More on Fish Tank Packaging Craziness: th-cam.com/video/6Qw8D_DGolo/w-d-xo.html Want to learn some cool ways to save money? Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/dK5p0w2oL6g/w-d-xo.html We have cool new merch! Check it out here: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch If you want more unique ideas check out my Instagram: @thesmallscape If you want to see some of my more traditional aquascapes check out Aquascapes by Joanna at Prime Time Aquatics: th-cam.com/channels/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTA.html
A few weeks ago, I bought some rocks at a good local aquarium shop and the shop assistant made sure to wet the rocks to show me what they will look like underwater. I was impressed with that.
The big one for me that I only came across about a year after I started was "stick a length of pothos vine in the back corner of the tank/in the filter, so it can grow and trail out of the tank." Once it rooted and started growing, it just went *bonkers*, and never again did I see nitrates go above 20 ppm in that tank, even if I forgot a water change one week. I now have pothos in all my tanks, just for the buffer it gives you. Especially for new fishkeepers who may not know how to guess a tank's balance right away, they should send pothos home with every tank sold.
Peace lilies do just as great a job. I use pothos, peace lilies, and a wide variety of other plants in my tank - growing up out of the backs (so their leaves are OUT of the water). They do a phenomenal job of keeping nitrates down and keeping even my smallest tanks nice and stable.
Great video. I was told in a big box store that clown fish would be fine in my fresh water tanks because they really don’t need salt water. This was a rare time that I found a manager.
When I first started the hobby it was so hard for me to identify between a rhizome and a rooted plant. I had no idea what to do with moneywort when I bought it, it doesn't have a root or a rhizome but can be planted or floated. It is a confusing hobby for beginners with all you have to learn, Immerse vs. Emersed then which plants melt and which don't what is really dead and what just melted, which plants want which ferts, and what plant look like when they lack certain nutrients. It has been a fun journey and continues to teach me new stuff every single day. There just isn't enough information on the packages and you you will be self learning from youtube! Sharing this story in hopes to help others new to the plant side of the hobby. Last week I followed the advice of a youtuber on how to eliminate BBA and mixed peroxide with Excel 50/50, drained my aquarium down low and sprayed it directly on my plants.. bye bye to my gorgeous jungle val. Six months of growth and reproduction (some were several feet long) melted to a pile of gunk on my aquarium floor in a few days time. It also hurt my java ferns and my amazon swords in that tank, lost leaves on everything. I lost a few leaves from each of my anubis but they are recovering. It killed all of my ghost shrimp but my amano shrimp are fine, no other losses of life tg as this is my grow out tank for my plecos and my hillstream loaches who now have to depend on store bought foods and wafers because there is no algae left for them to graze at all and they are all to small to be moved to any of my other aquariums. Side note the BBA is gone from the plants... :( It worked but at what price?
This is great! “Betta water” is one of the silliest things people fall for. Really, number one thing is that folks need to do their research BEFORE they go to the store and get distracted/fooled/cheated by all the misinformed (or lying) sales people and shiny packaging and useless products. Unfortunately, bettas are very often an impulse buy made by people who know absolutely nothing. Thanks for helping educate!
I just got to the price of the betta substrate and I had to tell you - yesterday I was at PetSmart and they had WATER for bettas.... the LARGEST was 917mL... less than half a gallon... for 15.99. I about had an aneurysm right there in the store!
Number one thing to tell beginners should be: its not just putting food in a tank 1-2 times a day. Its a good bit of work, its time consuming, and can be very expensive.
I only listen to bald men with beards with smart, beautiful wives for fish keeping advice so I knew all these things before I got my first aquarium.😇 Great advice!
@@martyborst5645 I try! I'm very limited in budget and tank space, so I can't afford to add incompatible stock. Plus I'll take any excuse I can get to make another stop at the aquarium store!
Hi Joanna. On many of fish food bags/jars are pictured African cichlids, neon tetras, bettas, discus and other types of fish that will eat that particular food. Nope. I don’t go by the pictures anymore. I now research a particular food for a specific type of fish. I spent a lot of money relying on the pictures. Thanks for the video. 👍🐠
So annoying when dedicated fish stores sell those semi aquatic plants mixed in amongst the true aquatics fully submerged with nothing labelling them other than the price. And when they rot they smell really bad. Learnt that one the hard way haha
After being in the hobby for 30 years. I found in a big box store (Pet....) a small bottle of betta water. Who knew that bettas needed special high priced water.
I so TOTALLY agree about not relying on fish store staff to advise you properly. When I first got into the hobby more than 20 years ago, I relied heavily on the staff at my local small fish store. Unbeknownst to me at that time, they gave me horrible advice. They're the reason I ended up with a 55g tank with a pair of oscars and a common pleco. Not surprisingly, that tank was a beast to maintain. Also, they sold mondo grass and bamboo almost exclusively for aquariums. I bought a lot of those plants that, of course, died, since they're not truly aquatic. Needless to say, I finally learned to NOT rely on them and do research for myself. The internet made that MUCH easier.
Yeah I had a big box store sell me a fish that was a rosie barb claiming it was a cherry barb. I ended up not liking the fish and returned it to another fish store for credit. I learned my lesson but they repeated that mistake over and over again. Luckily I learned from the first mistake and did my research in advanced.
So true about doing your own research! I ran into this a few months ago at a local LFS. I had done my research and yet when I spoke with a salesperson he said different. I felt I should be able to trust the LFS (and usually can) but I questioned what he said. I later spoke with another salesperson there who confirmed what I learned and so I went with that. Happy Wednesday Joanna! 😊
@@thesmallscape Haha, yes you are right about the quiz! It’s unfortunate too because I liked what he said I could do...But knowing what I had learned on my own, I had to do the right thing. 🐟
Oh man...the mistakes I have made!!! My nephew recently started a tank and I have regaled him with stories & advice, LOL. Biggest thing I wish I knew 20 yrs ago when I got my first betta...the nitrogen cycle. I didn't have an ounce of a clue...poor thing. When selling fish they should automatically give out a hand out explaining the cycle because most people have 0 idea what it is.
Having listened to staff at my LFS talking to people about what they can and can't put in their tank (tank size, tankmates, etc) I have often joked that I'm going to put together a little cheat sheet with resources (websites, TH-cam channels, etc) that they can just hand people...
Totally with you on the nitrogen cycle! When I first got into the hobby more than 2 decades ago (nearly 3), the LFS didn't explain ANY of that. In fact, they told me as soon as my tank was set up, go back and pick the fish I wanted. And they didn't have me started with a couple or three of fish. They had me fully stock (overstock actually) the tank. It's a wonder I ever had success with anything, but not all of the fish made it.
Mondo grass! I’ve got a pot of that growing in my counter because when I first picked up plants I was dumb enough to buy into their tricks of selling it with their other aquarium plants. luckily I realized I had been duped before I killed it in the tank.
Great advice Joanna. I didn’t do much research on my dwarf gourami I purchased from a local fish store not a big box store. They sold me two males abs the dominant male killed the other one. I was so upset. It was my mistake to not do thorough research. Now I don’t rely on the fish personnel. Thanks Joanna. Have a great week.
I can't tell you how many times I dealt with ick in my early years as a hobbyist. In my display tank! I have a permanent QT these days. It runs as a simple plant nursery with snails in it, so it's ready for fish whenever I need it. Live and learn!
Love the video! I so did not think about rocks changing color in the water when I first started. I got this wonderfully light piece of wonderstone that went orange in the water. Oh well still beautiful just wasn’t the plan. One thing that I don’t think that they tell aquascapers is to make sure there is no where the fish can get stuck. I lost a beautiful betta in a rock formation I made because he got stuck. 😞
Great video. Back a few years ago big box stores used to have little books on different fish with basic information. I used to read those first. Do they still exist? Stores think fish are only livestock to be doomed for failure to sell more fish. When I started fish keeping my friend said on tank size bigger is better. Get the biggest you can afford. Boy was she right. I wish I could have a big tank again but cannot. My betta I know is in a 2.5 gal. He was old when I got him. Since I have experience and time to stay on top of everything he is doing great. By they way they also do not tell you to feed various brands of food to get more complete nutrients. One company is not complete with its ingredients.
I think all brand new fish keepers get screwed on substrate choices, food choices, tank sizes, and what tall tales they're told about what fish they can keep or what fish will live well together. Great video, good info. Happy Hump Day! 👍💓👍
So I am new to fish keeping, I wish someone told me about the risk of tanks/filters leaking. At 3:30 am I woke up thinking one of my kids was taking an extra long pee, nope, something was leaking. It turned out to be the hanging filter. About 2 hours of cleanup, most of the day running the dehumidifier to dry out the wood floor and the wooden buffet that the tanks were on just to clean up the mess. I am just glad I only have a 5.5 and 10 gallon. On another note, I have discovered that cuticle cutters are great for snipping/clean up of small plants.
Because I watch these videos, I know that not only all the "betta" stuff is too expensive, but also the "aquarium" stuff drains my money. I love my gardening fertilizer in my aquarium!
Happy Wednesday Joanna- so true about doing your research. And yes I get that we were all beginners at one point- and some of what we learned were by our own mistakes- but in the beginning I wish they would have told me that when you buy new fish that they should be quarantined before adding to an existing tank. I could have saved my fish and a whole lot of money! Ughh
As far as # 3 I pretty much stick to black substrates. As far as having color change in objects I put in my tanks that hasn't been much of an issue for me. I don't buy plants from big box fish stores. I buy 90 % of my plants on line and the rest from my LFS.
I just set up a new tank for a breeding pair of platys that I have. I wanted sand but every pet store I went to wanted way too much for what was in the bags. I ended up buying a 40 lb. bag of all purpose sand from Home Depot for $4. It's not black like I wanted but it's a dark brown with not only sand but really small pebbles and it looks really nice. Down side is it's very dirty and had to clean it but man, I'm definitely happy I got this stuff. Get alot for super cheap. 😃
Thanks for this Joanna, a great summary of the research I have done. I watched so many videos from you and Jason, and John and Lisa, Cory from AC and some others just so I have a good understanding and knowledge when I do go shopping. I am just about to place a plant and fish order, so I made sure I know exactly what and how many of each, and because of all that I am truly enjoying my aquariums (4 up and running) and a QT. I was wondering if you and Jason could do a show on the Panda Garras. I have six and getting six more. They are the cutest and funniest little guys. But I haven't found that much info on them.
Yeah I lost the peacock fern due to not reading labels lol, actually I was thinking parrot fern when I got it, but was I new to aquatic plants. I couldn't remember which was which when I got into the store.
Thanks for the information 🤗 I had a plant that was semi submersible and for some reason it decided it was time to die and it totally fouled the pond water I lost my large shubunkins and only managed to revive two of the 5 I had
Such a great video, Joanna, this should be mandatory stuff for any beginner to watch. Like "Hey, you're here to get a fish tank and fish? Come watch this video first." #blacksandgang
CLINTTTTT!! hey #blacksandgangforever buddy! I was just telling Jason last night - where’s Clint?! Yes, it should be mandatory and then they get a pretty button. 🙌
@@thesmallscape yeah, work has exploded recently, and as a project manager, I’ve had back to back 6 am mtgs on Thursday. I’ve missed y’all a bunch but had to get my old man rest.
Putting the rocks in water before buying.... WOW what a good idea, wish my LFS would do that. I bought rocks from the same bin at the storr and they looked like they matched but turned out to look completely different underwater. What a bummer.
@@thesmallscape you see that nice dragonstone and then after you put it in the water; woah where did these colors and pattern come from?? looks nothing like the other ones 😅 Guess It's a part of the game with sedimentary rocks
Nice set of Advices Mrs. Prime Time. At age 14 I made my second planted tank, All easy green plants and they were growing nice. Then I though to add shining type of fish. Instead of Red Eye Tetra My idiotic selection was Silver Dollars and That Was It....
I wish I had gotten better advice on the use of all in one fertilizers in low tech aquariums with java fern, anubias, and crypts. One pump per 20 litres per week was way too much, as was one pump per 10 gallons on a different brand. What a mess that was. But at least I got to see the many varieties of algae I can grow. It was a rough first year with the 29 gallon but then what else was I gonna do during the pandemic other than try to "balance" my tank.
This is a great video! I have fallen in the “betta” line trap before 😅 wish I had known this then. Do you have a video on how to properly fertilize your tank? I’m new to aquascaping and I’m not sure I’m adding enough fertilizer to my tank 😬 thanks :)
@@thesmallscape gotcha! I’m super new to planted tanks (and fish keeping really) and I think I’m not feeding my plants enough, hence the question. My tank is probably under stocked and went bonkers with the plants lol. Time will tell I guess 🤪. I love your videos BTW
@@thesmallscape My blue crowntail is in great shape with all her room to exercise. She still strikes a pose to show off her figure. LOL See you at a live soon!
One of my first unfortunate discoveries was that a big siphon hose is not gonna work out for a nano tank. I couldn't even submerge the whole siphon for my six gallon but bought it without considering that possibility. Rookie fail!
Never let the excitement of having a new fish/plant/tank get in the way of doing proper research! My first aquarium (4years ago) was ALL the beginners mistakes. Thankfully it was a 10gallon, so I didn't pay $8.99 for Betta World substrate! Yikes!
Lol!! Haha - welll... you’ve got some right there.. I go by J, Jo, JoJo, Josie, moje, mojerman, my sister used to call me cujo 🤦🏻♀️ I love yours though, I will add it to the list! 😂
@@thesmallscape nice lol. That's actually a simpsons reference that popped into my head for some reason. Homer was trying to come up with a name to use for advice so Moe wouldn't know he was asking about himself.
#1 thing not talked about? We are speaking in genus, not species. For instance, what's the water parameters for that cory cat? Which one, the panda or the sterbai? Sometimes the staff does not recognize that even similar looking species of the same genus can have totally different requirements and temperament. Know which species you want and don't just buy stuff from the lfs or big box to stuff in your tank while you research your mistake. I'm sorry that the fish at the lfs will be gone by the time you've done your research, but buying a mistake could last the rest of the life of one or many of your fish. Fish get stuck and die. That's another. We've all had it happen, but rarely do I see anyone talking about not making your tank a death trap. So overall? Fish die. Unexpectedly and sometimes unfairly. It can be a gut wrenching hobby after a hurricane.
I was talking recently to a young hobbyist who had a fish up and disappear. I mean totally vanish in a 10g tank with minimal decorations and plantings. She checked all around the tank and it wasn't on the floor. I asked about her decorations. Turned out she had one that contains "holes" where fish can get down inside them. Having made that mistake myself years back and lost a blue gourami to it, I was able to solve the mystery for her. She had NO idea fish could get into those things and get stuck. I assured her MANY of us have been there, and we all seem to have to learn it the hard way.
What’s worse is when it doesn’t die. Not that I want any fish to die, but when they keep their fish in a teeny, tiny container, don’t condition the water, don’t heat the water and the poor fish lives for two years. I knew someone who did that. When I suggested things that would give the fish a better life, I was told it wasn’t necessary. When fish do ok in those conditions, the people who own them tell others. Then bad fishkeeping is perpetuated.
You mention educating yourself. I cannot emphasize that enough. Don't buy anything on a whim, especially as a new fish keeper! You might think a Betta is easy! They live in cottage cheese containers, how hard can it be? Keeping any fish in a tiny container can be done, but it is similar to you living in a closet. You can do it but it would be awful! Do some TH-cam research, look up natural habitat, recommended tanks that experts use. Check out Aquarium shops, some of the better ones have their own special made planted holding tanks, with healthy active fish. This is a process for every fish species you purchase or acquire! Research, research, Research! Talk to people in the industry, join an Aquarium Club. Learn more than Petco or anyone else knows so they can't sell you garbage.
I don't know a family friendly way to talk about that 1 pound of betta substrate. Edit: still bothering me. When they attempt to rip off the new uninformed hobbyist, we should all be angry. Every one of us lifers should cry foul at the company perpetrating shenanigans. This is the kind of thing that chases new people out of the hobby. What possible marketing bs could they have for this gouging?
My number 1 advice for beginner fish keepers always is, dont buy the fish tank and the fish on the same day... This kinda sounds overly basic, but I keep getting the "shocked pikachu face" in response so...
More on Fish Tank Packaging Craziness: th-cam.com/video/6Qw8D_DGolo/w-d-xo.html
Want to learn some cool ways to save money? Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/dK5p0w2oL6g/w-d-xo.html
We have cool new merch! Check it out here: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
If you want more unique ideas check out my Instagram: @thesmallscape
If you want to see some of my more traditional aquascapes check out Aquascapes by Joanna at Prime Time Aquatics: th-cam.com/channels/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTA.html
I wish there was a way to measure Joanna's anger (disappointment) at some of aquarium companies just depending on when she rolls her eyes 😂😂
Lol! Jason should have added a meter on the side. 😂😂
Worker: why are you dipping the rocks in the tanks. Me: I’m checking the color of my rock before I buy. lol lol
Hahaha! New trending activity: rock dipping! Sell all rocks as MAGIC 🪄 ✨rocks! 😂😂
A few weeks ago, I bought some rocks at a good local aquarium shop and the shop assistant made sure to wet the rocks to show me what they will look like underwater. I was impressed with that.
No kidding!! Wow, that is indeed impressive! Thanks for sharing that 🙌
The big one for me that I only came across about a year after I started was "stick a length of pothos vine in the back corner of the tank/in the filter, so it can grow and trail out of the tank." Once it rooted and started growing, it just went *bonkers*, and never again did I see nitrates go above 20 ppm in that tank, even if I forgot a water change one week. I now have pothos in all my tanks, just for the buffer it gives you. Especially for new fishkeepers who may not know how to guess a tank's balance right away, they should send pothos home with every tank sold.
Peace lilies do just as great a job. I use pothos, peace lilies, and a wide variety of other plants in my tank - growing up out of the backs (so their leaves are OUT of the water). They do a phenomenal job of keeping nitrates down and keeping even my smallest tanks nice and stable.
Great video. I was told in a big box store that clown fish would be fine in my fresh water tanks because they really don’t need salt water. This was a rare time that I found a manager.
🤭😱oh my gosh! I will try some sea horses in my tanks in that case! 😂😂
When I first started the hobby it was so hard for me to identify between a rhizome and a rooted plant. I had no idea what to do with moneywort when I bought it, it doesn't have a root or a rhizome but can be planted or floated. It is a confusing hobby for beginners with all you have to learn, Immerse vs. Emersed then which plants melt and which don't what is really dead and what just melted, which plants want which ferts, and what plant look like when they lack certain nutrients. It has been a fun journey and continues to teach me new stuff every single day. There just isn't enough information on the packages and you you will be self learning from youtube!
Sharing this story in hopes to help others new to the plant side of the hobby. Last week I followed the advice of a youtuber on how to eliminate BBA and mixed peroxide with Excel 50/50, drained my aquarium down low and sprayed it directly on my plants.. bye bye to my gorgeous jungle val. Six months of growth and reproduction (some were several feet long) melted to a pile of gunk on my aquarium floor in a few days time. It also hurt my java ferns and my amazon swords in that tank, lost leaves on everything. I lost a few leaves from each of my anubis but they are recovering. It killed all of my ghost shrimp but my amano shrimp are fine, no other losses of life tg as this is my grow out tank for my plecos and my hillstream loaches who now have to depend on store bought foods and wafers because there is no algae left for them to graze at all and they are all to small to be moved to any of my other aquariums. Side note the BBA is gone from the plants... :( It worked but at what price?
This is great! “Betta water” is one of the silliest things people fall for. Really, number one thing is that folks need to do their research BEFORE they go to the store and get distracted/fooled/cheated by all the misinformed (or lying) sales people and shiny packaging and useless products. Unfortunately, bettas are very often an impulse buy made by people who know absolutely nothing. Thanks for helping educate!
I just got to the price of the betta substrate and I had to tell you - yesterday I was at PetSmart and they had WATER for bettas.... the LARGEST was 917mL... less than half a gallon... for 15.99. I about had an aneurysm right there in the store!
😳
Lol! 🤦🏻♀️ Ahh..to laugh or cry - that’s the question.
Number one thing to tell beginners should be: its not just putting food in a tank 1-2 times a day. Its a good bit of work, its time consuming, and can be very expensive.
Yes! Good point, I agree!
I only listen to bald men with beards with smart, beautiful wives for fish keeping advice so I knew all these things before I got my first aquarium.😇 Great advice!
“Doozeys enough said “ lol loads of laughs I love it I’m 2 years into fish-keeping and this stuff still helps 🙏🏻
I'm over 20 years in the hobby and I'm still a student to the game. 🤙
I go to the fish store twice, once to see what they have and the second time to buy. And a lot of research and pondering in between!
Drew Knoll-Owen, smart move. You sound like you put impulse buying alone. I too research, think about it and then maybe purchase.
Great thinking! I frequently do that for gardening too. 🥳
@@martyborst5645 I try! I'm very limited in budget and tank space, so I can't afford to add incompatible stock. Plus I'll take any excuse I can get to make another stop at the aquarium store!
Drew Knoll-Owen, I understand. Happy fish keeping. 😀🐠
The only thing I've found a one gallon tank good for is a brine shrimp hatchery 😂
Yes! You got it!
Hi Joanna. On many of fish food bags/jars are pictured African cichlids, neon tetras, bettas, discus and other types of fish that will eat that particular food. Nope. I don’t go by the pictures anymore. I now research a particular food for a specific type of fish. I spent a lot of money relying on the pictures. Thanks for the video. 👍🐠
So annoying when dedicated fish stores sell those semi aquatic plants mixed in amongst the true aquatics fully submerged with nothing labelling them other than the price. And when they rot they smell really bad. Learnt that one the hard way haha
Right?! Should be a different section and color package!
After being in the hobby for 30 years. I found in a big box store (Pet....) a small bottle of betta water. Who knew that bettas needed special high priced water.
🤦🏻♀️right?!
I so TOTALLY agree about not relying on fish store staff to advise you properly. When I first got into the hobby more than 20 years ago, I relied heavily on the staff at my local small fish store. Unbeknownst to me at that time, they gave me horrible advice. They're the reason I ended up with a 55g tank with a pair of oscars and a common pleco. Not surprisingly, that tank was a beast to maintain. Also, they sold mondo grass and bamboo almost exclusively for aquariums. I bought a lot of those plants that, of course, died, since they're not truly aquatic. Needless to say, I finally learned to NOT rely on them and do research for myself. The internet made that MUCH easier.
I love your background in the smallscape videos, don't ever feel like you need to change it. You always have great advice and info, good job.
Oh Joanna, such terrific things to remind us of! The Betta substrate is sad. Yes, I always dip rocks in water to see their color. See ya!
Yeah I had a big box store sell me a fish that was a rosie barb claiming it was a cherry barb. I ended up not liking the fish and returned it to another fish store for credit. I learned my lesson but they repeated that mistake over and over again. Luckily I learned from the first mistake and did my research in advanced.
So true about doing your own research! I ran into this a few months ago at a local LFS. I had done my research and yet when I spoke with a salesperson he said different. I felt I should be able to trust the LFS (and usually can) but I questioned what he said. I later spoke with another salesperson there who confirmed what I learned and so I went with that. Happy Wednesday Joanna! 😊
Oh wow, great story. It’s kind of like - research first and then see if they pass the quiz! Haha. Happy Wednesday!
@@thesmallscape Haha, yes you are right about the quiz! It’s unfortunate too because I liked what he said I could do...But knowing what I had learned on my own, I had to do the right thing. 🐟
Oh man...the mistakes I have made!!! My nephew recently started a tank and I have regaled him with stories & advice, LOL. Biggest thing I wish I knew 20 yrs ago when I got my first betta...the nitrogen cycle. I didn't have an ounce of a clue...poor thing. When selling fish they should automatically give out a hand out explaining the cycle because most people have 0 idea what it is.
That is so true! Yes! I agree, and even a little class they need to take! That would be cool. ☺️
Having listened to staff at my LFS talking to people about what they can and can't put in their tank (tank size, tankmates, etc) I have often joked that I'm going to put together a little cheat sheet with resources (websites, TH-cam channels, etc) that they can just hand people...
Totally with you on the nitrogen cycle! When I first got into the hobby more than 2 decades ago (nearly 3), the LFS didn't explain ANY of that. In fact, they told me as soon as my tank was set up, go back and pick the fish I wanted. And they didn't have me started with a couple or three of fish. They had me fully stock (overstock actually) the tank. It's a wonder I ever had success with anything, but not all of the fish made it.
Mondo grass! I’ve got a pot of that growing in my counter because when I first picked up plants I was dumb enough to buy into their tricks of selling it with their other aquarium plants. luckily I realized I had been duped before I killed it in the tank.
Whew! Luckily it’s a good looking plant!
Great advice Joanna. I didn’t do much research on my dwarf gourami I purchased from a local fish store not a big box store. They sold me two males abs the dominant male killed the other one. I was so upset. It was my mistake to not do thorough research. Now I don’t rely on the fish personnel. Thanks Joanna. Have a great week.
Ya. That’s too bad. I hope you have a great week, Bonnie! ☺️
Great tips! Yes.... substrate should match your decor! 🤣
Research and quarantine. I didn't know about diseases of fish when I first started. Of course I learned the hard way. 😁.
Oh yaaaaa... I hear you on that!
I can't tell you how many times I dealt with ick in my early years as a hobbyist. In my display tank! I have a permanent QT these days. It runs as a simple plant nursery with snails in it, so it's ready for fish whenever I need it. Live and learn!
Love the video! I so did not think about rocks changing color in the water when I first started. I got this wonderfully light piece of wonderstone that went orange in the water. Oh well still beautiful just wasn’t the plan.
One thing that I don’t think that they tell aquascapers is to make sure there is no where the fish can get stuck. I lost a beautiful betta in a rock formation I made because he got stuck. 😞
Great video. Back a few years ago big box stores used to have little books on different fish with basic information. I used to read those first. Do they still exist? Stores think fish are only livestock to be doomed for failure to sell more fish. When I started fish keeping my friend said on tank size bigger is better. Get the biggest you can afford. Boy was she right. I wish I could have a big tank again but cannot. My betta I know is in a 2.5 gal. He was old when I got him. Since I have experience and time to stay on top of everything he is doing great. By they way they also do not tell you to feed various brands of food to get more complete nutrients. One company is not complete with its ingredients.
I think all brand new fish keepers get screwed on substrate choices, food choices, tank sizes, and what tall tales they're told about what fish they can keep or what fish will live well together. Great video, good info. Happy Hump Day!
👍💓👍
Yes, I agree. They kind of start out in the wrong foot.
So I am new to fish keeping, I wish someone told me about the risk of tanks/filters leaking. At 3:30 am I woke up thinking one of my kids was taking an extra long pee, nope, something was leaking. It turned out to be the hanging filter. About 2 hours of cleanup, most of the day running the dehumidifier to dry out the wood floor and the wooden buffet that the tanks were on just to clean up the mess. I am just glad I only have a 5.5 and 10 gallon. On another note, I have discovered that cuticle cutters are great for snipping/clean up of small plants.
Because I watch these videos, I know that not only all the "betta" stuff is too expensive, but also the "aquarium" stuff drains my money. I love my gardening fertilizer in my aquarium!
Yay for gardening stuff! 😋
Have you tried making osmocote root tabs?
Happy Wednesday Joanna- so true about doing your research. And yes I get that we were all beginners at one point- and some of what we learned were by our own mistakes- but in the beginning I wish they would have told me that when you buy new fish that they should be quarantined before adding to an existing tank. I could have saved my fish and a whole lot of money! Ughh
Happy Wednesday! 🥳 Yes! They usually only ask “what size tank do you have?” 🤭
As far as # 3 I pretty much stick to black substrates. As far as having color change in objects I put in my tanks that hasn't been much of an issue for me. I don't buy plants from big box fish stores. I buy 90 % of my plants on line and the rest from my LFS.
That's very good advice. Thank you 😊
Thanks for the video. I'm so glad you said, to research. 💕💕🐠🐟🐠🐟🐠🐟🐠🐟🐠🐟🐠🐟🐠🐟
Always helps 😌
Very good information. This is great for the beginner.
I hope so!
I just set up a new tank for a breeding pair of platys that I have. I wanted sand but every pet store I went to wanted way too much for what was in the bags. I ended up buying a 40 lb. bag of all purpose sand from Home Depot for $4. It's not black like I wanted but it's a dark brown with not only sand but really small pebbles and it looks really nice. Down side is it's very dirty and had to clean it but man, I'm definitely happy I got this stuff. Get alot for super cheap. 😃
Sweet score!! Gotta love those mongo bags!
Love that sand! Pool filter sand also works, and comes in different grades.
Spot on Joanna...research, research, research. Unbelievable the 1lb. bag for $8.99!
😌Jason was like..”you ARE returning that, right?!” Haha!!
This was enlightening and upsetting too ! Thanks for this video 🥳👈
You are most welcome - thanks for spending some time here this morning! 😌
@@thesmallscape One of my very favorite places to be ! 🐠 💦
Thanks for this Joanna, a great summary of the research I have done. I watched so many videos from you and Jason, and John and Lisa, Cory from AC and some others just so I have a good understanding and knowledge when I do go shopping. I am just about to place a plant and fish order, so I made sure I know exactly what and how many of each, and because of all that I am truly enjoying my aquariums (4 up and running) and a QT. I was wondering if you and Jason could do a show on the Panda Garras. I have six and getting six more. They are the cutest and funniest little guys. But I haven't found that much info on them.
Great job Joanna, you’re my hero today
Haha! Thank you! ☺️
Thanks for the tips...
Just recommend your channel to a newbie.. couldn't be more happier..😄
Wow! Thank you so much! Now I couldn’t be happier!! ☺️☺️☺️
Really appreciated that you raised this points its true 💯
Happy sunny Wednesday 🌞, cool money saving advice. Didn’t realise how over priced Betta products are 🤓
And happy sunny Thursday right back to you! Yes, some are quite, eh hem, startling. 😎
Excellent points!
Great tips and info as always. I always look forward to your posts!
So sweet - thank you! ☺️
Yeah I lost the peacock fern due to not reading labels lol, actually I was thinking parrot fern when I got it, but was I new to aquatic plants. I couldn't remember which was which when I got into the store.
Thanks for the information 🤗 I had a plant that was semi submersible and for some reason it decided it was time to die and it totally fouled the pond water I lost my large shubunkins and only managed to revive two of the 5 I had
Oh no, Mary, I’m so sorry about that. 🙁
Such a great video, Joanna, this should be mandatory stuff for any beginner to watch. Like "Hey, you're here to get a fish tank and fish? Come watch this video first." #blacksandgang
CLINTTTTT!! hey #blacksandgangforever buddy! I was just telling Jason last night - where’s Clint?! Yes, it should be mandatory and then they get a pretty button. 🙌
@@thesmallscape yeah, work has exploded recently, and as a project manager, I’ve had back to back 6 am mtgs on Thursday. I’ve missed y’all a bunch but had to get my old man rest.
Thank You so much i am learning from you both so much.
😌 so happy to hear!
Very excellant tips! I really enjoy your channels thank you 👍🏻🙂.
We appreciate that very much!☺️
Another good topic
As always a great informative video. It's amazing with all the technology we have how some people will do no research. Love from Wisconsin.
Putting the rocks in water before buying.... WOW what a good idea, wish my LFS would do that. I bought rocks from the same bin at the storr and they looked like they matched but turned out to look completely different underwater. What a bummer.
Ya. Been there, done that. Especially with any orange hues !
@@thesmallscape you see that nice dragonstone and then after you put it in the water; woah where did these colors and pattern come from?? looks nothing like the other ones 😅 Guess It's a part of the game with sedimentary rocks
Nice set of Advices Mrs. Prime Time. At age 14 I made my second planted tank, All easy green plants and they were growing nice. Then I though to add shining type of fish. Instead of Red Eye Tetra My idiotic selection was Silver Dollars and That Was It....
I've been loving this channel!!
So happy to hear 😌😌😌
I so enjoyed your video and I totally agree with you. I always look forward to your videos I have learned so much from you.
Thank you very much! ☺️
Do you have a video on decorations for the fish tanks and if you can convert plastic holiday decorations to aquatic.
I wish I had gotten better advice on the use of all in one fertilizers in low tech aquariums with java fern, anubias, and crypts. One pump per 20 litres per week was way too much, as was one pump per 10 gallons on a different brand. What a mess that was. But at least I got to see the many varieties of algae I can grow. It was a rough first year with the 29 gallon but then what else was I gonna do during the pandemic other than try to "balance" my tank.
This is a great video! I have fallen in the “betta” line trap before 😅 wish I had known this then.
Do you have a video on how to properly fertilize your tank? I’m new to aquascaping and I’m not sure I’m adding enough fertilizer to my tank 😬 thanks :)
No video yet but I very sparingly add ferts, just not needed with my plants and stocking levels. 😌
@@thesmallscape gotcha! I’m super new to planted tanks (and fish keeping really) and I think I’m not feeding my plants enough, hence the question. My tank is probably under stocked and went bonkers with the plants lol. Time will tell I guess 🤪. I love your videos BTW
Another informative video!
They should put a pic of a Betta on a 20 gallon. LOL
How's Elizabeth?
Lol! Yes! Elizabeth is doing very well! And how are you and yours doing? 😃
@@thesmallscape
My blue crowntail is in great shape with all her room to exercise. She still strikes a pose to show off her figure. LOL
See you at a live soon!
At my loacal fish store you can get a 5 pound bag of gravel any color for 6 dollars.
Nice!! ☺️
One of my first unfortunate discoveries was that a big siphon hose is not gonna work out for a nano tank. I couldn't even submerge the whole siphon for my six gallon but bought it without considering that possibility. Rookie fail!
Lol - haha! 😂
Never let the excitement of having a new fish/plant/tank get in the way of doing proper research!
My first aquarium (4years ago) was ALL the beginners mistakes.
Thankfully it was a 10gallon, so I didn't pay $8.99 for Betta World substrate! Yikes!
Ahhh...those first mistakes stick with you... 😆
Sparkling Gourami at 0:55? 😍 I miss mine...
Good to see 👀 u 👍
I totally bought a gold ribbon once...
Lol...🤭
They should teach beginners to hot rod their filters so they don't have to but buy they replacement media
Yes! Totally! I can't believe how much money I spent on replacement media cartridges in the early years. Needlessly!!!
The 25#er of black sand I got scaped 2 x 10 gallon tanks.
Happy Wednesday 🥳🙌🙌❤️
Woohoo!!!
Ugh. I hadn't seen the "betta substrate". That's as bad as the "betta water" I used to see when I shopped at one of the big box stores.
Great tips!!
You must know about the tumbled glass substrate that's glass for $15 a cup?
Yes. I have seen options like that - usually available at high end Aquascaping shops, on my list to try. I love any kind of alternative options! ☺️
Research People! It saves fish and plant lives! And sometimes money, in cases like 8 dollars for a pound of substrate!
🙌🙌🙌
3:40 it won't be the color of it once algae gets on it either.
i swear they advertise betta water conditioning dechlorinator
Yes! I think I saw that! 🤦🏻♀️
Hey Joanna. Do you ever go by the name Joey Jojo junior Shabadoo?
Lol!! Haha - welll... you’ve got some right there.. I go by J, Jo, JoJo, Josie, moje, mojerman, my sister used to call me cujo 🤦🏻♀️ I love yours though, I will add it to the list! 😂
@@thesmallscape nice lol. That's actually a simpsons reference that popped into my head for some reason. Homer was trying to come up with a name to use for advice so Moe wouldn't know he was asking about himself.
Thank you for pronouncing Betta properly
You’re welcome 😆☺️
#1 thing not talked about? We are speaking in genus, not species. For instance, what's the water parameters for that cory cat? Which one, the panda or the sterbai? Sometimes the staff does not recognize that even similar looking species of the same genus can have totally different requirements and temperament. Know which species you want and don't just buy stuff from the lfs or big box to stuff in your tank while you research your mistake. I'm sorry that the fish at the lfs will be gone by the time you've done your research, but buying a mistake could last the rest of the life of one or many of your fish.
Fish get stuck and die. That's another. We've all had it happen, but rarely do I see anyone talking about not making your tank a death trap.
So overall? Fish die. Unexpectedly and sometimes unfairly. It can be a gut wrenching hobby after a hurricane.
I was talking recently to a young hobbyist who had a fish up and disappear. I mean totally vanish in a 10g tank with minimal decorations and plantings. She checked all around the tank and it wasn't on the floor. I asked about her decorations. Turned out she had one that contains "holes" where fish can get down inside them. Having made that mistake myself years back and lost a blue gourami to it, I was able to solve the mystery for her. She had NO idea fish could get into those things and get stuck. I assured her MANY of us have been there, and we all seem to have to learn it the hard way.
100th like 👍
You are so sweet! Thank you x100! 😌
There is a “perfect for beta” for everything it’s so sad. It makes our hobby look bad when someone buys a beta and done no research and it dies.
Yes. Exactly
What’s worse is when it doesn’t die. Not that I want any fish to die, but when they keep their fish in a teeny, tiny container, don’t condition the water, don’t heat the water and the poor fish lives for two years. I knew someone who did that. When I suggested things that would give the fish a better life, I was told it wasn’t necessary.
When fish do ok in those conditions, the people who own them tell others. Then bad fishkeeping is perpetuated.
Its Betta Matthew not "Beta"
You mention educating yourself. I cannot emphasize that enough. Don't buy anything on a whim, especially as a new fish keeper! You might think a Betta is easy! They live in cottage cheese containers, how hard can it be?
Keeping any fish in a tiny container can be done, but it is similar to you living in a closet. You can do it but it would be awful! Do some TH-cam research, look up natural habitat, recommended tanks that experts use. Check out Aquarium shops, some of the better ones have their own special made planted holding tanks, with healthy active fish.
This is a process for every fish species you purchase or acquire! Research, research, Research! Talk to people in the industry, join an Aquarium Club. Learn more than Petco or anyone else knows so they can't sell you garbage.
I don't know a family friendly way to talk about that 1 pound of betta substrate.
Edit: still bothering me. When they attempt to rip off the new uninformed hobbyist, we should all be angry. Every one of us lifers should cry foul at the company perpetrating shenanigans. This is the kind of thing that chases new people out of the hobby. What possible marketing bs could they have for this gouging?
My number 1 advice for beginner fish keepers always is, dont buy the fish tank and the fish on the same day...
This kinda sounds overly basic, but I keep getting the "shocked pikachu face" in response so...
Ya! Lol - hard to hear for most but that is good advice! 😊
So sad
2 things I d o not like.
1. A liar
2. Ignorance.
P.S. I found the hair ties but only in white, so far.