STEM PLANTS BUNDLE SALE - Over 75 plants - 15 Species for $59! Limited Time OFFER so HURRY! father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/ For Special Soil Supplements, Plants, FIsh & Merch in your country: fatherfish.fish/
I'm with you!! I've always done deep sand because well, that's what you find in nature!! Even areas WITH a completely rocky bottom, what's under the rock?? Sand !! I do have tanks set up with river rock.. but I put the rock ON TOP of a deep sand bed. Without the sand, it just doesn't work right...
My first time here. I will incorporate my tilapia tank in this arrangement using sand. Thanks so much! I'm hoping I can use aquaponics with this. Will need to watch more of his videos. Thanks!
Hello Father Fish! I ran saw your video on natural tank set up and i loved everything you do and can't stop watching your videos!! You are amazing! I have a small aquarium with gold fish and some cleaning fish. The gold fish had babies and i m preparing a bigger aquarium for when they grow. I d like to follow your advice on making a natural tank but i m unsure about dirt and sand as I ve heard the fish will eat dirt and make water dirty. What s your adice. Also..can i use sand from the beach? Do i need to rince it off ?
Watch some more videos about making a natural aquarium. There are many. Come join us on the Fathar Fish shoal: discord.gg/G4fkAE6qNw. We will help you.
I keep sand in planted aquarium but gravel in oscar aquarium. Suggest me the change. Earlier I was having sand in oscar aquarium. Sand became very dirty within 6 months. And not easy to suction .
Thanks I did fill up the tank a couple of years ago but lost fish due to using gravel which I'm gunna use soil and sand thanks for the tips and just want to say I would move to America in a heart beat I went there about 19 years ago to Florida enjoyed every moment and had a baby rack of ribs was like half a cow
can i setup a father fish tank and still have a large fish or fishes due to them eating inverts that are needed in the ecosystem of a natural father fish environment?
With that many tanks next to windows you know this guy doesn't care about algae growth. More power to you brother, I have one tank near a window and it's very established and vibrant and the fish are healthy when you can see them lol.
I had a 75 gallon in a window years ago and caught so much grief from people about it, it was honestly one of my most well balanced tanks algae was never an issue with it
Went dirt for first time about 1 month ago. Capped it with number 2 silica sand and the plants are really taking off. Low tech , with 6500k floodlights...90 gallon. I am a believer in dirt. Cheap as dirt too..lol.
I sometimes see river beds that have gravel on the very top layer. So I'm curious, if I start with a layer of dirt and a layer of sand, then put a layer of natural gravel on top of that, does that work? Is it that I shouldn't use gravel at all, or I shouldn't use gravel as my only substrate?
Gravel shouldn't be used by itself, that's for sure. In my current ecotank, my substrate's bottom layer is a mixture of top soil and aquasoil, the second layer is sand, and the sand covers most of the tank floor and all of the dirt/soil. In the front of the tank, I have a half-inch deep layer of gravel. Not the cheapo rainbow gravel, natural gravel. It's working just fine. I don't gravel vac it, ever. But within this tank are a variety of snails (ramshorn, mystery, cappuccino spike and pagoda, plus three zebra otocinclus). It's really easy for them to move the gravel around and clean it. The snails pick the river pebbles up and clean under then, too. It's awesome to watch.
@@FatherFish It's a fun tank to observe. In my classroom's Walstad tank, the gravel became an issue in a few spots. I think it was because I used the smoother textured gravel, that cheapo stuff, rather than the natural stuff I'm using now which is rougher and also doesn't pack together tightly. This gravel seems to be able to "breathe", for lack of a better term. Maybe you've also noticed this, but I've found that tightly packed gravel doesn't help to oxygenate the tank.
Praise god for this living encyclopedia called Father Fish. I was hurting my mind about what to do to salvage my old eco complete, and here he affirmed the message in my head. Cap it with sand and move on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I already have a gravel tank (with a layer of aquasoil underneath the gravel layer). It has already got plants and stuff. If I don't want to take everything out and start that tank all over from scratch, can i just top off the gravel layer with sand?
Just found this video Father Fish. What good timing setting up a new aquarium and debating between no substrate and sand, sand wins out. Thank you for all the great advice, young man.
I have bought some plants from you online shop Father Fish. This video was 2 years ago. What I don't understand is why the pictures of many of your plants for sale are showing growing in Gravel? Now, I just moved, never tried sand in the past, and I am now trying gravel and sand. I am getting this not only from your videos, I am going back to "Exotic Aquarium Fishes" by William Innes, book went from 1935-1966, and shows using sand for plants and fish. I am 66 and have been in the aquarium hobby since 12. I am disagreeing with what you are saying here, and I do know that the modern aquarium practices and rules are terribly off track. Like the Aquarium Store Owner told my mother when she bought our aquarium 55 years ago said, "A hungry fish is a healthy fish."
@@FatherFish Hi there hope you are well just wanted to ask a question I have a 91 gal tank I've put aqua soil but I was getting frustrated by floating bits So I decided to get some gravel to keep it down only a thin layer Now I'm thinking to cover it with sand will that do the job as will still be able to be an suitable and have an eco system or better just remove the gravel and then put the sand
Well, there is one substrate worse than gravel: colored glass and plastic beads . I know. That was my very first attempt at a fish tank. Trying to keep it clean was pure insanity, and it didn't take long for the fish to die. I had no clue what I was doing. I have deeply repented from my ignorance and my next 29-gallon tank set up will be a 100% Father Fish tank!
Hi father fish. Can I just add sand on top of my gravel? It’s an established tank had it for over a year it seems it’s doing fine but I would like to make sure I’m heading in the right direction.
So the crazy thing is we have two tanks, one is my daughter's which does have gravel and a minimum of plants and mine which is much closer to the FF method. I took some of her guppy fry and the difference between the two tanks, for the same generation of fish, is astounding. My tank is cooler but my fry are bigger, more colorful, and a lot more active and I've fed them maybe twice in two months. More natural environment equals healthier fish, surprise!
So you take sand from nature and put it as is in an established tank!? I want to take care of my tank and not kill my fish I’ve had them for years. I have those sphere fluval vitamins as the substrate and was going to add gravel to keep the plants in but now I wonder if I should put sand instead
Is a mix of sand and river gravel different than the typical gravel? I am emulating a river stream with North American darters, and they seem to love the river stone gravel. I also use hornwort as it takes a lot of nutrients from the water column. Then some patches of monte carlo I'm trying to grow. I appreciate your knowledge, thank you for sharing.
cheers Father! I don't use sand, but Vulcatec, which I always use as substrate for my houseplants. It is like sponge that holds water and oxygen, basically a nano version of lava rock, or micro pumice, just without the float^^ thats perfectly fine aswell, isn't it? So far everything seems fine, three months in, no water changes, only refill. edit: I should clarify: dirt as a base, Vulkatec as barrier, around the centerpiece wood I topped with Akadama. slow growing plants inside, and houseplants outside that rooted in the aquarium water. lovely watching the chili rasboras darting thru the roots^^
@@FatherFish Thank you for the confirmation! Yes my grain size is 1-4mm. I am a plant nerd for many years and have a vivarium for several years aswell. I had all the materials already at home and my accumulated knowledge in addition to research for natural aquarium suggested it should work perfectly. But you'll never know until you try^^ thank you for your videos, you are a priceless source of information and I very much appreciate it. Kind regards from Germany
Small grain gravel is fine...1/16 to 1/8. My experience with sand is everything sits on top and nothing goes into it. Coarse sand yes, which is small grain gravel LOL
So you don’t want the bag of black gravel and bag of black and blue under my sink?! What?! You don’t want a star spangled banner tank?! I’ll keep it then 😂 What was I thinking truly. What a novice! Only thing worse would’ve been fruity pebble! 😂
New to the hobby upgrading from 15gal to 55gal. Due to my inexperience and lack of research the orignal habitate was too small for the first fish i obtained. But the ones that survived are a albino rainbowfish and a featherfin catfish. So working on my gravel tank with some plants atm. I'm on week three of not cleaning the substrate before going to a local river here in michigan to borrow some sand to add as well as some leaves that are already in the water. I'm nervous about the adition but from all your videos it sounds like this is going to work and it just plane makes sense. Thank you for the videos and the discord. I always thoight it was weird the norm was to make such an artificial environment for your fish. But this way just makes way more sense.
I usually agree with him but I totally disagree. I've used gravel for 25 years and my fish thrive. I tried sand and it got inside my filters and destroyed one of them. My fish stir it up to much. I went back to gravel. My sin has 2 tanks with sand and he is forever having issues. Either cloudy water, ich, Popeye, always something. I never have these problems. As for gravel, I very rarely ever vacuum my gravel. I use a WaveMaker pointed at the substrate that doesn't allow the food to settle in the gravel and it keeps my loaches busy cleaning up the leftover food my cichlids don't eat.
As any good hobbyist you have learned to achieve success with a system that has become familiar to you. My system is simple, basic, and 100% successful. Certainly sand will chew up impellers and will not work with under gravel filters. Everything has appropriate applications. Congrats on your success.
@@FatherFish Coming from a man as wise as you I appreciate that. My son and I love your videos and I admire your system. I learned my fish keeping from my dad as a young boy. I guess I grew up doing it with gravel. I lost my dad in March of 2022. If he were here to see this comment from you he would have a big smile on his face. Keep up the incredible work you do for our hobby. You are a stalwart in this wonderful world of fish keeping.
@@FatherFish if I may ask, will a bit of gravel (like half an inch) on top of the sand that has soil under it, be ok from your perspective? From what I understand on how you set up the soil and sand, and the way you talk about gravel, it should have no impact on the aquarium balance, right? I want the gravel for aesthetic reasons alone.
Read a lot of these comments regarding sand, gravel, and soil with toppings of both sand and gravel... And it seems to me that FF will shoot you down or not answer if you have anything differing to say against his opinions here... Yeah I know he's been in this hobby for a long time, but come on here... Maybe, just maybe, there is something working for folk that use sand only, and gravel only... Regardless of what FF says, if it's working for you, keep doing what your doing...
Not gonna lie I've used 1 inch of gravel over 1.5 inches of soil in all my aquariums big and small and they've been running without a problem for years. The longest one is almost 6 now. Never had a problem, but over time I learned sand is cheaper and lets burrowing fish bury themselves more easily.
Another benefit of sand is its ability to prevent dirt from coming in direct contact with the water column, thus reducing solubles and keeping organics down.
I’m using a substrate from a local lake filled with all sorts of useful creatures like scuds and tubifex worms. I worry adding a layer of sand will bury them alive.
Hi father fish...just something i was thinking about... If you cap dirt with gravel... would that not mean that the fish waste would break down quicker..?.. It would have access to the dirt...creating more food for the plants...? Just wondering..where i do see fish waste on top of the sand... Thank you🙏
Good question. Gravel allows water to flow down to the soil, leaching it into the water oclumn. If detritus is lying on the sand the sand is not deep enough to accommodate the rate of detritus being created.
Wish I would have found these videos before setting up my 75 gallon tank with gravel, plants, decor, and a bunch of fish… now debating on taking it all apart to do this method. Wondering if I could transfer all the fish and live plants to a large tote temporarily so I could accomplish this tank setup. I probably have $200 in gravel and fake log sets and plants I never would’ve bought had I known there was another way. It makes complete sense, I’m just feeling defeated having spent so much money and time already and now basically throwing much of it away as it cannot be taken back.
sell it on a market place for others who may want it. there is more than one way to have an aquarium. And sometimes people use fake plants in their aquariums as place holders as they slowly buy and add plants.
I had no idea how difficult it would be for me to NOT feed my fish. It goes against everything I was taught being s natural caregiver & nurturer.. but I’m going to try again. I think I keep ruining my tanks because I love to feed those little gluttons ❤.. I have dirt 1.5” and sand 3 “. Maybe overkill? My ten gal betta tank is half substrate! 😂anyhow, this hobby is what I needed because I need to learn restraint and balance. ❤
I almost got emotional with your great videos Mr. Father Fish; I'm so happy to have found your channel, I bookmarked it immediately; somehow I've always believed that was exactly the way to go, even though the common advise was almost always in the contrary, I never ever change water, just add more due to evaporation; I always thought fish in nature live submerse in an immense variety of life, based on past recycle life. Thank You!!! I'm going to do the sand over my aged and high gravel; I wasn't sure that was a good idea up to now. I'd love to show you my setup; an unheated freshwater 75G tank connected to a 150G tank by a a 2" diameter primed pvc tube over the top and filtered by a wet dry setup build from a cheap plastic furniture over a acrylic container I built. I'll keep watching your videos, and again, thank you very much.
Thank you sir, keep breaking down the lies that big box stores have told us. I purchased $20 worth of aquarium gravel because I was told that’s what I needed as a beginner.
Wish i had found your channel before we bought a used tank, it had snails and live plants. I really don't like snails so like complete noobs we completely emptied the tank removed the overgrowing plant and all the snails and now the tank keeps going bad and smelly after just a week. We were overfeeding by a lot and the tank constantly keeps turning into sludge. I will definitely follow you're setup video if it goes bad again its been almost a week and it's looking clear and clean. Do you recommend removing the gravel completely or can I still add it on top of the soil/sand layer
I love my gravel substrate and so do my plants who are planted into it 😁 Sorry but your premise isn't based in any amount of science. There is nothing in inert sand that will magically break down waste. Gravel and sand are both inert. Plant in either sand or gravel it makes no difference. The mulm buildup with be eaten by the plants either way.
Try to put some dirt in a glass recipient with some sand in the top, after add some gravel/rocks to the top of it and "shake" the recipiente a little, naturally, and slowly the big objects come to bottom of the blended soil and will lay between the dirt and sand. It's the same processe that occurs in the aquarium, all the debris goes down with the natural environment and feed the bacteria and plants.
Thank you for sharing your wise advice. All my fish and shrimp are doing very well. My fish have babies and shrimp are swimming everywhere. Appreciate what you doing here.
Hello there , i have a 2 foot tank with aqua soil mixed with i hate to say it semi fine roman gravel but the top is sand , but now by putting plants in has caused the aqua soil to surface being the least heavy substrate and the sand has mixed with the gravel and some trapped aqua soiil right at the bottom so now itsaqua soil - sand/gravel-aqua soil ( now on top) i managed to mix some sand /gravel back on top half way across from the middle of the tank to the back shall i put 2 inch of sand on top and leave it all alone , i have no fish just plants as ive spent all my money so far on sand gravel aqua soil and plants i dont know when i will have money to buy fish ANY 😂....i may have a planted tank with a sponge filtered fishless tank for months do i need to feed my filter to keep the filter bacteria alive in the sponge with a few fish flakes each day or is that a myth ?
Hi Father! Do you think can I keep my 200 litres tank just with "flourite black sand from Seachem"? I got too many plants and fish as well. I'm actually got it like this. I fertilizing by liquid the column water. Can I keep it my tank balanced just with sand and liquid fertilizer?.
Hallo FF! 😉 HOW can we know what "too much" or "too little" food?? 🤔 Fish will eat fry or attack each other if starving I thought! It's hard to count my fish but am down to feeding them twice a day!
Hey FF! I am getting ready to set up a heavily planted 75 gallon tank with corydoras, tetras, and a few mollies. What kind of dirt do you use, garden soil or dirt from my yard?
I have gravel, if i want to put sand do i have to remove all my decorations ( wood, rocks,plants etc....) to evenly distribute the sand or just add around rocks branches etc...
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. One older fish shop in my area swears by finer gravel (1/8" size) He uses it as deep substrate in all his planted tanks. And he is against fine sand. I have course sand and he seemed OK with that. He doesn't do water changes on most of his tanks.
Is your shop Oceans in SF? He is a magnificent shop with a deep understanding of deep substrate systems. He does things very differently from me. Both are effective. He use CO2 gas for his plants. I do too but mine is created in my substrate. I would love to talk with this old man and his wife.
Hi father fish. I used 1inch dirt in My substrate and put 2 inch gravels above of it. is that Will okay For filtering My tank? Also used plants and dig them 1 inch deep
Peace. Thank you for the video. I have a tank that is maybe a month old. I have plants. I have fish. But i started it with gravel not knowing any better. My question is how can i fix my tank with fish already in it along with gravel? Should I remove the gravel? Or can I add sand ? Sorry for all the questions. This is my first tank.
hello idol father fish... thanks for the wonderful info.. 2 of my tanks plus 3 of my tub ponds are in a dirt substrate with sand cap.. they are doing really great with minimal maintenance. i have a question for my 15 month old aquarium, i put a thick sloping small gravel substrate 2 inches in front to 5 inches at the back....now i can see the layer of fish poop at the bottom. can i just top it off with fine sand about 2 to 3 inches and put a lot of plants with good lighting? is the old layer of fish poop collected for over a year enough for the plants to grow well or should i add fertilizer? thanks so much... love lots......
live in the PNW by a river called Sandy River that is a main steelhead, coho, and other salmon types run. The rivers name is due to that most of the whole river is a sandy bottom. Do you think using that type of sand would be good? Or too many chances of problems coming from it? I was thinking about setting up a small 40gal breeder tank I have sitting around with a very deep amount of this sand, but have not yet due to worry of problems that might take more of my time and take away from my established tanks.
I thought an Under gravel system was more “natural” than say a sponge filter or hang on back filter to create water circulation. Doesn’t it suck the dirt and fish waist into the gravel and break it down so plant roots can grow with a “natural” fertilizer?
It also washes it out into the water column, making no differentiation between the nutrients in the substrate and those in the water column. This promotes algae and water borne pathogens. A deep substrate almost never has algae growth and is rarely diseased. UG is always troubled with algae and disease.
I want to do this so bad. Natural dirted tank with sand. I love the idea. Just scared to swap my tank to it. I’ve been brain washed all these years by big box stores!
I changed my fancy aqua-soil after it got depleted for the father fish method, took one day to do, reused old sand and water, added mud and extra sand, put fish back in the next day, never looked back....best, healthiest tank I've ever had. (200lt)
I have a 29 gallon tank with gravel and over the back filters and i clean it once a week…and it looks good for two days then looks bad and of couive been over feeding and the whole deal so im going to break it down and redo my tank…ill have to keep my fish in a a plain glass tank for a day but they will survive! I can go to Lake Michigan for the sand and ill go to white lake for the seed material and ill find the dirt for my mud someplace and ill grab some water plants and im just going to,go for it!😅
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, AND I LOVE YOU, FATHER FISH!!! lolol...thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do to be our online go-to fish encyclopedia😊 I am BEYOND happy to have found you. I was tearing my hair out for 2 whole days researching to educate myself (huge learning curve to overcome) while worried about my little betta who had developed fin rot. I know I sound dramatic but I've been trying feverishly to order enough stuff online quick enough to set up a decent aquarium (without going into too much expense) while at the same time thinking I had to wait 4-6 weeks for my tank to cycle!! Sheesh!! I got so frustrated with all the info it was completely overwhelming. Then I found you!! How refreshing!!! To know we can just use practical common sense and set up a completely sustainable, living mini-ecosystem for our beautiful fish where they will be healthy and happy living out their lives. While we get to enjoy them and not worry about trying to maintain a completely unnatural and HARMFUL fish environment. Right now I need to know what to do more to treat the fish rot (using aquarium salt right now) and I also need lots of plants--I've ordered 3, at ridiculous prices I'm sure, so I will check out your site ASAP. Again thanks so much and God BLESS you!!
I would assume he is talking about grains larger than 2mm. Grains that are 3mm are the smallest an under gravel filter can handle which is said to not be able to have sand with, only gravel. So, I would say if your grains are 2mm and under, I would call it a course sand if it doesn't look like fine sand rather than gravel. 3mm and larger would be gravel or river rock.
I use i thin layer of gravel then 2 inches of sand on top i would use dirt but my fish like to fig and don't want hom reaching dirt to get sterd to the surface
Dear Father Fish, Iove your works, it's amazing to hear someone explaining how to keep live aquariums, instead of sterile ones. I set up a dirt tank, but I'm thinking I might have messed up. I put dirt, then sand, and then gravel from my local river. Since it has dirt/sand underneath will the detritus just sink, and I can keep it like this, or should I cap it with sand? Thank you in advance!
Hi father fish,after i rescape my tank of putting compost,sand and gravel,i have 4, 3inch goldfish,hiw often should i feed them after the 3days you said not to feed them,as at moment i feed them 2 times aday🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you for the fresh natural approach!! When planting in a tank with 1” soil capped by 2” sand, should the plant be put in with the roots down in the soil under the sand? Would the ideal way to set up the tank be to set the roots in the soil and then pour the sand on top of the soil?
Hello Father Fish. What do I use on the bottom of a tank with big clown loaches that destroyed all the plants? I have some Java fern and anubias, but even they are having a tough time. So basically I can't have plants in the substrate. Do I still use 2 inch of sand?Thanks!
I got a second hand tank with gravel in it , my plants grow fine , I don't do anything to my tank , it's 3 foot long and has over 50 fish and probably 100 cherry shrimp, some other shrimp and 2 wood shrimp, I've had it for years and only clean my filter once a year , sometimes I change it round for a different look , I wish I could send u a video because you can grow in gravel my friend
you should do a video with a deeper explanation about how to add sand in an aquarium previusly seted up with gravel, and how you should ensure the nutrients that plants need. I love your channel and your videos thanks for your work, Greetings from Colombia!!!!
I have 1 10 gallon tank left with gravel, which has Ludwigia in it. I couldn't get it to grow in the sand. The Ludwigia grows great in the gravel. Otherwise all my other tanks are sand and they look great.
Damm just set up a 40 gallon..1.5 inches of gravel..then ..2 inches of top soil mix, then 2 inches of sand..?will this work?? I got like almost 6 inches of substrates..then going with plants..
@@FatherFish thank god..was dreading removing all the sand and dirt ...my 10 gallon is exploding with the new guppy babies...need to get the 40 gallon up and running...got a 29 gallon started also...gonna skip the gravel on this one..
While it's true that only gravel will create a mess of things..but, a half an inch layer of fine gravel..over a deep substrate does help in creating a reservoir of microfauna..as otherwise, they are finished off very easily by fish as they have no real place to hide..creating a 'hiding' layer..prolongs the culture life of the microfauna..which in turn can further reduce top feeding, and support a bit more fish..
Nice thought. Impractical as it allows soil to pass into the water column essentially unimpeded. A humic layer - leaves - on the sand cap provides real support for microfauna.
There's a bit of misunderstanding..i didn't mean gravel on top of soil.. it has to be a natural deep substrate as per your recommendations..like sand with or without soil.. But..as a top dressing..of gravel on top of the sand..it's kind of an enhancement.. Leaves layer also adds to the ecosystem..gravel is more permanent..leaves will eventually decay..
My sand substrate is an inch. Can I add sand to my tank now while the fishes are in the tank so that it can be at least two inches? Do I just put it directly on the sand that is already in there?
STEM PLANTS BUNDLE SALE - Over 75 plants - 15 Species for $59! Limited Time OFFER so HURRY!
father-fish-aquarium.myshopify.com/
For Special Soil Supplements, Plants, FIsh & Merch in your country:
fatherfish.fish/
I'm with you!! I've always done deep sand because well, that's what you find in nature!! Even areas WITH a completely rocky bottom, what's under the rock?? Sand !! I do have tanks set up with river rock.. but I put the rock ON TOP of a deep sand bed. Without the sand, it just doesn't work right...
Precisely Mike. Study nature to learn to keep a vibrant aquarium.
Is my first time watching Father Fish videos, and I immediately fell in love with this guy? New subscriber here
Welcome aboard! We are a loving community. You are right at home. Check out our DISCORD server. Lots of friends. discord.gg/5PueUJEm
My first time here. I will incorporate my tilapia tank in this arrangement using sand. Thanks so much! I'm hoping I can use aquaponics with this. Will need to watch more of his videos. Thanks!
Hello Father Fish! I ran saw your video on natural tank set up and i loved everything you do and can't stop watching your videos!! You are amazing! I have a small aquarium with gold fish and some cleaning fish. The gold fish had babies and i m preparing a bigger aquarium for when they grow. I d like to follow your advice on making a natural tank but i m unsure about dirt and sand as I ve heard the fish will eat dirt and make water dirty. What s your adice. Also..can i use sand from the beach? Do i need to rince it off ?
Watch some more videos about making a natural aquarium. There are many. Come join us on the Fathar Fish shoal: discord.gg/G4fkAE6qNw. We will help you.
I keep sand in planted aquarium but gravel in oscar aquarium. Suggest me the change. Earlier I was having sand in oscar aquarium. Sand became very dirty within 6 months. And not easy to suction .
Mmake sand 4" deep and NEVER CLEAN!!!
Hi do you have to add tap safe in a new tank or jus the water and leave it alone thanks rob
Depends on what is in the water. Chloramine requires chemical treatment.
Thanks I did fill up the tank a couple of years ago but lost fish due to using gravel which I'm gunna use soil and sand thanks for the tips and just want to say I would move to America in a heart beat I went there about 19 years ago to Florida enjoyed every moment and had a baby rack of ribs was like half a cow
can i setup a father fish tank and still have a large fish or fishes due to them eating inverts that are needed in the ecosystem of a natural father fish environment?
large fish will not typically eat macrofauna. They will eat shrimp and larger worms. Heavy planting will help.
Thank you Father Fish you have really helped me understand how simple and cheap it is to have a wonderful ecosystem in my living room!
With that many tanks next to windows you know this guy doesn't care about algae growth. More power to you brother, I have one tank near a window and it's very established and vibrant and the fish are healthy when you can see them lol.
I love tanks in windows. Thank
you 5 Mile Macc.
I do too, and so do the fish. How beautiful they are with the sun shining on them, rippling
I had a 75 gallon in a window years ago and caught so much grief from people about it, it was honestly one of my most well balanced tanks algae was never an issue with it
What if I put a nice layer of dirt underneath the gravel?? That’s what I did and now I regret it after watching this video 😭
lol places like pet supermarket tell you bs about keeping your tank away from sunlight they are wrong it’s natural
Went dirt for first time about 1 month ago. Capped it with number 2 silica sand and the plants are really taking off. Low tech , with 6500k floodlights...90 gallon. I am a believer in dirt. Cheap as dirt too..lol.
You betcha Driftin.
I sometimes see river beds that have gravel on the very top layer. So I'm curious, if I start with a layer of dirt and a layer of sand, then put a layer of natural gravel on top of that, does that work? Is it that I shouldn't use gravel at all, or I shouldn't use gravel as my only substrate?
Smart! I like to use river gravel as a dressing for my decorated tanks. It adds a natural quality.
@@FatherFish Awesome! Thanks for anwsering my question. I can't wait to set up my first natural tank. :)
Natural fish tanks are a beautiful additives in houses, which keeps house refreshing...for natural tanks, we need natural substrate....SAND.
I totally agree!
Gravel shouldn't be used by itself, that's for sure. In my current ecotank, my substrate's bottom layer is a mixture of top soil and aquasoil, the second layer is sand, and the sand covers most of the tank floor and all of the dirt/soil. In the front of the tank, I have a half-inch deep layer of gravel. Not the cheapo rainbow gravel, natural gravel. It's working just fine. I don't gravel vac it, ever. But within this tank are a variety of snails (ramshorn, mystery, cappuccino spike and pagoda, plus three zebra otocinclus). It's really easy for them to move the gravel around and clean it. The snails pick the river pebbles up and clean under then, too. It's awesome to watch.
Once you apply the basic principle it i=becomes possible to be flexible with materials. Sounds very nice Alexis.
@@FatherFish It's a fun tank to observe. In my classroom's Walstad tank, the gravel became an issue in a few spots. I think it was because I used the smoother textured gravel, that cheapo stuff, rather than the natural stuff I'm using now which is rougher and also doesn't pack together tightly. This gravel seems to be able to "breathe", for lack of a better term. Maybe you've also noticed this, but I've found that tightly packed gravel doesn't help to oxygenate the tank.
Father Fish,I love you man!! Greetings from Poland!
Praise god for this living encyclopedia called Father Fish. I was hurting my mind about what to do to salvage my old eco complete, and here he affirmed the message in my head. Cap it with sand and move on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I already have a gravel tank (with a layer of aquasoil underneath the gravel layer). It has already got plants and stuff. If I don't want to take everything out and start that tank all over from scratch, can i just top off the gravel layer with sand?
yes. Perfect.
Just found this video Father Fish. What good timing setting up a new aquarium and debating between no substrate and sand, sand wins out.
Thank you for all the great advice, young man.
lol. Thank you mark. I do not wish to be a young man again. Too many problems.
@@FatherFish What FF said is correct.
We are still sowing/working, but FF
Is happily harvesting.
FF has it all figured out.
Thanks I love this advice that your giving everyone your a blessing for this great hobby
So nice of you Rego.
I have bought some plants from you online shop Father Fish. This video was 2 years ago. What I don't understand is why the pictures of many of your plants for sale are showing growing in Gravel?
Now, I just moved, never tried sand in the past, and I am now trying gravel and sand. I am getting this not only from your videos, I am going back to "Exotic Aquarium Fishes" by William Innes, book went from 1935-1966, and shows using sand for plants and fish.
I am 66 and have been in the aquarium hobby since 12.
I am disagreeing with what you are saying here, and I do know that the modern aquarium practices and rules are terribly off track. Like the Aquarium Store Owner told my mother when she bought our aquarium 55 years ago said, "A hungry fish is a healthy fish."
You are rambling
@@FatherFish Hi there hope you are well just wanted to ask a question I have a 91 gal tank I've put aqua soil but I was getting frustrated by floating bits
So I decided to get some gravel to keep it down only a thin layer
Now I'm thinking to cover it with sand will that do the job as will still be able to be an suitable and have an eco system or better just remove the gravel and then put the sand
I like sand .I added sand over my gravel .I don't have problems with my aquarium. 10 months completed .Thank you for your knowledge ff.
So nice of you
@@FatherFish 🙏🏻
What type of sand did you add
You put dirt and then sand what kind of dirt the kind that you buy us aquarium shop and the sand can you use the same that they use for like pools
Well, there is one substrate worse than gravel: colored glass and plastic beads . I know. That was my very first attempt at a fish tank. Trying to keep it clean was pure insanity, and it didn't take long for the fish to die. I had no clue what I was doing. I have deeply repented from my ignorance and my next 29-gallon tank set up will be a 100% Father Fish tank!
BRAVO! You are correct. Marbles are worse than gravel!
Sands my favorite! Especially if it has worms :P
Agree :P
Patrick just set up a dirted tank with backyard soil. A worm crawled out of the substrate!
You two look alike
Hi father fish. Can I just add sand on top of my gravel? It’s an established tank had it for over a year it seems it’s doing fine but I would like to make sure I’m heading in the right direction.
Yes. Just add 2 inches of sand on top of what you already have.
i was wondering whats the benefit of adding sand over gravel that has no soil ?
So the crazy thing is we have two tanks, one is my daughter's which does have gravel and a minimum of plants and mine which is much closer to the FF method. I took some of her guppy fry and the difference between the two tanks, for the same generation of fish, is astounding. My tank is cooler but my fry are bigger, more colorful, and a lot more active and I've fed them maybe twice in two months. More natural environment equals healthier fish, surprise!
All my tanks are dirted with a sand cap. Keep it simple folks but do not forget the plants.
Yes. Plants are critical.
Liked and shared, thanks for the wisdom!
Yours in the dirt,
Jim
Awesome! Thank you James!
I just stopped using gravel from the pet store and started to use river sand from a river
So you take sand from nature and put it as is in an established tank!? I want to take care of my tank and not kill my fish I’ve had them for years. I have those sphere fluval vitamins as the substrate and was going to add gravel to keep the plants in but now I wonder if I should put sand instead
@@DianaFerrets i've used river sand as well. No issues. But I only used it to start new tanks, never tried dumping it in an established one.
Is a mix of sand and river gravel different than the typical gravel? I am emulating a river stream with North American darters, and they seem to love the river stone gravel. I also use hornwort as it takes a lot of nutrients from the water column. Then some patches of monte carlo I'm trying to grow.
I appreciate your knowledge, thank you for sharing.
cap an inch of sand with river gravel to replicate natural stream bed.
Years ago I stopped using gravel after seeing all the rotting food and poop it collected. I stopped having issues with fungal infections and fin rot.
That is the key. Good job!
cheers Father! I don't use sand, but Vulcatec, which I always use as substrate for my houseplants. It is like sponge that holds water and oxygen, basically a nano version of lava rock, or micro pumice, just without the float^^ thats perfectly fine aswell, isn't it? So far everything seems fine, three months in, no water changes, only refill.
edit: I should clarify: dirt as a base, Vulkatec as barrier, around the centerpiece wood I topped with Akadama. slow growing plants inside, and houseplants outside that rooted in the aquarium water. lovely watching the chili rasboras darting thru the roots^^
a very nice fine gravel. Use a fine grade. beautiful product
@@FatherFish Thank you for the confirmation! Yes my grain size is 1-4mm. I am a plant nerd for many years and have a vivarium for several years aswell. I had all the materials already at home and my accumulated knowledge in addition to research for natural aquarium suggested it should work perfectly. But you'll never know until you try^^ thank you for your videos, you are a priceless source of information and I very much appreciate it.
Kind regards from Germany
Small grain gravel is fine...1/16 to 1/8. My experience with sand is everything sits on top and nothing goes into it. Coarse sand yes, which is small grain gravel LOL
Add more sand. I use very fine sand with no problems
I stoped useing gravel and move up to sand, never looked back. Love the sand look
Hi Debra. Great for the whole system.
No food for a few days... Fasting! Love it!
So you don’t want the bag of black gravel and bag of black and blue under my sink?! What?! You don’t want a star spangled banner tank?!
I’ll keep it then 😂
What was I thinking truly. What a novice! Only thing worse would’ve been fruity pebble! 😂
New to the hobby upgrading from 15gal to 55gal. Due to my inexperience and lack of research the orignal habitate was too small for the first fish i obtained.
But the ones that survived are a albino rainbowfish and a featherfin catfish. So working on my gravel tank with some plants atm. I'm on week three of not cleaning the substrate before going to a local river here in michigan to borrow some sand to add as well as some leaves that are already in the water. I'm nervous about the adition but from all your videos it sounds like this is going to work and it just plane makes sense. Thank you for the videos and the discord. I always thoight it was weird the norm was to make such an artificial environment for your fish. But this way just makes way more sense.
I usually agree with him but I totally disagree. I've used gravel for 25 years and my fish thrive. I tried sand and it got inside my filters and destroyed one of them. My fish stir it up to much. I went back to gravel. My sin has 2 tanks with sand and he is forever having issues. Either cloudy water, ich, Popeye, always something. I never have these problems. As for gravel, I very rarely ever vacuum my gravel. I use a WaveMaker pointed at the substrate that doesn't allow the food to settle in the gravel and it keeps my loaches busy cleaning up the leftover food my cichlids don't eat.
As any good hobbyist you have learned to achieve success with a system that has become familiar to you. My system is simple, basic, and 100% successful. Certainly sand will chew up impellers and will not work with under gravel filters. Everything has appropriate applications. Congrats on your success.
@@FatherFish Coming from a man as wise as you I appreciate that. My son and I love your videos and I admire your system. I learned my fish keeping from my dad as a young boy. I guess I grew up doing it with gravel. I lost my dad in March of 2022. If he were here to see this comment from you he would have a big smile on his face. Keep up the incredible work you do for our hobby. You are a stalwart in this wonderful world of fish keeping.
@@danielcarlton3553 Thank you Daniel. Those who have come before are the giants, clearly your father was one of them.
@@FatherFish if I may ask, will a bit of gravel (like half an inch) on top of the sand that has soil under it, be ok from your perspective? From what I understand on how you set up the soil and sand, and the way you talk about gravel, it should have no impact on the aquarium balance, right? I want the gravel for aesthetic reasons alone.
@@globalist1990 Yes. Certainly. I like small river gravel, tiny washed stones.
Read a lot of these comments regarding sand, gravel, and soil with toppings of both sand and gravel... And it seems to me that FF will shoot you down or not answer if you have anything differing to say against his opinions here...
Yeah I know he's been in this hobby for a long time, but come on here... Maybe, just maybe, there is something working for folk that use sand only, and gravel only... Regardless of what FF says, if it's working for you, keep doing what your doing...
I teach a system that is 100% effective and keeps new people in the hobby.
@@FatherFish I dissed you and got a reply... Point made.
Not gonna lie I've used 1 inch of gravel over 1.5 inches of soil in all my aquariums big and small and they've been running without a problem for years. The longest one is almost 6 now. Never had a problem, but over time I learned sand is cheaper and lets burrowing fish bury themselves more easily.
Another benefit of sand is its ability to prevent dirt from coming in direct contact with the water column, thus reducing solubles and keeping organics down.
I’m using a substrate from a local lake filled with all sorts of useful creatures like scuds and tubifex worms. I worry adding a layer of sand will bury them alive.
correct. Put the mulm on top of the sand.
Try owning freshwater crayfish that like to burrow. Whole different scenarios. Whats the substrate theory there.. ?
cray crabs love to eat plants. they are not welcome in my tanks.
Hi father fish...just something i was thinking about...
If you cap dirt with gravel... would that not mean that the fish waste would break down quicker..?..
It would have access to the dirt...creating more food for the plants...?
Just wondering..where i do see fish waste on top of the sand...
Thank you🙏
Good question. Gravel allows water to flow down to the soil, leaching it into the water oclumn. If detritus is lying on the sand the sand is not deep enough to accommodate the rate of detritus being created.
@@FatherFish ... Thank you 🙏
Wish I would have found these videos before setting up my 75 gallon tank with gravel, plants, decor, and a bunch of fish… now debating on taking it all apart to do this method. Wondering if I could transfer all the fish and live plants to a large tote temporarily so I could accomplish this tank setup. I probably have $200 in gravel and fake log sets and plants I never would’ve bought had I known there was another way. It makes complete sense, I’m just feeling defeated having spent so much money and time already and now basically throwing much of it away as it cannot be taken back.
You will be victorious when you have completed the transformation.
sell it on a market place for others who may want it. there is more than one way to have an aquarium. And sometimes people use fake plants in their aquariums as place holders as they slowly buy and add plants.
i used river sand + dirt 😁 its cheap and looks more natural and plants look healthy oh and i just added some dried indian almond leaf 😍
Perfect Pork Chop.
I had no idea how difficult it would be for me to NOT feed my fish. It goes against everything I was taught being s natural caregiver & nurturer.. but I’m going to try again. I think I keep ruining my tanks because I love to feed those little gluttons ❤.. I have dirt 1.5” and sand 3 “. Maybe overkill? My ten gal betta tank is half substrate! 😂anyhow, this hobby is what I needed because I need to learn restraint and balance. ❤
You can do it!
Thank you for emulating nature! We (humankind) have so much to learn !
Yes we do. Here's one you will enjoy:
th-cam.com/video/tc_3khg-Pcs/w-d-xo.html
I almost got emotional with your great videos Mr. Father Fish; I'm so happy to have found your channel, I bookmarked it immediately; somehow I've always believed that was exactly the way to go, even though the common advise was almost always in the contrary, I never ever change water, just add more due to evaporation; I always thought fish in nature live submerse in an immense variety of life, based on past recycle life. Thank You!!! I'm going to do the sand over my aged and high gravel; I wasn't sure that was a good idea up to now. I'd love to show you my setup; an unheated freshwater 75G tank connected to a 150G tank by a a 2" diameter primed pvc tube over the top and filtered by a wet dry setup build from a cheap plastic furniture over a acrylic container I built. I'll keep watching your videos, and again, thank you very much.
James, please join us on Discord. Link is in the description. Would love to see you tank. You can post pics and short videos on Discord.
LIKE LIKE LIKE..... I can't like this more. It's perfect.
I’m doing this now but I’m wondering if I should add more gravel first
Thank you sir, keep breaking down the lies that big box stores have told us. I purchased $20 worth of aquarium gravel because I was told that’s what I needed as a beginner.
When you return it suggest you have decided to create a living aquarium, not a toilet.
@@FatherFish yes, sir. 🤣 ❤️
Wish i had found your channel before we bought a used tank, it had snails and live plants. I really don't like snails so like complete noobs we completely emptied the tank removed the overgrowing plant and all the snails and now the tank keeps going bad and smelly after just a week. We were overfeeding by a lot and the tank constantly keeps turning into sludge. I will definitely follow you're setup video if it goes bad again its been almost a week and it's looking clear and clean. Do you recommend removing the gravel completely or can I still add it on top of the soil/sand layer
You can cap the gravel. I recommend starting over. you will be happier.
Pool filter sand yes or no
Yes. Absolutely.
I love my gravel substrate and so do my plants who are planted into it 😁
Sorry but your premise isn't based in any amount of science. There is nothing in inert sand that will magically break down waste. Gravel and sand are both inert. Plant in either sand or gravel it makes no difference. The mulm buildup with be eaten by the plants either way.
So I take it you’re not a fan of
Try to put some dirt in a glass recipient with some sand in the top, after add some gravel/rocks to the top of it and "shake" the recipiente a little, naturally, and slowly the big objects come to bottom of the blended soil and will lay between the dirt and sand. It's the same processe that occurs in the aquarium, all the debris goes down with the natural environment and feed the bacteria and plants.
Thank you for sharing your wise advice. All my fish and shrimp are doing very well. My fish have babies and shrimp are swimming everywhere. Appreciate what you doing here.
In case of non-planted tanks the river sand which we use as building material can be used ???? TIA
Any sand will do. If the sand is acting as a cap for an inch of soil it will balance the system and grow luxurious plants.
1-2 mm Dennerle Crystal Quartz you consider it is sand or gravel ? I like the black one.
Fatherfish can i put sand on top of my gravel and floriate
Yes. 2"
I've had gravel bottoms, beautifully planted tanks , bred fish, wonderfully for years! I'm really surprised at this!
In a dirted tank gravel allows soil to be mixed in the water.
Glad I found your channel. A lot of Fish keeping wisdom here.
Welcome aboard Christopher!
Hello there , i have a 2 foot tank with aqua soil mixed with i hate to say it semi fine roman gravel but the top is sand , but now by putting plants in has caused the aqua soil to surface being the least heavy substrate and the sand has mixed with the gravel and some trapped aqua soiil right at the bottom so now itsaqua soil - sand/gravel-aqua soil ( now on top) i managed to mix some sand /gravel back on top half way across from the middle of the tank to the back shall i put 2 inch of sand on top and leave it all alone , i have no fish just plants as ive spent all my money so far on sand gravel aqua soil and plants i dont know when i will have money to buy fish ANY 😂....i may have a planted tank with a sponge filtered fishless tank for months do i need to feed my filter to keep the filter bacteria alive in the sponge with a few fish flakes each day or is that a myth ?
you need fish
I love all the new things you have taught me I was one of the people that was doing it all wrong thanks
Hi Father!
Do you think can I keep my 200 litres tank just with "flourite black sand from Seachem"? I got too many plants and fish as well. I'm actually got it like this.
I fertilizing by liquid the column water.
Can I keep it my tank balanced just with sand and liquid fertilizer?.
For maybe a year then it will crash.
Hallo FF! 😉
HOW can we know what "too much" or "too little" food?? 🤔
Fish will eat fry or attack each other if starving I thought!
It's hard to count my fish but am down to feeding them twice a day!
When you get down to feeding twice a week you will understand overfeeding.
Hey FF! I am getting ready to set up a heavily planted 75 gallon tank with corydoras, tetras, and a few mollies. What kind of dirt do you use, garden soil or dirt from my yard?
There is more to it. Watch a video on creating a natural aquarium. There are 4 unique components of the substrate. Soil is only one.
I have gravel, if i want to put sand do i have to remove all my decorations ( wood, rocks,plants etc....) to evenly distribute the sand or just add around rocks branches etc...
Just pour clean sand 1/2" every 3 days.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.. There is a lot of conflicting information out there. One older fish shop in my area swears by finer gravel (1/8" size) He uses it as deep substrate in all his planted tanks. And he is against fine sand. I have course sand and he seemed OK with that. He doesn't do water changes on most of his tanks.
Is your shop Oceans in SF? He is a magnificent shop with a deep understanding of deep substrate systems. He does things very differently from me. Both are effective. He use CO2 gas for his plants. I do too but mine is created in my substrate. I would love to talk with this old man and his wife.
This channel has saved my fishkeeping hobby!! Thank you Father Fish x
Great to hear!
Hi father fish. I used 1inch dirt in My substrate and put 2 inch gravels above of it. is that Will okay For filtering My tank? Also used plants and dig them 1 inch deep
No! Gravel is not effective. Add an inch of sand on top of the grave;.
Don't we have gravel in rivers? In lakes? This is nonsense.
Yes but underneath is sand on top of mud
@FatherFish no not in many rivers. It's gravel with some sand and it's not fine sand much more coarse.
Peace. Thank you for the video. I have a tank that is maybe a month old. I have plants. I have fish. But i started it with gravel not knowing any better. My question is how can i fix my tank with fish already in it along with gravel? Should I remove the gravel? Or can I add sand ? Sorry for all the questions. This is my first tank.
Add 2" of sand on top of the gravel and then begin developing a food web. Join us on Discord to learn these ways.
@@FatherFish will do. I will look for the discord also
I have gravel tank for over year and a half no problem. Plants still use waste i think. What do i do now if doing ok
Add an inch of sand. You will notice a substantial improvement.
hello idol father fish... thanks for the wonderful info.. 2 of my tanks plus 3 of my tub ponds are in a dirt substrate with sand cap.. they are doing really great with minimal maintenance. i have a question for my 15 month old aquarium, i put a thick sloping small gravel substrate 2 inches in front to 5 inches at the back....now i can see the layer of fish poop at the bottom. can i just top it off with fine sand about 2 to 3 inches and put a lot of plants with good lighting? is the old layer of fish poop collected for over a year enough for the plants to grow well or should i add fertilizer? thanks so much... love lots......
Yes. Absolutely. Cap it with about 2" of sand and it will be amazing.
live in the PNW by a river called Sandy River that is a main steelhead, coho, and other salmon types run. The rivers name is due to that most of the whole river is a sandy bottom.
Do you think using that type of sand would be good? Or too many chances of problems coming from it?
I was thinking about setting up a small 40gal breeder tank I have sitting around with a very deep amount of this sand, but have not yet due to worry of problems that might take more of my time and take away from my established tanks.
PERFECT! Dig into the sand and get some of the dirty sand. That will be filled with nutrients and life. You will be amazed. 4" is enough.
Hi fatherfish I love this video you answer my question I was going to comment. That was if I could just put sand on top of my gravel.
Absolutely Daniel.
@@FatherFish thank you fatherfish
I thought an Under gravel system was more “natural” than say a sponge filter or hang on back filter to create water circulation. Doesn’t it suck the dirt and fish waist into the gravel and break it down so plant roots can grow with a “natural” fertilizer?
It also washes it out into the water column, making no differentiation between the nutrients in the substrate and those in the water column. This promotes algae and water borne pathogens. A deep substrate almost never has algae growth and is rarely diseased. UG is always troubled with algae and disease.
Much respect…so informational ❤️
Every time I learn something new. Thank you. ❤
There are many aquariums with fishes for years with gravel.. Fishes are healthy.. Gravel or sand doesn't break down the waste.. its the bacteria
sand controls leaching of the soil into the water, gravel does not.
Thanks for your reply. That was for my 75. Now I'm doing one 29 in your honer. Dirted capped with sand for hopefully raising apistos. Thanks!
Sounds great! Keep us posted Bill.
I want to do this so bad. Natural dirted tank with sand. I love the idea. Just scared to swap my tank to it. I’ve been brain washed all these years by big box stores!
You can do it Brian. Come over to Discord. We will walk you through it.
I changed my fancy aqua-soil after it got depleted for the father fish method, took one day to do, reused old sand and water, added mud and extra sand, put fish back in the next day, never looked back....best, healthiest tank I've ever had. (200lt)
@@richardwebb9532 You go Richard.
DO IT!!! Best decision I've ever made
I have a 29 gallon tank with gravel and over the back filters and i clean it once a week…and it looks good for two days then looks bad and of couive been over feeding and the whole deal so im going to break it down and redo my tank…ill have to keep my fish in a a plain glass tank for a day but they will survive! I can go to Lake Michigan for the sand and ill go to white lake for the seed material and ill find the dirt for my mud someplace and ill grab some water plants and im just going to,go for it!😅
A great guy with huge knowledge and beautiful life passion...
Greetings from Suisse👋🏻
So nice of you Marcin.
I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL, AND I LOVE YOU, FATHER FISH!!! lolol...thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you do to be our online go-to fish encyclopedia😊 I am BEYOND happy to have found you. I was tearing my hair out for 2 whole days researching to educate myself (huge learning curve to overcome) while worried about my little betta who had developed fin rot. I know I sound dramatic but I've been trying feverishly to order enough stuff online quick enough to set up a decent aquarium (without going into too much expense) while at the same time thinking I had to wait 4-6 weeks for my tank to cycle!! Sheesh!! I got so frustrated with all the info it was completely overwhelming. Then I found you!! How refreshing!!! To know we can just use practical common sense and set up a completely sustainable, living mini-ecosystem for our beautiful fish where they will be healthy and happy living out their lives. While we get to enjoy them and not worry about trying to maintain a completely unnatural and HARMFUL fish environment. Right now I need to know what to do more to treat the fish rot (using aquarium salt right now) and I also need lots of plants--I've ordered 3, at ridiculous prices I'm sure, so I will check out your site ASAP. Again thanks so much and God BLESS you!!
If you like the aestitic of gravel, can you put that on top of the sand, or is even that bad? I don't like the look of the sand too much.
yes. Absolutely
@@FatherFishwont the gravel work against the breakdown of the fish waste ?
@@korlimservices4180 Not if it is used as a top dressing on sand.
My gravel is so fine and naturally beautiful granitic rock it's almost sand - so this is confusing. But I'll keep an open mind.
I would assume he is talking about grains larger than 2mm. Grains that are 3mm are the smallest an under gravel filter can handle which is said to not be able to have sand with, only gravel. So, I would say if your grains are 2mm and under, I would call it a course sand if it doesn't look like fine sand rather than gravel. 3mm and larger would be gravel or river rock.
I use i thin layer of gravel then 2 inches of sand on top i would use dirt but my fish like to fig and don't want hom reaching dirt to get sterd to the surface
Dear Father Fish, Iove your works, it's amazing to hear someone explaining how to keep live aquariums, instead of sterile ones. I set up a dirt tank, but I'm thinking I might have messed up. I put dirt, then sand, and then gravel from my local river. Since it has dirt/sand underneath will the detritus just sink, and I can keep it like this, or should I cap it with sand? Thank you in advance!
I should be fine.
@@FatherFish Thank you for the answer! You're amazing :)
Hi father fish,after i rescape my tank of putting compost,sand and gravel,i have 4, 3inch goldfish,hiw often should i feed them after the 3days you said not to feed them,as at moment i feed them 2 times aday🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
You may feed them more often but feed small amounts.
Ok thank you father fish🙏🙏🙏🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you for the fresh natural approach!!
When planting in a tank with 1” soil capped by 2” sand, should the plant be put in with the roots down in the soil under the sand?
Would the ideal way to set up the tank be to set the roots in the soil and then pour the sand on top of the soil?
The plant should be no more than 1" into the sand cap.
Hello Father Fish. What do I use on the bottom of a tank with big clown loaches that destroyed all the plants? I have some Java fern and anubias, but even they are having a tough time. So basically I can't have plants in the substrate. Do I still use 2 inch of sand?Thanks!
the loaches need a cave to hide in.
Yes, I have many caves, but I'm getting a 500gal tank to replace my 220, and I don't know if I should go with sand or bare bottom.
I got a second hand tank with gravel in it , my plants grow fine , I don't do anything to my tank , it's 3 foot long and has over 50 fish and probably 100 cherry shrimp, some other shrimp and 2 wood shrimp, I've had it for years and only clean my filter once a year , sometimes I change it round for a different look , I wish I could send u a video because you can grow in gravel my friend
All tanks that fail have g ravel as substrate.
@@FatherFish that may be true but not all gravel tanks fail
you should do a video with a deeper explanation about how to add sand in an aquarium previusly seted up with gravel, and how you should ensure the nutrients that plants need. I love your channel and your videos thanks for your work, Greetings from Colombia!!!!
yeah i was wondering whats the benefit of adding sand over gravel that has no soil ?
The sand allows detritus to accumulate in the gravel layer without being washed out., THAT becomes a soil player in time.
But rainbow coloured gravel looks so much better with ceramic castles and plastic mermaids, than thatw boring regular sand!😉
Seriously speaking, though, there are so many false ideas about sand out there, that sometimes it's difficult to talk people into it.
The best Father Fish! Such a life of experience and expertise! 🙏🐠🍀🐠🙏
I have 1 10 gallon tank left with gravel, which has Ludwigia in it. I couldn't get it to grow in the sand. The Ludwigia grows great in the gravel. Otherwise all my other tanks are sand and they look great.
curious
I use very fine almost sand-like gravel, fine crushed lava rock, and aqua soil in a plenum setup.
You might consider capping that with an inch of fine sand.
Damm just set up a 40 gallon..1.5 inches of gravel..then ..2 inches of top soil mix, then 2 inches of sand..?will this work?? I got like almost 6 inches of substrates..then going with plants..
It will be ok.
@@FatherFish thank god..was dreading removing all the sand and dirt ...my 10 gallon is exploding with the new guppy babies...need to get the 40 gallon up and running...got a 29 gallon started also...gonna skip the gravel on this one..
Another great clip. Do you have a video already in which you talk about what you look for in your dirt/sand or which brands you like best and why?
Yes. Check the most popular vids on my channel.
Hi sir. What kind of sand do you use with your soil and would
It work with a turtle?
Any inert sand. An extra inch for a turtle.
what do you think is the best plants for cold water tank with gold fish?
Anubias, Java fern, Amazon sword or Hornwort
thank you sir @@FatherFish
While it's true that only gravel will create a mess of things..but, a half an inch layer of fine gravel..over a deep substrate does help in creating a reservoir of microfauna..as otherwise, they are finished off very easily by fish as they have no real place to hide..creating a 'hiding' layer..prolongs the culture life of the microfauna..which in turn can further reduce top feeding, and support a bit more fish..
Nice thought. Impractical as it allows soil to pass into the water column essentially unimpeded. A humic layer - leaves - on the sand cap provides real support for microfauna.
There's a bit of misunderstanding..i didn't mean gravel on top of soil.. it has to be a natural deep substrate as per your recommendations..like sand with or without soil..
But..as a top dressing..of gravel on top of the sand..it's kind of an enhancement..
Leaves layer also adds to the ecosystem..gravel is more permanent..leaves will eventually decay..
My sand substrate is an inch. Can I add sand to my tank now while the fishes are in the tank so that it can be at least two inches? Do I just put it directly on the sand that is already in there?
Yes you can Sherice