you asked " is it okay ? " it is fantastic, lots of channels have aquascape tutorials, top 10 best fish for a 20 gallon videos, fish room tours, and I like all that. But, when I am seeking knowledge about some aspect of fish keeping , when I want to know the secret history living in my tank...I come to the Master, Alexander Williamson ! keep doing what you're doing Brother, you're a valuable asset to the hobby!
Thank you kindly. It's the kind of content i know will usually do very poorly...but yet everyone watching seems to find it interesting ... so I just hope it gets shared with people who DO have a curiosity like you and I clearly do.
I love how the more we look the more we find that everything actually is connected. So closely connected it's hard to find the separation... Definitely not too far out there. People need the far out there information. 😁😁😁 Great video!
This is the kind of video that sets you so far apart from other aquarium hobby channels. I think I speak for all of us when I say it's a large part of why we're all here. Thanks for all you do and the massive amount of work put into this one 💚
I have thousands of these living on the surface of my 90g planted tank. Every time i do a water change or move the floating plants they start jumping around and my zebra danios start jumping out of the water to eat them. Its fascinating to watch every time
I enjoy your videos in the podcast form and the visual as well. With the podcast form, im able to do my chores and take care of my children while still listening and learning. Thank you 😊
I recently found your videos and i like the fact there is no "bells and whistles" to your videos, just pure, well researched and interesting information. Your channel is a breath of fresh air.
Strictly speaking, while they are closely related to insects, and are counted as hexapods, they diverged just verrry slightly earlier from other arthropods than insects did.
Alex is the Best. He’s a lifesaver. Keep up the good work my friend. I can’t believe how fortunate I am that you’re able to respond to comments. You’re a real lifesaver. Keep up the good work my friend. I can’t believe how fortunate we are (the fish fam.) that you’re able to respond to comments considering how crazy busy you are & with all your extremely severe health issues. This proves you’re a real fighter & a real good genuine person considering how crazy busy you are & with all your health issues it just proves you’re a real fighter & a real good genuine person.
This is wild. Just yesterday on a Facebook group someone asked about these. I told them idk but when I put a lid on my tank I noticed way less. Someone else told us they were aphids. Now I am going to look for the comment to recommend this video. I think it’s in aquariums for beginners. Thank you so very much for the in depth easy to follow information as always.
@@Fishtory I’m glad I was able to remember it was not on Facebook but actually on RU-vid so I did let her know about this video. I also know she watches you because she has mentioned you in the past about betta aggression.
Stuff like this is what a hobby needs, I've been looking at the different options for a live food web recently so I am glad you are making very educational videos. Otherwise it is nice to learn something in between all the other vids.
Well thank you. I'm thinking about creating a live food ( safe for nano fish) "seed" mix... it's just taken years to find the first 3 I'd include, and I want 7 or 8 micro organisms that would do well and survive a year in packaging.
I'm a visual learner so I do appreciate a visual, even if you repeat them at different points we'll see them differently as you change topics. Your channel is a godsend. I crave knowledge in how everything works, but especially in my curiosities. I've shared your brilliance on all socials; so we'll get you there!
Thanks for sharing! You are far too kind, and I just hope we are building a community of like minded nature lovers who stay curious and compassionate. Again...thanks for sharing, it helps a lot
This was excellent, thank you so much!! You mentioned your angelfish hunting springtails - I have juvenile Corydoras that do it! There's 2 that I often observe at the top, and one is often upside down like it's swimming on the top of the water. At first I was worried but then I realized it's just eating the springtails and then rights itself and swims off. Too funny! Yay for free fish food, lol
Glad you enjoyed! And also- I assumed the same thing and figured 10 hours here...vs 10 on the next video.... this didn't warrant needing so many visuals
I have always wondered what the fungus on my salvinia was and how it got there. This series of discoveries and research is incredibly interesting and exciting! I can't wait to see what else you learn
that explains the white fungi on my floating plants , and the the little balls of honey like stuff I find on floaters kept thinking it was fertiliser . Love finding out stuff like this. I was throwing salvinia out thinking it had a disease .
Great info. I had a spring tail infestation on my floating plants. I was able to get it down to a manageable number by simply adding a powerful air stone. The bubbles break the surface tension, like you mentioned. I still have some survivors but they’re barely noticeable and make for free fish food, also like you mentioned.
I always give a thumbs up immediately with Alex, but I’m surprised when I went back to look at any videos so I don’t miss anything even though I always give the thumbs up I had to do it again because the algorithm acted like I didn’t even watch this video, even though I already did But I never get enough of Fishtory videos from Alex.
Finally! I've been preaching springtails for years! Everyone in the reptile hobby already knows about the benefits of keeping them and everybody in the aquarium hobby is ignorant And refuses to intentionally have bugs in their home.😂😂😂😂😂
Well thanks, I just figured finishing the video editing would be 10+ hours and I want to put the time and energy to a shorter video that folks can also enjoy. But I apologize for that
Man, this was a really nice class hehe. Few weeks ago one of my tanks crashed due to resonance vibration, yeah it is a thing (but it endured nearly 8 months). I had to lower the water level and the biofilm that was on my glass start to mold, so I added spring tail to adress this. While the tank was with only 12 cm of water + substrate, the fish were feeding on the springtail. I did some research, and couldn't find good and through info, and now I have it. It took me a few weeks to set the new tank, btw, I set it using the lasagna method (plus UGF) that we chat few months ago. Now I am reproducing springtail on purpose to use it as fish food
Love this content, Alex! Agree with all the other comments that say this is what we LOVE about your channel. Appreciate all the research! I have more respect for the duck weed, aphids, and springtails that I have been trying to get rid of! My goal is an ecosystem tank, so I think I’ll chill out and let nature do it’s thing. Side note, I do often listen as a ‘podcast’ while doing other things around the house so, while the visuals are super helpful up front for identifying what you are talking about, I (for one) don’t necessarily need the expensive visuals. :)
I must be very fortunate, or unfortunate, depending on your point of view. I have never had aphids or springtails in my aquarium. I have no visible bugs at all. We don't have any fruit trees around here because the fruit trees would freeze to death in our brutal winters. Also, I don't leave the windows open for them to be able to get in.
Lol 😆 I appreciate that. I want to be making more elaborate videos, but sadly for about 4 month the views just dropped to the floor for some reason. Maybe I'm just losing "my touch". Thanks for watching though!
A dense matt of floaters and emergents almost approach a similar level of ecology of a fully fledged land area. If you have both floaters and true terrestrial zones, that's 3x the diversity. These are all beneficial, even aphids that you'd think would harm your plants. Most aphids go unnoticed specifically because they are competent parasites, never killing their host. But they *do* recycle nutrients and calories from that plant back into the ecosystem. It's a self controlling herbivore population. In aquariums, most people think of the "first" trophic level of animals being detritivores, but that's just one side of the food chain, which is really more of a chainmail suit of armor with how many sides and interelations it has. Plants, detritivores, and herbivores are the first trophic level all together. Having at least some animals that will occassionally eat live plants is very good, not just for nutrient circulation, but for the whole tank. Think about it, what are we simulating when we trim our plants? Animals coming in and eating them. Could be megafauna like a deer walking by and taking a bite, or it could be the collective work of several microfauna. This is another reason why "pest" snails are beneficial, even if they do sometimes take bites out of your plants. Same is true of aphids. Better than trimming though, herbivores remove the resources from the plant, and put them *right* back in the soil, without them ever being dissolved in the water like they would be if you just left the leaf floating, or if you were compensating by dosing ferts. Its herbivorous practices like these that allow for higher trophic levels. Detritivores are great, but they will rarely support a predator population on their own without another population of primary consumers that can get just as substantial and diverse, without competing with the detritivores for food. Recycling nutrients, improving animal biomass for gas exchange, preventing plants from choking out all available space, feeding higher trophic levels necessary to control the animal populations beneath them. That is the core of self sustaining ecosystems. It's very interesting hearing about the migratory habits of these most common aquarium aphids. Ideally we could find one that does not rely on plants like these, and even circulate them into the trade as a purposeful stocking. That being said... It is possible to keep a ficus bonsai or two in a riparian setting, which may be enough for a small population to stay in an enclosed tank year round. That, or they'd overfeed and kill it as it's such a small tree. If a balance could be struck, it would really expand the food web we can control and cultivate in a tank.
Excellent summary and breakdown... far more eloquent than I rambled on, with. Thank you. Oh and I forgot to mention- the aphids that usually need prunus genus trees... in a controlled climate the females that use parthogenesis, can live year round if humidity is above about 60%. So the tree stage isn't essential
Hey Alex. Love your stuff and the science approach to the aquarium hobby. Regarding the picture\videos i would not worry too much about it, of course i thoroughly enjoyed the spring tail images in the start. But, like alot of your audience probably, im here for the information. I dont mind talk on top of random tank images. Perhaps drawing could be an easy low production method of visualizing information .). Thank you for all the great content
I remember freaking out the first time these randomly appeared 😅 to bad they are so tiny my golden wonders would decimate them if only they were a tad bigger it seems 😅❤
I already left a comment and you in absolutely no way asked for my opinion but I wanted to say first I very much enjoyed this video. Secondly awhile back you did a video and made your own “graphics” I think you used a white board or maybe it was just paper. Anyways I really liked that. You don’t have to use the expensive professional illustrations. Personally I’m here for the information the way you personally present the information. Again you did not ask for my opinion and should completely disregard what I just said as I am not a professional RU-vidr or anything else.
In gardening it's well known that if you use too much nitrogen as fertilizer you will have aphids. I suppose it does make a difference in the hobby too? I have had aphids for a long time, especially on my water lettuce. And I don't care at all. My guppyes are actually not very good at eating them, - but all know and then they do. I do try to shake them off all now and then, but several are capable of holding on. BUT my water lettuce is growing way to fast anyway. So if the aphids can slow it down just a tiny bit, they are twice welcome. Otherwise they are still welcome for the food.
Amazing in depth information. Thank you for your commitment and research diligence. Do you have any information in regards to the gnats that hover around the bog section of my pond. I also live here in the Puget Sound area.
Oh wow, no way. I was actually wondering lol. I actually thought maybe I got some like grease or lard that crumbled off of a water bucket when I was changing water or some thing.😄 but I did just put in water hyacinth water, lettuce, and I occasionally throw in some botanicals (kind of for decoration( and I did use cherry leaves and the flowers lol I know you get questions all the time so if you don’t answer, I really don’t expect you to; but I’m having problems. I have a 55 gallon female betta sorority with dither fish and bottom fish and everybody in general is very healthy. It’s a planted tank, sand and dirt substrate. I think I keep the tank very clean (without destroying the beneficial bacteria, of course). My problem is that the majority of my female betts are sickly. They will seem to be doing fine and then they just kind of start to deteriorate while everyone else in the aquarium is healthy happy full of vigorous color and vitality. I’m just not sure what’s happening. I’ve watched the tank for hours and there’s no aggression no vying for territory. I’m just not sure why only the female bettas get ill. I tried using the erythromycin medication (according to instructions) and it seemed to perk them up a tiny bit, although a few died in the medicine, I’m just not sure what’s going on. THEN, there are a three of my female bettas that are healthy and have never been sick yet.
Have you tried testing the ph? This sounds like perhaps the water is 7. 4 or higher 8.0,? Also what is the temperature. 76f to 84f since they are tropical. If that's all in line, then I'm stumped Water changes and more botanicals. Plus live food or frozen and switching it up will also help over all. Best of luck. Also it just occurred to me that black cherry or black walnut are poisonous to most fish...so perhaps skip the cherry leaves if it doesn't get better still
@@Fishtory I took the black cherry branches out..and my PH was high. do you think just three 2 inch seashells in a 55 gallon would significantly change the pH? Now three of my neon tetras have died. I was wondering if I should maybe not keep the neons with betas since they seem to have different water parameters.. now that I’ve looked it up? I was just going by some fish videos I watched (that said the neon tetras would be good mates for bettas😞). I’ve only been keeping an aquarium for about 8 months, sorry for all the questions. And bless you for answering my previous questions❤️ I am always throwing things into the aquarium from my garden so I’m going to have to extra double check from now on before I add anything
Haha thanks for understanding. I figured my real nerds 🤓 would understand, that 10 hours to polish these graphics , can mean an extra video instead haha. Cheers . Thank you
Random question: 21:28 what kind of shrimp is that? It looks familiar to a random shrimp that arrived after I added some catappa leaves if that makes sense? I’ve called it my mystery shrimp
@@RoseBuddMedia I got cherry shrimp from Amazon (yes I’m serious). I ordered 10 the sent 12. 1 was DOA but when they were acclimating I noticed a bunch of babies. I have no clue how many babies and I highly doubt any survived my tetras or Corydoras so I set up a 2.5 gallon a few weeks ago. My plan is to get 10 blue dream shrimp and have them breed and live in that and when I have enough and they are larger I will put them in my other tanks. Kinda like how I stocked 3 tanks with guppies from 1 male and 4 females. Same but different 😂
So these are the gold line 24k gold shrimp from aquatic arts ( I started with a breeder Pack 18 months ago, and have made over 1200 dollars in profit from this single colony and tank ( there are several videos on the filterless, no tech shrimp tanks.) Discount code on aquaticarts breeder packs ( all you need to start a colony and 10 females / 5 males to start you off strong. ) code FISHTORY15 for 15% off
I just got this white fungi stuff on my floaters for the first time amd wondered what it was! Actually it was the floaters i got from you, but there was no white stuff when i first put them in. So it's from aphid and springtail exoskeletons 🤔🤔🤔
Yeah sometimes youtube censors links...but if you want to send me an email. Alexanderjwilliamson@gmail.com is also an option. Or our Facebook group as well
Hello @fishtory, great video like always. This is off topic from the video but I want to do the lasagna method substrate and you mentioned in that video that in one of the layers to use lava rock like eco-complete. Do you know any other lava rock that is not eco-complete and thats more affordable? Also when putting the aquasoil, will it work if I put the Aquasoil in mesh bags to then be able to cap it off with sand and to also make it easier to replace the aquasoil once it time to replace it. Thank you in advance!
Oh I use lava rock from home depot 4.99 for 40lbs haha 😄. Mesh bags will worm somewhat, but the roots have a much harder time getting into the Substrate and sometimes end up choked off
@@Fishtory Oh Thank you! I didn't know Home Depot had lava rocks, I'm going to go get some. Thank you again for replying back to my comment, really appreciate it 🙂
Question in the future could you separate this video? When listening it was easy to mix breeding habits of aphids with springtails. That might make Somone panic about the springtails destroying plants when hatching.
I did enjoy the information especially the part about aphids attracting need and pollinators to flowers. Thank you for this information, really enjoy all your little research projects. Can't wait for more topics about everyday invertebrates in life. Don't even need to have the word fishtank lol.
Speaking of angelfish, are they ok to put together with blue acara? I have a 75g with 2 angels and some skirt tetras, platys, mountain minnows and Cory cats, I want to possibly add 3 blue acara
Maybe gold eye cichlids...kribs.... discus... thick lip gouramis or powder blue gourami females only. Also their are some nanochromis that will be fine, checkerboard cichlids or Even apisgogrammas would work fine too
Just yesterday I went out to grab some compost for a new tank & nearly put my hand in a pile of NOPE! I was a mama garden spider who was nearly 4" across with all her babies on her back. That leftover bag of compost is now her domain & I found another bag to root around in. =p (I love garden spiders. They may look scary, but they're pretty gentle.) =)
Off topic but I had a strange thing happen in one of my tanks. I added a lot of plants and that's the only thing I did. I noticed one day my PH went up sky high. I added NOTHING. Even adding the new plants was done about a week ago. At any rate, I found this information on a search I did. Incidentally, I have rocks in the tank but they are not the kind that effect PH and I have them in other tanks too which have had no PH issues. So here's what I found on the topic and wondering if this might be correct: What causes pH to rise? pH | US EPA There also are natural sources which can result in high pH conditions, such as naturally alkaline geologies and lithologies and high levels of photosynthesis. Because photosynthesis produces hydroxide ions, elevated nutrient concentrations may contribute to pH increases. Could the PH rise possibly have been caused by me adding more plants...they were only common stem plants and echinodorus. Never had problems with this before either. Also, this tank I am having issues with has had CO2 for about a month...with some algae I'm trying to eliminate.
So I suspect your supplemental co2 and plants are working together to alter things during the daytime. Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide as a reactant, which is removed from the water. Carbon dioxide acts like carbonic acid (H2CO3) in water, so removing it reduces the water's acidity and increases its pH. Also, any stone, snail shells or crushed coral that could be in your aquarium, could be dissolving via the carbonic acid increase at night during respiration of the plants. Check if it's swinging day and night, or if it's steadily increasing. The steady increase, is ironically caused by weakly acidic waters dissolving calcium and carbon based materials... and the swing type of change, is just due to the precense of co2 your adding and should go away If you stop adding co2 during the daylight ...or increase if you leave it on at night. Hope this helps somewhat
I got duck weed accidentally with plants from a local shop and they said get ride of all the duck weed and get rid of the tanks because the duck weed springtails were patristic.... I never did have always seen em
Awesome Alex, Thank you! I now have little ones up top, came with the Salvinia I got a while back. Guess it's time to adopt some fish friends to help! 😁 "Not bc they're holy" 😂 💙🩵💚
