taphoes or altafranz need a sand substrate to be safe and healthy? Question: if you have severums that eat plants and want to use plastic or fabric plants to decorate, what brand of fake plants are the most sturdy, long lasting and most natural looking? Thanks for being Awesome! Love your show!😊

It goes almost without saying but your mileage may vary with all of this, my main display tank at home is slightly overstocked but the filtration can handle it, being a fluval 307 on a 29 gal. I change water when nitrates approach 50 ppm and service the filter every month.

Loved the delivery! People will still get it wrong. Your efforts are much appreciated.

As a former pet store owner, the baby Oscar's were the number one fish people wanted....till I told them how big they get. Sure, I missed a lot of sales, but I didn't get into this business because I didn't like people or animals. The MOST calls I got, inquiring if I would take (for free) their adult Oscar, were numerous. They'd say they had tried so many stores, and no one wanted it. Stay away from Oscars. They get huge and are messy. After 10 years, I sold the business. I loved it, but it's very demanding. I now only have 7 tanks set up at home....and I still love it!!! I totally agree with his take on Oscars, too.

Thank you so much 🙏👏 its shch a pain in the ass explaning this to new fish keepers. I hope lot of them see this

I enjoyed your video learned a lot been in the fish hobby almost 30 years. Learn something new every day.

I have a question, how much maple syrup does it take until I can feel the blood pumping through my veins? My bad wrong video 😂😂😂😂

Your videos are really good and give tons of valid information.

COMPLETELY off topic but.... those Rummy-nose tetra's in the background are gorgeous and amazing! I like the way they flow together. A big tank like that really brings out the best in them. First time watching this channel but I already destroyed that like button. You sir got yourself another new subscriber

Happy Holidays to you and Lisa. That’s a question I always want to ask but figure it’s always best to have a small number of fish to be on the safe side.

I had the exact opposite reaction to getting everything cool I saw. I tend to get really nervous/have some anxiety and I was super adamant about that “1 gallon / inch” rule and I think our aquarium might’ve been a bit empty.

Thank you for teaching me so much about fish I Love having my tank it's helped me find a way to handling My stress

Thank you! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas John, Lisa & fishfam! Nice basic video on a frequently asked question. Here's just a few that really irritate me throughout my years in the hobby. "What should I put in my 20G (any size) tank?" I reply "water". "How many fish can I put in my tank?" I reply "all that it can support". "What do you mean I have to change water and use test kits, no way?" I reply "don't get into the hobby". "My fish had babies a few days ago, what do I do with them and how to feed them?" My reply "should have researched that when you bought the fish". The list goes on...

What do you think of my tank? Heavily planted, 2 filters, 40g. 30 ember tetra, 12 pepper cory, 1 female betta, 6 mystery snails. I do a 50% water change and siphon gravel each week. Once a month I clean the filter media (in old tank water ofc). I'm sure the snails are too much bioload but they are my babies and I clean extra thoroughly because of them lol. I also have a planted 10g with 1 male betta and 2 mysteries. At some point I want a 90g or more for a betta sorority (AND SNAILSSS)

My tank might be overstocked but I can't help but seeing different types of fish and it looking lively. I currently have 3 guppies, 2 platties and 2 Cory's in a 10g. I know a ten gallon is small but it was a gift and it looks nice. It's somewhat planted and have a sponge filter

Love your videos john help me a lot

I do water changes every 2 days and I have tons of mollies in a 30 gallon. They all seem to be doing fine.

Thank you! I was worried about adding 8 more neon tetras to my 20 gallon but they should be fine.

Hey bud thanks for all The free information on this beautiful hobby ! Just upgraded from a little 10g to a 30… already want to jump up again 😅😅😅

Believe it or not you answered my question even tho I was only looking for a ballpark answer starting with a 30 gallon and 4 angle fish only to find out they can grow to 6 inches I was worried about over crowding if I added more.

Merry Christmas and great video! 🎄

Actually, this was quite helpful. I’m setting up a 55g after moving into my own house. It’s cycling right now, and my guppies are in a temporary tank at my brother’s place because I had to be out of my old place before I could close. I don’t plan on keeping the guppies in the 55g, but i needed to do that tank first because my library/fish room is still full of unpacked boxes and the 55g is in the living room. Eventually, the plan is 6 black Venezuelan Cory cats, 6 lazer Cory cats, 10 female betas, and 10 turquoise rainbow fish. Could I put more? Probably some type of tetras, but the fewer fish means a cleaner tank. I think 32 smaller fish in a 55g is perfect. And thank you for answering a most difficult question. It was more helpful than you know!

To everyone that celebrates: Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

My angels had babies and I still have 15 in a 37 gallon. They are about 2-3 inches. There’s so many plants carpeting that it keeps my nitrates at zero. Ammonia is watched every 2 days and I’m not an over feeder. There’s a couple random fish in there like a pea puffer and mollies.

Merry Christmas. How often do you feed fish and how often do you do a water change? I have 5 angels and about 10 silver tip tetras in a 75 gal.

👍😎 Well Done John . Merry Christmas John and Lisa 🎄🎄

I'm relatively new and made sure that I gave the guy at the fish store the relevant information about my skill level, planting, and tank size when asking for the number of fish I could get as well as fish compatibility

Great video Merry Christmas 🤶 🎄 🎅

Good video John. Hope you and Lisa have had a lovely Christmas !

Thanks for the help

I'm almost positive I heard you say 1 inch per gallon as a general rule in an old video, but I believe it was specifically about small community fish. And even then you still said it varies wildly depending on filtration, plants, and such. I could be mistaken and thinking of someone else but I can't think of who it could have been.

Been a while since I've seen your channel. Very compelling as usual.

I would think your filtration system would matter as well. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with 1 Betta, 5 Neon Tetras and 2 Cory cats. I'm running a Fluval 107 canister with one compartment filled with Fluval Biomax as well as many plants. Great video thanks. Merry Christmas!

Great video and Merry Christmas everyone

I have a 10G running a Fluval AquaClear for up to 30G tank. I also have a few live plants. I have 5 red eye tetras, 3 albino cory catfish, 2 flame dwarf gourami, 2 platy and 3 guppy. I do 20% water change weekly. So far so good.

This helped a lot thank you

Between you guys and good ol ' Bob Steenfott, I think I asked that "how many " question a few times each. 😂 Not to mention how long does it take a specific size aquarium to get through the "first" nitrogen cycle (with fish:( ) of course. 😂🤷‍♀️ Now I'm over 5yrs in and have so many fish in my 3 tanks it's surreal. Best advice, PLANTS PLANTS AND GOOD TANK HYGIENE!! If any Beginners are here in the comment section, you've came to the right KZfaq channel to learn from the top fish keepers in this hobby!! 🧡🩶🤙Great video John! See y'all later!😊

Merry Christmas John and Lisa.

I’ve got a 20 gallon with 8 neon tetras and 5 Julie Cory Dora’s and a few snails and they’re thriving Heavily planted, hang on the back filter and sponge filter all going strong! I barely touch the tank unless it’s to feed, top up the water and clean the filters 🥰

Merry Christmas kg hope you all had a great holiday.

As someone fairly new to the hobby, this is super helpful! Also, Merry Christmas!

How many fish can I put in my fish tank? Lol love the video, and thank you! Just getting into fish keeping and I've been loving your content. Appreciate you sharing your fish keeping wisdom 😄

Thanks nice video

3:57 😂 I have a 55 gallon with a family of guppies, an african frontosa, 3 bala sharks(didnt how big they got when i bought them they are still small lol), corydoras, ruhas, one pleco, and a betta. They all get along good 😅🎉

I like to keep my 50-gallons understocked - A school of small fish (Tetras, Barbs or other small Caraciformes/Cypriniformes), one or two Bristlenoses, sometimes one or two "centerpiece" fish (some years ago was the last time, and I had a pair of Pearl Gourami), but just if the other fish being present are very small (in that case, there also were ten Cardinal Tetras). I now am hosting eight Congo Tetras with one Bristlenose and I have to say the result is very good, also on an aesthetic point of view: fish are more free to move, and with a tank all for them, with no potentially more aggressive fish from whose they might have to guard themselves, they can show even brighter colours than they usually do. I think when possible best option is a mid- or large-size tank (at least 40 gallons) with a prudent, sparse stocking: a group of small, colourful schooling fish might be enough to make for a spectacular view.

Merry Christmas 🎄

Merry Christmas John and Lisa :)

This video nailed it my dude, great job!!!

I have 78 gallons worth on fish in a 55, going by the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule of thumb. With 2 filters that would cover 170 gallon tank in total. With driftwood and well planted. Largest fish reaching 6 inches. Most fish at 3-4 inches. All South American cichlids. And they do wonderfully. I feed heavy and partially change the water 2x per week. I am obsessed!

Merry Christmas everyone 💝 I'm trying to help my nieces get started, but its hard to text a bunch of different info when I can't SEE the tank 🤔

Just to add - I have 2 filters - a sponge one plus the hang-on-the-back one with sponge, ceramics and active coal one - both cleaned once every 2weeks. Water chnges every 2 weeks.

👍 great new series

This is the guy that kept my dream alive of owning aquarium

Great video!!! I LOVE your channel!!

What is your opinion on having a betta and some neon tetras and dwarf otto in a 5 gallon? Mainly looking to have something more than just a betta and also something that can help with algae also considering some simple plants?

Dr. William T. Innes, from the main Aquarium Book in the Aquarium Hobby published from 1935-1966, "Exotic Aquarium Fishes." He was into sand and plants. "For fish the size of a grown pairs of Guppies, 3 square inches of air surface per fish. That is to say, an aquarium 9 x 20 inches, (I converted that if 12" high, that is a 10 gallon tank), with an air surface of 180 square inches , can safely support 50 grown Guppies, giving each over 3 inches." pg. 9 John, considering the dumb rules by pet stores, "No more than 1" of fish per gallon," your 18 Cardinal Tetras in a 10 Gallon tank completely challenges that rule. Cardinal Tetras are beautiful, yet are a little difficult due to Ph requirements. Thank you!

Elaborate on what you mean by “there’s no such thing as an inch per gallon”. Would like to know and understand more about it.

How "accurate" is the AqAdvisor stocking calculator? I understand it can't be 100% correct but are the numbers it gives you somewhat in the ballpark?

@KGttopicals: I have a freshwater, live planted tank, recently set, and I added 3 guppies, 2 harlequin rasboras, 2 neon tetra and one platy. I have been told that that’s too many, and I need 1 fish per 2 gallon. They also advised I should not make 25% water change more than I once a month. I am happy to do more frequent maintenance if needed, and bought all small fish on purpose. Should I be worried? Many thanks for your super informational videos!

Also if you have great filtration and lots of maintenance you can get a lot more in. I had about about 60 cichlids in my rift valley 100 gallon.

OMG Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. I now have a video to point people to because I get this hated statement before your hated question. "I am thinking about getting an aquarium. So...." Then people get mead at me because I have about 15 typical questions and they have thought no further then "Glass box cool." I do offer to help them plan out a tank though. I have been taken up on that offer about once per decade.

New subscriber here with a newly purchased 29 gal aquarium. Learning a lot!!!! No fish yet but saw some live GloFish. Are these a good fish for my tank? How many can I get? What fish do they get along with? Any reason to stay away from them??? Thanks!

It may be your least favorite question, but you gave me the best answer I have ever heard. Merry Christmas everyone.

I'm thinking of getting a few more tetras but waiting to see how much waste is going to build up as is. I have 7 tetras and a clown pleco in a 7 gallon tank. Will probably wait till they grow a bit more before adding more.

Hi - new subscriber here - really helpful videos, thank you! My question is, is there a preferred order of adding species to a new tank. (Assuming it's fully cycled / fully ready to add fish.) I would only add one species at a time of course. I have a 75L (16 g) tank and am aiming to have a community along the lines of: 10 neon tetra, 6 harlequin rasbora, 4 platies (male), 4 dwarf cories and a few cherry shrimp. (Might change my mind as I go along, depending on advice, but that's the current thinking.) Would a sensible order of addition be as I've listed them above? Or would it, for example, be better to add rasboras before tetra, etc? (I would always ensure water parameter stability each time before adding the next species - I'm patient! I just want healthy happy fish.)

i go by the old rule of thumb which is 1" of adult size fish per gallon, double if heavy filtration and cleaning ... i.e. 4 - 4" angelfish could fit in a 20 gal easily tho i'd recommend larger tank to get the full beauty of the fish. or say in a 20 gal with platy & swordtail 10 -12 fish would be plenty, especially with the way they breed. all in all the 1"/gal seems to work fine

Very informative video! Just one more question: Can you house female betta in aquarium with predominantly guppies?

If someone wanted to start a community tank, with Angels as the 'feature" fish what advice would you give them? I'd like to avoid the pit falls while also having a diverse and happy live tank. I've looked into different fish mates but have no idea what size tank to get.

Can you talk about a planted aquarium what is low light and what is a light planted tank an how many plants would be considered heavy planted and would a under gravel filter be good for root feeder plants?