Change Polluted Water. Do Not Change Healthy Water.
Aug 18, 2023
Change Polluted Water. Do Not Change Healthy Water.
Fish tank water and water changes has become a matter of controversy. How do we keep aquarium water pure and healthy and avoid doing water changes? Are water changes even necessary? https://father-fish-aquarium.myshopif …https://father.fish/shop/ https://discord.gg/ZDADR5KnQu https://fatherfish.creator-spring.com …https://fatherfish.creator-spring.com …https://fatherfish.creator-spring.com https://www.instagram.com/gillsintheg …https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/mysid
Content
0.133 -> All of these, ooh nitrate, nitrate!
3.1 -> Nitrate is food. It's food.
6.933 -> They don't know what they're
7.966 -> talking about. In point of fact, nature
10.433 -> will do 99% of the work for
13.266 -> you, if you give it a chance.
15.933 -> This is Father Fish at his harshest.
18.966 -> [Music]
24.566 -> Well, hello! Come right on
26.833 -> in. You're at Father Fish.
28.966 -> We have been very fortunate. We here at
33.433 -> Father Fish, over the
35.933 -> past three or four months,
39.399 -> to have had the advice and support of
43.833 -> some very skilled and talented people
47.366 -> in the YouTube community who have taught
50.866 -> us how to make better
52.866 -> videos and how to reach a wider
56.033 -> audience. We've been about this for three
60.866 -> years or so. So we're
63.266 -> entering our fourth year
65.599 -> and are beginning to see some pretty
68.099 -> substantial growth and we're very
70.866 -> thankful for that and very
72.799 -> appreciative of you and your support for
77.799 -> what we're trying to do.
79.466 -> As is often the case when
81.933 -> someone breaks into an established
85.599 -> community with ideas that are
89.366 -> unique and that may challenge
92.733 -> popular wisdom, there is feedback, even
96.666 -> hit back. And we've had some of that.
100.833 -> There are a few very
102.566 -> large YouTubers, one or two, who are
106 -> hysterical about what we are
108.666 -> suggesting and others who are
111.533 -> more measured and comfortable while at
118.633 -> the same time raising
120.833 -> the specter of catastrophe
124.966 -> if everything we say and do is followed
128.866 -> to the letter. So it
131.166 -> becomes really imperative
135.199 -> to come back to this and to answer these
140.033 -> concerns with as much legitimacy
145.133 -> and effectiveness as I
147.066 -> am able. So here we go.
153.033 -> As to the matter of new water changes,
156.166 -> water that is healthy, that
159.433 -> is to say in which everything
161.933 -> that is living in the water is healthy,
165.366 -> the microorganisms, the
167.866 -> bacteria, the fish, the
170.566 -> inverts, the plants, if they are all
173.533 -> healthy, there is
174.733 -> absolutely no reason to change water.
178.966 -> In point of fact, changing water in a
181.866 -> healthy environment
183.666 -> creates far more potential for
187.133 -> catastrophe than it does benefit. What we
192.266 -> are teaching is how to
195.233 -> create and to maintain that
198.633 -> stable, healthy community. And it is not
203.533 -> difficult to do. It doesn't
205.633 -> require 25 years in the hobby.
209.766 -> It doesn't require enormous sweat and
212.766 -> labor and effort. It
215.466 -> requires some common sense
218.233 -> and a willingness to do what is obviously
221.233 -> true, but what by the
223.266 -> same token has been rejected
226.166 -> out of hand by much of the industry and
229.633 -> many of the hobbyists who
232.233 -> are in the industry who have
234.4 -> themselves been caught up in a complex of
239.366 -> ideas that are frankly plastic and
244 -> unnatural. There are
246 -> plenty of tanks and you all have seen
248.633 -> them. We've all seen them. They are
250.866 -> unnatural tanks. They are
253.566 -> plastic filled with plastic. They depend
257.633 -> on daily water changes just
261.166 -> to keep the toxicity down.
264 -> That's not the way to run an aquarium. By
268 -> loading it up with toxins,
270.233 -> with poisons, with excess
273.266 -> nutrients on a daily basis and then
276.833 -> having to dump the water out
278.666 -> because you've so fouled it
282.033 -> that it can't sustain life anymore.
284.466 -> That's not a balanced aquarium. That's
287.466 -> the precise opposite.
289.933 -> That is an unbalanced aquarium and there
293.399 -> are too many hobbyists who are being told
296.866 -> that that's the way to keep fish. Well,
299.033 -> it's not. It is the
301.466 -> unhealthiest way that it is possible to
305.733 -> keep fish. We're providing an option to
308.3 -> that. It's not a matter of
310.733 -> laziness, you see. It's a matter
313.633 -> of being reasonable and sensible
318.199 -> and doing what is obviously the right thing
322.166 -> to do. So where do we begin?
330.199 -> We begin with nature. We begin by
334.566 -> thinking about our aquarium
336.933 -> as a natural environment. Now,
340.899 -> I know there are those who say, "Oh, you
343.866 -> can't have nature in a
345.399 -> little glass box." Well,
347.033 -> that's sheer foolishness. It's
350.1 -> argumentative. It's ignorant. It's
352.966 -> foolishness. Of course you can.
355.633 -> You ever raised a flower in a flower pot?
358.399 -> My word! There are countless
361.466 -> little tiny biomes out there
364.433 -> in nature that are no more than a hundred
367.5 -> gallons, if that, that
369.666 -> have fish living in them
371.5 -> year round. Tiny little spaces. How is
374.899 -> that possible? It is
376.466 -> possible because they are being
379.666 -> run by the natural system. So here's what
383.866 -> you need to do to get a
386.466 -> natural system running in your
390.166 -> aquarium. You put a little dirt in it.
393.699 -> That's right, dirt. You put
395.333 -> some dirt in it. Now, we know,
397.633 -> you and I know, everybody knows that if
400.699 -> you put dirt in an aquarium,
402.566 -> dump it in the water, it'll
404.199 -> make it muddy and it'll make a mess and
406.666 -> it'll look terrible. So we
408.199 -> don't do that, do we? Before we do
411.066 -> anything else in the bare empty dry tank,
416.366 -> we put about an inch of
418.1 -> mud. Now, not any kind of mud,
421.533 -> but truthfully, nearly any kind will do.
424.466 -> We've got a formula for
425.966 -> this. Look it up. And then we put
428.399 -> sand on top of it. Now, why do we do
430.733 -> that? Well, to keep the mud out of the
433.8 -> water for one thing,
435.366 -> to provide a means for the precipitates,
440.666 -> the particulate matter
442.066 -> in the water to go down
445.533 -> into the substrate, you see it sifts down
449.666 -> into the sand. So we put
452.733 -> sand, two inches of sand,
456.133 -> one inch of soil, dirt, and then what?
459.8 -> Well, then you fill it up. And
461.733 -> then what? Well, then you put
463.733 -> plants in it. Then what? And then you put
466.466 -> a few fish in it. Then
468 -> what? And then you put the magic
470.8 -> in it. And what's the magic? Dead tree
474.866 -> leaves. That's right. Dead
477.8 -> tree leaves. All of the research
481.333 -> that has been done and is being done on
484.766 -> freshwater systems all over the world,
489.833 -> demonstrate conclusively that the
493.433 -> foundation, the nutritional
496.3 -> foundation of freshwater systems,
501.266 -> is tree leaves and all the other things
505.066 -> that fall off of the tree.
507.699 -> Now, don't go out picking a bunch
509.166 -> of tree leaves off a tree, throwing them
511.5 -> out and throwing them in
512.399 -> the tank. Don't do that.
514.166 -> You collect the leaves first that are in
517.866 -> a little body of water. Why
519.633 -> is that? Why? So you can have
522.566 -> some of the animals in your tank that are
526.733 -> eating those leaves and
529.6 -> eating the waste and maintaining
533.6 -> the stability of the tank. You see,
535.833 -> that's called nature. That's what nature
539.033 -> is. Lake Tahoe. And if
541.633 -> you know anything about Lake Tahoe,
544.433 -> really interesting story.
546.633 -> Somebody put some shrimp in
548.7 -> Lake Tahoe about 15 years ago. They ate
552.566 -> all of the cyclops. That's a little
554.566 -> microscopic bug. And all
556.5 -> of the Daphne, another one. And guess
559.5 -> what happened? It became so
562.233 -> murky, loaded with algae, foul,
567.533 -> that the government decided they had to
569.733 -> spend a billion dollars to
571.766 -> fix it. Well, fortunately,
574.666 -> before they could spend all that money,
576.799 -> the shrimp ate all the
578.133 -> cyclops and Daphnia, starved,
581.266 -> died off the Daphnia and cyclops
584.566 -> returned. And guess
585.933 -> what? The water is clear now.
588.799 -> Nature knows how to deal with natural
594.566 -> things. Nature has been
597.533 -> at it for only 100 million
602.399 -> years or so. You really can trust it. You
607.466 -> see, the bottom line here is
609.566 -> what this is really all about
612.333 -> is saying to people who want to keep
614.833 -> fish. Okay, great. But
616.633 -> let's do it in a way that's
619.466 -> good for the fish and that allows them to
623.133 -> have the kind of
624.833 -> environment that they need and want.
629.133 -> Now, if we can learn to do that in a fish
631.533 -> tank, maybe we can learn
633.5 -> to do that outside our door.
636.166 -> You see, it's not a matter of controlling
638.866 -> carbon. That's ignorant.
641.233 -> I'll tell you what that is.
643.133 -> Carbon sequestration, controlling carbon,
646.233 -> it's the same thing as nitrate
649.5 -> sequestration in the
651.533 -> fish tank. All of these, ooh, nitrate,
654.166 -> nitrate. Nitrate is food.
657.399 -> It's food. It's food for plants.
660.5 -> That's what plants eat. They eat
662.766 -> nitrates. Without nitrates, the plants
665.733 -> die. Where do nitrates come
668 -> from? They come from the waste from the
670.399 -> fish. You see, it's a
672.1 -> cycle. They depend on each other.
674.733 -> Same thing is true with carbon. Without
676.933 -> carbon, no plants are able to live. Do
679.866 -> you know that there are
681.299 -> 25 percent more plants on this earth
685.633 -> today than there were 25
688.233 -> years ago? Why is that? Because
690.966 -> the carbon has increased. When nitrates
695.533 -> go up, plant growth goes
698.833 -> up. So here's the bottom line,
701.533 -> people. What we're really all about here
704.366 -> is nature. We're all about nature. Not
708.466 -> about plastic plants
710.466 -> and plastic substrate and plastic food.
714.399 -> Might as well have plastic
715.866 -> fish. No, we're all about
717.866 -> a natural environment. It is not hard to
721.966 -> do. I have five-year-old
724.366 -> children who are setting up
727.133 -> natural aquariums. It is easier than
731.766 -> trying to do this madness
733.933 -> of maintaining water quality
736.966 -> when you're polluting it every single
738.933 -> day. So let's get straight
741.366 -> about a few things. We're not
742.899 -> trying to make things complicated. We're
745.366 -> trying to make things
746.266 -> simple. We're not trying to lose
748.166 -> people in the hobby. We're trying to save
750.366 -> people from being lost. And those who
753.766 -> want to come against
755.033 -> us and come after us, bring it on because
758.933 -> I'll tell you frankly,
760.633 -> they don't know what they're
761.766 -> talking about. Well, this is Father Fish
764.933 -> at his harsh. It don't mean
767.433 -> to be that way. Just don't
769.166 -> let getting beat up by bullies who think
772.5 -> they're being smart when
774.033 -> they're really not. Who think
775.7 -> they're coming after me for saying things
778.166 -> I really haven't. Who
779.899 -> prefer not to understand, but to
782.533 -> simply carp and whine and bitch and
785.166 -> complain and moan. So enough of that.
789.133 -> Let's get on with it.
790.733 -> Let's stand together and make this hobby
792.733 -> work. Make it successful.
795.566 -> Keep people from failing.
797.433 -> You don't have to bust your buns 24-7 to
800.633 -> keep fish in a tank. In
802.333 -> part, in fact, nature will do
804.166 -> 99% of the work for you if you give it a chance!
809.5 -> Love you all. Bye for now.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1nh5Re9OvA
