Questioning Father Fish & His Method. The Controversey. + Nature Tanks: The Limits & The Strengths

When the father fish said do not change the water and that you have to believe in this because in the beginning he always stressed the necessity of having one condition which is a natural aquarium...we understand from his words that you are letting nature do this so it is natural that Water changes on its own because it evaporates and new water is added 😊 Water cannot remain in a basin for twenty years without drying up 😊This is something that must happen and I believe in everything this great teacher says... May God prolong his life and benefit us with his knowledge ❤I love this wise man father fish 🐠🐟

I have had a tank that has zero water changes for years… it’s crystal clear… 0 ammonia/nitrites/nitrates… and yes I have several angel fishes… it’s not dirted and I do have a sponge filter but it does have plants…

Neither one of you are wrong. Your water source is just different.

Did you get a haircut Alex? You’re looking good.

For me, FF and You aren't for beginners like FF said, it's for us people who are sick and tired of being told we need $1,000's in chemicals or filters or anything and everything else. Those other channels drive me crazy lol.
I tried my first FF formula planted tank and for the first time in 30 years I've been able to have shrimp and not have them die in 3 days! 😂 💙

The moment I saw father fish and the things that I did that matched what he would say made me feel like I was getting somewhere and that I wasn’t weird or crazy because the water changes never worked for me until I changed the methods. I mean you can’t continue to do the same shit and expect a different outcome so I listened to him for a bit and things have worked just fine.

I’ve been watching Father Fish for awhile and I finally realized who he sounds like. Sheldon / Big Bang Theory.

This guy father fish.....does not back his theory with SCIENCE! He is spreading false info. I've been doing this hobby for 40 + years. There is 100 percent no way you can sustain living conditions without doing water changes!

I was hoping you would stop this Father Fish fucking no. I had to kill my 2 fish after looking after them for 9 years when I could have gone the pub. Have an aquascape yes. If you want to grow plants. Have fake fish. If that is your fucking hobby. You fat boy are his m8. Flood your living room to keep a fish happy. Ipso Factorum. My life is now to go against this allowance of evil bastards selling willingly, sentient brings to try and make a fucking nano tank into a full flowing river. I should know, I have been up to my shoulders swimming river fish, as in big goldfish about 3 ft long in Wales, in fast flowing water. After my Uncle Reginald Kenneth Morgan had hooked them.Pussies. pray for my goldfish. And little boy, grow up.😢 I am a human being. It's cruelty putting any fish in an aquarium. I am 55 years old. I also am knowledgeable a biggest, a chemist, a vegetarian. Very few of us are impressed. It is cruel to the fish putting them, fickhead into this nano environment. Bad enough you suck up to this man. Or so called man. Father and son. If you do not like facts do not put up I hate Father Fish. He is a total idiotic old fool. Lessons forgotten in childhood creates this bunch of Quascaping motors. I am Mother Fish then. Put yourself in anyone's shoes. Money making mad lads. Goodbye my beauties.

ALL HAIL FATHER FISH

Well... it's just that... that's literally how biology is... the main idea of aquariums is to make a type of biome inside a cube of such dimensions, That's literally what Father Fish explains and he's completely right, it helped me gain new knowledge about this hobby, I love it, he's simply right by simply listening to him carefully. I like your channel, it's quite refreshing and very interesting. I like that you know what you're talking about ♡♡♡

I've been binge watching your vids and father fish's vids for months now, and with that info i'm trying to create my own method, specific for converting an established artificial tank to a natural one WHILE IT'S INHABITED. I'm thinking of calling it the "nature speedrun" method if it works...

Its a 29 gallon for size reference, but the idea is essentially to mimic a brand new stream forming through barren land, starting with just a few inches of sand-like material directly over the existing gravel, and water feeding fast growing plants (waterweeds). Using fast breeders like guppies you then overfeed daily, provided you also have detrivores and algae eaters to clean the mess. Also add leaf litter, and bury any failed plants or trimmings rather than remove them ( this step mimics decaying terrestrial life that became submerged by the new stream)

This is the fun step where you can't be afraid to muddy the waters a bit, because after the first month, you add a couple root tabs and cover them with clumps of grass covered or moss covered dirt directly from your yard, small handfuls every few days and only enough to add an inch or two of dirt where you plan to eventually have root feeders. The grass or moss roots will help hold the clumps together avoiding a mud bomb, then slowly decay adding nutrients to the soil that's slowly spreading over time. Since that dirt is typically clay-like, any silt stays low to the bottom and barely affects the water column, even with Corydoras digging around. Wait a few days between the clumps you add so that any stirred up mud will settle or get filtered out, it'll get cloudy but the fish can tolerate the small amounts from this method. You then let the whole thing sit for another month, only adding more water feeding plants at most, and add the media from filter cartridges when you change them out to add carbon and other minerals (This step is to mimic dirt clumps naturally eroding into the stream, and to add dirt without choking out the fish)

By month 3, the substrate is sturdy enough to start supporting various root plants like swords and velisnaria (not sure how it's spelled) and you can start aquascaping it however you like. Mine has now run with this method for 6 months, and has become a jungle tank with all kinds of plants growing. Left alone, this substrate will not last long, but it is at a point where the natural cycle can begin to take over. I allowed the tank to become heavily overstocked with guppies, tetras, barbs, shrimp and bladder snails to turn heavy overfeeding into timed fertilizer, corydoras and a pleco provide natural cleanup and mulm sifting, and every 6 months i plan to add a root tab and sod clump like i did 3 months ago... I have no idea what the future holds with my method right now, but i'd love to know what you think about it and hear any suggestions you have to improve on it😅

I just top up once every 2 weeks.. i lose about 4 gals in my 20.. If my Levels are too high, Ilk take a bit more out.. , but full out changes?? Not in 2 yrs.

The only reason i do water change is because im bored. I think its mostly depends on the fish you keep, the size of the aqiarium and your set-up, and of course mostly being restless, long story short human error. I have a 40gal aquarium with 6 discuss and a few small fishes, plus a few moss and grasses. Feed it daily with frozen blood worms, rarely do water change, my setup was from my old marine aquarium with subtank and filters which i think makes it more recomendable if you hate scheduled water change and cant help feeding them twice a day lol oh and have one crawfish on my subtank. My setup has no lights, i place it semi outdoor balcony under the stairs with roof, so they only get partial sunlight. Ive had aquariums that thrive without feeding and water change when i was a kid. Lol plus a few dead fish that i never thrown, it was a sucess but rather disgusting 😅. So yeah the key is you have to build them there own environment that mimics nature once you get that going its easy peasy. Also i also necer added anything on my tap water aquarium. I belive plants, humans and fish can adapt to tgere new environment

Sooo, figure this one out. 55 gal planted cichlid tank (4 fish), sand and soil, topped with crushed Coral, An absolute pain the A** tank. Constantly dirty and disgusting. 20 gal with 5 tetra glofish, and 12 golden tetras, gravel substrate. Clean, clear, maintenance free except for top offs.

Both tanks have pathos in them. Both ARE filtered. 55 has two HOBs out of necessity. 20 has 1 HOB.

Pothos in 55 went nuts! Pothos in 20 is alive and well but grows very slowly. So CLEARLY the 55 has much more nitrate in it. I HAVE to do a 1/2 change 1x or 2x a year on the 55. I have not done anything but the top offs on the 20 for 5 years. Ive had these glofish and tetras for 5 years in this tank. Not one Illneas or death. My cichlid tank is 3 yrs old and I started with 10. For whatever reason, 4 seems to be the magic number in this tank. But yet, it's still gross all the time. The substrate plants don't grow quickly. The Pothos is out of control with growth. But the gravel, slightly over stocked 20 stays clear and healthy with slow Pothos growth.

This shouldn't be possible according to "Father Fish " Maybe it's the cichlid so when they have all died off, I will stick with something else and see what happens. But according to this guy, my 20 should be suffering and my fish should have all died off years ago. But this is the tank my guests pull up a chair to. My 55 looks gross all the time. I tell them it's my experiment tank. Testing theories that are so far proving not true.

I am sure that anyone who has had an aquarium for over 5 years knows that there is no need for constant water changes. I always replaced the water that evaporated and was always good to go. My tanks were always clean and my fish thrived, no matter the type of tank I set up.

The FF method is a option a way of keeping a natural aquarium but not necessary. I shut down my 7 FF aquariums to change the substrate , I no longer use potting soils or 2in of sand . I did something different to get better results from my plants, the substrate stll never need to be replaced.

Lake - material can settle and stay there for 100,000 years - lake water turnover -

thanks for this!

Father Fish posted a video i cant find anymore. I fell asleep listening to Father Fish as he calmly talked and gave great advice about our purpose on Earth as gardeners. We are very very fortunate to have access to him through the internet. May many others find Father Fish on their journey here in this shared illusion of time and space.

I'm setting up a tank like this. i have easy access to a pond for my resurrection jar. I'm moving in two weeks and have to get settled in. once i do....im going to dive right in.

As a fish keeper for 50+ years I see you guys as entertainment not fathers. My fish eat live rats and that "method" can't be replicated by a child of 5 years.

He does say the same things in all his videos but EVERY ONE has some little piece of information not in the other videos. Thats what i always watch FF videos for.

I've watched an unbelievable amount of FF videos. I started my tank and only now am hearing him say something new about waiting to start carpeting plants. There's a lot of shooting from the hip I'm discovering. It's simple, but porous. Leaves a newbie scratching their head.

I've had outside containers for at least 3 years. Never changed water. Just add as needed. They're thriving.

I was on a beta fish group and they harshly criticized FF and myself for being in support of some of his methods. I was even called an animal
Abuser by 2 of the admins for stating that I liked his ideas on creating ecological systems. There are people out there that are very against him, and I do not quite understand it.

Does this guy remind you of Edward Furlong or what!?

I love this entire video. I'm a bit late, but I'm planning on making a completely (as close as I can) wild ecosystem from Southeast Asia. I don't have the facilities right now, but I love the information cause it'll help my plan be a success

I like how he has dedicated his time and effort to help the new comers and I have been worried about my tank many times but thanks to him I have tried to do better I do still worry about the build up on top of the sand so are just sprinkling sand over it to keep it under control weather that's the right thing to do I don't know but he has given me more confidence and I'm not letting my disability or learning difficulties to get in the way where before I wouldn't have even tried to set up such a complicated system and it is complicated there are so many things you have to think about you have to do and be very careful of but having someone like father fish you can believe in and learn from makes it so much easier without him would never have done it ❤

Some kinds of questions are nit picking. Of course you would need to add water if it's evaporating. What would you do, just let it go dry ???? Jfc

So what I think father fish is getting at here is that the culture of aquascaping and fish keeping needs to be changed from trying to sell people additives and foods that they need all the time and instead make an investment that doesn’t need as much maintenance which they think won’t be a profitable business model, but what the larger companies don’t realize is people who have successful tanks will buy more tanks. We all know that And we will spend more money instead of spending shareholder dollars on R&D for these cheap disposable products. Put your money back into your fish tanks,filters, substrates, plant diversity, fish conservation,and fish genetics. We can all be more profitable and happy together in fish culture peace everybody❤

Two of the greats

This guy doing the interview talks too much.

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Some fish need to be feed multiple times a day like a goldfish they don't have stomachs like other fish so they can't store food . I have seen tanks that haven't been cleaned in years and look great.because the owner doesn't feed the fish . I feed my fish and I clean up after them .I change my water even if it doesn't need it.

I got my first aquarium when I was young and we could never keep them alive. We let that aquarium sit for over 15 years and I decided to bring it back. I tried and they all died again. Two years after that I started doing more research and ran into father fish. My fish have thrived and plants too. It’s not perfect but it’s definitely a great starting point. I’ve come far as well. On my third tank. People just hating on this man.

The Old Man Is A Wise Man ! He knows what he is talking about.

I Think we don't need water changing every week.
But we need water circulation.
As water has cycle in nature.

I have an aquarium, have substrat, and only twice a year cleaning my filter tank.

Does volcanic rock take the place of dirt??? All the dirt I found has fertilizer in it!

Father fish is changing up from what I’ve seen him say in his videos

I don't question that "Father Fish's" methods will keep fish alive but I don't like the look of the tanks in his videos, so I'll do water changes to have a tank that looks like I want.

I can only say both of you are great im a betta hibbiest and breeder too, and since i know FF i can make naturak environment for my bettas and they looks healthier than ever and anyway iknow that betta fish could lived in community from your channel and now they lived all together and it looks amazing

I have had Betta before. I've never had success. When I got a small aquarium I wanted to try again. I came across the FF method, I knew this was the right way to go. When ai stray from the method my fish do poorly. The more I incorporate his methods the better things go.

Crazy fisherman bashing another fisherman 😂😂😂

I never do water changes, unless I'm breaking down the tank.

There should be no controversy, its our money our tanks everyone is free to manage them as they wish for minimal putlay and best ecology practices

I have a fully matured tank that is 5 yrs old, no water changes no filter. They can hate the guy, but his methodology works.

You need to do water changes regularly even if the water tests are good. There are lots of things in water that we can't test for and they need to be removed as well.

You do water changes for a number of reasons.
1) to reduce nutrients like ammonia, nitrite & nitrate.
2) to dilute disease organisms in the water.
3) to keep the pH, KH and GH stable.
4) to dilute nitric acid produced by fish food and waste breaking down.
5) to dilute stress chemicals (pheromones/ allomones) released by the fish.
6) to dilute un-used plant fertiliser so you don't overdose the fish when you add more.
7) to remove fish waste and other rotting organic matter.

Fish live in a soup of microscopic organisms including bacteria, fungus, viruses, protozoans, worms, flukes and various other things that make your skin crawl. Doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate on a regular basis will dilute these organisms and reduce their numbers in the water, thus making it a safer and healthier environment for the fish.

Imagine living in your house with no windows, doors, toilet, bathroom or anything. You eat and poop in the environment and have no clean air. Eventually you end up living in your own filth, which would probably be made worse by you throwing up due to the smell. You would get sick very quickly and probably die unless someone came to clean up regularly and open the place up to let in fresh air.

Fish live in their own waste. Their tank and filter is full of fish poop. The water they breath is filtered through fish poop. Cleaning filters, gravel and doing big regular water changes, removes a lot of this poop and harmful micro-organisms, and makes the environment cleaner and healthier for the fish.

Whilst you might not have ammonia, nitrite or nitrate problems due to the plants, the number of micro-organisms in your tank will be growing exponentially due to lack of water changes and this will eventually cause problems to the fish. Plants can't reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and plants can't fix water hardness or pH. Water changes can and should be done to dilute disease organisms and help keep the water chemistry stable.