Is this Father Fish inspired aquarium doomed?

[Kwyet]

I hate to see Walstad mentioned in the same group as Father Fish. She did her research and made the aquarium hobby accessible to a large number of people that otherwise would probably never have become involved in that. After trying that kind of aquarium they could branch out to more advanced aquariums.

A $400 set-up is considered cheap in this group, but very few beginners would be willing to sink that much money into their first aquarium, and what she provided is loads better than the fishbowl with blue gravel, plastic plants and a goldfish that many people unfortunately started with.

Father Fish on the other hand, as far as I can tell, just sets his followers up for failure and leaving the hobby.

 

[Pepere]

I hate to see Walstad mentioned in the same group as Father Fish. She did her research and made the aquarium hobby accessible to a large number of people that otherwise would probably never have become involved in that.

I can understsnd that. I was not putting her in the same category, or calling her a crank or a hack. Its just that I didnt like the results I got and how the tank looked…

I am happier without soil in my tanks…. Happier with regular water changes. I like how they look better…

I have watched a few Father Fish videos and just cant get beyond some of the things I have heard…. But some people thinks heis the ultimate guru. Some people think the same about Dr. Novack. Some people hold Cory to be the ultimate authority…

I didnt find the success I wanted till I started studying and applying @Dennis Wong advice in the 2 hr aquarist. Until I did that my tanks looked a lot like Cories…

 

[gjcarew]

I can definitely see the appeal of a seemingly homeless man chiming about "natural" processes and using low cost materials.

I'm dying

 

[Kwyet]

I can understsnd that. I was not putting her in the same category, or calling her a crank or a hack. Its just that I didnt like the results I got and how the tank looked…

I am happier without soil in my tanks…. Happier with regular water changes. I like how they look better…

I have watched a few Father Fish videos and just cant get beyond some of the things I have heard…. But some people thinks heis the ultimate guru. Some people think the same about Dr. Novack. Some people hold Cory to be the ultimate authority…

I didnt find the success I wanted till I started studying and applying @Dennis Wong advice in the 2 hr aquarist. Until I did that my tanks looked a lot like Cories…

I wasn’t picking on your comment particularly. I just always see her mentioned in the same breath with him whenever this is discussed, and it bothers me that many people do put her in the same category. I’ve read through the very informative 2 Hour Aquarist too and those tanks are definitely something to aspire to!

 

[Jeff Miotke]

I can understsnd that. I was not putting her in the same category, or calling her a crank or a hack. Its just that I didnt like the results I got and how the tank looked…

I am happier without soil in my tanks…. Happier with regular water changes. I like how they look better…

I have watched a few Father Fish videos and just cant get beyond some of the things I have heard…. But some people thinks heis the ultimate guru. Some people think the same about Dr. Novack. Some people hold Cory to be the ultimate authority…

I didnt find the success I wanted till I started studying and applying @Dennis Wong advice in the 2 hr aquarist. Until I did that my tanks looked a lot like Cories…

Glad you got it all sorted out before being another casualty to poor advice. I got a chuckle out of you bringing up Cory. Reminded me of the Seattle AGA when Cory spoke to the group and ruffled quite a few feathers of some prominent folks. I have no idea what he said as I was working the vendor room. Dennis Wong certainly has great advice. I have been directing folks to his Youtube channel and website for a really long time now. Im too lazy to keep repeating myself and I got tired of all the backlash from the FF,Cory, Novak and whatever else believers. At this point my portfolio of aquascaping layouts and international awards speak for themselves. So thanks @Dennis Wong for providing a great resource to make a repeatedly successful aquascape. I'll stick to making my aquarium art and stay out of the circus side show.

 

[Mr.Shenanagins]

I play Dennis OG Youtube videos for white noise when I go to bed. His voice and choice of background music are pure zen. The added benefit of excellent planted tank advice is the cherry on top. Visions of substrate, Co2, and trimming/WC methods dancing in my head.

 

[Pepere]

I got a chuckle out of you bringing up Cory.

My epiphany was when I was binge watching his videos of his fish room as he would state the simple thing he was doing to this or that tank to get rid of the algae in a few weeks. I was at my wits end over algae growing in my tank and seeking the gurus advice….

As I watched video after video, it dawned on me I had never seen a tank of his I wanted to emulate…. And, every video seemed to mostly have tanks with algae issues….

I had been following his advice and my tanks mostly looked like his…

Now, to be fair, he has a lot of tanks, and a lot of other irons in the fire… I get that…. But seeing ad I was running in place, and nothing changes until something changes, I figured I had nothing to lose by considering other mentors.

I looked around. I wanted my tanks to look more like Dennis’s tankds, But, I always have a creeping sort of doubt that some people have hoards of hired hands making it look pretty in the background you never see…

I asked Mike Miller for advice and he recommended studying the 2 hr aquarist and take what he writes to heart and implementing it…. So personal recommendation in tow, I figured I had little to lose.

Within weeks the tide started to turn and I was seeing progress…

I swallowed hard on the cost of the lighting upgrades, CO2 equipment and canister filters…. And after learning to get rid of algae in injected tanks, I applied some of the lessons learned and managed to pull it off in low energy tanks too.

And I did it without Algae eating livestock too….

I still post on another certain forum, and like a poor beggar I try to gently tell people where I found food…. But, people mostly dont want to hear it…. I dont have the credibility of being a “Master Aquatic Horticulturist” with all sorts of youtube videos and a big fish store…

But, I am a lot happier with how my tanks look now…



75 gallon tank

No real semblance of a scape here yet. Just put in odds and ends trimmings in a somewhat pleasant fashion as my new 75 gallon tank sorts its way through its Awkward Ugly Duckling stage…. In another few months I will start removing propagating replacement plants.




29 gallon tank I worked to see if I might be able to pull off Dutch Aquascaping before investing the money in a 75 gallon.

I named this one “Miller Time” in homage to Mike Miller @Unexpected who helped me a lot.



This one Is another 29, I titled “Au Bon Vin”. It is in part in homage to Vin Kutty who wrote quite a bit on Dutch Scaping that helped me. And also due to the fact it was 6 feet away from my recliner in direct view, and in the evening I would sip a couple ounces of a nice Tawny Port wine as I sat and contemplated what I should do next…

Neither one were curated to fully meet dutch standards and were more proof of concept to me to justify the new expense.

The 75 now sits where Au Bon Vin used to be.

Once I have the 75 sorted, I am tempted to push the boundaries of my comfort and try converting a 29 to display extensive hardscape and such as @Jeff Miotke videos mesmerize me with.

 

[Art]

There is also definitely quite a bit of the crowd in the US that flock towards more crude approaches as they are locked out of the higher end tank systems due to inaccessibility or unaffordability of equipment/plants. Despite the rather high personal income levels in the US relative to other countries, the distribution of planted tank equipment/plants in the US is still very poor in a general sense.

@Dennis Wong, you've been here and seen for yourself. I think this is the reason the hobby hasn't grown as much as the reef aquarium side. Availability of quality aquarium plants is absolutely critical for the hobby to grow. You can walk into almost any LFS in the USA and you will find stunning corals. It is the VERY rare ones that you will walk in and find any aquarium plants. And, if you do find one with aquarium plants, they are not something you want to put in your tank as they are usually dying, algae-covered, or non-aquatic.

I'm waiting for the day that a well-funded, somewhat obsessed aquatic plant grower decides to put up a world-class nursery in the USA and fund the market for a few years. Think of a Tropica-type in Wyoming or Montana.

 

[Pepere]

just always see her mentioned in the same breath with him whenever this is discussed

I would suppose it is because he has so many videos where he criticizes Walstead method and claims it depletes in a few years and claims his method is self sustaining…

 

[Count Krunk]

This is my walstad ish formula that works very well for a variety of plants.

Bright light, good filter, compost covered with sand (or even better bdbs ) and an all in one fert.

Water changes sometimes, weekly pump or two of an all in one.

Very simple, i like looking at it.

Hits that middle ground tank IMO.

 

[Unexpected]

At the core, Americans are so spoiled, we naturally gravitate to the easiest way; the problem being, with regards to top percentile tanks, the basic work needed to produce these tanks requires knowledge and water changes. So when Americans, with slick marketing terms, both "easy" and "natural", immediately grab the McDonnalds culture, defend it with a silver sword and eventually die on that sword. Ask them to show their tank, and should they...we see a four hundred pounder on snap benefits.

Father Fish is a joke, and Cory at the Coop is even worse.

 

[Pepere]

It is the VERY rare ones that you will walk in and find any aquarium plants. And, if you do find one with aquarium plants, they are not something you want to put in your tank as they are usually dying, algae-covered, or non-aquatic.

Cory at Aquarium Coop has opined that the high end planted aquascape segment of the market is well under 10%. He stated having a high end scape in a store tends to intimidate people and scare them off from aquatic plants altogether once they hear what is involved and cash outlay,.. but having scapes along the lines of most peoples first attempts seems more approachable and doable…

I sort of surpised myself by gravitating more to the plants than the fish this time around. I hD a fish tank with plastic decor and flourescent gravel as a kid and a few plants in my teens. I resurrected it when my kids were younger with similar and a few more plants…

My original intent during covid was more of the same but with a couple bigger tanks for the grandsons to enjoy when they came over…

 

[Wet Elbows]

Stop listening to Father Fish.

Most of what he says is complete nonsense.

All you have to do these days is have YouTube channel and you have instant credibility no matter what nonsense you spew forth.

 

[Kwyet]

I “learned” as a kid that plants in an aquarium were just going to die, create a lot of mess, and just generally were a lot more trouble than they were worth. When I retired and set up the BiOrb, I started out with silk plants because I didn’t think I could keep plants alive. I stumbled across KG Tropicals YouTube videos, from there found other YouTube videos (MD Fishtanks, Green Aqua, Rachel O’Leary, Tank Tested etc), read Walstad’s book and George Farmer’s book, lurked on TPT and finally joined, and most recently ended up here. It’s been a progression and everything’s a work in progress, lol!

 

[Pepere]

I “learned” as a kid that plants in an aquarium were just going to die, create a lot of mess, and just generally were a lot more trouble than they were worth.

Well… when I was a kid with an aquarium in early 1970… that was pretty much the size of it.

I had a Metaframe tank and Metaframe hood with 2 long thin incandescent bulbs. You were not going to grow plants with that light.

In the late 70s I got a flourescent hood light and I introduced plants. In addition to my plastic Lighthouse bubbler I now hd a tiger lotus on one side and two banana plants on the other and a few rocks, and duckweed on top…


Fancy!

 

[Art]

This is my walstad ish formula that works very well for a variety of plants.

Bright light, good filter, compost covered with sand (or even better bdbs) and an all in one fert.

Water changes sometimes, weekly pump or two of an all in one.

Very simple, i like looking at it.

Hits that middle ground tank IMO.

View attachment 8542

It definitely does. It's beautiful to look at. Nature being nature and taking its course. Everything happy and dependent on everything else. Low effort on your part.

Once you set it up and understand the science behind it.

 

[Art]

Cory at Aquarium Coop has opined that the high end planted aquascape segment of the market is well under 10%. He stated having a high end scape in a store tends to intimidate people and scare them off from aquatic plants altogether once they hear what is involved and cash outlay,.. but having scapes along the lines of most peoples first attempts seems more approachable and doable…

This infuriates me but he's entitled to his opinion. If you disagree with him (like most of the rest of the world does), then put up your own store and do it another way. Sadly, that's reality and a bit of the American way.

And there is nothing wrong with the neon substrate, plastic plants and goldfish. I think we all had that at one point. What I want is an easy way for someone who wants to go deeper into the hobby to be able to do so reliably.

 

[Art]

Well… when I was a kid with an aquarium in early 1970… that was pretty much the size of it.

I had a Metaframe tank and Metaframe hood with 2 long thin incandescent bulbs. You were not going to grow plants with that light.

In the late 70s I got a flourescent hood light and I introduced plants. In addition to my plastic Lighthouse bubbler I now hd a tiger lotus on one side and two banana plants on the other and a few rocks, and duckweed on top…
View attachment 8545

Fancy!

I love that you still have that. I remember the banana plants!

 

[Pepere]

I love that you still have that. I

I wish I still had the 10 gallon Metaframe tank…

 

[Koan]

I wish this was not my third pass at resealing