Laser temp guns don’t work for reflective surfaces, they only measure the outside of the glass temp or the surface of the water temp, depending on which way you point it. The surface of the water is often a lot warmer than most of the water because of lights. The outside of the glass reflects the room temperature too not just the water temp.
I've got to get one of those, my Hygger heater has a digital display and I have a Mercury thermometer as a backup/second opinion. I have an Anduino board , maybe I'll get some probes and automate everything. LOL
I have a thermometer in my tank, but temp gun is great for quickly making sure water change water is the right temp. Otherwise it sits next to the radiator longer.
When I started keeping fish many years ago a buddy of mine, a veterinarian, told me I wasn't a fish keeper...I was a water keeper. He told me to think of the water as a body...healthy body=healthy fish.
I am that weird nerd that loves testing water parameters.; it has me feeling like a scientist. I have a syringe with a blunt needle and I fill the test tubes feeling all fancy - I'm just missing the white lab coat lol. In all seriousness though - great video! Ok another confession - when I bring home new fish, I get all nerdy and test the parameters of the water in the bag from the shop, purely out of curiosity!
You are not alone, lol. I started carrying a ziploc bag with me, so I can test the aquarium water with out fish, and discovered that fish bought first thing in the morning (before they are fed), develop less ammonia in the water than fish bought an hour after opening.
Amazon's been having the marina glass floating/suction cup thermometers on sale for 98¢ to $1.17 shipped lately. I own more thermometers than tanks now. I do want a fancy Star Trek temp gun though LOL.
silver buyer I looked at one of those glass thermometer last night for about 5 mins and couldn't read it and put on a cheap battery operated digital one.
Excellent eye opener. I work in the LFS, and we were having one tank after another get ich. None of the tanks have thermometers, so there was no visual way to tell that temperatures were off. I started adjusting heaters and noticed none of them were kicking on. Low and behold the breaker for the circuit the tank heaters were on had tripped, and it’s hard telling how many days the heaters had been dead because I’m not there every day. I fixed the electrical problem that had caused the breaker to trip, and things have gotten much better.
Great info as always Cory but I have to say I'm LOVING the new editing style of your videos. Makes them more enjoyable to watch without loosing sight of the message at its core.
Hey, sanitation manager here, test your water. Trust me. We alter the water based on season and influx of acids or caustics. At home we test temp, ph, nitrates routinely. TDS rarely.
It's so easy for us to get into this mentality of "There's no way it could be this!" I've been noticing my plants were coming in twisted and pale, and my bladder snails had white tinted shells. This pointed to a calcium deficiency in my water. No way this could be the case, I thought to myself. The water here always has very high calcium! I don't have KH or GH test kit on hand (I know, I need to get them!) But my parents let me use some of their hot tub test strips, which do measure KH and GH. Sure enough, both were unusually low in both my tap water and the tank. I picked up a Wonder Shell to add more calcium into the tank. Things change, both in your tank and in the water you use. Learn how differences in the water can impact your aquarium, and keep an eye out for those signs.
There are some probes that read the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and TDS. One of the probe readers even has an option for an Alexa /Siri type voice to read the results out loud. They are not cheap, but definitely over come the inherent issue of variations in red for pH above 7.0 [It has to do with the reagents, it's not really a "choice" on the part of the manufacturers].
Good advice for fish that are usually wild caught like kuhli loaches, bad for fish that are usually captive bred. Most fish in the hobby only know the water they were raised in, and usually the breeders don't go through the trouble of bringing the water to the parameters they have in the wild because it isn't necessary. It honestly might be worse to try to mimic their wild water parameters because if their water is constantly fluctuating from supplements your putting in to change its parameters htey're going to be under a lot of stress. If you really care that much, then ask the people you're buying the fish from what water parameters they have. If you really want to put in that much effort, then that's what you want to mimic.
@@shriihanmukherjee6502 I may be missing the point, but the way I apply the concept is buy local, or buy fish that prefer my water parameters. Because chasing parameters is a surefire way to grow resentful and begin to see fish keeping as a chore, instead of being able to enjoy it, as the fish will suffer when we are trying to "control" the water
It’s so refreshing to see a pro having “problems” more so that you’ve admitted to your mistakes. You don’t really see that anymore. The fact that you’re sharing it speaks volumes to your character and at the same time helps prevent us noobs from making the same mistakes.
I've got a fancy temperature laser gun. I don't use it to check temps because it's so inaccurate that it''s not even funny. What is funny about it though is that my platys chase the red dot around like a cat, it's hilarious.
I also have temp gun. Some advice id give you if you're finding it inaccurate is that it doesn't work through glass. Take the temperature through the open top of the tank, try and make the laser hit a surface other than the glass, like a fish or some decor. If you're still having problems then i can't help ya
@@jeffmiller6350 Dont worry I have an expensive one and its still off + or - 5 degrees sometimes, leave it on top of your hood on your tank if you can so the device is at the same relative ambient temperature so when you check the water its somewhat acclimated I guess at least thats what I do it seems more accurate that way because when I keep it under the tank or somewhere else then its even farther off like 10 degrees
I wholly agree--the API Master Test Kit saved my fish, save my hobby, and is 1 of my top 5 items that any fishkeeper needs to own (including tank & filter & water conditioner). I've run through the better part of 4 kits in the space of a year, testing weekly with now up to 12 aquariums. I've slowed recently, mainly because they are pretty much all stable setups, and the time it takes adds up, not to mention running out the Nitrate & Ammonia testers long before the rest. But I've added some new liquid tests to try out--GH/KH, Phosphate, and Copper (the last for when I need to use special meds). Before that, though, I've been trying out the API test strips; I'm not finding them at all useful for Nitrite or Nitrate (even 0-dangerous levels are too pale to be reliable enough to differentiate), and the pH didn't often line up with either my MTK or a digital reader. Mainly I've kept trying them to get an easy read on GH/KH, which was a real eye opener for me in one planted tank, explained why the three guppies in there didn't do well, because the hardness had dropped substantially over time as I did more top-ups than full water changes. I've got thermometers on most of my tanks, and track all parameters in a detailed spreadsheet, including date sampled/tested, ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, date since last test, date since last water change, amount of water changed, any meds or fertilizers dosed, what is stocked, and any notes on activity, illness, changes, etc. Life saving!
I am fairly new to the hobby (< 1 year). I have watched hundreds of videos and continue to learn about my tanks. I have a 75 gallons with Gouramis and a new 55 gallons with Longfin Angel Fish in my home office. Both are planted tanks. Needless to say I am enjoying the hobby. I want to give you credit for the great information you continue to provide. Thank you!
I just so appreciate you putting this out there, thank you for letting us learn from your mistakes. My favorite episode of the Aquarium Guys pod was the one where they talked about their mistakes. '?:
I have a 5 gal planted aquarium with a betta which I started this past September. I test my tank every day, temp, ammonia, PH, nitrates and nitrites (API test kit I got from Aquarium Co-op). I do 50 % water changes every other week. Knock on wood...I have had no issues. Betta is happy and healthy. Cory, I watch all your videos. You have guided me well my friend. Thank you.
That is what I was told as well. Our tap water is around 7 PH and quite hard. I have tanks that are inhabited by fish that love that water. My plants are doing well too ;-)
Yes, your right Cory...people do get lazy and not do the test kit....in the beginning, I did it like crazy...then after years, I slowed down and only did it when I felt something was not right.....and the heater....boy never would of thought of that....good vid as usual. Thank you.
I think this is one of your best and certainly one of the most important videos you've ever produced. Whether we are a newbie or a longtime aquarist, we *all* need this reminder. I'm totally guilty of slacking off and assuming everything is fine with my water parameters, but we've got to test on a regular and consistent basis. And we can never assume that because one tank is fine that all our tanks are fine. I've got two the appear to be "identical" setups, yet the water test proves otherwise. Thank you for this video and for everything you do for this hobby. Hope I can get up there to your store someday. Blessings to you!
You are so AMAZING Cory & dead on! I test mine every week, if not twice a week. If Fish are acting off, I test the water. Bought the python hose & now water changes are relaxing instead of dreadful. Worth the $50 for the 50ft. Highly recommend
I love how you as a fish owner, you understand that we as fish owners can be *lazy*. However we forget about many parts that can be little and over sighted. It is great to be reminded how little changes in a room can change our tanks drastically.
Really appreciate the content, Corey! You are a wealth of information and I wish I had found you YEARS ago!! Please know you are saving lives, little fishy lives, but lives we are responsible for none the less. I am only know beginning to understand how ignorant I was of the foundational basics of the hobby.
Cory, have you ever done a video or can you please do a video on water hardness and it’s effect on PH? I’m new to the hobby and test my water like crazy for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. Just recently got into testing Hardness. I’m using the API KH test kit and it takes 14 drops for the water to turn yellow which is off the chart that is supplied in the kit. The chart only goes to 12 so I know my water is crazy hard. The PH of my water seems to be around 8.0-8.2. A video on what to do or how to adjusts KH/PH via cutting Tap water with RO water or whatever could be done to stabilize the water would be extremely helpful. If you already have a video on this please let me know. Thanks. Your videos rock!
Started seeing large males in my registered N class Endler's livebearer colony, generally a sign of hybridism. Turns out my heater stopped, so fish took longer to reach maturity and achieved larger mass. Still as pure as the day I bought them from AdrianHD.
People ASSUME goldfish are easy to keep because feeder goldfish cost 10 cents. Large ornamental goldfish are some of the hardest freshwater fish to keep. Don't believe me, watch this video!
Why have I never thought to cut my test strips in half! Thanks to everyone who commented about this. They cost like $15 - $20 for 25 strips here. You’ve just saves me a fortune. Especially as my tanks only four weeks old so I’m testing every day at the moment until it settles in.
Excellent video, Cory. BTW, almost 400k subscribers. Congratulations on that important milestone. You worked hard, in many ways, to get there. Again, congratulations...😎
The day before I flew to the US i discovered that my tank temp was 17 degrees Celcius. An emergency trip to the aquarium, and some warm water over the course of the night brought the temp up to 25C. It was frought.
Can we use the old school thermometer that sticks to the inside glass wall as reliable measure? I get the feeling that Infrared thermometer might measure temperature of outside glass or fish instead of actual water... Correct me if I am wrong in my opinion
Those 'lazy man' laser temp guns really shouldn't be used in our hobby. Pointing it at the tank give you the surface temp of the glass. Pointing it down from the top gives you the surface temp of the water. I want to know what the temp is where my fish are swimming. A large/deep tank can and often does have different temps at different levels. Of course, any temp is better than no idea what the temp is. Anyone know where I can get API Test kit refills? I don't need more vials, instructions, packaging. lol
@@infinity2z3r07 Yes, even if the 'dot' is penetrating an object, (like the tank glass or thru the waters surface) the temp recorded/displayed is the 'first surface' the laser contacts.
I still remember some of the first videos edited by Jimmy and the rage the little animations created, and it makes me laugh that he still puts them in judiciously. Don’t change, any of you. Also, totally agreed, blows my mind that people don’t immediately test during problems (let alone normally). On your goldfish, I hope it was just temp, but I would be surprised if that’s the long term fix. Temp tends to aggravate existing conditions.
I work in a medical school at a large research university, and one of the lab techs, who's also an aquarist, said to think of the water as the fish's atmosphere. He went on to describe how we need a pretty exact balance of nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and other gases in order for us to survive, and so do fish in their water (though not everything is a gas). I test my home aquarium maybe once a month, but my new office aquarium I test weekly. As I get older, I find I can't distinguish precise nuances of color the way I used to be able to, but I can at least identify big swings. I also record the numbers in a spreadsheet, which might be a little anal, but I like to look at the change over time. Watching the nitrites go down as the aquarium cycled was actually pretty cool.
Been keeping aquariums for about 50 years and I deserved this spanking. I have lost many a fish through laziness and hubris. Just recently found my fish room was warmer than I thought. So simple a fix that could have saved fish if I was on top of things. Thank you Corey.
This is SO true. I was cooking dinner after a long nursing shift, and I was listening to this video in my headphones. I have four aquariums, and the last time I'd tested water on them was only a few days prior, but one aquarium is brand new and cycling. I paused what I was doing and tested the water on all my aquariums, starting with the new one, and there was a nitrite spike! I did an 80% water change, retested, and the levels were still present, but MUCH lower. I did another large water change the next day, and now they are gone. I'm testing that new tank daily from here on out thanks to this video, and I started an aquarium journal so I can keep track of my aquarium parameters to observe changes and track trends. Thanks for this awesome tip and excellent content!
Test your water and don’t assume, probably the best advice when things start going wrong. I started slacking a bit on testing and now I have fish paying the consequences. My local tap water is pretty hard with a pH of around 7.5 after aging 24 hrs with a tds of 350-400. While I usually check my tank water with every weekly water change, I haven’t checked the tap water in a while. The pH is now settling around a pH of 8.0 with a tds of 450, shifting my tank pH to 8.0 with a tds over 500. While my endlers and neocaridina shrimp are fine, a few of my celestial pearl danios haven’t been doing great. I picked up some RO/DI water (tested that too) today from my LFS and did a small water change. I’m going to keep doing small water changes daily while testing the water along the way. Fingers crossed that’s the issue and that they pull through. Thanks for all the vids and info!
Thank you Cory...I just stopped what I was doing and checked my water. Dog gone...that's why you always rock it. Thank you. By the way..jsu received my large plant order. Everything looks great.
speaking of testkits, how do you fix super hard water? the city water here is off the charts. it doesnt seem to affect my fish but i really would like for it to be at least in middle of the test scale
is the difference in temperature because it's a big tank and needs powerful lights/equipment for it? I know the equipment added to the temps, but would this be a worry for larger tanks especially?
I test at least once a week with strips. I only have four tanks but it’s so easy with strips. Then if any thing is a little off I’ll use the API test kit which is more hassle but gives me very close to the same result as the strips. Temp gun is super easy too. I love the science part of the hobby so testing is a fun part of it to me. As I was writing this my wife came out and said “you have babies!” My first fry were just born from the platinum cobra fire tail guppies I bought as fry a while back. Woohoo!
My favorite test strip tip is to cut them in half so you have twice as many :) I can't remember which video you shared that in, but I do it to every strip lol Tons of love from Canada :)
This is a great video. I keep planted tanks and a huge problem for me is that many plants do not do well in warm water. Now, I'm in FL so keeping any tank under 80 is a feat so even though I have 1 to 2 thermometers in my tanks (depending on how long they are) it is a trial and error on what can actually survive in my tanks. I barely test yet I keep my temp regulated every day and it does work for me. I saw the half test strips trick makes me want to test now lol.
Thank you for the value you bring to us all. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't hear you speak. It has been a trial and error. I hope to get the water level much better on my tanks.
You bring up a great point sir. I don't know why so many aquarists neglect water-testing as much as they do when it is THE most important factor in aquarium maintenance and disease prevention.
Those infrared thermometers only test the glass surface temp. It can't read through glass. Lol, I just had a similar experience where it took a few weeks to figure out the heater was unplugged. I learned something interesting about treating ick though.
Cory, nothing but respect for you, but I checked with the infrared thermometer manufacturer. The beam cannot penetrate the glass to read the actual temperature of the water. You're totally correct on all the rest.
Yes, you would always lift the top of the aquarium and take the temp. The way it was used in this video was purely for the demonstration of a point. Never the less the aquarium being warmer than the surface of my desk shows that it still picks up a tank that is warmer than another surface.
@@AquariumCoop Yes, but even if you point it down at the water, all you're getting is the temperature of the surface of the water. I run 2 Zacro LCD digital thermometers, one on each side of the tank.
So I feel like I test pretty often (most water changes at least), but except for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, I don't really think I know what to do with the information I get from the tests. Still learning!
Great video Cory! Watching you wave that temp gun made me chuckle! "Phasers set to stun!!!" Always a lesson - I will be getting my own "phaser" to zap my tanks. Stay transparent - you wear it well!
You are funny. This video made me hit the subscribe, and the bell 🔔 icon. I did the same thing with my temperature gun. I went crazy at first testing everything.
Yep, guilty here. I assumed that if one tank tests within acceptable parameters and looks good, they should all read about the same if they're looking healthy and good....WRONG! Oh so very very wrong. 👍❤👍
After 40 years of fish keeping I cant believe that people don't test water chemistry I test before water changes I test the water going in and test 2 days after water change ,,,,
If you have the right setup, chemical analyses can be pretty redundant. I do agree that having a simple thermometer in your tank is very very useful. I oversize my tanks for what I’m keeping, keep thick mixed substrate, over-plant the tank, include a lot of lava rock and bog wood, dead leaves, a diverse community of snails/shrimp/fish/small frogs, have good lighting, regulated heating, oversized filter, backup filter, and when I go on vacation an automatic feeder. Never ever had an issue with this setup that I did not cause in the moment myself and that wasn’t obvious (like unplugging the heater by accident). But if you have tons of tanks or limited space, or somehow hate plants and good equipment, this kind of “rare testing” daily aquarium life won’t be doable.
Many years ago I had 8 tanks from 75 gallons to 20 gallons and not only did I NEVER test water I only used aqua safe n would put fish in same day. I'm surprised knowing what I know now that I really didn't have too many fish die if any at all really. Now I test my water every few days as I'm just getting back into the hobby and completely screwed the pooch with my first tank. I probably went through a dozen fish unfortunately...
MY Goldfish are at 79 or hotter, been that way 2 - 3 years, had absolutely no problem. just checked my tank , it is 84.5 you say heat kills yours, why not mine? black moors, Orinda's etc.
You freshwater guys need very basic aquarium controllers like for saltwater tanks. Monitor pH, Temp as well as control cooling and heating systems if required. Not to mention get text messages when pH and temp are off your desired ~target... just don’t get lazy and not calibrate every couple months.
I keep two thermometers in the tank sitting side by side. I even am setting a timer to ensure I check it every morning. My fear is that I get too comfortable and stop checking on my tank, or the thermometer starts lying.
Great video, Cory. Thank you for the reminder to stick to the basics. We've really been enjoying the video format lately. We can sense your excitement & enjoyment when you are teaching us about tropical fish. 👍 We don't chime in on the live vids. They just move too quickly for us to chat. But these shorter teaching videos are encouraging & informative for us. (We still watch the live ones, just don't chat.) Thank you for your time & expertise.
*Want your own fancy temperature laser gun?* Here's our Amazon affiliate link: geni.us/DigitalTemperatureGun
Have you ever tried a probe thermometer? I was thinking they may be more accurate.
Laser temp guns don’t work for reflective surfaces, they only measure the outside of the glass temp or the surface of the water temp, depending on which way you point it. The surface of the water is often a lot warmer than most of the water because of lights. The outside of the glass reflects the room temperature too not just the water temp.
I've got to get one of those, my Hygger heater has a digital display and I have a Mercury thermometer as a backup/second opinion.
I have an Anduino board , maybe I'll get some probes and automate everything. LOL
I have a thermometer in my tank, but temp gun is great for quickly making sure water change water is the right temp. Otherwise it sits next to the radiator longer.
@@stargazermike8754 I have, in my experience they work just fine as well. I haven't noticed a big difference in accuracy.
cut the test strips in two.
move this up lol
For the liquid testers: use half the water and half amount of drips.
You are a hero.
Cory does have great ideas! Saw that in an older vid.
WOW, how smart is that! We all assume we arnt blind yet sometimes the most trivial optimisati0ns escape us. Awesome tip!!
When I started keeping fish many years ago a buddy of mine, a veterinarian, told me I wasn't a fish keeper...I was a water keeper. He told me to think of the water as a body...healthy body=healthy fish.
Very wise words.
I like this. I try to test my water weekly, and due to a crash, it is daily. I will add temp to my records.
This is absolutely correct bro
Excellent advice from the vet
Sounds similar to what I’ve recently learned about permaculture! Not farmers, soil keepers!
*Hears testing water. About to click out of the video*
“Don’t click out.”
Ok damn.
"Your assumptions are WRONG!"
This is such a powerful attitude for progress and improvement! Thank you for sharing your insights!
I am that weird nerd that loves testing water parameters.; it has me feeling like a scientist. I have a syringe with a blunt needle and I fill the test tubes feeling all fancy - I'm just missing the white lab coat lol. In all seriousness though - great video! Ok another confession - when I bring home new fish, I get all nerdy and test the parameters of the water in the bag from the shop, purely out of curiosity!
bluefirekin that’s a really good idea though!!!
🤣😂I thought I was the only one
So cute hehe!
You are not alone, lol.
I started carrying a ziploc bag with me, so I can test the aquarium water with out fish, and discovered that fish bought first thing in the morning (before they are fed), develop less ammonia in the water than fish bought an hour after opening.
Lol same. And my kids are always like "mom's doing her chemistry stuff again" 🤣
I guess I'm old school. I have a thermometer in every tank. :)
Me as well! Of course, when the tank is in a room that varies in temp from 60 Fahrenheit to 80, 'what temperature is the tank?' is always on the mind.
I've always used thermometers. Temp guns can be inaccurate, so I'm not sure why so many recommend them.
Amazon's been having the marina glass floating/suction cup thermometers on sale for 98¢ to $1.17 shipped lately. I own more thermometers than tanks now. I do want a fancy Star Trek temp gun though LOL.
silver buyer I looked at one of those glass thermometer last night for about 5 mins and couldn't read it and put on a cheap battery operated digital one.
@@basicbaroque Many people waste so much money in stuff they do not need to maintain a fish tank
I keep it simple . old style thermometer never fails.
Excellent eye opener. I work in the LFS, and we were having one tank after another get ich. None of the tanks have thermometers, so there was no visual way to tell that temperatures were off. I started adjusting heaters and noticed none of them were kicking on. Low and behold the breaker for the circuit the tank heaters were on had tripped, and it’s hard telling how many days the heaters had been dead because I’m not there every day. I fixed the electrical problem that had caused the breaker to trip, and things have gotten much better.
Great info as always Cory but I have to say I'm LOVING the new editing style of your videos. Makes them more enjoyable to watch without loosing sight of the message at its core.
Thank you Swhisky
Hey, sanitation manager here, test your water. Trust me. We alter the water based on season and influx of acids or caustics. At home we test temp, ph, nitrates routinely. TDS rarely.
It's so easy for us to get into this mentality of "There's no way it could be this!" I've been noticing my plants were coming in twisted and pale, and my bladder snails had white tinted shells. This pointed to a calcium deficiency in my water. No way this could be the case, I thought to myself. The water here always has very high calcium! I don't have KH or GH test kit on hand (I know, I need to get them!) But my parents let me use some of their hot tub test strips, which do measure KH and GH. Sure enough, both were unusually low in both my tap water and the tank. I picked up a Wonder Shell to add more calcium into the tank. Things change, both in your tank and in the water you use. Learn how differences in the water can impact your aquarium, and keep an eye out for those signs.
Now I want a temp gun. Pew pew.
I'm not sure what sparked this video but I think all of us can listen to this message. "Stop assuming" can save a ton of aquariums
Someone needs to come out with test kits that are colorblind friendly.... I can't read most of them very accurately...
Someone will probably already do this before I can but dude if I end up in business ill do my best
Use jbl scanner to read parameters from your phone camera
good idea, you should do that and get rich!
Post it on Reddit peope will just lyk
There are some probes that read the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and TDS.
One of the probe readers even has an option for an Alexa /Siri type voice to read the results out loud.
They are not cheap, but definitely over come the inherent issue of variations in red for pH above 7.0
[It has to do with the reagents, it's not really a "choice" on the part of the manufacturers].
The number one thing I learned from a fish keeper hero of mine 40 years ago was "if they won't live in your water, don't bother".
Mike McD this is both amazing and awful advice 😂
Good advice for fish that are usually wild caught like kuhli loaches, bad for fish that are usually captive bred. Most fish in the hobby only know the water they were raised in, and usually the breeders don't go through the trouble of bringing the water to the parameters they have in the wild because it isn't necessary. It honestly might be worse to try to mimic their wild water parameters because if their water is constantly fluctuating from supplements your putting in to change its parameters htey're going to be under a lot of stress. If you really care that much, then ask the people you're buying the fish from what water parameters they have. If you really want to put in that much effort, then that's what you want to mimic.
@@shriihanmukherjee6502 I may be missing the point, but the way I apply the concept is buy local, or buy fish that prefer my water parameters.
Because chasing parameters is a surefire way to grow resentful and begin to see fish keeping as a chore, instead of being able to enjoy it, as the fish will suffer when we are trying to "control" the water
Who edited this vid? Props for the sponge bob clip. Perfect XD
Chris Smith my guess is Jimmy
@@spiffybb Guilty :)
Chris Smith - jimmy for the win!
@@jimmygimbal I came looking at the comments specifically to say the editing on this video was soooo good! You rock, dude!
at 5:11 listen to what he says while watching the goldfish in the back lol
It’s so refreshing to see a pro having “problems” more so that you’ve admitted to your mistakes. You don’t really see that anymore. The fact that you’re sharing it speaks volumes to your character and at the same time helps prevent us noobs from making the same mistakes.
The secret to successful fish kipping is know when to stop adding new fishes to your tank.
Yes that is one of them.
True.
*keeping
I've got a fancy temperature laser gun. I don't use it to check temps because it's so inaccurate that it''s not even funny. What is funny about it though is that my platys chase the red dot around like a cat, it's hilarious.
thanks for your information. Also, I have heard such negative reviews about test strips I'm confused now
@@heaven7360 I don't have the one in the affiliate link. Mine is a very cheap one from harbor freight.
I also have temp gun. Some advice id give you if you're finding it inaccurate is that it doesn't work through glass. Take the temperature through the open top of the tank, try and make the laser hit a surface other than the glass, like a fish or some decor. If you're still having problems then i can't help ya
@@heaven7360 API test strips 👎👎👎👎👎👎. Tetra test strips 👍👍🏼👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@@jeffmiller6350 Dont worry I have an expensive one and its still off + or - 5 degrees sometimes, leave it on top of your hood on your tank if you can so the device is at the same relative ambient temperature so when you check the water its somewhat acclimated I guess at least thats what I do it seems more accurate that way because when I keep it under the tank or somewhere else then its even farther off like 10 degrees
I really like the tone of your message/information. Thanks!
I wholly agree--the API Master Test Kit saved my fish, save my hobby, and is 1 of my top 5 items that any fishkeeper needs to own (including tank & filter & water conditioner). I've run through the better part of 4 kits in the space of a year, testing weekly with now up to 12 aquariums. I've slowed recently, mainly because they are pretty much all stable setups, and the time it takes adds up, not to mention running out the Nitrate & Ammonia testers long before the rest. But I've added some new liquid tests to try out--GH/KH, Phosphate, and Copper (the last for when I need to use special meds). Before that, though, I've been trying out the API test strips; I'm not finding them at all useful for Nitrite or Nitrate (even 0-dangerous levels are too pale to be reliable enough to differentiate), and the pH didn't often line up with either my MTK or a digital reader. Mainly I've kept trying them to get an easy read on GH/KH, which was a real eye opener for me in one planted tank, explained why the three guppies in there didn't do well, because the hardness had dropped substantially over time as I did more top-ups than full water changes. I've got thermometers on most of my tanks, and track all parameters in a detailed spreadsheet, including date sampled/tested, ph, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature, date since last test, date since last water change, amount of water changed, any meds or fertilizers dosed, what is stocked, and any notes on activity, illness, changes, etc. Life saving!
I am fairly new to the hobby (< 1 year). I have watched hundreds of videos and continue to learn about my tanks. I have a 75 gallons with Gouramis and a new 55 gallons with Longfin Angel Fish in my home office. Both are planted tanks. Needless to say I am enjoying the hobby. I want to give you credit for the great information you continue to provide. Thank you!
Thank you for the much needed reminder. You’re awesome.
Hi cory awesome video I need to buy a test kit. I need to start checking my water to make sure my are happy. Thanks for this video
I just so appreciate you putting this out there, thank you for letting us learn from your mistakes. My favorite episode of the Aquarium Guys pod was the one where they talked about their mistakes.
'?:
The acrylic wholes heat more than glass so that might be why its running hotter than the other tanks
I have a 5 gal planted aquarium with a betta which I started this past September. I test my tank every day, temp, ammonia, PH, nitrates and nitrites (API test kit I got from Aquarium Co-op). I do 50 % water changes every other week. Knock on wood...I have had no issues. Betta is happy and healthy.
Cory, I watch all your videos. You have guided me well my friend. Thank you.
The laser sound every time he pointed the gun was amazing... A+
That is what I was told as well. Our tap water is around 7 PH and quite hard. I have tanks that are inhabited by fish that love that water. My plants are doing well too ;-)
Yes, your right Cory...people do get lazy and not do the test kit....in the beginning, I did it like crazy...then after years, I slowed down and only did it when I felt something was not right.....and the heater....boy never would of thought of that....good vid as usual. Thank you.
I have that temperature gun and it works great. I got it for my tanks as well. I also like your memes.
I think this is one of your best and certainly one of the most important videos you've ever produced. Whether we are a newbie or a longtime aquarist, we *all* need this reminder. I'm totally guilty of slacking off and assuming everything is fine with my water parameters, but we've got to test on a regular and consistent basis. And we can never assume that because one tank is fine that all our tanks are fine. I've got two the appear to be "identical" setups, yet the water test proves otherwise. Thank you for this video and for everything you do for this hobby. Hope I can get up there to your store someday. Blessings to you!
You are so AMAZING Cory & dead on! I test mine every week, if not twice a week. If Fish are acting off, I test the water. Bought the python hose & now water changes are relaxing instead of dreadful. Worth the $50 for the 50ft. Highly recommend
I love how you as a fish owner, you understand that we as fish owners can be *lazy*. However we forget about many parts that can be little and over sighted. It is great to be reminded how little changes in a room can change our tanks drastically.
Amazing video so necessary so classic, I wish the industry would listen and get better more user friendly testing equipment. Cool tips !!!
#1 secret to successful fish keeping is to read forums and watch youtube videos on other people's mistakes and successes
I have that same temp gun, and I check my temps several times a week because I got used to checking to make sure my snakes were hot enough.
I first got my temp gun for my ornate ornata.
That they work so well on the tanks was an added bonus
Really appreciate the content, Corey! You are a wealth of information and I wish I had found you YEARS ago!! Please know you are saving lives, little fishy lives, but lives we are responsible for none the less. I am only know beginning to understand how ignorant I was of the foundational basics of the hobby.
Talk about action in motion! New Unique Viewers video, and new Aquarium Co-Op video! Thanks for sharing Cory!
Cory, have you ever done a video or can you please do a video on water hardness and it’s effect on PH? I’m new to the hobby and test my water like crazy for PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. Just recently got into testing Hardness. I’m using the API KH test kit and it takes 14 drops for the water to turn yellow which is off the chart that is supplied in the kit. The chart only goes to 12 so I know my water is crazy hard. The PH of my water seems to be around 8.0-8.2. A video on what to do or how to adjusts KH/PH via cutting Tap water with RO water or whatever could be done to stabilize the water would be extremely helpful. If you already have a video on this please let me know. Thanks. Your videos rock!
I haven’t tested water I. 18 months. I don’t even have a test kit.
Weekly water changes for the win
Grant Handford daily water changes with my auto water change system.
@@MichaelsFishRoom noice!
@@granthandford Yeah I've always second guessed myself since I don't have a test kit but it seems like weekly water changes is perfectly fine.
Always appreciate the truthful videos, not hiding stuff from your fans is a great thing. Keep up the great videos
Started seeing large males in my registered N class Endler's livebearer colony, generally a sign of hybridism. Turns out my heater stopped, so fish took longer to reach maturity and achieved larger mass. Still as pure as the day I bought them from AdrianHD.
You have super thick acrylic in that tank which is more insulating than glass, contributing to the higher temperature
Great Video Cory thank you! Your the Man!!!
People ASSUME goldfish are easy to keep because feeder goldfish cost 10 cents. Large ornamental goldfish are some of the hardest freshwater fish to keep. Don't believe me, watch this video!
Why have I never thought to cut my test strips in half! Thanks to everyone who commented about this. They cost like $15 - $20 for 25 strips here. You’ve just saves me a fortune. Especially as my tanks only four weeks old so I’m testing every day at the moment until it settles in.
Excellent video, Cory. BTW, almost 400k subscribers. Congratulations on that important milestone. You worked hard, in many ways, to get there. Again, congratulations...😎
The day before I flew to the US i discovered that my tank temp was 17 degrees Celcius. An emergency trip to the aquarium, and some warm water over the course of the night brought the temp up to 25C. It was frought.
Can we use the old school thermometer that sticks to the inside glass wall as reliable measure?
I get the feeling that Infrared thermometer might measure temperature of outside glass or fish instead of actual water... Correct me if I am wrong in my opinion
Cory, your a gift to the fish keeping world! The fact that you pass on this knowledge to everyone in such an organized fashion.
Thank you for that
Those 'lazy man' laser temp guns really shouldn't be used in our hobby. Pointing it at the tank give you the surface temp of the glass. Pointing it down from the top gives you the surface temp of the water. I want to know what the temp is where my fish are swimming. A large/deep tank can and often does have different temps at different levels. Of course, any temp is better than no idea what the temp is.
Anyone know where I can get API Test kit refills? I don't need more vials, instructions, packaging. lol
Even if the laser dot is glowing on the substrate, a fish, plant etc? Not being snarky, I seriously don't know.
@@infinity2z3r07 Yes, even if the 'dot' is penetrating an object, (like the tank glass or thru the waters surface) the temp recorded/displayed is the 'first surface' the laser contacts.
@@PaulMartin61 OK thanks. I don't own one. Just curious!
Great advice.
I was hooked with the zoinks at :55. Great advise as usual. Best takeaway: link to the temp gun. 👍🏻
SPONGEBOB SHOUTOUT!!!! MY EYES!!!!
Great information.
at petsmart there are glowing bettas it’s bad
77 degrees Celsius, perfect temperature to make a green tea ;-)
I still remember some of the first videos edited by Jimmy and the rage the little animations created, and it makes me laugh that he still puts them in judiciously. Don’t change, any of you.
Also, totally agreed, blows my mind that people don’t immediately test during problems (let alone normally).
On your goldfish, I hope it was just temp, but I would be surprised if that’s the long term fix. Temp tends to aggravate existing conditions.
Great video, thanks
I work in a medical school at a large research university, and one of the lab techs, who's also an aquarist, said to think of the water as the fish's atmosphere. He went on to describe how we need a pretty exact balance of nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and other gases in order for us to survive, and so do fish in their water (though not everything is a gas). I test my home aquarium maybe once a month, but my new office aquarium I test weekly. As I get older, I find I can't distinguish precise nuances of color the way I used to be able to, but I can at least identify big swings. I also record the numbers in a spreadsheet, which might be a little anal, but I like to look at the change over time. Watching the nitrites go down as the aquarium cycled was actually pretty cool.
Been keeping aquariums for about 50 years and I deserved this spanking. I have lost many a fish through laziness and hubris. Just recently found my fish room was warmer than I thought. So simple a fix that could have saved fish if I was on top of things. Thank you Corey.
This is SO true. I was cooking dinner after a long nursing shift, and I was listening to this video in my headphones. I have four aquariums, and the last time I'd tested water on them was only a few days prior, but one aquarium is brand new and cycling. I paused what I was doing and tested the water on all my aquariums, starting with the new one, and there was a nitrite spike! I did an 80% water change, retested, and the levels were still present, but MUCH lower. I did another large water change the next day, and now they are gone. I'm testing that new tank daily from here on out thanks to this video, and I started an aquarium journal so I can keep track of my aquarium parameters to observe changes and track trends. Thanks for this awesome tip and excellent content!
Test your water and don’t assume, probably the best advice when things start going wrong. I started slacking a bit on testing and now I have fish paying the consequences. My local tap water is pretty hard with a pH of around 7.5 after aging 24 hrs with a tds of 350-400. While I usually check my tank water with every weekly water change, I haven’t checked the tap water in a while. The pH is now settling around a pH of 8.0 with a tds of 450, shifting my tank pH to 8.0 with a tds over 500. While my endlers and neocaridina shrimp are fine, a few of my celestial pearl danios haven’t been doing great. I picked up some RO/DI water (tested that too) today from my LFS and did a small water change. I’m going to keep doing small water changes daily while testing the water along the way. Fingers crossed that’s the issue and that they pull through. Thanks for all the vids and info!
Beautiful video! Thank you for the honesty and love the editing ❤️💛💚
Aquário bonito
Thank you Cory...I just stopped what I was doing and checked my water. Dog gone...that's why you always rock it. Thank you. By the way..jsu received my large plant order. Everything looks great.
Not only can you apply this to your aquarium but pretty much anything else in life
speaking of testkits, how do you fix super hard water? the city water here is off the charts. it doesnt seem to affect my fish but i really would like for it to be at least in middle of the test scale
is the difference in temperature because it's a big tank and needs powerful lights/equipment for it? I know the equipment added to the temps, but would this be a worry for larger tanks especially?
I test at least once a week with strips. I only have four tanks but it’s so easy with strips. Then if any thing is a little off I’ll use the API test kit which is more hassle but gives me very close to the same result as the strips. Temp gun is super easy too. I love the science part of the hobby so testing is a fun part of it to me. As I was writing this my wife came out and said “you have babies!” My first fry were just born from the platinum cobra fire tail guppies I bought as fry a while back. Woohoo!
I feel attacked. I never test my water. 😂
My favorite test strip tip is to cut them in half so you have twice as many :)
I can't remember which video you shared that in, but I do it to every strip lol
Tons of love from Canada :)
The tank looks amazing. Editing hilarious. Great video coop
What are you, Goldfish!? PEW PEW PEW
PEW PEW!
This is a great video. I keep planted tanks and a huge problem for me is that many plants do not do well in warm water. Now, I'm in FL so keeping any tank under 80 is a feat so even though I have 1 to 2 thermometers in my tanks (depending on how long they are) it is a trial and error on what can actually survive in my tanks. I barely test yet I keep my temp regulated every day and it does work for me. I saw the half test strips trick makes me want to test now lol.
Great video Corn Dog. Good job with the editing Jimmy
Thanks lol :)
Very useful piece of information here that everyone should follow, ILL TELL YOU HWHAT!
Thank you for the value you bring to us all. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't hear you speak. It has been a trial and error. I hope to get the water level much better on my tanks.
You bring up a great point sir. I don't know why so many aquarists neglect water-testing as much as they do when it is THE most important factor in aquarium maintenance and disease prevention.
Cory is like Santa Claus, he knows when old crusty guys get lazy. Yup! Nailed me! Time to change.
Those infrared thermometers only test the glass surface temp. It can't read through glass.
Lol, I just had a similar experience where it took a few weeks to figure out the heater was unplugged. I learned something interesting about treating ick though.
Yes, I’m aware. Instead of disrupting the video I tested the surface temp.
Cory, nothing but respect for you, but I checked with the infrared thermometer manufacturer. The beam cannot penetrate the glass to read the actual temperature of the water. You're totally correct on all the rest.
Yes, you would always lift the top of the aquarium and take the temp. The way it was used in this video was purely for the demonstration of a point. Never the less the aquarium being warmer than the surface of my desk shows that it still picks up a tank that is warmer than another surface.
@@AquariumCoop Yes, but even if you point it down at the water, all you're getting is the temperature of the surface of the water. I run 2 Zacro LCD digital thermometers, one on each side of the tank.
Strips are always accurate enough for me
So I feel like I test pretty often (most water changes at least), but except for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, I don't really think I know what to do with the information I get from the tests. Still learning!
Great video Cory! Watching you wave that temp gun made me chuckle! "Phasers set to stun!!!" Always a lesson - I will be getting my own "phaser" to zap my tanks. Stay transparent - you wear it well!
You are funny. This video made me hit the subscribe, and the bell 🔔 icon. I did the same thing with my temperature gun. I went crazy at first testing everything.
The edits are killing me in this video 😂
Yep, guilty here. I assumed that if one tank tests within acceptable parameters and looks good, they should all read about the same if they're looking healthy and good....WRONG! Oh so very very wrong.
👍❤👍
After 40 years of fish keeping I cant believe that people don't test water chemistry I test before water changes I test the water going in and test 2 days after water change ,,,,
If you have the right setup, chemical analyses can be pretty redundant. I do agree that having a simple thermometer in your tank is very very useful.
I oversize my tanks for what I’m keeping, keep thick mixed substrate, over-plant the tank, include a lot of lava rock and bog wood, dead leaves, a diverse community of snails/shrimp/fish/small frogs, have good lighting, regulated heating, oversized filter, backup filter, and when I go on vacation an automatic feeder.
Never ever had an issue with this setup that I did not cause in the moment myself and that wasn’t obvious (like unplugging the heater by accident). But if you have tons of tanks or limited space, or somehow hate plants and good equipment, this kind of “rare testing” daily aquarium life won’t be doable.
Many years ago I had 8 tanks from 75 gallons to 20 gallons and not only did I NEVER test water I only used aqua safe n would put fish in same day. I'm surprised knowing what I know now that I really didn't have too many fish die if any at all really. Now I test my water every few days as I'm just getting back into the hobby and completely screwed the pooch with my first tank. I probably went through a dozen fish unfortunately...
MY Goldfish are at 79 or hotter, been that way 2 - 3 years, had absolutely no problem. just checked my tank , it is 84.5
you say heat kills yours, why not mine? black moors, Orinda's etc.
You freshwater guys need very basic aquarium controllers like for saltwater tanks. Monitor pH, Temp as well as control cooling and heating systems if required. Not to mention get text messages when pH and temp are off your desired ~target... just don’t get lazy and not calibrate every couple months.
I keep two thermometers in the tank sitting side by side. I even am setting a timer to ensure I check it every morning. My fear is that I get too comfortable and stop checking on my tank, or the thermometer starts lying.
I have digital thermostats on every tank that contr heating and shows me live temp, worþh every cent as I can spot a temp problem instantly.
5:13
Perfect example.
(goldfish in the backround:iM GoNNa HeAD dOwn! THeRE iS sOmEThinG iN ThE SanD! *paff*
Great video, Cory. Thank you for the reminder to stick to the basics. We've really been enjoying the video format lately. We can sense your excitement & enjoyment when you are teaching us about tropical fish. 👍 We don't chime in on the live vids. They just move too quickly for us to chat. But these shorter teaching videos are encouraging & informative for us. (We still watch the live ones, just don't chat.) Thank you for your time & expertise.
GREAT & ESSENTIAL! API Master Test Kit is an essential item for any fishkeeper, as is a thermometer...and keeping track so you can spot trends...
LMAO that part with the lazer thermo was beautiful