Natural Tropical Fish Store Reveals Secrets to NO Water Changes

‎ Jimmy and Zenzo visited Ocean Aquarium in San Francisco, California to hear Justin's story about how he started a fish store more than 25 years ago that doesn't require regular water changes (besides water top offs). Find out Justin's secret to keeping beautiful fish and minimizing algae growth in a store full of planted aquariums.

WHO WE ARE
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.

Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.

0:00 - Intro
0:26 - Justin’s Story
4:00 - Justin Gives Us A Tour
5:25 - Niching Down on Freshwater Nano Tanks
6:15 - Algae Problems in Aquariums
7:02 - Ocean Aquarium During The 1997 Earthquake
8:00 - DIY Co2 System
9:22 - Wholesale Supplier Problems
9:51 - Why Ocean Aquarium Doesn’t Have Staff
10:19 - Ocean Aquarium Store Tour
11:03 - Justin Doesn’t Like To Throw Things Away
11:25 - Catappa Leaves Commercial
12:28 - Dry Goods at Ocean Aquarium
13:14 - Aquarium Book Collection
13:38 - Why Justin Doesn’t Do Water Changes
15:38 - Betta Fish Rack
16:29 - Advising Your Customers
17:05 - Justin’s Oldest Aquariums
18:57 - Advise to New Store Owners
20:07 - Ocean Aquarium Fish Store Tour

#Fishstore #Aquariumfish #Fishtank

[jimmygimbal]

Note from the editor : Sincerely, thank you for stopping by and watching this interview. Being an immigrant myself, I really wanted to display his wonderful story for you to see. Hope, it was worth the wait. Happy Holidays to you and your family and I’m sure I can speak for the crew at Aquarium Co-op when I say.. “Thank you for your many years of support, we appreciate every bit of it.”

Edit : it’s only been 2 hours since this has been released and reading your comments brought tears to my eyes. This is really gonna make my week, let alone Justin’s day. Thanks again

[TMAquatics]

This is a man of morals. Not in it for a quick buck. Honest, hardworking and putting the customer first. He has an amazing story.

[Mymysticmama]

This is what we've lost with big box stores + Amazon/online retail. Generations that have no idea what a "mom+pop" store truly is. A priceless blessing to any neighborhood community. Where everyone in a community is INTEGRALLY (inter)connected. The butcher, the baker, the candlestick the of course the goldfish merchant - overflowing in wisdom. Love it. Thanks <3

[dcime]

Glued to the screen, every word from this man’s mouth was peaceful and prosperous. Coming across a vid like this is rare. Those decades old tanks work as nature intends it, fluidly and natural. When this vid is viewed you really do get a sense of the size of his shop. I mean, the dedication, the wife as he compliments her as the “Greatest Feeder”. The entire time I am watching this I heard a lot of secrets. Wow, thanks for the great interview

[Tayturs]

I actually got to visit this store yesterday!! I bought a female betta and some neon green tetras. The owners were SO NICE and gave me a hand-made cup+airline tubing for drip acclimation. So kind, and soooo many beautiful healthy fish!

[scrapeape]

This guy's an absolute master after dedicating 25 years of his life to this. The importance of capturing his knowledge and philosophy cannot be overstated. Thank you for this. Please go back and visit him again when you can.

[Saternoc]

This store has a lot of charm and personality. I wasn’t expecting to watch the entire video to completion but his advice and journey captivated me. Great job!

[jxiongpiano]

I’m literally in tears after watching this video. It’s not just a video of fish, it’s about meaning of one’s life. Thank you!

[dvi]

I went to Justin’s store a lot as a teenager. He taught me a lot about keeping fish and aquatic plants. I am so happy to see him and his wife again. His daughter used to sit in the shop and do her homework. I noticed that some of the fish tanks are still the same tank from 30 years ago. Inside and out, still the same! I am trying to keep start a desktop nano tank again, and landed on this video, what a gem this piece of interview is! I miss that store and everyone there. And I miss San Francisco too! I need to make a trip out there.

[someguy]

Everything about this visit was amazing. Justin is full of knowledge and cares for his fish. One thing that really stood out and made me think very highly of him, that had nothing to do with the fish, was when asked why he doesn't hire any employees he says he doesn't feel its fair to pay someone a wage that they can't live on. That because his business doesn't make enough to pay a living wage he doesn't hire anyone and just does the work himself. That's very commendable.

[DemDiddyDizzy]

You can feel the love and attention he gives to his store. He’s got his system and not only does he take the aquarium into consideration but also the environment around him that affects the aquariums. He truly cares and loves this hobby. It shows in everything he does from the way he talks. Thank you so much for sharing Justin’s story with us.

[MDFishTanks]

I HAVE to go to this place some day!! Right up my street!

[robfujisan]

I absolutely adore the compassion Justin has towards his fish. I can just see the love on his face when he talks and honestly the world needs more of content like this. Thank you for uploading this and sharing his experiences.

[KH-vvdq]

I would gladly trade a few hours per week to help him around the shop in exchange for the knowledge this man oozes! A store like this is a gem!

[EyTonay]

This is my local fish shop! I’m stoked to see them featured in this video. I used their methods when setting up my 20 gallon tropical tank. They are always so super friendly and helpful. Thanks for creating this video!

[JuanMoon]

Honestly, we need a part2 of this store journey. I would like to try his no water change setup and more plants.

[barbkrienke]

I would sure love to have him write down exactly how he starts a new tank and gets it running without water changes. That would be an amazing book written by someone who really knows the process and has honed it over the years!

[alcab]

Just came here to see a tip about no water changes and couldn’t stop watching this video. Incredibly inspiring story we need more fish stores like this. Awesome video made my day.

[DindellaTheDefender]

As someone with some auditory processing and hearing issues, I wish I could display how truly happy it makes me to click on the video and see subtitles built into the video itself. Even when people do add CC captions, they tend to be clunky and obscure some of the video. It’s really exciting and relieving to know in under a minute that I’ll actually be able to be engaged in your content, even on days that might be more difficult for me. Needless to say, I’ll be sticking around! ❤️😸

[derekw]

Can tell that Justin really went thru a lot of hard times over the decades... His facial expression tells the stories. I wish him great happiness and abundance in his life... may he be safe and surrounded by happiness.