Finding out about sponge filters was game changing for me getting back into the hobby. No more HOB or canister filters outside of a few specific circumstances and no more rip off media like carbon for normal use.
I don't have a single trick, I have a group that work together. 1. Over the course of several years, I acclimated my fish [Endlers & guppies], shrimp and snails to environmental temperatures (highs in the low 80's F, and lows in the 50's F). I rehomed my discus. 2. PLANTS!!!! Heavily planted tanks host microfauna, filter water, and help maintain stability. Plants also reduce the needs for frequent water changes. Mostly I just top off the tanks. 3. Establish a bioactive substrate, and encourage microflora and microfauna before I even add fish. Additional benefits of attempting to replicate nature, have been my grandchildren learning how important balance is, and teaching them to be responsible stewards of the environment.
I run all my fish tanks at room temperature and only keep fish that can handle cooler temps -- like you said in the video, a lot of fish are just fine without a heater! :) Another "tactic" I've been using lately is to remove as many individual filters as possible (especially canisters) and hook my tanks up to a shared sump. This sump is in an adjacent room and I've raised it a good distance from the floor to reduce head pressure on the pump. So my fish room is now slightly more energy efficient, and less noisy as well. 👌 Oh, and I run a low amount of lighting since I don't have plants -- just 15% or so on Fluval Aquasky units.
Here in Australia power and water bills are increasing so I use a plug- in watt meter to find out how many watts my aquariums were using. I have now slowly lowered the temperatures, less lighting, use less wattage rated water pumps With everything you plug the wattage all adds up. I suspect many owners have no idea of their equipment wattage. Just check the wattage rating of your water pumps - you may be surprised!!!!
After hurricane Fiona we were without power for 15 days , I have 7 tanks ,60g, 30g , 2x20g and 3x10,, I ran a generator for 4 hours a day in the evening, tanks got cold and I didn’t loose a single fish . That taught me a lot
@@beardedboon ya it sucked , I’m in pei Canada we’re just lucky it wasn’t winter , I have 4 of those usb air pumps these fellas sell and ran them off battery packs and a car battery with a hillbilly 12 phone charger , those little things are worth their weight in gold every one should have em.
Recently had a power outage for almost 2 days. I bought battery operated pumps and stayed up all night to rotate tanks with them. 17 tanks and only 3 pumps lol. I seriously used a small outdoor fire to heat water and did a few water changes in the smaller tanks, the bigger ones take longer to get cold. I didn't know the pumps were going to last the entire time without battery change. So next time, I wont have to stay up and rotate them, I'll just set an alarm and get up every few hours and rotate. It was my first time, not one loss.
my idea is add thick isolation boards (roofmate, pur or pir, any thickness available ) on the back and on the sides just for the wintertime. Every year I isolate the half of the glass surface of my greenhouse with boards of 15 cm thick to keep the plants from freezing. You could also glue four boards together and add one plate on top and put the fish in a ‘ fridge box’ every evening. The boards are very light weight and easy removable. If you don’t want to glue them because of a waste of space when storing, use velcro on the boards. If you have an open aquarium just put a roofmate board on the top of the aquarium for the night. The boards are waterproof and reusable for a lot of years.
I have one tip not related to heat except that you can really seal up the top with just an air hose (and heater chord) to pass through. Buy a slightly overpowered LED light, a solar powered portable battery pack, sponge filter, and USB air pump. Use the light to charge/power the USB pump to run the sponge filter. All you need to plug in is the light.
I'm finally plumbing and installing my linear piston air pumps(thanks Aquarium Co-op/ Jehmco!!!)... I bought my new one months ago but owning a lawn service company in Sarasota, Florida, I was too busy until this weekend...! Those should lower our $300/ month electric bill... Only about $120 is from my fishrooms though, the rest is the A/C bill, it's running 12 months a year here... Currently it's 82 degrees, dew point 83, 98% humidity( veryfoggy), so no heaters here...! It was all diaphragm air pumps and 90% finnex stingrays (all leds though)... if I remember, I'll try to re-comment with the results...! Another great one...Keep up your awesomeness...!
Good video. I'm from UK and energy has become a huge problem. They blame it on war but I don't believe them. Such a tragedy so many people are freezing cold when these companies are making record profits. I believe if governments are getting into these situations then they should take the cost not pass it onto the poor man. It is a worry about keeping fish and my local stores have all had to massively increase there prices. I'm told off them that many people are just bringing there fish into the shop because they can't afford them anymore. To top it all off I bought some fish 2 weeks ago and had an ich and fungus outbreak and it wiped out half my tank before I could get it under control. My guys are doing OK again now thank god
I really liked how this video was put together. All those cutaways from older videos showing young Cory, Dean, Zenzo makes it very pleasant to watch. And as always thanks for the useful tips!
on the topic of saving money, i threw away my hang on back filters and am only using sponge filter with air stone. I was wasting too much time/money trying to set it up for low maintenance and it just made the room smell, i also added pothos to the tank and the room smells much better, and fish seem much happier. i'm keeping mostly catfish right now.
During the summer when I run the ac, I run my aquarium temps lower and opposite during the winter. This way they aren’t fighting the heating and cooling of the room. This also gives the fish some “seasonal” type changes.
I went the route of all unheated tanks and just keep my house at comfortable heat (though helps I'm not in an area that gets snow/ice). Probably in part due to one of your rants about heaters and how often they break -- less to worry about.
I'm getting ready right now to start my first aquarium since the early 80's. Plan to go all fresh water native from my local Central Florida lakes. Thus I am not planning any heating. Just what is already in my home. Great timing on your video.
Cory is the man. I might not be in this hobby if it wasn't for hi honestly. Opened my eyes to so much more and now I get more out of 1 tank than when I had 4 different ones.
The big saver for me is adding insulation foam to the bottom and sides. It keeps my heaters from working hard and have to set them way lower then i want on huge tanks. Getting my tanks to the point of no longer needing water changes or mass filtration with the use of fast growing plants. I do use a sponge filter to catch floating stuff for my fry too feed off, keep it clear and oxygenate for half days
Another reason I love killifish is that most like cooler temperatures. I was able to close off the vents to my fishroom this winter. I only use sponge filters and LED lighting. And since the tanks are covered, they stay in the mid-70s. Almost too warm for some of the killifish to breed. This saves a lot of energy. Having nice deep substrate and lots of plants makes water changing almost completely unnecessary. It's the only way I can maintain 65 aquariums.
Thank you Cory for discussing this topic! I would love to hear more on this. I'm interested in learning what type of air driven pump (for airstones) is most economical
Hi, Cory, very COOL video (pun intended)! My husband and I are both retired, and he has become obsessed about keeping costs to a minimum. He’s gonna LOVE this video! Have a great day!
Thanks for the tip on tops, I'm trying to avoid internal heaters as much as possible due the electromagnetic radiation and possibility of meltdown or electrical shock, i'm looking at breeding shrimp and guppies here soon so they need heat to breed more voraciously.
I was thrilled to see that I've already applied most of what you talk about. I don't have a single heated tank in my house. We keep our home at 74-78 throughout the year, depending on the season. (I live in southern AZ.) So the only "heater" in any of my tanks is the filtration equipment and lights. I don't have any high wattage equipment of either sort. Even the smallest tank (2g) stays pretty stable in temperature, varying no more than a degree or 2 from night to day, since the home temp stays stable, too. Everything has a lid on it except for one rimless mutt-guppy and shrimp tank, though one of my bigger tanks is only partially lidded (emergent-grown plants prevent me from covering the rest). All my lights are on Kasa timers, too, which I know helps with energy costs, since lights aren't being left on longer than they should be. EVER. Another thing I've found that you didn't mention since it's not directly energy-related - water savings! Water costs have gone up, too, probably as a result of increases in electricity costs. My lidded tanks definitely lose less water to evaporation on a weekly basis than that single lidless. If I can figure out how to add a lid to that one, I want to, but it'll be a challenge since it includes tall emergent growth. Also, since I do heavily planted tanks that are lightly stocked and stable, water changes are pretty much non-existent in my house. The water savings from that are HUGE, which is great considering water is such a precious resource here in the desert.
Never thought about the irony of keeping pet fish in a desert🤣 Where I live it’s on average 80 So I can’t imagine trying to keep your tanks from overheating I already have that issue here when it hits the 100s
@@dawnt6791 howdy neighbor! Plants are my filtration system, and I also have a lot of emergent growth. I use the egg crate light diffusers, cut to fit each tank, and then use safety zip ties to create "hinges" so I can open the lid to feed and for maintenance. Glass, poly vinyl, or any other clear barrier can be attached to the egg crate. I have even used saran wrap in a pinch, and recycle bubble wrap as lid insulation in the winter. Winding saran wrap around the emergent growth can create a nearly sealed lid. My tanks with no lid evaporate an inch a week (= to 6 gallons per week on my largest tank). The egg crate lids, covered with recycled bubble wrap maintain steady temps and evaporate a half inch/month. I do wind saran wrap between my emergent plants and the egg crate to both protect the plants and to reduce evaporation.
@@traumahealingandprevention I haven't worked with the egg crate so far. Haven't handled it yet. Any tips on cutting it, so I know what I could be getting into? I have a BOATLOAD of used bubble wrap. That's something I stockpile, whenever I receive a package that includes it. I've used it for all sorts of things but never in my aquarium hobby.
@@dawnt6791 easiest way to cut the egg crate is with wire snips or wire cutters. I have chronic health issues, so my wire snips have ergonomic soft handles. I get the flat side of the snips against the plastic line I am keeping, and minimal pressure is needed to snip the plastic. I recommend cutting outside, and wearing safety goggles, at least until you get the hang of it. Chipped plastic flying towards the eye is a complete hobby deterrent for people not willing to wear safety glasses. Aside from that, I have branched out and use egg crate plus plastic craft canvas to create custom sized under gravel filters, as well as side matten filters for shrimp breeding (was cheaper to buy large sponge to support between the UGF than order the appropriate matten filter), and the UGF supports dracaena and other stemmed plants for emerged growth beautifully.
Most of my tanks are set to 74°. House temp is kept sround 72° during the winter. Problem is that the heating in fish room doesn't work too well (never has, ever since this place was built), so I have to rely on the vent right outside the room. I have one tank that isn't set to 74°, and that's my Betta tank, which is set to 79°. That one's in the basement as well, which might seem a bit odd, but we've got something heating the basement outside of heaters; 3D printers. Not one, not two, not five, but nine printers. Keeps it nice and warm down here. Print Beds heat to 60°, nozzles at 200°-215°. Print 24-7, and it keeps the basement around 74° itself. Working to move most of the tanks down here to lower heating costs, upgrade tank sizes, keep them in a lower-traffic area (less stress, especially at night), and have a more accurate day/night cycle without other lights being turned on around them. I got him in a different room from the printers down there, both to keep the fish and the machines safe.
@@girrl88 We technically have ten, but one of them's down right now. On the business side, we print accessories for playing card games (holders, trays, boxes). We're designing new items and trying to find some unique things we can create. The trays tend to be our biggest sellers though, especially at this time of year, so we're mostly pumping almost 20 trays a day (each tray takes around 10-12 hours to print). This has been part of the family business, and has been around for around 20 years now. 3D printing is something we got into almost a year ago, and the reason behind that is quite the complicated story, so I'll keep that out. On the personal side, I'm working towards designing aquarium accessories (filters, light stilts, floating plant scoops). I'm working on a multi-part air filter for tanks around 30 gallons or larger that I'm calling the "Shell filter" that looks like an upside-down bowl. Few screw-on parts have been created so far, and It's about 30% finished and printed, I just gotta make sure the other parts can connect properly. I'm making the top screw-on altogether, and there's a section around the intake for smaller bio-media. Air travels down, passes through the side of the intake, passes through a small half-sphere with smaller holes, pushes through the bio-media, and out the top of the filter itself. The filament we use called PLA+ (a stronger plastic than traditional PLA) is safe for food and pet use, but we tend to stick with clear, white and black, as they're completely free of dyes. It's also biodegradable so, if it starts to grow brittle from being underwater for a long period of time, it won't harm the fish. It can be coated with a natural, non-toxic, waterproof sealant like Zinsser spray-on Shellac to help it last longer without harming the fish. HoB filter intakes don't last long though, but I've had air filters in some tanks last 8 whole months, and they're still holding up well! I always write long, rather detailed messages :/ I do apologize if it does seem a bit much. Edit: I'm not the owner. The business was founded by my father, and I help out with making, designing, and developing different products. Fish stuff, however, is a hobby and side hustle.
I have a 10 gallon with a betta and two nerites. Every betta site/video/group was like "Heaters. Are. Mandatory!!!" and I'm like ...I keep my apartment temp at 78-80 degrees. The tank sits at around 77. No heater. People's response is always something like, "Okay, if you live LIKE A LIZARD... " xD Which I do, I'm always frikkin' cold. And in my apartment building, there's a boiler, so I pay for electric but not heat. Yay! So yeah, there's always personal circumstance to consider as well!
Only time I had a setup without a lid was a betta in a jar almost 20yrs ago. I live in Florida and my tank is currently sitting at 84. My AC is at 80 during the week and 78 on the weekends (76 overnight). It's 10gal and technically over stocked (21 total fish, 4 glass shrimp and an indeterminate number of snails since my Trapdoor had babies), but it's healthy. Lots of plants and hides available. I struggle to get any kind of level for nitrate. Everyone is happy
So funny....I just added tops to all of my aquariums. I actually did it as I lost a few fish to them jumping out recently. I decided that their safety is far more important than my beautifully scaped tanks with wood poking out of the top. It amazingly has helped me save money on my electric bill. Saving fish and money. Win win!!
I've been hurting on money lately. Dreamt about a discus tank. Fancy red boa shrimp. I have about 5 empty tanks I need to get rid of 2 of them were half unfinished projects. Think I just need to leave the hobby unfortunately but maybe I'll circle around in due time. Thank you for making these solid tips, especially for those on budgets like myself
My most expensive investment getting a new fishroom going after our house burnt down has been plants. If you are selective in your initial set up, there are many of us in the ACO C.A.R.E Forum who are disabled, on a limited income, and the tanks are our mental health. I don't run heaters, I cut ACO test strips in half, I propagate more plants after initial investment, and plants are my filters. Aeration costs a couple of dollars each month. If fish bring you joy, I wouldn't get rid of the tanks. I had a couple of years where I was intentionally breeding mosquito larvae as free fish food. My tanks are my connection to nature🌿
I lust after discus, too but there are plenty of less expensive fish out there. Rainbowfish, angel fish, and Dennison barbs are stunning. I hope you only walk away from the hobby if you want to. It brings me so much joy, I can't imagine ever quitting! A couple mollies, swordtails, or guppies will eventually fill up those tanks, and local classifieds can help you sell a few along the way...
I live in Washington state I’m thinking of making a “cool” water tank with White Cloud Mountain minnows and hill stream loaches. It would be perfect since I would just keep the apartment the temperature that they need year round!
I like to buy the Petco tanks when they are $1 per gallon then I make the lids out of cardboard. Sooo much cheaper that way and you can put the cut-outs where you actually need them to be. Plus you can put any design you want on the top!
I run my 110 gal stock tank for 9 goldfish That's 8-12 inches long on a heater on 74 & I don't have a heater in the 75 I have with Danios. it stays between 72-74 with a small 1 & a 1/2 gal canister filter on it with a low to high light certain hrs of the day, no timer & a sealed lid. I Just cleaned the filter a few weeks ago & it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be for collecting waste water for fertilizer on either tank, cause the filters I use, turns the tanks 3 times the size of the tank & it works. I'm working on a new thing with the 110 gal stock tank hopefully next year to grow plant's in with danio's & albino Cory catfish & snails, I'm not worried about breeding but if they produce fry then that's even better for the tank.
I love keeping killifish. One reason is you can do it cheap. One thing I've done it to take a Sunco 6000k shoplight and disassemble it. I remove the LED light strips that are in a plastic tube. I extend the wires so I can separate the tubes to be able to light two different shells. This reduces the amount of energy and produces just the right amount of light for a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium that is about 8 in from the top of the aquarium. Gives you enough room to move around and the lighting seems to be just about right. I have never cleaned the glass on any of these tanks nor do I have a algae problem. The tanks are not dimly lit like many people keep killing fish. They're breeding like crazy.
@Charles King no, but the plants do. They reduce the need for water changes, are something that can be sold, can help in breeding fish, and are enjoyable to look at.
Brilliant question. I have no idea and suspect that it would be similar. I think that twin wall polycarbonate sheet, the type used to make greenhouses, would insulate better than both of them.
@@ivancho5854 I can confirm that double walled polycarb is a fantastic material to make lids. It takes no time at all to make them either. All of my rimless tanks now have polycarb hinged lids. It is a far better insulator than glass, cheaper and more forgiving.
Due to energy price increases from idiotic management and one world govt policies it's cheaper to eat your discus than choose between eating and utility rate increases.
I am putting together a 14 gal cube. I am going to have a three layer substrate heavily planted tank to create a huge beneficial bacteria colony so I can use minimal mechanical filtration. Thus keeping my electrical consumption low.
I hope you read this and can help with a question I cannot (yet) get an answer to IF you put a sponge fliter for a 2ft tank at each end of a of a 4ft tank, will it fliter the tank sufficiently ?
I'm trying to breed a hardier fish by exposing them to "normal" natural temperatures. It's been really interesting to see how they adapt. It's only natural guys.🇦🇺👍
I keep my fishroom at around 21°c so around 70 Fahrenheit. During the summer months that temperature goes up a bit and it does actually encourage most fish to spawn. I dont keep tropical fish that need high temp to thrive but like Cory said, most common fish can easily be kept at a lower temperature.
NOTE: I put a piece of Styrofoam in between my tank mounted filter and the glass of the aquarium so that the heat from the filter does not heat the aquarium anywhere near as much.
So in my personal experience the only accessory that actually increases the temperature of my aquariums are the lights. Pumps, filters, etc. regardless of the watts don’t seem to increase the temperature
Hi from Spain ❤️🇪🇸, I like the video but I have a dude, the sponge filtrer doesn't have many space for biology filtration inside it, that couldn't be a problem for do correctly the cycle of nitrogone??? Because it has little biological load. (Sorry if a write something wrong I'm learning english)
The sponge filters have lots of surface area and water movement to grow the bacteria for the nitrogen cycle. Also, live plants provide a lot of biological filtration!
I usually run the light 6 to 8 hours per day and shut down the filter during the night. Everything still seem going well, fish and plants don't seem suffering this much. I only shut down the heather during the weekly water change, but apart from that it usually is active 24/24 at 24°C (about 75°F), but being the aquarium close to a radiator, it doesn't have to work a lot. Saltwater aquarium are unfortunately another matter... Freshwater intrinsically saves you money.
@@charles_king Part because of Neighborhood's Rules about absolutely no noises at night, partly because it doubles as an energy-saving measure. The tank is anyway planted and the filter powerful (300 gallons/h. in a 50 gallon tank).
I have Japanese rice fish’s and I just got A baby Edo Nishiki gold fish I think it’s about 4 ~5 weeks old I’m keeping it in my pond with the rice fish without a filter is it alright ?
SEEKING ADVICE: In a 20 gallon planted Aquarium I have nine adult platy fish - 3 each (1M, 2FM) of Mickey Mouse platys red wag platys and sunrise platys... There was no problem while the fish were still young & smaller & although I run the tank as cool as possible I still do not like to go below 73° in order that my plecostomus is comfortable... *Now that the fish are getting full grown this 20 gallon aquarium is a wee bit overcrowded* - I have attempted during water changes to capture the three red wag adults and move them into a separate 10 gallon aquarium that is cycled and ready for them. **My problem is that I cannot catch them and I hate to destroy the plants and stress the other fish by chasing them. A test parameters often, run filters nearly constantly, use the air stone every night and do pretty close to weekly water changes (from 20% - 45% depending) **Because I will not let the aquarium go below 73° (for the plecos comfort) - the platys are beginning to breed and a couple of the babies have survived = I FEAR MORE OVERCROWDING. I do not mind the extra maintenance - everything seems to be going just fine as long as I keep a close eye on things... **Would the best idea be to remove The offspring into another Aquarium ? **Am I headed for disaster in overcrowding - or will I be able to manage it with close maintenance (as I have been doing) ?
@@charles_king *SORRY* but you don't even know the breed. According to the experts (and NOT you) "Otocinclus will be perfectly content in a 10-gallon tank." She has *twice* the space she needs ! Now please go *troll* someone else with your need to be negative. Thank you.
*What's your favorite way to save energy costs on your aquariums?*
Finding out about sponge filters was game changing for me getting back into the hobby. No more HOB or canister filters outside of a few specific circumstances and no more rip off media like carbon for normal use.
Forgot to ask my question lol! Do you ever suggest not using filters at all?
I don't have a single trick, I have a group that work together.
1. Over the course of several years, I acclimated my fish [Endlers & guppies], shrimp and snails to environmental temperatures (highs in the low 80's F, and lows in the 50's F). I rehomed my discus.
2. PLANTS!!!! Heavily planted tanks host microfauna, filter water, and help maintain stability.
Plants also reduce the needs for frequent water changes. Mostly I just top off the tanks.
3. Establish a bioactive substrate, and encourage microflora and microfauna before I even add fish.
Additional benefits of attempting to replicate nature, have been my grandchildren learning how important balance is, and teaching them to be responsible stewards of the environment.
I’m in the UK and I’ve put a piece of space blanket over my two Mbuna tanks to keep the heat in. It doesn’t save much but every little helps. 😊
I run all my fish tanks at room temperature and only keep fish that can handle cooler temps -- like you said in the video, a lot of fish are just fine without a heater! :) Another "tactic" I've been using lately is to remove as many individual filters as possible (especially canisters) and hook my tanks up to a shared sump. This sump is in an adjacent room and I've raised it a good distance from the floor to reduce head pressure on the pump. So my fish room is now slightly more energy efficient, and less noisy as well. 👌 Oh, and I run a low amount of lighting since I don't have plants -- just 15% or so on Fluval Aquasky units.
I'm in not-at-all-sunny-Scotland and this video is super pertinent here and all over Europe. More about this topic is always welcome.
Thanks Cory.
Here in Australia power and water bills are increasing so I use a plug- in watt meter to find out how many watts my aquariums were using. I have now slowly lowered the temperatures, less lighting, use less wattage rated water pumps With everything you plug the wattage all adds up. I suspect many owners have no idea of their equipment wattage. Just check the wattage rating of your water pumps - you may be surprised!!!!
After hurricane Fiona we were without power for 15 days , I have 7 tanks ,60g, 30g , 2x20g and 3x10,, I ran a generator for 4 hours a day in the evening, tanks got cold and I didn’t loose a single fish . That taught me a lot
That was probably really hard
Good for you Jonny
@@beardedboon ya it sucked , I’m in pei Canada we’re just lucky it wasn’t winter , I have 4 of those usb air pumps these fellas sell and ran them off battery packs and a car battery with a hillbilly 12 phone charger , those little things are worth their weight in gold every one should have em.
Recently had a power outage for almost 2 days. I bought battery operated pumps and stayed up all night to rotate tanks with them. 17 tanks and only 3 pumps lol. I seriously used a small outdoor fire to heat water and did a few water changes in the smaller tanks, the bigger ones take longer to get cold. I didn't know the pumps were going to last the entire time without battery change. So next time, I wont have to stay up and rotate them, I'll just set an alarm and get up every few hours and rotate. It was my first time, not one loss.
my idea is add thick isolation boards (roofmate, pur or pir, any thickness available ) on the back and on the sides just for the wintertime. Every year I isolate the half of the glass surface of my greenhouse with boards of 15 cm thick to keep the plants from freezing. You could also glue four boards together and add one plate on top and put the fish in a ‘ fridge box’ every evening. The boards are very light weight and easy removable. If you don’t want to glue them because of a waste of space when storing, use velcro on the boards.
If you have an open aquarium just put a roofmate board on the top of the aquarium for the night. The boards are waterproof and reusable for a lot of years.
I have one tip not related to heat except that you can really seal up the top with just an air hose (and heater chord) to pass through.
Buy a slightly overpowered LED light, a solar powered portable battery pack, sponge filter, and USB air pump. Use the light to charge/power the USB pump to run the sponge filter. All you need to plug in is the light.
I'm finally plumbing and installing my linear piston air pumps(thanks Aquarium Co-op/ Jehmco!!!)... I bought my new one months ago but owning a lawn service company in Sarasota, Florida, I was too busy until this weekend...! Those should lower our $300/ month electric bill... Only about $120 is from my fishrooms though, the rest is the A/C bill, it's running 12 months a year here... Currently it's 82 degrees, dew point 83, 98% humidity( veryfoggy), so no heaters here...! It was all diaphragm air pumps and 90% finnex stingrays (all leds though)... if I remember, I'll try to re-comment with the results...! Another great one...Keep up your awesomeness...!
Good video. I'm from UK and energy has become a huge problem. They blame it on war but I don't believe them.
Such a tragedy so many people are freezing cold when these companies are making record profits.
I believe if governments are getting into these situations then they should take the cost not pass it onto the poor man.
It is a worry about keeping fish and my local stores have all had to massively increase there prices. I'm told off them that many people are just bringing there fish into the shop because they can't afford them anymore.
To top it all off I bought some fish 2 weeks ago and had an ich and fungus outbreak and it wiped out half my tank before I could get it under control. My guys are doing OK again now thank god
I really liked how this video was put together. All those cutaways from older videos showing young Cory, Dean, Zenzo makes it very pleasant to watch. And as always thanks for the useful tips!
on the topic of saving money, i threw away my hang on back filters and am only using sponge filter with air stone. I was wasting too much time/money trying to set it up for low maintenance and it just made the room smell, i also added pothos to the tank and the room smells much better, and fish seem much happier. i'm keeping mostly catfish right now.
During the summer when I run the ac, I run my aquarium temps lower and opposite during the winter. This way they aren’t fighting the heating and cooling of the room. This also gives the fish some “seasonal” type changes.
Heating is definitely burning the electricity in winter! I also apply the lid to retain the heat. Thanks Cory!
I went the route of all unheated tanks and just keep my house at comfortable heat (though helps I'm not in an area that gets snow/ice). Probably in part due to one of your rants about heaters and how often they break -- less to worry about.
I'm getting ready right now to start my first aquarium since the early 80's. Plan to go all fresh water native from my local Central Florida lakes. Thus I am not planning any heating. Just what is already in my home.
Great timing on your video.
I stocked my tank with white cloud, leopard danios and a hillstream loach. I love it and no heater bills.
Great information Cory. These days it helps to save every dime you can
Cory is the man. I might not be in this hobby if it wasn't for hi honestly. Opened my eyes to so much more and now I get more out of 1 tank than when I had 4 different ones.
The big saver for me is adding insulation foam to the bottom and sides. It keeps my heaters from working hard and have to set them way lower then i want on huge tanks. Getting my tanks to the point of no longer needing water changes or mass filtration with the use of fast growing plants. I do use a sponge filter to catch floating stuff for my fry too feed off, keep it clear and oxygenate for half days
Another reason I love killifish is that most like cooler temperatures. I was able to close off the vents to my fishroom this winter. I only use sponge filters and LED lighting. And since the tanks are covered, they stay in the mid-70s. Almost too warm for some of the killifish to breed. This saves a lot of energy. Having nice deep substrate and lots of plants makes water changing almost completely unnecessary. It's the only way I can maintain 65 aquariums.
Thank you Cory for discussing this topic! I would love to hear more on this. I'm interested in learning what type of air driven pump (for airstones) is most economical
Hi, Cory, very COOL video (pun intended)! My husband and I are both retired, and he has become obsessed about keeping costs to a minimum. He’s gonna LOVE this video! Have a great day!
Thanks for the tip on tops, I'm trying to avoid internal heaters as much as possible due the electromagnetic radiation and possibility of meltdown or electrical shock, i'm looking at breeding shrimp and guppies here soon so they need heat to breed more voraciously.
This tips is real as it gets.
being in a northern state indoor temps usually range from 60-72°f, i have pea puffers, i keep around 76-80 and a cory and angel fish around 74-78.
Thank you Cory. You could be on here pushing your products but instead you're here helping us.
I was thrilled to see that I've already applied most of what you talk about. I don't have a single heated tank in my house. We keep our home at 74-78 throughout the year, depending on the season. (I live in southern AZ.) So the only "heater" in any of my tanks is the filtration equipment and lights. I don't have any high wattage equipment of either sort. Even the smallest tank (2g) stays pretty stable in temperature, varying no more than a degree or 2 from night to day, since the home temp stays stable, too. Everything has a lid on it except for one rimless mutt-guppy and shrimp tank, though one of my bigger tanks is only partially lidded (emergent-grown plants prevent me from covering the rest). All my lights are on Kasa timers, too, which I know helps with energy costs, since lights aren't being left on longer than they should be. EVER.
Another thing I've found that you didn't mention since it's not directly energy-related - water savings! Water costs have gone up, too, probably as a result of increases in electricity costs. My lidded tanks definitely lose less water to evaporation on a weekly basis than that single lidless. If I can figure out how to add a lid to that one, I want to, but it'll be a challenge since it includes tall emergent growth. Also, since I do heavily planted tanks that are lightly stocked and stable, water changes are pretty much non-existent in my house. The water savings from that are HUGE, which is great considering water is such a precious resource here in the desert.
Never thought about the irony of keeping pet fish in a desert🤣
Where I live it’s on average 80
So I can’t imagine trying to keep your tanks from overheating
I already have that issue here when it hits the 100s
@@AquariumAficionado Thankfully, I've never run into "overheating" issues.
@@dawnt6791 howdy neighbor!
Plants are my filtration system, and I also have a lot of emergent growth.
I use the egg crate light diffusers, cut to fit each tank, and then use safety zip ties to create "hinges" so I can open the lid to feed and for maintenance.
Glass, poly vinyl, or any other clear barrier can be attached to the egg crate. I have even used saran wrap in a pinch, and recycle bubble wrap as lid insulation in the winter.
Winding saran wrap around the emergent growth can create a nearly sealed lid.
My tanks with no lid evaporate an inch a week (= to 6 gallons per week on my largest tank).
The egg crate lids, covered with recycled bubble wrap maintain steady temps and evaporate a half inch/month.
I do wind saran wrap between my emergent plants and the egg crate to both protect the plants and to reduce evaporation.
@@traumahealingandprevention I haven't worked with the egg crate so far. Haven't handled it yet. Any tips on cutting it, so I know what I could be getting into?
I have a BOATLOAD of used bubble wrap. That's something I stockpile, whenever I receive a package that includes it. I've used it for all sorts of things but never in my aquarium hobby.
@@dawnt6791 easiest way to cut the egg crate is with wire snips or wire cutters.
I have chronic health issues, so my wire snips have ergonomic soft handles. I get the flat side of the snips against the plastic line I am keeping, and minimal pressure is needed to snip the plastic.
I recommend cutting outside, and wearing safety goggles, at least until you get the hang of it. Chipped plastic flying towards the eye is a complete hobby deterrent for people not willing to wear safety glasses.
Aside from that, I have branched out and use egg crate plus plastic craft canvas to create custom sized under gravel filters, as well as side matten filters for shrimp breeding (was cheaper to buy large sponge to support between the UGF than order the appropriate matten filter), and the UGF supports dracaena and other stemmed plants for emerged growth beautifully.
Most of my tanks are set to 74°. House temp is kept sround 72° during the winter. Problem is that the heating in fish room doesn't work too well (never has, ever since this place was built), so I have to rely on the vent right outside the room.
I have one tank that isn't set to 74°, and that's my Betta tank, which is set to 79°. That one's in the basement as well, which might seem a bit odd, but we've got something heating the basement outside of heaters; 3D printers. Not one, not two, not five, but nine printers. Keeps it nice and warm down here.
Print Beds heat to 60°, nozzles at 200°-215°. Print 24-7, and it keeps the basement around 74° itself. Working to move most of the tanks down here to lower heating costs, upgrade tank sizes, keep them in a lower-traffic area (less stress, especially at night), and have a more accurate day/night cycle without other lights being turned on around them.
I got him in a different room from the printers down there, both to keep the fish and the machines safe.
Ok, now I have to know what you do with 9 3D printers. What kind of business do you run?
@@girrl88 We technically have ten, but one of them's down right now.
On the business side, we print accessories for playing card games (holders, trays, boxes). We're designing new items and trying to find some unique things we can create. The trays tend to be our biggest sellers though, especially at this time of year, so we're mostly pumping almost 20 trays a day (each tray takes around 10-12 hours to print).
This has been part of the family business, and has been around for around 20 years now. 3D printing is something we got into almost a year ago, and the reason behind that is quite the complicated story, so I'll keep that out.
On the personal side, I'm working towards designing aquarium accessories (filters, light stilts, floating plant scoops). I'm working on a multi-part air filter for tanks around 30 gallons or larger that I'm calling the "Shell filter" that looks like an upside-down bowl. Few screw-on parts have been created so far, and It's about 30% finished and printed, I just gotta make sure the other parts can connect properly.
I'm making the top screw-on altogether, and there's a section around the intake for smaller bio-media. Air travels down, passes through the side of the intake, passes through a small half-sphere with smaller holes, pushes through the bio-media, and out the top of the filter itself.
The filament we use called PLA+ (a stronger plastic than traditional PLA) is safe for food and pet use, but we tend to stick with clear, white and black, as they're completely free of dyes.
It's also biodegradable so, if it starts to grow brittle from being underwater for a long period of time, it won't harm the fish. It can be coated with a natural, non-toxic, waterproof sealant like Zinsser spray-on Shellac to help it last longer without harming the fish. HoB filter intakes don't last long though, but I've had air filters in some tanks last 8 whole months, and they're still holding up well!
I always write long, rather detailed messages :/ I do apologize if it does seem a bit much.
Edit: I'm not the owner. The business was founded by my father, and I help out with making, designing, and developing different products. Fish stuff, however, is a hobby and side hustle.
I have a 10 gallon with a betta and two nerites. Every betta site/video/group was like "Heaters. Are. Mandatory!!!" and I'm like ...I keep my apartment temp at 78-80 degrees. The tank sits at around 77. No heater. People's response is always something like, "Okay, if you live LIKE A LIZARD... " xD Which I do, I'm always frikkin' cold. And in my apartment building, there's a boiler, so I pay for electric but not heat. Yay! So yeah, there's always personal circumstance to consider as well!
Only time I had a setup without a lid was a betta in a jar almost 20yrs ago. I live in Florida and my tank is currently sitting at 84. My AC is at 80 during the week and 78 on the weekends (76 overnight). It's 10gal and technically over stocked (21 total fish, 4 glass shrimp and an indeterminate number of snails since my Trapdoor had babies), but it's healthy. Lots of plants and hides available. I struggle to get any kind of level for nitrate. Everyone is happy
So funny....I just added tops to all of my aquariums. I actually did it as I lost a few fish to them jumping out recently. I decided that their safety is far more important than my beautifully scaped tanks with wood poking out of the top. It amazingly has helped me save money on my electric bill. Saving fish and money. Win win!!
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge I learned a lot after your video🤙
I've been hurting on money lately. Dreamt about a discus tank. Fancy red boa shrimp. I have about 5 empty tanks I need to get rid of 2 of them were half unfinished projects. Think I just need to leave the hobby unfortunately but maybe I'll circle around in due time. Thank you for making these solid tips, especially for those on budgets like myself
My most expensive investment getting a new fishroom going after our house burnt down has been plants.
If you are selective in your initial set up, there are many of us in the ACO C.A.R.E Forum who are disabled, on a limited income, and the tanks are our mental health.
I don't run heaters, I cut ACO test strips in half, I propagate more plants after initial investment, and plants are my filters.
Aeration costs a couple of dollars each month.
If fish bring you joy, I wouldn't get rid of the tanks. I had a couple of years where I was intentionally breeding mosquito larvae as free fish food.
My tanks are my connection to nature🌿
I lust after discus, too but there are plenty of less expensive fish out there. Rainbowfish, angel fish, and Dennison barbs are stunning. I hope you only walk away from the hobby if you want to. It brings me so much joy, I can't imagine ever quitting! A couple mollies, swordtails, or guppies will eventually fill up those tanks, and local classifieds can help you sell a few along the way...
I live in Washington state I’m thinking of making a “cool” water tank with White Cloud Mountain minnows and hill stream loaches. It would be perfect since I would just keep the apartment the temperature that they need year round!
I like to buy the Petco tanks when they are $1 per gallon then I make the lids out of cardboard. Sooo much cheaper that way and you can put the cut-outs where you actually need them to be. Plus you can put any design you want on the top!
I run my 110 gal stock tank for 9 goldfish That's 8-12 inches long
on a heater on 74 & I don't have a heater in the 75 I have with Danios.
it stays between 72-74 with a small 1 & a 1/2 gal canister filter on it
with a low to high light certain hrs of the day, no timer & a sealed lid.
I Just cleaned the filter a few weeks ago & it wasn't as bad as I thought
it would be for collecting waste water for fertilizer on either tank, cause
the filters I use, turns the tanks 3 times the size of the tank & it works.
I'm working on a new thing with the 110 gal stock tank hopefully next year
to grow plant's in with danio's & albino Cory catfish & snails, I'm not worried
about breeding but if they produce fry then that's even better for the tank.
Thank you for the advice!
Great tips as always! Thank god for LEDs
When I do water changes I use the old water to water plants and it acts as a fertiliser at no extra cost.
Great tips 👍
Thanks for the tips!
So as far as saving energy and electricity is it more the heater and lights or the filtration? Thank you
And there is me paying to chill my cold water tank down to 15°C for my native fish lol
I am guessing aquarium co-op's yearly electric bill is more than I make in that same time. ;-)
Yup I don’t do heaters for my fish. I just use my house temperature
Species that I can keep cooler I always turn it temp. down in the winter.
VID IDEA
You should make a top schooling fish/tank mates for bigger cichlids like ones from South America
I do all 3 already 👍
What are the orange fish with the bluish purple fins
Thanks for thinking of us fish keepers. I keep covers on all 5 of my tanks because I have 3 cats...don't want to invite any disasters 😆
I love keeping killifish. One reason is you can do it cheap. One thing I've done it to take a Sunco 6000k shoplight and disassemble it. I remove the LED light strips that are in a plastic tube. I extend the wires so I can separate the tubes to be able to light two different shells. This reduces the amount of energy and produces just the right amount of light for a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium that is about 8 in from the top of the aquarium. Gives you enough room to move around and the lighting seems to be just about right. I have never cleaned the glass on any of these tanks nor do I have a algae problem. The tanks are not dimly lit like many people keep killing fish. They're breeding like crazy.
Fish dont need lighting at all :)
@Charles King no, but the plants do. They reduce the need for water changes, are something that can be sold, can help in breeding fish, and are enjoyable to look at.
Will glass top hold in more heat than acrylic?
Brilliant question. I have no idea and suspect that it would be similar. I think that twin wall polycarbonate sheet, the type used to make greenhouses, would insulate better than both of them.
@@ivancho5854 I can confirm that double walled polycarb is a fantastic material to make lids. It takes no time at all to make them either. All of my rimless tanks now have polycarb hinged lids.
It is a far better insulator than glass, cheaper and more forgiving.
@@ivancho5854 thanks for the help, I'll get some of that for my next tanks top.
@@andreashessler838 thanks Andreas.
@@ivancho5854 found some, it's a lot cheaper than acrylic too, thanks guys.
Due to energy price increases from idiotic management and one world govt policies it's cheaper to eat your discus than choose between eating and utility rate increases.
I am putting together a 14 gal cube. I am going to have a three layer substrate heavily planted tank to create a huge beneficial bacteria colony so I can use minimal mechanical filtration. Thus keeping my electrical consumption low.
Bacteria does biological filtration, not mechanical
Good morning what is the fish with wings in the video?? It's really cool looking!!
How low can one go for South Amercian cichlids ? Flowerhorns ?
I hope you read this and can help with a question I cannot (yet) get an answer to IF you put a sponge fliter for a 2ft tank at each end of a of a 4ft tank, will it fliter the tank sufficiently ?
I just get one large sponge that’s double the gallons for the tank. My 10 has a 20, my 20 has a 40 ec
Yes and no. Depends on your setup. You need to measure
I'm trying to breed a hardier fish by exposing them to "normal" natural temperatures. It's been really interesting to see how they adapt. It's only natural guys.🇦🇺👍
After this video I turned a lot of my tanks heaters down. Hope this keeps the bill low…
I keep my fishroom at around 21°c so around 70 Fahrenheit. During the summer months that temperature goes up a bit and it does actually encourage most fish to spawn. I dont keep tropical fish that need high temp to thrive but like Cory said, most common fish can easily be kept at a lower temperature.
NOTE:
I put a piece of Styrofoam in between my tank mounted filter and the glass of the aquarium so that the heat from the filter does not heat the aquarium anywhere near as much.
You are great!
So in my personal experience the only accessory that actually increases the temperature of my aquariums are the lights. Pumps, filters, etc. regardless of the watts don’t seem to increase the temperature
Just to clarify you think: your personal experience > laws of physics?
Hi from Spain ❤️🇪🇸, I like the video but I have a dude, the sponge filtrer doesn't have many space for biology filtration inside it, that couldn't be a problem for do correctly the cycle of nitrogone??? Because it has little biological load. (Sorry if a write something wrong I'm learning english)
The sponge filters have lots of surface area and water movement to grow the bacteria for the nitrogen cycle. Also, live plants provide a lot of biological filtration!
Sponge filters are great for aerobic bacteria. So you wont get the full cycle (unlike a canister loaded with the proper media)
I usually run the light 6 to 8 hours per day and shut down the filter during the night. Everything still seem going well, fish and plants don't seem suffering this much. I only shut down the heather during the weekly water change, but apart from that it usually is active 24/24 at 24°C (about 75°F), but being the aquarium close to a radiator, it doesn't have to work a lot.
Saltwater aquarium are unfortunately another matter... Freshwater intrinsically saves you money.
freshwater is a very, very, VERY broad term. Can be cheap can be expensive. Also why would you turn off filtration?
@@charles_king Part because of Neighborhood's Rules about absolutely no noises at night, partly because it doubles as an energy-saving measure. The tank is anyway planted and the filter powerful (300 gallons/h. in a 50 gallon tank).
I have Japanese rice fish’s and I just got A baby Edo Nishiki gold fish I think it’s about 4 ~5 weeks old I’m keeping it in my pond with the rice fish without a filter is it alright ?
Edo nishiki goldfish *
Still not know if I want to use an air driven filter in the living room.
SEEKING ADVICE:
In a 20 gallon planted Aquarium I have nine adult platy fish - 3 each (1M, 2FM) of Mickey Mouse platys red wag platys and sunrise platys...
There was no problem while the fish were still young & smaller & although I run the tank as cool as possible I still do not like to go below 73° in order that my plecostomus is comfortable...
*Now that the fish are getting full grown this 20 gallon aquarium is a wee bit overcrowded* - I have attempted during water changes to capture the three red wag adults and move them into a separate 10 gallon aquarium that is cycled and ready for them.
**My problem is that I cannot catch them and I hate to destroy the plants and stress the other fish by chasing them.
A test parameters often, run filters nearly constantly, use the air stone every night and do pretty close to weekly water changes (from 20% - 45% depending)
**Because I will not let the aquarium go below 73° (for the plecos comfort) - the platys are beginning to breed and a couple of the babies have survived = I FEAR MORE OVERCROWDING.
I do not mind the extra maintenance - everything seems to be going just fine as long as I keep a close eye on things...
**Would the best idea be to remove The offspring into another Aquarium ?
**Am I headed for disaster in overcrowding - or will I be able to manage it with close maintenance (as I have been doing) ?
You know a pleco needs a 75g at the very minimum (and its still a terrible idea)?
@@charles_king *SORRY* but you don't even know the breed.
According to the experts (and NOT you)
"Otocinclus will be perfectly content in a 10-gallon tank." She has *twice* the space she needs !
Now please go *troll* someone else with your need to be negative. Thank you.
Wow I’m early for a change!
Wait! @3:28 Fish are Friends!!!
Cool!
Awesome
$500 a month, how big is the aquarium?
MY TANK WENT DOWN TO 56F, golden white clouds don't care!! Next, Medaka!
😁👍
First!
E fish ant
Looming recession? 😂 Online Black Friday sales hit a record high $9 Billion in sales
You clearly have not been to the grocery store