You work hard for your money. Don’t feel bad because you have bill. You do a wonderful job amazing

So you have those gouramis in the same tank with some Borneo suckers / hill stream loach ( saw in the background). ( and gobies) What parameters ( PH, temp, hardness?) and flow level do u have? I want to get some samurai ( or chocolate , maybe the same thing?) gouramis ( or licorice) but everything says they need such specific parameters. Also some sparkling bc they seem to be more flexible? Also what do you feed those gouramis?!

Good to hear an update! Change is the only constant so co tests on going with the flow! We always enjoy whatever you do;)

Replay crew ❤️

Firstly, definitely categorized as education. Yes, for ads. Yes, pay yourself! I think your equipment and tanks are already exceptional. No need to put back into stuff, we're mostly here for your historical knowledge! 🙂

I love this channel & you’re a genuinely good person & I’m here for it. I love learning new things, I feel like if I don’t learn things that interest me then my life just isn’t as fulfilling.

Just add a timestamp or chapter thingy set to when the meat of a video starts. Vastly easier than manually asking people to skip to some unclear number of minutes in. Keep up the good work.

Ps if you actually use the product and have always used it then review it for money. If it is a product you already use and stand by then review it. Set your boundaries and only review what you stand by. Ps don’t respond just read hahahhaha

I am getting my paradise fish on may 11th. You suggested barbs. I got some gold barbs from my lfs they are awesome and I love them. Great suggestion however they are little piggy’s. I feed the BN pleco after dark and those little piggy’s eat sleep.

Ps run ads it doesn’t matter if they are annoying people need to understand that is how money is made

I like the idea of 30min vids as I like to catch the replays as I go to sleep. Any longer and I miss out on the endings lol.

I like your channel because you share your experience, you are knowledgeable, but also humble and always wanting to learn more. I get that you need to increase revenue. I think a few ads is fine. I want you to do well. I do often feel like some fish tubers are trying to shake me down and I find it a turn off. I have stopped watching several of these.

Asking people what they want is not a great approach since people don't really know. You could be like Apple and tell them what the want. You could be like Google and measure what they want. Either way, make sure you're making enough to keep the project going. Imagine where you two would be if your wife's salary was on a sliding scale based on what her company's customers chose to pay.

I've said it once, an I'll say it again…. your channel has helped me so much back into the hobby, after 20 years out. Things in the hobby have changed massively in that 20years. Your video's helped me understand alot in the modern aquarium hobby. Keep doing what you do @Alex, it's all good……

What do I think… Blunt honesty..
Love your tank videos about aquarium issues and fish varieties.
Am not necessarily looking for the history lessons, although find them interesting, when not too long.. unless titled History..
Important: Titles need to be truthful and accurate..
When I saw the title for Tubbing Season.. I hoped that was what it would be about. Was disappointed. Oh well..
Short tangents are fine… IMAGES OR VIDEO are almost mandatory for certain long rants. Hard to listen to long fish talk from your head, that we cannot see..(If it is about something we do not know)
I like your Style, Knowledge and delivery… 🙂
I was surprised to find… after your long aside about Sticklebacks..
-that when I Bing searched the 3 spined.. You already made a nice video about them in your local waters, three years ago.. It covered everything you spoke of on the recent stream.. And more.
Was simple, yet quite good!
Stay focussed. Keep it simple for yourself..
Have fun! That's where Inspiration comes from.. Not from worrying and trying too hard.
You'll be fine, Alex..
If more of your vids are 'to the point', more of the time than not… You will soon triple your Subs.
If it just gets messy and unfocussed, I won't watch as often..
You are smart and likeable.
Hang in there, dude!
Cheers and aloha!
Scotty on Maui.

I for one swapped over my support to your patron side so more funds get into your hands and not into youtube or the state. (or try and pay more for shrimp =D ) Maybe others who read this post of mine, Might take a look at doing the same thing.

Sponsorships: Alex if its a product you already use, take the sponsorship, any others who want you to test their stuff and give it a good review just tell them you will but you will be honest. As Long as you stay honest in your reviews of stuff you will be fine. also go bug dr. pepper, they should sponsor you too.

Cutting down videos to 15 min or so ones, with focused topic will get you more views and break things down into more bite size info chunks which tend to drive most videos anymore, might be the way to go for the future.

Merch, do a dark betta shirt and I will be all over that. =D

and in the end, you need to do what is best for you, what will keep you going and continue to put out content, this community will back you.

I thoroughly enjoy your channel. I think you are a very likable and down to earth person who has probably made this hobby accessible to a lot of people. My problem is not with any content or anything personal, I just rarely have time to listen to or watch YouTube videos that are longer than a sweet spot of 5 to 15 minutes. As most of your videos are much longer than that, I skip a lot. Though I must say, I live in Los Angeles and when commuting I will often put one of your longer videos on via the car stereo and just listen for my half hour or hour or two hour long commutes. And though I rarely catch a live stream, I am really glad you do them so keep that up please.

All wars are banker wars. Accept BitcoinCash and Monero donations too!

I will say the large channel that went to pay to play, members only chat and comments has been a huge turn off for me. I think a mix of paid and free content is great, put those ads in, split into shorter videos and prioritize your time. Those who can pay for extra content can, those who cannot can still support in the other ways.

Just less of your face, and this channel will be good, just show some fishes, why the hell always ur face,

Do what you love and are good at. Delegate, automate and streamline what you hate and suck at. -words of wisdom

I’m proficient in adobe after effects, Adobe premier, Adobe photoshop and ableton live. I would be very interested in helping you edit. I believe we could could produce more condensed, effective and vibrant content that will have a higher common denominator reach but keeping the true to the mission objectives.

I’ll post a remix I made with some after effects work I’ve done recently under here. After that I’ll find a way to DM you

Your channel is educational, for sure. 🤓👍👍👍

what i would love on this chanel is a mino documentary one your aquariums, like the life of a fry to an adult, or something like that.

Alex you do what you do best! Thanks for the great content! I saw you go live last night but was already calling it a night lol

Make as many vids as you want a week! Just please keep alteast once a week🤗. Love your content!
Do you have any info on krobia Xinguensis? Some in at my local fish store, and not much info online.

This is a job. You should be paid. Leave the ads in. If folks don't want ads, they can pay for premium YouTube. If they want 5 minutes videos that have been made 100 times already, they should go to the Co-Op channel or any of a dozen other channels for that info. Your voice is unique in the fish tube space. Your in-depth videos are needed in this hobby. That is why once I found your channel 3 years ago I have never left. It's why I click on your videos as soon as I can. That's why I always listen to your livestreams on replay if I missed them live. It's also why I watch your videos multiple times. The info is deep and rich and I don't always get it all with one watch. Keep being you and doing what you do. Love ya dude.

I've loved how engaged you are with all of us, and I've been amazed at how you are able to respond every single comment with as many as you get, and totally understand that you need to spend less time on that. I also appreciate where you're coming from, being hesitant to have ads, and a pay-to-play model. At the end of the day though, you need to make money, we all do, and for all the work you do on this channel, I don't think it's wrong at all. I'm really thankful that your membership is only 1.99, you're the only channel I know of that has it that low, and it makes it really easy for me to support you. Also, idc if that tiny amount goes toward your fish, keeping a roof over your head, the Dr. Pepper fund, or whatever, it's my gift to you as thanks for sharing your knowledge. Wish I could do more.
Have you thought of adding the super thanks button? Then people could use it for the non- live videos or replays when they can't super chat.
I think it's a great idea to split up the videos on the different decades of fishkeeping, too. Sometimes vast amounts of information can be easier to digest in small bites. Thanks again for all you do, and I think I may have missed your birthday recently 😖, if so, Super Happy Birthday!! 😄👍

@The Secret History Living In Your Aquarium I think you need to give yourself more credit, you should be paid for what you do. DON'T feel bad about that you deserve it. The ads are such a given, we already expect them. I don't mind watching ads bc I feel like that's how I cam contribute while I can't afford to pay subscriptions when in this case I realllllly want to. But please don't feel bad about making money off what you do. You have alot of pride and facts and you can tell how much you are studying and researching to provide us with correct factual information. No one will hold it against you I promise!!!

I came to your channel because you seem to talk more in depth about scientific and world wide logistical details. I have stopped watching because in between all the information I want, there are minutes upon minutes of time being wasted on things that I have absolutely no care for. Shout-outs to viewers, explanations for personal setbacks… Anything that is irrelevant to the topic should be left for the end of the video, or out in another video labels accordingly. I enjoy your related content! But please, trim the waste??