I felt like I just stole money and my grandfather scolded me.

I love honest people. Everyone here's a man who's business is selling aquarium products. Telling us basically theres no need to really purchase anything once set up is complete. Wow! Thank you Father fish im new to your channel and will subscribe right now.

Good morning father Fish, October three months ago I obtained a 90 gallon tank. Researched, studied, prepared and started cycling mid December. All is good. My aim was to produced a natural balanced eco system. Patience is golden. There is a lot to take in when new to the hobby. After three months of reading, noting, studying researching I am still on the way......a single 20 minute video of your 20 year tank and I thats all anyone needs to know, all I needed to know. Thank you Father Fish.

We had a concrete tank for storing water for watering plants. While I was in 5th grade I put few fish in it with some aquatic plants. We left that house after 7 years and those fish were alive & breeding. Never did water changes and never fed them. There was a mulberry tree over it that was providing shade in summer and most probably it's fruit was source of food apart from what got thrown by birds in it. Never found a single dead fish, rather there were additional fish than what I put in initially.

Thanks to your generous sharing of fishkeeping expertise I have now added sand to all my tanks, to have a deep capped substrate in all of my tanks. I am now feeding about half the amount I used to and it has vastly decreased the need for maintenance of my tanks/filters. I am very grateful. Thank you so much Father Fish.

Agreed great points! I dumped about 150+ snails in my no tech pea puffer tank and I haven't fed her in over a month it's not exactly the same but it's cool having an ecosystem with very little human intervention. The snails are reproducing at a ridiculous rate to where she'll never be able to eat them all. It's so much nicer watching them hunt and live naturally

When I mentor people into the hobby I tell them that a fishes stomach is as big as one of it's eyes. It may not be true but it demonstrates just how little food they need.

As a fish keeper it is my goal to understand and produce a balanced, natural ecosystem. You have definitely mastered the art. Thanks for the advice.

That has to be the biggest blood parrot I’ve ever seen in my life! And after watching this I feel like I fed my Oscars and convicts enough today to last for years haha

Father Fish, you are a breath of fresh air. Or should I say a gulp of healthy water!

Feeding your fish can become an addiction if you are not careful. Perhaps we need a Fish Feeders Anonymous.

I call that kind of tank a FULLY BALANCED tank. It takes care of itself.

Thanks Father Fish I agree we tend to over feed our tanks because it’s fun not necessarily good for the fish . We did an experiment with Mbuna African cichlids. We didn’t feed for one year ran lighting grew natural algae and they actually flourished and breed like crazy.

Hi Father Fish - Your big tank reminds of my 125g Mbuna setup. I use the deep substrate method in the main tank. About 3 months ago I changed my 20g sump into a refugium. The first chamber has live plants mostly floaters like duck weed and java moss. The middle chamber has pothos plants and a ton of lava rock. The last chamber has my return pump and more floating plants. I use floaters so they don't get stuck in the return pump. I also run the lights 16 hours a day so I get lot of algae like to recommended in your big fish video. I think the key is deep substrate, light time and the fuge. The fuge takes up a lot of excess nutrients and harbors a safe haven for the macrofauna. Sometimes I can sometimes see the the pods swimming for their lives in the main tank.

Guilty as charged! Thanks for the reminder. Just setting up my dirt substrate tank, and delving into the world of tank grown food. So cool and interesting.

“Is that what you do?” Oh boy! I knew I was in trouble! I’m learning.

Greetings Father Fish. I was lucky enough to sit in on one of your liveStreams and it was an absolute pleasure. I am putting together a 29 gallon dirted tank and am very excited to see how it goes. I will be using nothing but a small sponge filter and perhaps a small wavemaker for some flow. No chemicals and no filter media. Just 1 inch of dirt, 3 inches of sand, lots of plants, and some driftwood. I will continue to enjoy your videos and learn everything that I can from you. Thank you. 🤙🏻

I love your philosophy on maintaining an aquarium. My aquarium found me back in march and it saved my life. I have so many questions but before i ask any I'm going to dig through your videos. Thanks from your new subscriber.

I have found your wonderful videos, the best advice I’ve ever had in 18 years of fish keeping and has opened my eyes on how to create a true balanced tank. Thank you and keep your videos coming, and stay safe and well.

Isn’t this tank just the most gorgeous tank wow.

Tropical plus flakes,freeze dried blood worms,live baby brine small feeding once a day of a variety

I wish I'd found you decades ago. Because you are full of information that has been missing from this life long hobby . I've always referred to my tanks as a little piece of nature. But this was not completely true. So consider me "in". All natural from now on Father Fish. Thank you so very much for all this information . I'm soaking it up like a sponge for hours and hours.

9 months ago I got a job abroad. I got rid of my tropical fish. Howe5 I left the water in my tank. The tank is now loaded with daphnia... I might get some minnows to put in...

I started a dirt/sand tank. Just put in some armon shrimp and hill stream loaches and they have been in there about 3 weeks. I feed them the 1st day and the shrimp looked at it once or twice but that was it. Feed them a few days later and every thing went by it but didn't look at it. I have few plants and algae growing and haven't feed them cense. They seam to be doing fine but I do have a bit too much algae. Getting few more nano fish to help with the clean up efforts.

Thanks Father Fish. Excellent guidance!

I am so glad to have found you! I hope to keep my aquarium as a 'forever aquarium' for as long as I possibly can. With your advice I belive I can do it ♡ Thank you for all the wonderful information you share, Father Fish!

Love your wisdom , wisdom that is not shared is a LOSS. Thank you 🙏

Do you go the store and buy a can of flakes? Is that what you do? 😂 Golden

Father Fish, I really like your philosophy of the tank substrate & the aquarium being able to be self-sustaining. My aquariums are fed lightly once per day & I try not to over feed, but probably still do, at times. Currently do a maintenance water change every 6 weeks, mostly because the HOB filters need servicing, but water parameters are always solid. The tanks are pretty heavily stocked with fish & plants & gravel. Probably would benefit the systems by capping the substrate with sand. Thanks for a very nice video. 🐟🍀🐠🐠🌿🐟🌿

My 6 year old campaigned for an aquarium (obsessed with nature and we are lucky enough to have been members of zoos and aquariums since he was a baby). I had zero experience and zero interest in getting one but I have become obsessed. And yes I have been feeding them way way too much. There are flakes all over the bottom of the tank. I love the maintenance, I love introducing new fish and planting. We test the water twice a day. Maintaining the balance of an ecosystem is spiritual. I think you are the only one online who understands this Father Fish.

Creating a natural biome is so much more fun than a hightech tank... Thanks a mil', for all the info

me encantan sus videos Father Fish, Gracias por enseñarnos tanto. Un saludo desde España

I love your advice! Thank you!

Father Fish, I have been listening to your advice regarding food. I only keep three nano tanks, and I only add a pinch of food every couple of days and the fish seem happy and active. I didn't really think of a fish tank as a full environment but in fact it is!

Hello Father Fish! I’ve just found your channel and getting my head around about these never heard before information.I loose fish regularly. Feeding mixture of frozen food, Repashy gel, vegetables but way too much as beginning to understand.Thank you for creating your videos!

Going to tell my brother to only feed the Betta once a week with a tiny tiny pinch, I see so many detritus worms in there and he loves eating them, also going to stop feeding my shrimp tank so often, also thinking once or twice a week, thank you for the courage and to be honest saving me the hassle, I shouldn't have to gravel vac or turkey baste the shrimp tank so often, it's only full of poop because I'm over feeding.

Such great info and a fabulous, holistic philosophy!

Hello Father Fish! I recommend watching Bob Moss Nano Aquarium. He released a video of "Most common aquarium micro fauna". Now I understand better the "food chain", you always tell us about. Thank's!!! 👍🏻🙂👍🏻

Thanks father fish for great information and knowledge

Thank you FATHER FISH . I always keep in my mind.

I can't get enough of those blood parrots 😍 great information FF 👍

Thank you for this video. The majority of hobbyists and fish keepers tend to overfeed their fish as you said 40x or beyond. A few different brands of high quality food should last almost the lifetime (or at least until the expiration date) of the fish.

Another informative video Father Fish!!👍👏👏👏

Hi Father Fish, another great video by you. Thanks for sharing

Another great video Father Fish, once set up the feeding will determine how successful and low maintenance and enjoyable it is.

Excellent advice.

I've done the same thing you're talkin about and it's been working amazing for a year at least . I have a 30 gallon will guppies in it no plants but I have a deep substrate

This video is extremely helpful to me, thank you 😊 👍

Wow father fish this is awesome information thank you so much for sharing

Can you only get enough (tiny animals) food growth in a deep substrate of sand and soil? If you already have a planted tank with a more traditional/commercial substrate what could you add to develop or more closely mirror the deep substrate system you would need?

I love your channel. I've learned so much.

Father Fish. The man the fish the legend

I love your videos and I just setup an aquarium today taken almost everything from a creek and I’m just amazed about how many animal now I have in my tank and is just starting, my question is: when is time to add water, what is the best way to do it? I mean how should I treat the water?

Good morning, Father Fish 🐟

I'm quite amazed how long even my carnivore fish can go without me adding food. Checked in on em, and they still had big bellies days later. Plus they were more active. Probably searching for food! I was told initially to feed em 2x a day. I feed them every 2-3 days atm.

What about the bugs that feed on ponds in nature that the fish will eat? Mosquitos, flies? At least watching this I will definitely feed my fish less.

Nice video again Father Fish, feeding yes some small fish can survive in a good tank that is balanced but bigger fish like Discus and Amercan chiclids don't survive witout food in a tank, the nature give them food like dead birds and fish and other insects that fall out of trees and yes algea or fruits and some plants are eaten. But in say a tank 200gallons and 15-20 discus or African chiclids is no go in a living room whitout feeding them.. ones a day feeding can be enough but 2 times a day small portion is better but not overfeed them. When the power goes out..yes that's happens 2 times a year here in the Netherlands i use a small gasoline power generator because the heaters and airpump to keep some current for oxygen and keep the temps on 28degrees. my 350liter/90gallons other community aquarium whit tigerbarbs platy's last wit out power for a day or so because of thick substrate and not over populated tank. I have never seen in my whole life a tank that have fish that needs meat can survive alone whit out feeding but smaller fish like guppy's,tetra's and so on they really can do that whit out giving food. If the tank is old enough and balanced there will be food also algea is food and every tank has algea. I can remember a tank from the "80 that was around 300 gallon in a backyard that had 10inch sand and plants from a pond whit 5 goldfish and only air driven sponge filter, he give the vis 1 times a month some green and they do just fine. maybe food came in from outside bugs and insects falling in or so. But my 10 Discus i feed then 2 times a day small portions home made food, i think in my situation in a living room that they can't survive whit out giving food, in nature they eat bugs insects and small fish and some algea too but 125 gallon and 10 Discus and some Angels no that will not work whit out giving food. Maybe if you are in tropical country and the tank stands in your garden and is big and good balanced that bugs insects fall in or maybe other small animals like frogs laying eggs then ill think its possible to not feed them but in a living room no go.. ,maybe if you make a huge tank like a paludarium and put insects and frogs snails and other small animals in that live on the side of water ill think then it is possible that discus or African chiclids have enough food to survive. think that's a better idea of making a piece of nature in your home where fish that eat meat/fish can survive on its own. P.S i made a short Video of my discus tank and put it on my KZfaq channel.. people can see that its really not that hard to have a beautiful healty fish tank whitout lot's of maintenance and huge water changes..just setup your tank up the right way. And no i don't use a sump only the orginal intern filter and a canister and they are both filled whit only sponge and no chemical or biomedia is added in the filters. healty tank don't need chemical filtration or special expensive biomedia like wat manufacturers say and stores and lot's of youtuber's they only wanna make money and get sponsored by them to make lies and make you believe that it works but does nothing in canisters or hang in the back filter.. just ad lavarock instead and it works the same.. achieve nothing and only in sump it wil work too achieve anarobic bacterie that gives the balance and you don't have to do lots of water changes. but tick good substrate in your tank does the same ! Sorry that my comments are so long but i get sometimes litte mad about too much lies in this hobby that cost people lots of money but achieve almost nothing..and fish dies or plant will not grow because of the wrong information and lies of companies and stores and also lot's of youtubers talking idiots thing and make it so complicated for beginners that they get scared off and think its so hard and you have to be an expert. Well no the same is for Discus they are not so hard to keep as many people think the only key is ..healty good size tank and do not overpopulate a tank.. even whit out plants you can keep discus so long you got thick good substrate in your tank. Barebottem tanks whit no substrate in it,,is a other story then you have to get a sump for put the substrate in there instead otherwise it wil not work also chemicals filtration is in this case sometimes is needed.. but here its comes.. money money it cost you al lot of money.. because chemical filtration has to replaced every 4-6weeks ! Substrate is the first key for sucses and yes plants are a natural filter !

What an amazing content Father!!!

Always watch your videos! Love the wisdom in the principles of basic fish keeping. What type of minerals do you put in water you add to the tank?

I feed my rosy red minnows sinking carnivore pellets, and my betta floating pellets

I will carry my fish tanks with me for as long as I can…I will take that challenge!☺️❤️

very nicely put. another great video by father fish! i have officially recommended some clients of mine to check your advice and videos out.

Like 53! Your videos are always helpful father fish.

Interesting video. that is exactly what I am starting up later this week once I get you soil supplements i ordered.

Wow I'm glad you posted this I have been working twords systems like that I know I can't* for my big fish but for my platys fish and my coral reef tanks and the clown fish. I have micro cultures and plants in everything it's tuff keeping plants in the big goldfish tanks. For my fresh water fishy pals it's easier then the reef systems so far It seems it's takes about times longer in the reef and I must feed "vitamins" to the corals the amphipods coppods and algea and snails and worms work together and can feed Maude the clown fish but I usually toss in like 3 small pellets a day or ther day. just cause well it's hard to resist lol I accept ur challenge i will have tanks forever lol I've had fish and turtles for over 18years now been around fish tanks just about all My life my dad got me into it I have 10 fiah tanks 2 turtle tanks and probly dozen different micro culture focus containers either for just pond or rams snails or the types of micro crustaceans I wish I could do the same for the limpet snails and eventually nirite snails I have tons of plants aquatic and terrestrial I hope to use the info I learn to help the ecosystems out in the wild

I've set up my tank using water from a lake. I've collected more of that water in order to be able to compensate for evaporation during winter. Now, that water is very hard, I can see it when a drop dries on the glass and leaves an almost opaque white spot. The fishes aren't complaining about it ... yet. But since evaporation doesn't bring out the linestone and sediments, I'm concerned that by adding more and more of that hard water, i'm going to make it too concentrated. What do you think ?

I’m so grateful I found your channel. Thank you for the wisdom!!! 🩵🩵🩵🩵

Good educational video. I was recommended to this channel, that dr Bryant from virginia was in here now adays. I'm a former client of his from Portsmouth and fish club member.

I am finding this out in my tanks. I feed once a week and top off water. Most are deep beds and sponge filters. Maybe 4 HOB but all are well

You are living legend.

Is there any sponge filter or bubbler in this 200G tank? Such a gorgeous tank with beautifully-coloured water.

Yes let nature do it’s thing. We don’t have to interfere

Can you please make a video setting up a self sufficient aquarium like the one you described

Agree, we should aim for a self sustaining ecosystem in a tank

That's one of the biggest issues I've seen with newer fish keepers. They just power feed the fish 2-3x daily , then wonder why their water is always out of whack.. I have corydoras in a HEAVILY planted jungle of a tank lol I only feed them about 2-3x a month 🤷 and they're the healthiest, happiest & most active fish I've ever kept. They eat the algae, plant pieces & whatever else they find. Including the Ditritus worms.. which I worked HARD to build up lol

I feed my fish peace’s of chicken from my left over meals once in a while

Live blackworms is the only thing I've fed my fish for the last 25 years.

Another great video! would you advise feeding new tanks - before all the lil critters start to grow?

He's more of a life grue than a fish expert.

I don’t have a plan for what to do with our aquarium if the power goes out. I guess they could manage for a couple of hours without circulation and heating. I’d probably would circulate the water manually every now and then.

Another great video. Yes to every food you mentioned, as well as grindal worms, red wrigglers, white worms, micro worms, and infusoria. How much I feed, depends largely upon whether or not I am breeding that fish, and what species they are. If I am not actively breeding them, I definitely don't feed my fish every day. I keep all of my fish fry in planted, natural substrate aquaria, for all of the reasons you stated. I also try to keep fry with parents when possible, because they eat the poop of the parents, which contains bacteria beneficial to their digestive system. I never understand why so many breeders think it is necessary to remove eggs and keep them in sterile conditions, and then they complain about how hard it is to provide enough food for the tiny fish larvae. While I do heavily feed my fry, I would not have as much success if I didn't start them in heavily planted tanks full of latent infusoria. I have defintely had tons of success without feeding them at all, and letting the aquarium feed them. I do not, however subscribe to the no water change school of thought. Natural environments are always in flux. Water flows. I've seen plenty of no-water-change aquaria that look great, so yes it can definitely work, but I've seen very few natural environments where water does not flow in and out (I can't think of any actually), so I don't do this myself. I do agree that you should acclimate your fish to whatever tap water you have (something I've heard you say in other vids). That way, I can do water changes of any size without shocking the fish, and I do so very frequently. My outdoor fish, I don't have to feed at all. I really only do so, to get them to swim to me when I go to say hi to them. I don't do water changes on my ponds, normally, because the rain does that for me.

No doubt that a fish tank can be balanced and sustain itself. But fish need food other than microscopic. In nature fish eats all kinds of things... smaller fish, worms, bugs, invertebrates, etc. So as hobbyist we replace that diet with food, whether it be flake, pellet, homemade beef heart mixes, etc. Yes most hobbyist over feed, hence the need for water changes. A little food goes a long way and if fed properly the tank can handle the breakdown of waste if properly balanced.

@Father Fish - If a tank is already set up but needs more sand added - how does one go about doing this?

How long do u have your lights on every day?

Would you agree that some species do need at least a small amount of added food daily? I have some small cichlids (kribs, African butterflies and parrotxconvict hybrids). I see these sifting through the sand and scavenging, so I know that they are getting enough through feeding every few days. However, what about predatory fish like Betta and golden wonder killifish? I never see them scavenging in or around the bottom of the tank.

what food sources would you suggest putting into the tank? you talk about animals living in the sand and plants... but what is best to add for say, those 1 inch fish?

Sounds good to me, I want a Natural Tank in every room

Hola father fish Saludos desde España últimamente voy chequeando videos de usted y como amantes de los acuarios plantados tengo algunas pequeñas cuestiones?. Mantiene usted acuarios plantados con plantas exigentes en cuanto luz? Tapizantes, plantas exóticas tipo rotalas wallichi o similares... Y. De ser así incorpora co2 y algún abono líquido aunque sea Potasio por ejemplo. Me interesaría saber si su técnica se puede aplicar a este tipo de acuarios o por contra al ir todo más acelerado haya que cambiar o incluir algún acción adicional.. Saludos e interesantes propuestas

I have a lot of Infusoria in my aquarium. (No fish yet) Should I be worried ? Are they harmless ?

Hello FF. I like your attempts to 'natural' fishkeeping ( although African and American cichlids in the same tank ? ) and I agree that established tanks have this eco system of very small flora and fauna. Fry in those tanks usually grow and prosper without problems or added food. But 'natural fish keeping' is an oxymoron. A large number of big fish in a small area will never survive without adding food. ( Were you using the aquarium beside you as an example of a tank that could be used that way ? ) They will be forced to dine on their smaller tank mates ( when they are all he same size you really have a problem ) and in the end " there can only be one " ( sorry I nicked this from you Hollywood ! ) But prove me wrong and run the experiment. I don't know if you've ever used the term 'natural fish keeping' . The choice of words is mine. Although I don't always agree with you I like your approach to the hobby.

Could i do this with a gravel substrate aswell? Or do you think sand is essential?

Hello.. Which light you are using in 200 gallon planted tank

What should I do with 1kg of pellets that I just bought WKWKWK😂. Thank you for all your videos FF❤

I feed my fish cheese burgers and Doritos.

Man, I find myself gravitating even to the look of the tank - not pretty, like the 'wrong' tanks, but the Naturalness is what is drawing me.... I'm even fighting the desire to want those colourless fish, trying to make myself still want the fantastically coloured fish bred in captivity....just the idea of imitating nature in a tank.

So how do we get to that point ? I presume that in the beginning we have to feed etc. And at some point slowly start lessening that ?

hello father fish I have a beta aquarium measuring 30.30.25. The aquarium was set up with the walstad method and the fish were added 2 months later. Can I grow the beta fish without feeding it and it is only 2 months old. ? I am writing using translation, I hope it translated correctly. I benefit from your videos thanks to translation and learn great information. Thank you

Does this only work with certain fish? I see you have mbuna and a zebra obliquidens. I can see this working with those since they’ll eat algae and the little creatures that live in that. But I used to keep aros, polys African tiger fish etc.. and I have 3 hujeta in my geo tank. How would this work with those? I tried something similar with my fahaka by adding a few thousand snails, but she ate them way faster than they reproduced. Gotta admit I’m surprised those rifties are doing ok with those SA/CAs and haven’t destroyed the plants. My rifties wouldn’t have eaten or destroyed those plants in a matter of days and dug up that bed as well.

Do you have any older tanks that don't have filters. If so will you talk about it... I did an aquarium using all your recommendations it almost 2 years old. No filter. Most of the time no even a light. It's in the window. All in all the tank has had no problems except when I was using a light 10+ hours a day. Once I dialed back the artificial light those issues went away.

I will put my fish on a diet after watching this,