@@StephenP2003 Awesome tank, I'm still on the fence about raising live barriers in a 75 gal tank BUT, since I listened to your video, it's a cool looking idea.
I've got a 26.5 gal. tall aquarium with approx. 100 guppies and 50 platys (plus a foot-long pleco and some other random fish). I didn't stock the aquarium, it was my grandma's and I inherited about 4 months ago after she passed. I've tried using the stocking calculators online and my bioload is definitely insane: I get anything from 700% to 3000% overstock. However, the tank ran like that for at least 10 years at my grandma's place and it's been doing great since I moved it to my apartment. I test the water weekly and there's 0 ammonia or nitrites at any point, and the highest nitrate reading I've got after a 2-week period without a water change was 5 ppm. The fish are lively, colorful, healthy and breeding. I've only had a couple of casualties a month during the months I've had it. I've recently bought a 90 gal 5' long tank for the pleco just because of the space; but in terms of bioload, I think the general understanding of what a healthy tank is is heavily skewed towards understocking.
Yep, the tank stocking guides and calculators most definitely skew to keeping an unplanted understocked tank. As you get more into the hobby, you start to understand what it means to overstock and work around it!
LOVE THIS TANK ! Super inspirational , just cleaned out and have a empty 55gal and my Wife and I have been discussing and trying to figure out what to put in it...
I have a 30 gal with guppies, platys, mollies, and just thinking about a predator to keep the fry in check.The mollies took a while to reproduce. I had to adjust the temp a tiny bit because apparently platys need a degree or so higher than guppies in order to breed. Lots of guppy grass and duckweed. I just added 9 panda corys.
Love your take on “the Fish Police” lol. You were right on that. You developed a well seasoned tank and it threw you into a big learning curve. Glad you didn’t give up and don’t change anything about that tank, it is beautiful to watch.
*NAILED IT, Thanx!* I agree (and sometimes a 'newbie' employee tries to limit my purchases) - I monitor (& water change) often enough, well planted, good filtration (almost always running) = Fish are happy! ALSO Good enough job editing to get you this new subscriber. (who is 'fussy' & only subscribes to one other fish advice channel...) I like the sense of humor CHEERS !
I love a shit ton of livebearers. My experience was very similar to what you described. Took a while to get the guppy population going as new adults wouldn't live long. It wasn't until any babies born in the tank grew up to have their own babies that they began to take off. I might try adding chicken noodle soup to quarantine routine.
I just started a livebearer tank and baby tank. I have about a dozen mixed babies; platys, mollies, swords, and just a few very tiny guppies who keep hiding. The adults are pregnant again, and I'm not sure I want to save the babies again. But, of course, the adults won't eat them, and the female Betta has become the "nanny", keeping the other fish away from the bushy plants hiding the week-old babies. (She didn't eat the last batch, so I'm gonna let her be Nanny while she's happy!) I have no clue what I'm going to do with all these babies, though? Everyone I ask seems to just wave off fish and tanks. So, I'm just enjoying watching the babies grow up. I'll deal with it when the time comes to find homes for them.
Ok listen here. You are 😂 hilarious. I hardly ever comment or even finish watching an entire video lol A.D.D. 😆 but you drew me in a kept my attention. Then, "I'm my own grandpa" did it haaaahahahahaha. Subscribed and following now. 😀
Mr. Phillips, I just LOVE the way you tell a story!!! Genuinely intuitive and FUNNY!!!! This tank is absolutely Amazing!!!! Your ability to communicate is very Sarcastic and GEEKY!!!! In a wonderfully HILARIOUS WAY!!! I know, others might bitch and make negative comments, Like you I DON"T GIVE E FORK!!! Or a spooning! Thank you for an excellently edited video!!! It is wholeheartedly Welcomed!!!
I’d rather have ecosystems than pristine fish tanks any day. Thanks for putting easy to understand, simple fish keeping info out there for people new to the hobby.
I have a little 10 gallon tank that is overstocked with endlers, just a cloud of them! The filtration is a couple of airstones buried in a corner under a little hill of the lava rock substrate. The fish police would say it's too overstocked, but the endlers are healthy and active and the fry are surviving pretty well.
It s a lovely tank and lovely Intergalactic Police Patrol , lol :) ! I had the same problem with fancy Guppi, I have to add the second aquariup for acomidation , also I ll use temporally for baby .. I think. GOD bless !
I've watched this video three times now and it still hasn't gotten old. I love and envy this setup! I was on my way to a livebearer explosion in my 55 until I introduced a pair of apistos for population control and I haven't seen a single fry in about 8 months. If I didn't love those little murderous buttmunches so much I'd take them out and get the mosh pit of my dreams...
@@StephenP2003 I was thinking of doing something like that in a 110 gal stock tank which I've seen done, just trade my goldfish in for some different breeds of guppies, I have live plant's growing in a 30 gal & by the time I'm ready to change over to guppies I'll have enough plant's. (plant's)> hornwort-bacopa- water lilies, I may get more B-4 I get the guppies. what size pump would work for a 110 gal guppy stock tank setup ?
@@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058 maybe a fluval fx 4 with a spray bar, stuff the canister full of sponge for good bacteria surface area. Or maybe a couple of aquaclear 110s or the equivalent seachem tidal.
the hardiest fish i’ve ever gotten were from Neighborhood Fish Farm in south florida. Never had any issues with their fish. They have a massive selection of fish all of which are supplied with well / aquifer, and spring water from deep in the ground.
That's awesome! It's great when you're able to find a good source for healthy fish! I think bad sources/unhealthy livestock are a top contributor to newbies getting frustrating and quitting the hobby.
I’m doing the same thing! I started with a few guppies and platys in a 20 gallon tank. 2 months ago I bought some hornwort as cover for the fry and now my tank has hornwort growing as a sort of carpet plant because I keep planting the stems anywhere I can find room and just constantly trim it back. This provides the perfect amount of cover to maximize the amount of fry that can survive in my tank and now my fish are multiplying like crazy :) I have never had much luck with basic plants like Anubis’s and Java Fern so I’ll take whatever plant growth I can get! I’m having to trim my hornwort twice a week that’s how fast it’s growing!
Other than burying the rhizome (I assume you didn't do that?) the other big reason people struggle with anubias and java fern is giving them too much light, and maybe too many nutrients and not enough other fast-growing plants. They grow super slow, so it gives pretty much every type of algae an opportunity to take over. Took me a little while to dial those in, too, and the easiest way is to shade them with tons of really fast-growing plants.
Beautiful tank! I run all my tanks with tons of plants which allows for a large population of fish. Guppies will definitely eat until they burst. Plants act as a buffer as the tank cycles. Plants can use not only Nitrates, but they use nitrite and ammonia. There was a study that showed some plants may actually prefer ammonia. I do a lengthy quarantine all new fish, but especially guppies which as super susceptible to parasites. Being raised in salt or brackish, they develop a tolerance for disease and parasites in that water. Then they are popped into freshwater and have no natural tolerances for freshwater disease and parasites.
Ooh, good point about the disease resistance -- I just assumed the immediate plunge into freshwater just caused osmotic shock, but I'm sure any sort of stress is going to open up a door for parasites and bacteria regardless. Last year I didn't have a dedicated quarantine tank, but I'm ready this time, and with pretty much the full spectrum of leftover. fish medication on hand!
@@StephenP2003 When I first started working at tropical fish stores over 40 years ago, guppies were super hardy. Tons of inbreeding and raising them in salty water has really lowered their immune systems, but I still love them. I only know of one local store that quarantines fish before they are sold, the rest don't want the added cost of doing the right thing. Also I found TankDreamsOnline does a decent quarantine. I got otocinclus from them that were actually fat.
Stephen, I love seeing you in the chats and on streams. I'm just now getting into your videos 📹 and so far I'm enjoying them. Keep up the great work!👍😊
I love it. I have a guppy thunderdome also. It started with a few of these, few of those, whatever and has blended for about a year. Now I pull out and sell the ones I'm not so crazy on and let the different colors I like continue on.
this tank is looking great. I've had the same group of platys going strong since around 2016, until recently when some tetras from a pet store brought in a case of ick. Now i've lost most of my platys, and I've got a little hospital tnak set up for th remaining platys and tetras. That quarantine lesson is no joke. I thought I did good by just acclimating the tetras, but now i wish i'd have waited a few weeks before introducing them.
@@StephenP2003 I’ll sub I love TH-camrs that do videos on livebearers , question how often do you do water changes on the tank the thing looks so clear
@@omegakrazii nowadays, once a week, a bit less than 50%, but just to help the guppies grow. As a result of that water change, I tend to have to add a little fertilizer rather than letting the tank naturally fertilize the plants.
Awesome tank Man! I swear I went through something very similar. Started with some fancy guppies and now I got 200+ haha you got it right though sitting in front of these tanks are a real show
This made me feel better! I have a 10g with Endlers and Cherry Shrimp, just a couple months going and I'm starting to feel 'what have I done?!' -- thanks for the hope!
I just started up my 75g planted livebearer tank and this video has made me so excited! I currently only have a trio of guppies and a trio of swordtails, might have to look into adding platies too! :)
Protip: When you want to catch one fish from a large group like this, catch the fish you want with whatever other fish happen to be around, then dump them in a clear container and use a smaller net to catch one fish at a time in the container. If you catch the one you want, you're good. If you catch one you don't, just toss it back in the tank. This also works when sorting a bajillion fry by sex.
Protip. Are you a pro. Funny your channel doesn't have 1 video on it. Let alone any fish keeping content. Here's a protip for you. Put out some videos of your tanks and let's see how professional you are
@@FckDemocrcrats That's a lot of vitriol for someone prefacing a helpful tip with the colloquial term for a helpful tip. Getting that upset about something that minor seems a little... unprofessional.
Lmao I love your videos, had me laughing the whole time. I experienced something very similar in my mutt guppy pond this year, and I'm actually still recovering from it. All 4 fancy guppies were from a local fish store. Love the tank though it looks so good
Thank you! And good luck! I've had much better success lately with getting fancy guppies from the fishfam community here on youtube, to add new genetics and such.
9:14 If you want to see inbreeding depression in action, guppies are the model animal. The pandemics in your tank wiped out the very inbred and genetically weakened fish. The fish with some genetic diversity and immunity survived.
I am not an aquarium expert, but I had a 20gal guppy tank with swords, mollies with undergravel filter, not much maintenance and lasted about 5 years before quit the hobby. Maybe fish were healthier then? Don’t understand why, but it worked well.
Fish were indeed healthier back then, especially livebearers! Somewhere along the line, an obsession with (and a market for) elaborate finnage, recessive color genetics, and short bodies came along. And breeders and fish farms have strived to make fancier and fancier guppies (and other livebearers too), no matter the cost. Now we have poor genetics, and extreme water parameters at the farms for the sole purpose to breeding/growing them faster, in larger numbers, and enough salt and heat to ward off the pathogens just enough to keep them looking healthy through the trip overseas and to the distributors, right up until they reach your tank and really start to fall apart.
This is what im trying to do.. i bought some guppies , platies and sord tail hoping to mix a new line .. in no time one of the fish releases frey leaving me struggle to save the freys from eating because i dont have enough plant growth yet , unfortienately i lost one of my platies. One day i will catch with you
Just watched your video now, I'm about to do a very similar thing in a 125 gallon, I have but 3 guppies,1 male ,2 females and about 13-14 platies, I know if 2 males I believe in the platy vlan, different ones. Looking forward to watch the population expand.
My first time keeping and breeding Guppies. I looked up if I can keep platys with them and found your video..I just recently came into 9 platy juveniles..they are in quarantine but will most likely add them to guppies when possible. kool stuff such a joy to watch new sub!
I love that crowded tank of yours!!! Wish I could have one that big! I am prepping a new one, but a way smaller one (100 liters) and I'm going for corys paleatus or panda, red shrimp and I was deliberating guppies OR platy. But your tank makes me rethink...why not have both? And I'm so glad to see they do well with the fire shrimp. And indeed...a crowded tank is not necessarily a bad tank. My previous tank had WAY too many fish in it, according to experts, although I was wondering who was expert when the tank was always clean and the plants and fish happy. As long as you've got da cleaners in there...that is my experience too.
Love this tank and I want to do the same eventually. I have a lot of growth in my mini outdoor pond. I've been breeding limia vittata all summer long. I had to move my mini pond from Austin to Houston and that was quite a trip. They survived and are thriving pretty well and I am now trying to breed cherry shrimp in conjunction with the limia. I plant to start selling them off to my local fish store at the end of this month.
Had a tank like that years ago but havnt been fishy orientated for 20 years between about to get back into it. Love your tank and your advice enjoyed the vid thank you.
If you're having trouble finding a source that sells healthy guppies, try buying a bunch of fat females that look like they're ready to give birth. The guppy moms might not make it, but the offspring are much more likely to survive longer, having been born in your water.
Awesome tank Stephen. I’m doing the same thing with a 40 breeder. I have Japan Blue Grass guppies and Metal head black lace guppies and Crown tail guppies all in the same tank.
This aquarium is so awesome and I happen to have one just like it! I have a 30 gallon with Endlers, panda cories, and hillstream/Borneo loaches, LOTS of plants. I am considering adding platies as well! In your experience, would the platy colony eventually out-compete the Endlers over time if I didn’t remove and sell the platies regularly? I have never kept platies with another livebearer colony before so what do you think? Would it be platy domination without my help since the platies breed just as prolifically?
I haven't sold any in years, and it seems like the platys do a geest job of hunting the babies. Dwarf gourami would work, I just dont like them because they are so genetically weak - they've been over bred irresponsibly and generally have a lifespan of 6 months to a year, in which they deteriorate slowly in those final months. If you can find a good source for dwarf gouramis, they'd be a great addition, though!
The fish police thing is ridiculous. Join some aquarium subreddit and you"ll see. May be they want a 100 gallon tank for 2 guppies to ensure they are "happy". You know, "tHe bIGger thE bETTeR" like they said
What's up with your mosh pit tank? I could've swore you said you never do WC's besides top offs. I also saw another video where you said you change water weekly. It was that video where a group of people got asked that question. The reason i ask is, because my 55 gallon, and 29 gallon are going into that direction since i have Livebearers (platy, molly). I have a deep gravel bed of 3-4 inches, but I'm using eco complete. I have plenty of plants right now, but I'm always trying to shove more. I'd like to have my tank setup as an eco system so that i don't have to do as much water changes if i can make it become not necessary. Been looking at a lot forums everywhere that are similar to my tank conditions (overstocked). I'd like to hear more from you, and your experience with your mosh pit tanks. Mostly to see what is possible, and what's not. What nitrate level do you consider a red flag in your experience? Some are strict about less then 40. Yet some are saying 40-100PPm can be tolerable. Do you think i should allow ramshorn snails for an eco system? I've watched this video more then 5 times now.
There was a time that I went months without waterchanging this tank. The nitrates never went above 40-50. Many will say that's high. Others will say it's perfect for consistent plant growth, while others will cite sources that claim fish survival/tolerance/thriving at ludicrously high nitrate readings. What I wanted to see for myself is how well my plants would prevent the nitrates from increasing beyond a certain threshold. The plants do that job well. And nowadays, better than ever since I've introduced floaters such as duckweed and water lettuce, and emersed plants like pothos. Even still, I do not practice any "no water changes" method. I have never seen anything but positive results from water changes from my tap water. I have over 20 tanks and tend to stick to a 50% water change per week schedule regardless. This schedule makes sure I stay disciplined about maintenance across all of my tanks, and it also ensures that if I have to miss a week or two because of illness, vacation, etc., I'm not worried about losing a bunch of fish. In truth, I can't tell you what level of nitrates are tolerable for your system, or even for mine really. It's just essential to watch your tank, watch the fish, snails, plant growth week over week, everything. Testing your water can tell you a lot, but nothing tells you more than the tank inhabitants themselves. But the main things that will contribute to stability are: 1. Lots of plants, and a variety of them. When you think you don't have much space left for plants, add twice as many plants as what's in there. Nutrient hogs and fast growers like guppy grass, pearl weed, hygrophilas, etc. 2. Be stingy with the food. I feed 3 to 4 times a week, on average. And I feed the tank, not the fish. I'm not trying to fatten every belly in that tank, nor am I trying to help every fry survive. The strongest will find a way. And yes to snails! All the pest snails! They are the perfect barometer to determine whether you're overfeeding. Snails and guppies basically eat the same things (both are detrivores), and a guppy should outcompete snails without question.
Bro.... someone else with a ean overstock tank with a healthy ecosystem and micro cleanup crew.... Little to no maintenence and practically no deaths or sickness noticed... planaria aside in small amounts they are super happy and love to have tankmates even carniverous ones like my marbled crayfish who breed prolifically as well over a year... they keep each other in check by hunting and eating the fry
The fish police is the funniest thing I heard all week
😂 this is great ❤ the fish police bit made my coffee come out my nose 😅😂
Your storytelling in this vid is world class....enjoyed every moment.
Thanks so much, Dan!
@@StephenP2003 one inch per gallon rule is B.S brother just make sure you change the water as needed.
You doing fine there fantastic set up...👍
@@StephenP2003 Awesome tank, I'm still
on the fence about raising live barriers in a 75 gal tank
BUT, since I listened to your video, it's a cool looking idea.
1:05 is rich. Thanks for the smiles and truth bombs.
I've got a 26.5 gal. tall aquarium with approx. 100 guppies and 50 platys (plus a foot-long pleco and some other random fish). I didn't stock the aquarium, it was my grandma's and I inherited about 4 months ago after she passed. I've tried using the stocking calculators online and my bioload is definitely insane: I get anything from 700% to 3000% overstock. However, the tank ran like that for at least 10 years at my grandma's place and it's been doing great since I moved it to my apartment. I test the water weekly and there's 0 ammonia or nitrites at any point, and the highest nitrate reading I've got after a 2-week period without a water change was 5 ppm. The fish are lively, colorful, healthy and breeding. I've only had a couple of casualties a month during the months I've had it. I've recently bought a 90 gal 5' long tank for the pleco just because of the space; but in terms of bioload, I think the general understanding of what a healthy tank is is heavily skewed towards understocking.
Yep, the tank stocking guides and calculators most definitely skew to keeping an unplanted understocked tank. As you get more into the hobby, you start to understand what it means to overstock and work around it!
What a dreamy tank. I love all of the live bearers thriving.
You had me at Livebearers! There is no tank like an overstock livebearer tank!
🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
LOVE THIS TANK ! Super inspirational , just cleaned out and have a empty 55gal and my Wife and I have been discussing and trying to figure out what to put in it...
I have a 30 gal with guppies, platys, mollies, and just thinking about a predator to keep the fry in check.The mollies took a while to reproduce. I had to adjust the temp a tiny bit because apparently platys need a degree or so higher than guppies in order to breed. Lots of guppy grass and duckweed. I just added 9 panda corys.
I imagine mollies and platies would be good fry-eaters!
Love your take on “the Fish Police” lol. You were right on that. You developed a well seasoned tank and it threw you into a big learning curve. Glad you didn’t give up and don’t change anything about that tank, it is beautiful to watch.
😂The fish police was my favorite part!😂
My kind of man. And tank. Thanks!
Looks like my Platy tank…lol. Tons of babies constantly grazing. That explains why I don’t have algae problem anymore.
bro your so right if it not broke dont fix it my mates don t listen to that one and break there cycle after every lil thing
Very informative. Thanks.
Your description of Facebook fish groups is spot on... fish warriors lol.
woah, what? so many fish. Theyre looking good too
Cool tank and you’re hilarious as well haha thumbs up 👌
*NAILED IT, Thanx!* I agree (and sometimes a 'newbie' employee tries to limit my purchases) - I monitor (& water change) often enough, well planted, good filtration (almost always running) = Fish are happy! ALSO Good enough job editing to get you this new subscriber. (who is 'fussy' & only subscribes to one other fish advice channel...) I like the sense of humor CHEERS !
I love a shit ton of livebearers. My experience was very similar to what you described. Took a while to get the guppy population going as new adults wouldn't live long. It wasn't until any babies born in the tank grew up to have their own babies that they began to take off. I might try adding chicken noodle soup to quarantine routine.
I just started a livebearer tank and baby tank. I have about a dozen mixed babies; platys, mollies, swords, and just a few very tiny guppies who keep hiding. The adults are pregnant again, and I'm not sure I want to save the babies again. But, of course, the adults won't eat them, and the female Betta has become the "nanny", keeping the other fish away from the bushy plants hiding the week-old babies. (She didn't eat the last batch, so I'm gonna let her be Nanny while she's happy!) I have no clue what I'm going to do with all these babies, though? Everyone I ask seems to just wave off fish and tanks. So, I'm just enjoying watching the babies grow up. I'll deal with it when the time comes to find homes for them.
This is my dream for a tank!
Do it! Pile on the plants and let them establish, then add a few livebearers.
Ok listen here. You are 😂 hilarious. I hardly ever comment or even finish watching an entire video lol A.D.D. 😆 but you drew me in a kept my attention. Then, "I'm my own grandpa" did it haaaahahahahaha. Subscribed and following now. 😀
Thank you! Comments like yours make my day!
I love this overstocked, chaotic, beautiful mess of a tank! Thanks for sharing!
I've been thinking about doing a platy and guppy tank so this was great.
love the tank
Your editing is fantastic BTW
Thank you! Working on getting faster at all the navigation and controls.
Looks like a pretty well balanced tank to me!
WoW!
Mr. Phillips,
I just LOVE the way you tell a story!!! Genuinely intuitive and FUNNY!!!!
This tank is absolutely Amazing!!!!
Your ability to communicate is very Sarcastic and GEEKY!!!! In a wonderfully HILARIOUS WAY!!!
I know, others might bitch and make negative comments, Like you I DON"T GIVE E FORK!!! Or a spooning!
Thank you for an excellently edited video!!! It is wholeheartedly Welcomed!!!
Outstanding, I will not give you an overpopulated comment!!!
I don't comment a lot, but man, I like your style. Made me chuckle multiple times..
Thank you! 😊
I’d rather have ecosystems than pristine fish tanks any day. Thanks for putting easy to understand, simple fish keeping info out there for people new to the hobby.
I have a little 10 gallon tank that is overstocked with endlers, just a cloud of them! The filtration is a couple of airstones buried in a corner under a little hill of the lava rock substrate. The fish police would say it's too overstocked, but the endlers are healthy and active and the fry are surviving pretty well.
7:52 ironical... Reminds me of the show Firefly.
I see masive population of guppies, i subscribe... SIMPLE !
Beautiful man Beautiful 😍
Can I just say that you look so much like Samwell Tarly off of Game of Thrones! That's awesome😄💕 Love your channel!!!
😂 Not the first time I've been told that! Thanks, glad you're enjoying the content!
It s a lovely tank and lovely Intergalactic Police Patrol , lol :) !
I had the same problem with fancy Guppi, I have to add the second aquariup for acomidation , also I ll use temporally for baby .. I think. GOD bless !
Thanks for the link off the c.a.r.e forum 😁 so cool to watch.
I've watched this video three times now and it still hasn't gotten old. I love and envy this setup! I was on my way to a livebearer explosion in my 55 until I introduced a pair of apistos for population control and I haven't seen a single fry in about 8 months. If I didn't love those little murderous buttmunches so much I'd take them out and get the mosh pit of my dreams...
If you put in a crap-ton of stem plants and float them, you might still get some surviving fry!
@@StephenP2003 I was thinking of doing something like that
in a 110 gal stock tank which I've seen done, just trade my goldfish in
for some different breeds of guppies, I have live plant's growing in a 30 gal
& by the time I'm ready to change over to guppies I'll have enough plant's.
(plant's)> hornwort-bacopa- water lilies, I may get more B-4 I get the guppies.
what size pump would work for a 110 gal guppy stock tank setup ?
@@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058 maybe a fluval fx 4 with a spray bar, stuff the canister full of sponge for good bacteria surface area. Or maybe a couple of aquaclear 110s or the equivalent seachem tidal.
I love it
"But also, pretty colors".
Awesome looking tank 👍👍
Thanks!
You´re crazy and funny!! 9:03 love it
I want to see the whole next one in the "well howdy folks voice"
lol, don't know if I could make it through a whole video.
It is such a beautiful tank
Thank you! 😀
Love This Setup 💪 Thanks For Sharing ✍
the hardiest fish i’ve ever gotten were from Neighborhood Fish Farm in south florida. Never had any issues with their fish. They have a massive selection of fish all of which are supplied with well / aquifer, and spring water from deep in the ground.
That's awesome! It's great when you're able to find a good source for healthy fish! I think bad sources/unhealthy livestock are a top contributor to newbies getting frustrating and quitting the hobby.
Nice video. Thansk for doing it.
Thanks for watching!
I’m doing the same thing! I started with a few guppies and platys in a 20 gallon tank. 2 months ago I bought some hornwort as cover for the fry and now my tank has hornwort growing as a sort of carpet plant because I keep planting the stems anywhere I can find room and just constantly trim it back. This provides the perfect amount of cover to maximize the amount of fry that can survive in my tank and now my fish are multiplying like crazy :) I have never had much luck with basic plants like Anubis’s and Java Fern so I’ll take whatever plant growth I can get! I’m having to trim my hornwort twice a week that’s how fast it’s growing!
Other than burying the rhizome (I assume you didn't do that?) the other big reason people struggle with anubias and java fern is giving them too much light, and maybe too many nutrients and not enough other fast-growing plants. They grow super slow, so it gives pretty much every type of algae an opportunity to take over. Took me a little while to dial those in, too, and the easiest way is to shade them with tons of really fast-growing plants.
Beautiful tank! I run all my tanks with tons of plants which allows for a large population of fish. Guppies will definitely eat until they burst. Plants act as a buffer as the tank cycles. Plants can use not only Nitrates, but they use nitrite and ammonia. There was a study that showed some plants may actually prefer ammonia. I do a lengthy quarantine all new fish, but especially guppies which as super susceptible to parasites. Being raised in salt or brackish, they develop a tolerance for disease and parasites in that water. Then they are popped into freshwater and have no natural tolerances for freshwater disease and parasites.
Ooh, good point about the disease resistance -- I just assumed the immediate plunge into freshwater just caused osmotic shock, but I'm sure any sort of stress is going to open up a door for parasites and bacteria regardless.
Last year I didn't have a dedicated quarantine tank, but I'm ready this time, and with pretty much the full spectrum of leftover. fish medication on hand!
@@StephenP2003 When I first started working at tropical fish stores over 40 years ago, guppies were super hardy. Tons of inbreeding and raising them in salty water has really lowered their immune systems, but I still love them. I only know of one local store that quarantines fish before they are sold, the rest don't want the added cost of doing the right thing. Also I found TankDreamsOnline does a decent quarantine. I got otocinclus from them that were actually fat.
Great video and awesome tank. Working on achieving this now in a 120 gallon.
Can't believe I missed this one! Snailed it!! Editing as always is amazing!
Woooww really?! LOL I guess now is as good a time as any!
Like the tank
Thank you.. I'm going to stop stressing... Jus going to leave it alone..
I just moved to the Boston area and found a LFS that will take guppy babies...can't wait to set up my new 20L for them now!
Stephen, I love seeing you in the chats and on streams. I'm just now getting into your videos 📹 and so far I'm enjoying them. Keep up the great work!👍😊
Thank you Michelle!
I love your editing! I've watched this 3 times :)
I love it. I have a guppy thunderdome also. It started with a few of these, few of those, whatever and has blended for about a year. Now I pull out and sell the ones I'm not so crazy on and let the different colors I like continue on.
I wanna say you are awesome. so entertaining.
Thank you! 😊
this tank is looking great. I've had the same group of platys going strong since around 2016, until recently when some tetras from a pet store brought in a case of ick. Now i've lost most of my platys, and I've got a little hospital tnak set up for th remaining platys and tetras. That quarantine lesson is no joke. I thought I did good by just acclimating the tetras, but now i wish i'd have waited a few weeks before introducing them.
Oooouuuuu I would love to see you do a video on some of your best looking platies I know with the different colors some might be beauties
Noted! I don't have a huge variety, but they definitely dont get the attention they deserve.
@@StephenP2003 I’ll sub I love TH-camrs that do videos on livebearers , question how often do you do water changes on the tank the thing looks so clear
@@omegakrazii nowadays, once a week, a bit less than 50%, but just to help the guppies grow. As a result of that water change, I tend to have to add a little fertilizer rather than letting the tank naturally fertilize the plants.
Awesome tank Man! I swear I went through something very similar. Started with some fancy guppies and now I got 200+ haha you got it right though sitting in front of these tanks are a real show
This made me feel better! I have a 10g with Endlers and Cherry Shrimp, just a couple months going and I'm starting to feel 'what have I done?!' -- thanks for the hope!
Awesome! Just remember the live plants!!
I just started up my 75g planted livebearer tank and this video has made me so excited! I currently only have a trio of guppies and a trio of swordtails, might have to look into adding platies too! :)
Protip: When you want to catch one fish from a large group like this, catch the fish you want with whatever other fish happen to be around, then dump them in a clear container and use a smaller net to catch one fish at a time in the container. If you catch the one you want, you're good. If you catch one you don't, just toss it back in the tank. This also works when sorting a bajillion fry by sex.
Protip. Are you a pro. Funny your channel doesn't have 1 video on it. Let alone any fish keeping content. Here's a protip for you. Put out some videos of your tanks and let's see how professional you are
@@FckDemocrcrats That's a lot of vitriol for someone prefacing a helpful tip with the colloquial term for a helpful tip. Getting that upset about something that minor seems a little... unprofessional.
@@FckDemocrcrats You know there are lots of people keeping lots of fish, but not posting about them on TH-cam? It was a helpful suggestion, period.
@@FckDemocrcrats I've been breeding fish all of my life and have not one video lol you sound ridiculously bitter
Yes, I lost my guppies too, the new ones don't last, then every month a different sickness,😷🤕😱
Lmao I love your videos, had me laughing the whole time. I experienced something very similar in my mutt guppy pond this year, and I'm actually still recovering from it. All 4 fancy guppies were from a local fish store. Love the tank though it looks so good
Thank you! And good luck! I've had much better success lately with getting fancy guppies from the fishfam community here on youtube, to add new genetics and such.
@@StephenP2003 thanks! Yeah I'm done with imports, I'm only adding domestically raised guppies too
9:14
If you want to see inbreeding depression in action, guppies are the model animal.
The pandemics in your tank wiped out the very inbred and genetically weakened fish. The fish with some genetic diversity and immunity survived.
I love this
I am not an aquarium expert, but I had a 20gal guppy tank with swords, mollies with undergravel filter, not much maintenance and lasted about 5 years before quit the hobby. Maybe fish were healthier then? Don’t understand why, but it worked well.
Fish were indeed healthier back then, especially livebearers! Somewhere along the line, an obsession with (and a market for) elaborate finnage, recessive color genetics, and short bodies came along. And breeders and fish farms have strived to make fancier and fancier guppies (and other livebearers too), no matter the cost. Now we have poor genetics, and extreme water parameters at the farms for the sole purpose to breeding/growing them faster, in larger numbers, and enough salt and heat to ward off the pathogens just enough to keep them looking healthy through the trip overseas and to the distributors, right up until they reach your tank and really start to fall apart.
Love the tank I'm starting to explode with endler guppies
Great video
Great video I think the tank looks great 👍
This is what im trying to do.. i bought some guppies , platies and sord tail hoping to mix a new line .. in no time one of the fish releases frey leaving me struggle to save the freys from eating because i dont have enough plant growth yet , unfortienately i lost one of my platies. One day i will catch with you
Good content. Great editing. Fun personality. Subscribed!
Hey, thanks!!!
Can we get another update my guy? I could watch your tank for hours
Working on it!
Cool video
I love it👍👍
Just watched your video now, I'm about to do a very similar thing in a 125 gallon, I have but 3 guppies,1 male ,2 females and about 13-14 platies, I know if 2 males I believe in the platy vlan, different ones. Looking forward to watch the population expand.
Nice video. Cosy guy, and fish video
Great stuff!
My first time keeping and breeding Guppies. I looked up if I can keep platys with them and found your video..I just recently came into 9 platy juveniles..they are in quarantine but will most likely add them to guppies when possible. kool stuff such a joy to watch new sub!
Thanks for the sub, and welcome!
@@StephenP2003 👍🏼👍🏼
I love that crowded tank of yours!!! Wish I could have one that big! I am prepping a new one, but a way smaller one (100 liters) and I'm going for corys paleatus or panda, red shrimp and I was deliberating guppies OR platy. But your tank makes me rethink...why not have both? And I'm so glad to see they do well with the fire shrimp. And indeed...a crowded tank is not necessarily a bad tank. My previous tank had WAY too many fish in it, according to experts, although I was wondering who was expert when the tank was always clean and the plants and fish happy. As long as you've got da cleaners in there...that is my experience too.
Love this tank and I want to do the same eventually.
I have a lot of growth in my mini outdoor pond. I've been breeding limia vittata all summer long. I had to move my mini pond from Austin to Houston and that was quite a trip. They survived and are thriving pretty well and I am now trying to breed cherry shrimp in conjunction with the limia. I plant to start selling them off to my local fish store at the end of this month.
Let me know how that goes! I've yet to introduce Mollys into the fish room.
love it
Wowwwwwww how often.do you change Water?
For a while, I was never changing water, and nitrates were always 40 or less. Nowadays I just do it during my normal weekly water-change routine.
Love it ! ❤️💪🏾
Had a tank like that years ago but havnt been fishy orientated for 20 years between about to get back into it. Love your tank and your advice enjoyed the vid thank you.
I like 👍🏼
Thanks!!
Outstanding video 👍
Thank you, Maria!
Wow this is amazing. I had a dozen guppies that died. I thought they would breed. This just happened.
If you're having trouble finding a source that sells healthy guppies, try buying a bunch of fat females that look like they're ready to give birth. The guppy moms might not make it, but the offspring are much more likely to survive longer, having been born in your water.
@@StephenP2003 so apparently they didn’t all die. There must have been a few survivors I didn’t see left in there, and they’ve bred soooooo much.
@@GabbyRocio awesome! Now you have the start of a very strong colony!
Week 1, 6 platies. 2nd week, 10 platies, week 4......15 platies. Snails 5, then 15, now lost count.
Awesome tank Stephen. I’m doing the same thing with a 40 breeder. I have Japan Blue Grass guppies and Metal head black lace guppies and Crown tail guppies all in the same tank.
That's gonna look nice!!
This aquarium is so awesome and I happen to have one just like it! I have a 30 gallon with Endlers, panda cories, and hillstream/Borneo loaches, LOTS of plants. I am considering adding platies as well! In your experience, would the platy colony eventually out-compete the Endlers over time if I didn’t remove and sell the platies regularly? I have never kept platies with another livebearer colony before so what do you think? Would it be platy domination without my help since the platies breed just as prolifically?
Very nice, thank you for this video! How often do you change water? I guess the plants really help a lot.
Just weekly water changes with the rest of my tanks!
@@StephenP2003 thank you! I live happy livebearer tanks 😊👍
Awesome video. I have a similar setup but I don’t sell any, what fish would you recommend to eat the fry? Dwarf gourami?
I haven't sold any in years, and it seems like the platys do a geest job of hunting the babies. Dwarf gourami would work, I just dont like them because they are so genetically weak - they've been over bred irresponsibly and generally have a lifespan of 6 months to a year, in which they deteriorate slowly in those final months. If you can find a good source for dwarf gouramis, they'd be a great addition, though!
The fish police thing is ridiculous. Join some aquarium subreddit and you"ll see. May be they want a 100 gallon tank for 2 guppies to ensure they are "happy". You know, "tHe bIGger thE bETTeR" like they said
What's up with your mosh pit tank? I could've swore you said you never do WC's besides top offs. I also saw another video where you said you change water weekly. It was that video where a group of people got asked that question.
The reason i ask is, because my 55 gallon, and 29 gallon are going into that direction since i have Livebearers (platy, molly).
I have a deep gravel bed of 3-4 inches, but I'm using eco complete. I have plenty of plants right now, but I'm always trying to shove more. I'd like to have my tank setup as an eco system so that i don't have to do as much water changes if i can make it become not necessary.
Been looking at a lot forums everywhere that are similar to my tank conditions (overstocked). I'd like to hear more from you, and your experience with your mosh pit tanks. Mostly to see what is possible, and what's not. What nitrate level do you consider a red flag in your experience? Some are strict about less then 40. Yet some are saying 40-100PPm can be tolerable.
Do you think i should allow ramshorn snails for an eco system?
I've watched this video more then 5 times now.
There was a time that I went months without waterchanging this tank. The nitrates never went above 40-50. Many will say that's high. Others will say it's perfect for consistent plant growth, while others will cite sources that claim fish survival/tolerance/thriving at ludicrously high nitrate readings. What I wanted to see for myself is how well my plants would prevent the nitrates from increasing beyond a certain threshold. The plants do that job well. And nowadays, better than ever since I've introduced floaters such as duckweed and water lettuce, and emersed plants like pothos.
Even still, I do not practice any "no water changes" method. I have never seen anything but positive results from water changes from my tap water. I have over 20 tanks and tend to stick to a 50% water change per week schedule regardless. This schedule makes sure I stay disciplined about maintenance across all of my tanks, and it also ensures that if I have to miss a week or two because of illness, vacation, etc., I'm not worried about losing a bunch of fish.
In truth, I can't tell you what level of nitrates are tolerable for your system, or even for mine really. It's just essential to watch your tank, watch the fish, snails, plant growth week over week, everything. Testing your water can tell you a lot, but nothing tells you more than the tank inhabitants themselves.
But the main things that will contribute to stability are:
1. Lots of plants, and a variety of them. When you think you don't have much space left for plants, add twice as many plants as what's in there. Nutrient hogs and fast growers like guppy grass, pearl weed, hygrophilas, etc.
2. Be stingy with the food. I feed 3 to 4 times a week, on average. And I feed the tank, not the fish. I'm not trying to fatten every belly in that tank, nor am I trying to help every fry survive. The strongest will find a way.
And yes to snails! All the pest snails! They are the perfect barometer to determine whether you're overfeeding. Snails and guppies basically eat the same things (both are detrivores), and a guppy should outcompete snails without question.
Bro.... someone else with a ean overstock tank with a healthy ecosystem and micro cleanup crew.... Little to no maintenence and practically no deaths or sickness noticed... planaria aside in small amounts they are super happy and love to have tankmates even carniverous ones like my marbled crayfish who breed prolifically as well over a year... they keep each other in check by hunting and eating the fry