Excellent advice Professor! I started keeping fish full time over 30 years ago. I have had fish ever since then. If you count my attempts as a kid trying to keep goldfish bowls, 50 years. New fish keepers today have a major advantage with guys like you, KG tropicals, king of DYI and many more. When I started I bought a 55 gallon. The woman in Petsmart told me a few things. Most were wrong. For example she told me I could add fish after 24 hours. I went back 24 hours later and bought an assortment of community fish. 55 fish to be exact! You know the old 1 fish per gallon. I killed a lot of fish! I was persistent. Added a second HOB filter and Eventually my tank did cycle. I had no idea what the cycle was! My advice to beginners is do a lot of research before you start. You have to be patient. When you start a new tank add fish gradually. I know it’s hard because it’s so fun to fish shop but in the long run if you go slow it will work out. You have to be willing to do the work to keep them alive and healthy. It’s not a hobby for everyone but I find it very rewarding and will keep them as long as I am able. It’s a great hobby!
I started keeping fish in the 70s as a kid. We didn’t have any info back then except what the pet store told us. Needless to say, things didn’t always go so well. I went back to fish keeping in the mid 90s, but life was hectic then and it didn’t last too long. Still only info that was available was what the stores told you. Back in 2020, I had an empty 55 and and empty 20 high. I found so many you tube channels including yours and learned so much! I wanted so bad to get back into fish and so I did. I researched and watched videos to set up the perfect tanks for the fish I wanted. Having never used real plants, I did my research and started using real plants instead of fake. That was it for me. To watch my fish thrive in the perfect environment and my plants thrive, and I was once again hooked! I went from 2 tanks to 10 all of various sizes, with my biggest being 75G in a fairly short period of time lol. My life is a lot different now so I have more time to devote to their care, and pick the right fish for each of my tanks. I’m an animal lover and have always enjoyed caring for all of my animals including my fish. Once a fish keeper and lover, always a fish keeper and lover. With channels like yours and many others, aquarium keeping is so much better than it was back in the day. Thank you for all of the time that you give to the hobby and to all of us!
I’m so lucky my wife has been enjoying my fish tanks! Just started fish keeping last may and this whole list has rung so true. I definitely spend a bit too much time at my LFS haha
Jason I’m a decade behind you in keeping fish, I’ve done the multi tank thing and then my wife let me have a 200gal custom tank, I’ve set it up as Lake Tanganyika community, you can tell just how addictive the hobby is by how long we’ve been in it.. even now I love going into fish stores just to look around, not to buy anything just window shop and if it’s big enough I’ll spend nearly an hour just looking. The main part of this hobby and a must have is patience, everything in this amazing hobby takes time, the more you have the more successful you’ll become.. take care everyone and have a joyful Christmas with family and friends ❤
Awesome. I rarely find people who have been keeping fish longer than me.I have been keeping them for about thirty years And sometimes still make mistakes and still learning. awesome video thanks jason
This has been an on and off hobby of mine for years, and now i'm putting more focus on it and hearing your credentials makes me want to follow your field. I've been watching all of your videos so far and you're very knowledgeable on everything you say so. I appreciate the time you're giving give us 10 tips.
I think my best piece of advice would be to start out with fish that are easy to care for. Don't go right out and spend a fortune on a tank full of Discus, for example. Start out simple and small with a 10 or 20 gallon tank with some common live-bearers. Platies, Mollies, Guppies, or Endlers and maybe a couple of hardy Coridoras. Fish that will survive the mistakes you're likely to make along the way while you learn while also not being overly agressive to one another typically. I personally LOVE Oscars above almost all other fish but I wouldn't recommend them to a beginner just due to the tank size requirements alone not to mention the cleaning and care requirements. Although they're a darn sight easier to care for than Discus. Once you're ready to upgrade then absolutely Oscars, get Oscars!!! lol. I have never kept a more fun and rewarding fish than my Oscars over the years. I wish I had room for some currently.
This is a fantastic video Jason, genuinely feel it’s been my journey - As a beginner you’ve helped me tremendously and I’m sure will continue to do, keep em coming! Joanna too - more small scapes please 😘
Awesome advice. I’ve gone from one to four aquariums since 2020 with a lot of advice from your videos as well as KG Tropicals and Aquarium Co-op. My tip would be: try live plants but research which ones will grow super fast and which won’t and choose based on your ability to take time to trim :) learned that one from another great channel - the Small Scape 😊
I've kept fish for many years, but two years ago, I ventured into keeping plants. It was a rough journey. I screwed up everything you could imagine from the lighting to fertilizers, and it got kind of expensive. Finally, I found a good balance in my tank, but keeping aquarium plants can be more difficult than what they tell you.
For the newbies reading the comments, listen closely to the professor. He is speaking with absolute knowledge, especially the bonus tip. I have been keeping fish for 47 years. Too bad TH-cam wasn’t around in my earlier years, I could have avoided the learning curve 😉.
Something I wish I had known was that having aquariums means extra planning and work if you have surgery. I had to coordinate a ton of friends to help me with my water changes because of the lifting restrictions. So if you’re considering getting into fish and you have a surgery coming up, I suggest waiting to start. Or if you’re like me and had surgery many years into your hobby just make sure you plan on having help arranged in advance
I think a good way to find out if your kids are going to stay interested in keeping fish is to set up a nice sized tank, like 20 gallons, and then only stock it with a few snails. Ramshorn and bladder snails. Let them watch the snails for a couple months, and watch the plants grow. If they're still in love with it after that, you have a fully cycled tank perfect for a few fish.
What I’m thinking I wish I knew was that I was going into this alone. I believed I was starting an aquatic adventure and lifestyle with my partner but in the end it was me who tried time and time again to make them feel the same way I do but in the end interest varies and I could have set up 1000 tanks and it would have been more work for me that’s it. Don’t get me wrong I love it but even the learning of biology and chemistry earned the title of “too smart” and I only preached rhythm as to trying to grow the level of knowledge involved. I know it sounds like I’m just saying negative but I loved learning about the biology and chemistry of the tank and with the fish and all the combinations it can be, different fish, different tanks, decoration etc. I spent so much time at my LFS I’m not on a first name basis with them but actually get calls about fish they have of I have. I have made lots of changes as of recently but every fish is still thriving and growing. Loved this video! Stay happy and healthy my friend!
Maybe I’m not yet qualified to offer advice. I’m only on yr 4 of the hobby. What I would advise anyone getting into any hobby or discipline. You’re gonna make mistakes. That’s ok. Make mistakes and learn from them. Experience is the most valuable knowledge you can ever acquire.
Veterans still make Rookie mistakes; anyone can learn from their own mistakes but it takes a wise fish keeper to learn from the mistakes made by others. Do diligence pays off so do your research, there are tons of searchable data available; so if you have a question get it answered before you pull a trigger! Your fish WILL thank you later! PATIENCE!
Patience. That is not trying to change too much at one time and destroying your ecosystem. Nothing like removing a whole bunch of floating plants and finding the next day that the nitrates have killed all your fish. Take it slow and enjoy.
![[LIVE] Why Angelfish Can Be So Hard To Keep! Plus A Fish Q&A!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4pzTR5u-Kuw/mqdefault.jpg)
Excellent advice Professor! I started keeping fish full time over 30 years ago. I have had fish ever since then. If you count my attempts as a kid trying to keep goldfish bowls, 50 years. New fish keepers today have a major advantage with guys like you, KG tropicals, king of DYI and many more. When I started I bought a 55 gallon. The woman in Petsmart told me a few things. Most were wrong. For example she told me I could add fish after 24 hours. I went back 24 hours later and bought an assortment of community fish. 55 fish to be exact! You know the old 1 fish per gallon. I killed a lot of fish! I was persistent. Added a second HOB filter and Eventually my tank did cycle. I had no idea what the cycle was! My advice to beginners is do a lot of research before you start. You have to be patient. When you start a new tank add fish gradually. I know it’s hard because it’s so fun to fish shop but in the long run if you go slow it will work out. You have to be willing to do the work to keep them alive and healthy. It’s not a hobby for everyone but I find it very rewarding and will keep them as long as I am able. It’s a great hobby!
I started keeping fish in the 70s as a kid. We didn’t have any info back then except what the pet store told us. Needless to say, things didn’t always go so well. I went back to fish keeping in the mid 90s, but life was hectic then and it didn’t last too long. Still only info that was available was what the stores told you. Back in 2020, I had an empty 55 and and empty 20 high. I found so many you tube channels including yours and learned so much! I wanted so bad to get back into fish and so I did. I researched and watched videos to set up the perfect tanks for the fish I wanted. Having never used real plants, I did my research and started using real plants instead of fake. That was it for me. To watch my fish thrive in the perfect environment and my plants thrive, and I was once again hooked! I went from 2 tanks to 10 all of various sizes, with my biggest being 75G in a fairly short period of time lol. My life is a lot different now so I have more time to devote to their care, and pick the right fish for each of my tanks. I’m an animal lover and have always enjoyed caring for all of my animals including my fish. Once a fish keeper and lover, always a fish keeper and lover. With channels like yours and many others, aquarium keeping is so much better than it was back in the day. Thank you for all of the time that you give to the hobby and to all of us!
I’m so lucky my wife has been enjoying my fish tanks! Just started fish keeping last may and this whole list has rung so true.
I definitely spend a bit too much time at my LFS haha
Jason I’m a decade behind you in keeping fish, I’ve done the multi tank thing and then my wife let me have a 200gal custom tank, I’ve set it up as Lake Tanganyika community, you can tell just how addictive the hobby is by how long we’ve been in it.. even now I love going into fish stores just to look around, not to buy anything just window shop and if it’s big enough I’ll spend nearly an hour just looking. The main part of this hobby and a must have is patience, everything in this amazing hobby takes time, the more you have the more successful you’ll become.. take care everyone and have a joyful Christmas with family and friends ❤
Great advice!
5:36 what is moving underneath your gravel? MTS? Clams? If you have freshwater clams, I would love to see a video about that!
Ya MTS 😀
Awesome.
I rarely find people who have been keeping fish longer than me.I have been keeping them for about thirty years And sometimes still make mistakes and still learning. awesome video thanks jason
We’re all still learning.
This has been an on and off hobby of mine for years, and now i'm putting more focus on it and hearing your credentials makes me want to follow your field. I've been watching all of your videos so far and you're very knowledgeable on everything you say so. I appreciate the time you're giving give us 10 tips.
Glad you are here!
First tip for beginners, understand what's in the water coming out of your tap, and *then* decide on what sort of fish will be easier to keep.
I think my best piece of advice would be to start out with fish that are easy to care for. Don't go right out and spend a fortune on a tank full of Discus, for example. Start out simple and small with a 10 or 20 gallon tank with some common live-bearers. Platies, Mollies, Guppies, or Endlers and maybe a couple of hardy Coridoras. Fish that will survive the mistakes you're likely to make along the way while you learn while also not being overly agressive to one another typically. I personally LOVE Oscars above almost all other fish but I wouldn't recommend them to a beginner just due to the tank size requirements alone not to mention the cleaning and care requirements. Although they're a darn sight easier to care for than Discus. Once you're ready to upgrade then absolutely Oscars, get Oscars!!! lol. I have never kept a more fun and rewarding fish than my Oscars over the years. I wish I had room for some currently.
great video, it hits all the points about this amazing hobby. Very inspiring!
Thank You : )
All Good advice and information : )
Thank you!
This is a fantastic video Jason, genuinely feel it’s been my journey - As a beginner you’ve helped me tremendously and I’m sure will continue to do, keep em coming! Joanna too - more small scapes please 😘
So glad you are here!
Everything you mentioned is 100% true. It sounds like someone is taking about me and my experience
We all go through it. Haha
Awesome advice. I’ve gone from one to four aquariums since 2020 with a lot of advice from your videos as well as KG Tropicals and Aquarium Co-op. My tip would be: try live plants but research which ones will grow super fast and which won’t and choose based on your ability to take time to trim :) learned that one from another great channel - the Small Scape 😊
Is the aquarium @4:46 and @5:12 aquariums that you have set up ?? 🤷♂️
Yes! I have since changed the mbuna tank for something else, and the second tank now has Vieja instead of EBA!
@ Both tanks looked very good. And two different vibes.
Jason, Great Video! I learn something every day!! Love this Hobby
Thank you for being here!
I've kept fish for many years, but two years ago, I ventured into keeping plants. It was a rough journey. I screwed up everything you could imagine from the lighting to fertilizers, and it got kind of expensive. Finally, I found a good balance in my tank, but keeping aquarium plants can be more difficult than what they tell you.
Patience is key
For the newbies reading the comments, listen closely to the professor. He is speaking with absolute knowledge, especially the bonus tip. I have been keeping fish for 47 years. Too bad TH-cam wasn’t around in my earlier years, I could have avoided the learning curve 😉.
Thank you!
Something I wish I had known was that having aquariums means extra planning and work if you have surgery. I had to coordinate a ton of friends to help me with my water changes because of the lifting restrictions. So if you’re considering getting into fish and you have a surgery coming up, I suggest waiting to start. Or if you’re like me and had surgery many years into your hobby just make sure you plan on having help arranged in advance
First comment! Great video Jason! Merry Christmas to you guys!
Merry Christmas!
I think a good way to find out if your kids are going to stay interested in keeping fish is to set up a nice sized tank, like 20 gallons, and then only stock it with a few snails. Ramshorn and bladder snails. Let them watch the snails for a couple months, and watch the plants grow. If they're still in love with it after that, you have a fully cycled tank perfect for a few fish.
I love ramshorn snails for this, they get to about the size of a quarter, and they have a lot of color variety. My kids love to spot the babies!
What I’m thinking I wish I knew was that I was going into this alone. I believed I was starting an aquatic adventure and lifestyle with my partner but in the end it was me who tried time and time again to make them feel the same way I do but in the end interest varies and I could have set up 1000 tanks and it would have been more work for me that’s it. Don’t get me wrong I love it but even the learning of biology and chemistry earned the title of “too smart” and I only preached rhythm as to trying to grow the level of knowledge involved. I know it sounds like I’m just saying negative but I loved learning about the biology and chemistry of the tank and with the fish and all the combinations it can be, different fish, different tanks, decoration etc. I spent so much time at my LFS I’m not on a first name basis with them but actually get calls about fish they have of I have. I have made lots of changes as of recently but every fish is still thriving and growing. Loved this video! Stay happy and healthy my friend!
Recently, I've spent hundreds on fish meds. Definitely expensive
Maybe I’m not yet qualified to offer advice. I’m only on yr 4 of the hobby. What I would advise anyone getting into any hobby or discipline. You’re gonna make mistakes. That’s ok. Make mistakes and learn from them. Experience is the most valuable knowledge you can ever acquire.
Word
Veterans still make Rookie mistakes; anyone can learn from their own mistakes but it takes a wise fish keeper to learn from the mistakes made by others. Do diligence pays off so do your research, there are tons of searchable data available; so if you have a question get it answered before you pull a trigger! Your fish WILL thank you later! PATIENCE!
Woke up to a tank of dead fish this morning 😔 trying to remember all the good parts of the hobby lol....
I hate when that happens!
Never skip quarantine for any fish you buy. Treat for at lest 3 weeks. Don't skip it it will cost you in the long run. I know from experience 😢.
Yes!!
Patience. That is not trying to change too much at one time and destroying your ecosystem. Nothing like removing a whole bunch of floating plants and finding the next day that the nitrates have killed all your fish. Take it slow and enjoy.
So true
I would like to add that no matter how well you manage your tank . Fish are going to die.
SO true