If you’re having trouble achieving crystal clear aquarium water, I can help! Download my Free ebook with the best tips and advice - KaveManAquatics.com/Free-Ebook
Hey man, I've had my aquarium up for about 3-4 months now, and recently the ph level has been dropping even shortly after a water change, it hovers around 6 ph..the water also has a yellow tinge, any idea whats happening or why? Thanks in advance PS. Aquarium is reshwater with tropical fish
Bro! I knew that self siphon is money. I've spent hrs trying to figure out a way and asked multiple "hobbiest" and nothing. Thank you! I love the fish you have, might have to get a few of my own in my cichlid tank.
@@7031995 did anyone ever get back to you? I would guess that you put some driftwood or some type of dead plant material like Indian almond leaves. The tannins soften the water lowering the pH and that also explains the yellow/Brown colour
I just subbed too I started again now that I can afford the proper care I was 15 last time and my parents weren't interested in helping with them money wise and me being 15 I had no clue how expensive they got but I'm 25 now and I have a lot of stuff for my 40 gallons tank and watching all your videos before I got these and after because I had a bloom spike thinking the water was OK with checking with aqua care for ammonia I managed to hold it to 0.2 to 0.5 with a 10% water change, prime, test kits,accu- clear, special blend, fluval 307, 2 small fluval filters, lots of plants like I mean a lot, fluval bubble maker 😅 not sure of the name 😂 and obviously my fluval gravel vac just arrived also I have 5 fancy 2 to 3 inch fancy goldfinch so hopefully it all comes together ❤️ ps gonna get a 120 gallon tank because I want to get some panda moors and they deserve it!! It's a breeding tank so should be fun I've been watching yt about this for the past 2 weeks 🫠 this bacterial bloom is ruining the moment I have a few more things like treatments and interpet fresh start and all so fingers crossed bro hi from UK saw you were military it one of your other videos I highly respected you bro
Thanks a lot KaveMan, I’m a beginner in this hobby and I’ve never professionally understood any videos until I saw your videos. This videos are very well explained and very realistic without tricks. I’m very satisfied of finding you on RU-vid. Blessings and successful life!
I just wanted to say this is very well spoken and worded. You not only went over the assumed typical way to clean but also provided a budget and alternative ways to clean without sounding like you were talking down to anyone. You described everything very well and allowed time to pause the screen to see exactly what you were explaining! A+
Too many other RU-vid channels think they are a internationally famous cable channel with lengthy lead in sequences and endless blabbering. I subscribed to you and unsubscribed to them because to don't try to sell anything, do ads for anything and get straight to the point while remaining humble. Thank you for all the hard work you put into elevating the community.
Thank you sir, I appreciate that positive feedback! You will find that some of my newer content does include mentions of my book and course but I still do it very subtle and try not to interrupt the flow of the content 😊 Thanks for the sub, I hope you enjoy the rest of the content!
Man... I watched so many different videos on vacuuming and finally found someone who explained it well enough for me to get it to work! I thank you and my fish thank you!
Im new to this hobby and i gotta say I really love this channel AND kev is by far the best tutorial instructor that is guiding me to become a great fish keeper....great job kev and much blessings brother.
I just watched a video about how to clean a tank and it included water changes, the proper way to clean the filter without killing all of the good bacteria, but left out substrate vacuuming, I was happy to see you started with vaccuming.
I am subscribed to many fish keeper channels, and I have to say that you are very informative and I can tell, passionate about the hobby. Appreciate finding your channel!
Newbie fish hobbyist here! Loving your videos, mate. Watching your helpful tips from all the way in Oz. I'd love to show you some footage i have of my aquarium. I'm certainly changing the way I've been doing things since watching these, esp about cleaning the substrate 😉👍😎
I do weekly water changes with bi-weekly sand vacuum. How often do you guys clean your substrate? Let us know! 🙂 And dont forget to Subscribe! 👉 ru-vid.com
I do water changes like every two weeks I had a Marineland 360 calendar filter are you really just don't think it's doing the job that's why I was thinking about moving to the Samsung I did hear they are great that's all I I afford
@@KaveManAquatics you welcome I have learned a lot from your video I'm come to Starbucks to catch up with your videos I just saw the one you posted how to siphon your sand and gravel I have sand in my aquarium I'm about to do water change today about 50% water change
Glad I found your channel. Hands down the best at explaining and showing how everything is done. Wife and I are about to get our first tank set up. Hoping to make a successful planted freshwater
Welcome to the hobby! Glad you're finding the channel helpful. Heres a great playlist I put together for beginners, check it out - ru-vid.com/group/PLP5OXTIIDO8NYvhUHAmwAd54WFmS4d8er
Thank you Kevin for making this. I just got your book on crystal clear water and now that I've watched this I'm set. I've had an aquarium with Africans for a couple of years now and even us "experienced" in the hobby can learn something new.
This has honestly been the best channel for bigginer like me to learn, I used to have a aquarium 6 years ago but as a dumb kid, I did all the things you say not to do in the video and had a hard time with it. But luckily I never killed any fish but later it got too hard to keep the fish tank clean and the fish healthy, So I had to sell everything. Now I am properly learning things from YT before buying a tank. And understand what dumb thing I did to make my aquarium hobby hard. Thanks for all the help
@@KaveManAquatics I already installed it, but if I way, I would love to see a option to select imperial or metric units. I am from India and we use metric units, so it would be a great help ☺️
I love that you siphon the water straight out to your grass! I do the same thing with my water changes, and I swear it works like miracle grow for my plants! I also have two of the same big rock decorations, my mbunas are always digging their way to get into them so I have to be careful when I remove them for cleaning lol. Haven't dove deep enough into your channel yet, but how do you prefer to clean the rocks ? Loving your videos so far!
Thanks man, glad you're enjoying the content. I actually never really had to clean my rocks. My pleco has been doing an awesome job keeping the algae off. And I dont run my lights too often so in general dont get much algae build up.
Hey Kev, The reason I love your channel is that you get straight to the point. I hate wasting 30 minutes on a video that could have been done in 7 minutes. Your presentation skills are great, especially for this forum. People are usually looking for a very specific answer to a very specific question. They don't want to sit around waiting half an hour for an answer that might not even work for them. I have a 29 gallon planted aquarium. The plant light died a while back and now I'm stuck with red/blue/white LEDs. So far my plants have done OK, but I notice they are definitely not has robust and not really growing anymore. Can you recommend a light ? Thank you
Appreciate that positive feedback bro! I feel the same way about making a video unnecessarily longer than it needs to be. Unfortunately I’ve never kept any plants with my African cichlids and never needed lights for plants so I can’t recommend any. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
YES dude thank you, this video is what I’ve been missing. I have to master the siphon method. I’ve been squeezing that damn thing this whole time. No joke I have your vid’s playing on repeat every time I do a cleaning, so much vital info👏🏻
Great video! Both my tanks have gravel but someday I may try sand. I’ve wondered how to vacuum sand substrate for quite sometime and now I know thanks to your video! I love when vacuuming gravel the satisfaction of seeing the dirt, dust, poop, coming out of the tank! I do it weekly and it is amazing how dirty gravel gets and especially under decor. Great video!😊
Where can I find rock decor similar to the two you have? I’ve searched high and low and I haven’t found anything that will make my lil buddies happy. Btw great vid as always 😎. Always straight to the point with great tips. Keep it up 👍
Mike Ortiz Thanks bro, appreciate that! I got lucky one day and walked into my local Petsmart and grabbed the last 2 off the shelf...try their website, you may get lucky too.
Total life saver finding your chanel Kev. Successfully set up my cichlid tank, cycled it fully and fishless, its been up and running with all your advice on media substrate not chasing the ph etc. Really wanted to say thank you this is just the beginning of my Cichlid journey. Highly recommend your channel
Thats awesome!! I love to hear success stories like yours! So glad I was able to help. And thank you for supporting the channel with a membership! I highly appreciate you! Next live stream on tuesday the 26!
Hey Laura, Just noticed you joined the "lil fry" membership level and the live streams are only for "Tank Boss" membership level...Just wanted to make you aware 😊
Shout out from Chicago...I was just about to google who cleans fish tanks for cash....then you said it took you many times to learn how to get this technique down. Well that's where I'm at and you motivated me to keep trying, thanks a lot. Keep up the good work.
Really appreciate all the helpful tips. I'm a new fishkeeper and I've been having a difficult time keeping my angelfish healthy. I'll be watching more of your videos. Thank you!
Bro, this vid was awesome and you can really tell you care about your fishes. I only got one Betta but I love my little dude and wanted to find out how to clean his gravel. Thanks again for the great vid.
Amazing video! New fish owner here. I have the python bucket-less siphon system but it seems like it’s not sucking the poop out. It goes half way up the tube and then falls back down. Any tips?
Hi, i am very new to fish tanks. I have a 20 gallon tank for 2 weeks now. I am in the cycles with 7 fishes in. I added some ammonia remover pads and Seachen Matrix last week, and my ammonia level finally go down to 0. But Nitrite is still 2.0 and Nitrate is 80, they all still very high. I did 1 water last Saturday, but people in the pet store told me I can’t do water change until Ammonia and Nitrite level goes down to 0. It might take 2 weeks to 2 months. I don’t know if it is the right way to do?
First watch this video and follow the technique and your tank and fish will be fine - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gt6bP4_p7iA.html Then watch this playlist for beginners that will be very helpful for you - ru-vid.com/group/PLP5OXTIIDO8NYvhUHAmwAd54WFmS4d8er And then make sure you Subscribe 😊
Getting back into the hobby after a few years and a house move. This is some of the best help I've found. THANKS! Oh yeah...subscribed and down loaded your book! Thanks for the awesome content.......
Beautiful fish! Are they over crowded or is this like a species standard? No judgement, just looks like tight quarters! Video is super helpful, thanks.
very helpful i got a battery powered vac its crap going buy the tube with hand pump in the middle that looks easiest for my tank with gravel substrate thanks
you ever thought about getting an electronic gravel pump?? theres a filter chamber on it, so you can suck up detritus without siphoning water out the tank. good for times when you need to get some poop, etc out the tank and it isnt time for normal water change. i recently got the sunsun brand it was a game changer for me. i like the sunsun over the fluval brand because its powered by outlet, not batteries like the fluval brand.
Honestly, I dont have much issues with poop accumulation anymore, due to my wave makers. But I have heard good things about those electronic vacuums, one day Im sure I'll try one 😊
Just got set up with a 13 gallon tank recently and new to the hobby. Will I need to vacuum the gravel every time I do a water change or just periodically?
Great Video Kave. Will have sand or gravel in my tank someday. This knowledge will come in handy then. I usually keep y filters on when I do a water change. Should I switch them all of?
Thank you so much for this I just got a 10 gallon for my son with tropical fish and this helped me big time PetSmart had me get all this stuff but none of the things to clean it so this really is a big help I appreciate you
joined but had to dish out 5gs for an engine and had to cancel, the videos have helped a lot, to the point is awesome, will re join, but have one Q, have a 55 long have a 307 fluval, can I put a 407 on same tank same time for more surface movement and cleaning.
Excellent information and video!!! Especially about the part when you reach the divider on top of the tank!!! That part has always given me headaches! Never thought about doing it that way! DUH!🤓 Your videos are great! Keep them coming!
Hi there this was so helpful i recently bought 3 guppies for my son and didnt realise how mich there is to fish keeping. Today i cleaned the tank properly for the first time as i had no idea how to use the tube hose properly so all this time there has been poop and food just sitting there. I have a few qs please... since i havnt actually cleaned the gravel properly until today whats the most amiunt of times to change water in a week as the water is still misty from all the muck and also what are signs of happy healthy fish...last q what objects would u recommend in the tank, i took out all the plastic plants as they just get mucky and looked cluttered. Thanks for the info really useful!
Vacuuming once a week or every other week should be sufficient. Your water change schedule should be based on your nitrate levels. at 40PPM you should water change. If your water is cloudy there are multiple reasons for that. My free ebook can help, check it out - bit.ly/H2O
Great video I am trying to slowly raise my pH after switching to the aggressive fish and I have tried everything so I already have removed some gravel and prepare for the sand!!! Agronite it is!!!!!
Great, Good luck! If you need more help with your African Cichlids check out my free webinar - event.webinarjam.com/channel/KaveMan-Aquatics BTW, Don't miss my first ever Live Stream this Tuesday, set your reminder now 😊 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-94FFs-84X0U.html
Thank u so much just got first tank it's 29 Gals so I'm trying to find everything I need to do first before I can go get sum fish . But question how often should you clean the poop in the tank ?
It all depends on how much poop and how fast your nitrates rise. The answer no one likes is, its different for every tank, lol Start with bi-weekly. If the substrate is still pretty clean go to every 3 weeks. If its too dirty then do weekly. you have to find what works well in your tank. I also suggest you check out this playlist made for beginners, will be very helpful - ru-vid.com/group/PLP5OXTIIDO8NYvhUHAmwAd54WFmS4d8er
I have a new cycled fish tank, and i was wondering when is it good timing to vacuum the substrate and also, my aqua clear filter is already overflowing and ive heard that it’s because theres backed up gunk and should wash it in water tank. So my questions are: when to vacuum substrate after tank has been cycled and should i wash my filter media already since its already overflowing OR should i wait till my nitrates are high
G'day from Australia! Thanks for all the awesome videos, loving the content...so relatable, easy to listen to and so informative. Keep up the awesome work!!!!!
You have a lot of ciclids living togather. I am setting up a tank that I want to put mbuna ciclids in. How do you keep so many with out them fighting? Thanks and enjoyed the vidio.
I have gravel in my tank. What I do to not waste any water is I manually agitate the rocks to get all that unwanted waste stirred up into the water and than with a fine mesh web I remove it. I am new to the hobby (barely a couple of months), is that something that could cause any harm to my fish? I have 11 fish including 2 siamese algae eaters. Is a 60 gallon water tank.
Thank you! I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong with my new sanded aquarium. My old technique seemed ok for gravel but was worthless with the sand clogging up my tube!
I meant cichlids, lake salt. Is there a way to measure it or should I be concerned as to how much to add to the water, and if so is there a way to measure the amount in the tank. I fallow the directions, but just a little concerned for my little ones, I don’t want to lose any of them. And thank you so much for your quick response, you have two thumbs up 👍👍
Ok I see, I’m not sure if there’s a way to measure the amount in the tank. If you think you added too much just do 50% water change and the following week another 50% water change. That should dilute almost all of the salt and you can start dosing again from scratch.
@@KaveManAquatics Ones again can’t thank you enough for your quick respond, and your amazing videos. Thank you 🙏, and Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Kev love your videos man. Well explained and clear! I have a gravel substrate. Would love to go to sand. However I’m worried the fish could pick up and spit and my intake sucks in. I heard over time it can wear down seals in your canister filter, causing floods. What are your thoughts. Thanks. When is the next video coming?! 👀
OneLove I’ve heard that too but it’s something that rarely ever happens. Most of us that keep African cichlids use sand because they like to dig and spit it out. With gravel they could injure themselves trying to dig through it. So I say don’t worry about it, get sand if you want it, it looks great! Next video this Saturday! 😊
Fantastic content sir. Very informative and well written. Thanks for the assist. I'm really excited about getting back into cichlids. It's been way too long.
I just bought a Hygger HG-955/HG-956-AC electric gravel cleaner. Do you have an opinion of the product or that line? It was intimidating to unbox and see so many parts! I made the purchase because it had so many great heads and seemed to serve as a multi-purpose buy. Help!!! It's also time for me to purchase a new water test kit. I'd love suggestions and guidance on water chemistry. Thank you! I'm so glad I found you!
I've never used one of those gravel cleaner things, I've always found a good siphon tube to be sufficient. I have links in this videos description to what I use. And Ive got a great video for you on testing your water - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-b0gH-6f41Uc.html - check the videos description for the water test kit used in the video.
Hey Kev I appreciate your channel bro I have a 55 gallon with african cichlids in them with a common pleco that drops strings of poop I used the wave makers on my tank along with a marineland canister filter what other filter would you recommend for this tank
Great, educational vid, as usual, for a beginner like me. My aquarium is still cycling, but there is a weird smell coming out of it. There's no ammonia or nitrites, no nitrates either. I fear that if I vacuum, it will remove beneficial bacteria, prolonging the cycling process. My 5 black tetras are thriving in it though. What should I do?
its only a 10 gallon, and I've had as many as 3 adult size fish, about 5 or 6 juve's. Its only temp so they'll be fine. But if you start to see any aggression its time to rethink their temp home. Fish can die easily due to stress from aggression in quarantine.
I see so many people explaining green planted tanks and how that's the only way to have healthy fish. But you have so many healthy happy fishes! No other channel I've gone to has instructions on how to maintain an unplanted tank, Thank you so much 😭 I thought I was torturing my fishes by not being able to provide them with greenscape
you seem like an expert when it comes to treating fish also, my Shubunkin goldfish appears to have swim bladder disease, is there anything i can do to treat it?
Not an expert but thank you! 😊 There's not much you can do. I would separate into a very clean hospital tank where theres little to no stress from other fish. Add epsom salt at 1 teaspoon per 10 gallons and water change every 2-3 days to keep the nitrates level at a minimum. Feel free to post the question in my facebook group, many there im sure have dealt with swim bladder disease - facebook.com/groups/kavemanaquatics
I had bought a battery operated one years ago, we just started to get back into the fish thing again serious... we also have the plain syphen also. they work great as well . the battery one,,, it lets the water flow back into the tank which is pretty cool .
I forgot about the valve on my python 😂, I been lifting the tube out of the water to stop sand from getting syphon, I’ll remember this on my next water change, thanks for the reminder and tip man!
I was looking at all the fish, and there it was a rainbow or red tailed shark. My cichlid tank is funny it’s in the initial stages of adding fish. I am growing 7 other fish to add to the tank. I love your videos, and I am not beginner. It is refreshing to see someone pointing out the basics, and it helped remind me of tank bosses, food makes water cloudy, and no more light than 8 hours. Keep making the videos.
