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Hey MD. This is by far the best video you have ever made dude, the format, music and editing is seamless. My wife and i have watched most of your videos floowing your journey and has inspired us to buy a 90l low iron tank for ourselves, we are going to scape it during the xmas break. Thanks for the lessons bud.
I've been keeping aquariums periodically since 1980. I grew live plants then. I recently just started trying again in a small tank. I was good at it but I sure didn't take the steps they do nowadays. Just fertilizer and lighting. I'm always envious on how real and natural these tanks look compared to mine. Years ago before there was electricity people kept tanks even when electricity came about there was really no filters or air pumps and people kept tanks. It is a balance of how many fish were kept and how many plants. Very natural environment sustaining itself but there's always maintenance involved but it's worth it to have something that beautiful in your home. A little peice of nature that's enjoyable and educational. I actually at that time became more interested in keeping the plant's than the fish. I like growing things. My mother always said I have a green thumb she sad now that it just moved under water. That was yrs ago though. She passed recently and always enjoyed my tanks but said she wouldn't have the patience to take care of them.
That was beautiful to read.❤ i have had my first aquarium in 1987 as a small girl in former Czechoslovakia, everybody almost had one at home. Since then I always had a small ou big now I just have a small one with gupy endler. I would like to try something like this in this video. ❤
Beautiful tank! I love how you don't overpopulate them, but instead just focus on a few very beautiful fish. It allows the scape to get some well deserved attention too. Very inspiring! 🐙
Thank you for another great video! You teach me so much every time I watch one. One thing I have learned doing dirted tanks it that seems to have about a 1 to 2 or a 1 to 3 ratio when it comes to the soil to the sand The other factor is how rich that soil is. I'm like you I'm learning along the way because I had no real experience with planted tanks until over a year ago when I first started watching your videos! Then Father Fish and I became friends and he started teaching me about the deep sand cap. Making sure that soil was sealed underneath a deep layer of sand never breaching the soil underneath of that cap so the nutrients don't escape. Then being careful to plant roots only into the sand and letting them make their way into the soil.. Then of course lots of plants to take in all that nutrition!! So far I've had great success, with little to no algae!! Between watching and learning from you and sitting down with Father Fish a couple of times a week, talking and doing live streams(Plus all the incredible fish keepers and creators here that put in their input) you guys have made me enjoy the aquarium hobby so much!! No more days of the fruity Pebble gravel and plastic plants 😂😂 He and I also love your Channel and talk about your builds all the time.❤️ His solution to an algae breakout like this... if somebody didn't want to take the tank apart....would be to recap the existing substrate adding more sand on top (at least an inch) And I do realize that some people don't care for that deep of a sand bed especially when it comes to a professional look or a show tank!! But for someone like me, it's been a great solution!!! I'm so grateful for you MD and being able to watch all your incredible builds from your first videos till now you have been one of the best teachers I've ever had!! I've been collecting things for a while to do a real Aquascape! You have taught me how to relax, don't overthink it, get creative and just go for it when it comes to making beautiful planted and Aquascaped tanks that look like our own personal and natural looking show tanks in our homes. I combine your style with the Father Fish dirted deep sand capped substrate and for me as a hobbyist it's made it a lot of fun!!! That's how each and every one of us creates our own systems and I think that's really cool! I haven't been writing my long comments lately 😂😂 who has time to read them 😂😂? I think it's kind of my way of journaling and of course fan mail 😂 So if I ever figure out how to make incredible videos and tutorials like yours and so many of the other greats here.. I will be basing what I do on who I learned from you guys are my senseis and I am your grasshopper 😂😂 I just hopefully one day hope to have my own studio or fish room to do these things and hopefully get to start breeding some beautiful fish because they're happy in their natural nature style aquariums!! Much love always you MD and your family!! God bless and have a great day!! PS. You were one of the people that when I lost my baby grandson last year, your videos and kind comments would make my day and encourage me!! I also wanted to tell you that my family was blessed the day before Thanksgiving and my birthday with a new baby girl! (I put her pictures on my community page of my channel if you would like to see her)❤️🙏 Thank you from the bottom of my heart for just being here and being awesome!!!🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
Mary, I always read your comments. I always find them insightful, warm, and spreading the good spirit. I want you to know that you've inspired me, too, to be a better person. The hobby has given me a lot and I want to share that good cheer with others. Thank you for the tip about adding more sand, I'll keep that in my back pocket as I will be starting another dirted tank in the near future. I'm sorry for the loss of your grandson, he is with God now, only us here on earth are sad. And congrats on the baby girl, you are blessed. Take care and God bless.
@@philcarlino6942 Phil, thank you for your wonderful and kind comment! I had no idea when I came on to TH-cam how it would change my life!! I think what all these creators do sharing and teaching us about what we want to learn is one of the greatest gifts. It's something that's priceless. Giving a view, subscribing, liking and commenting to help their channels grow it's such a small price to pay ❤️ I came here just researching a betta 2 years ago 😂 I already thought I knew how to keep an aquarium, but when I started seeing planted tanks I was hooked!! What a wonderful and beautiful hobby filled with some of the most amazing people ever!! I always tell people you never know who might be watching that you are helping them without even knowing it! I started writing comments out of appreciation and to help me through some tough times!! I really never expected anyone to read them, it's kind of like throwing a message in a bottle out into the ocean 😂😂 but it was my own way of not isolating myself, like I have done so many times before. It's been the best therapy ever for me!! To think that somebody reading my comment might do the same for them... I would have never imagined ❤️ Sometimes I think when people see my comments they think to themselves oh no, there's that Mary Paige and her books she writes 😂 This is such awonderful community and I sure am happy I found it!🌿🐟🌿💚 Thank you again and I hope you have a very blessed weekend!! God bless you ♥️🥰🙏
thank you so much for the kind words Mary. And also for always being so positive and a ray of sunshine. Im so pleased to hear the great news for you. Cherish every moment as I'm sure you do. ❤
discovered your channel yesterday (after watching a video about the world's most venomous sea creatures) and I've absolutely rinsed your videos. great content. I've no real interest in aquariums but the production is fantastic, your enthusiasm is infectious, and these really help my terrible mental state rn so thank you.
Have you ever thought about doing some slow TV? Just aim your camera at a tank for a couple of hours and then post it. You've got some beautiful aquariums and I would enjoy just watching them for a while. Especially Timmy!!
The tank looks fantastic!!! Especially the bright red/orange of the fish against the greens of the plants. Yep. Another great tank. You never disappoint MD.☺️
This is one of THE most interesting, informative and relaxing videos ever. I could watch this kind of content for hours. The music, the footage and your voiceover. Noice.
The attention to detail and the lighting information garnered is the clincher. It's always low tech beginnings with high tech results, for you! Thanks Mate
End result looks fantastic - I like the way we see it shaping up and how you say ‘it doesn’t look like much at the moment, but just wait til….’ Really helpful to know roughly what the plant spend is on your builds. The fish look amazing against the green and the black background
Each one of those Tropica plants costs around $12 where I live in Canada. It's nuts. I've never been able to afford enough plants to do even one small tank like he does.
Beginner Aquascaper here, This was such a great video thank you for sharing! Having things explained so well has really helped me get the confidence to go out and fix my scape!
Just wanted to say thank you. I followed this tutorial and watched a lot of your videos before I did my tank. Now, I have this great looking tank that turned out beautiful and is thriving. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Such a stunning tank! After 12 months of owning a 180l Juwel vision which started out with the classic first time fish owner over priced ornaments and brightly coloured fake plants 😂 I quickly decided I wanted a more natural set up. I spent around £400.00 on some dragon stone 2 pieces of bogwood and plants. I used TNC root tabs, with the existing hugo kamishi fine black glass gravel. None of the plants really grew and I was soon overtaken by hair algae a! Tried blackouts, adjusting light timings, TNC liquid ferts & co2. Removing with a toothbrush, added amanno shrimp. Nothing was working it just kept coming back longer and stronger. Water parameters were spot on etc. I did weekly gravel vacs/water changes. I was about ready to give up after months of battling with the dreaded hairs! I have finally got rid of it by literally removing everything and scrubbing it all away. So now my tank looks bare as lot of the plants were in such poor health they had to be thrown away. I’ve spent over £1000 on this tank already 😳 and I’m really keen to get it right this time. I’m going to follow this method and see how I get on. I just have a couple of questions for you or any of your lovely subscribers if that’s ok. Are the Juwel led t5 bulbs a good choice for growing plants? I have 1 day bulb & 1 nature bulb. I do have a blue one that’s in the box but was advised not to use this one. Or would I be best buying a new light. I am running a fluval 207 cannister filter with the spray bar is this adequate or again do I need to upgrade as I never have clear water i always have lots of floating particles in the water. I am thinking this is filter floss particles as my water parameters are spot on. Lot of people in fish forums told me to Chuck this in my filter for clearer water, clearly it’s not working or the stuff I have bought is poor quality. Finally what is the name of the small decorative pebbles you used last. Thank you in advance and thank you so much for your wonderful easy to follow videos x
It’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve always wanted a tank like this but had no idea how to get started. Think I’ll give it a try. Thank you so much for sharing!
You're seriously one of my favorite aquarium youtubers. Thank you for being so amazing and informative/helpful! The experiences you share here on your channel have helped millions of people I'm sure! Keep it up👌💚🐟
Wow! I’m so inspired by what you did here. I haven’t had the best of luck with plants and only have two that I’ve done well with but because of this vid I’m going to give it another shot. Thanks!
I just watched The whole video then saw the time and was like wow i just watched 48 minutes straight without getting bored or even thinking about how long that was. I never can sit and watch one video so long and recently I’ve done that to all of yours that have popped up so keep it up. 🤙🏼
Really enjoyed this tutorial. I’m in the process of doing my first nano aquascape and this video has helped me immensely. Thank you so much for your amazing content.
You never cease to amaze! Your aquascaping skills are amazing. The tank looks awesome! How long does it take for the glue to harden when glueing plants to the hard scape like wood, rock and stones? I can’t seem to wrap my head around that the glue doesn’t ruin the roots of the plants or plant itself. And great tip to use a fork to peel of the rock wool of the plants from tropica
In regard to costs, I find if one budgets responsibly for this hobby like any other, within a few months you'll end up having a collection of stuff in which the majority of it goes unused yet I regret nothing. Much love from the US, Pacific Northwest.
I work for a glass company I quoted myself a 75 gallon 3/8 glass, tempered, ultra clear, with flat polished edges which at my cost is $940.00 and thats with me putting it together. I just got a black friday sale of a 40 gallon 5/16 thick glass with a flat polish ( unsure if its tempered ) bow front glass for 140.00 with the aquarium stand. I understand 3/8 tempered ultra clear is over the top a bit but BOY thats a stark price difference. Side note the tank and stand came from China. Love the channel
Another amazing build! I love how you made it a lengthy video and showed all the details. I am gonna love to see this tank here in a few weeks when things really settle in! Keep up the amazing work MD! 👏
@@MDFishTanks the technique is the same across all your tanks and you have really dialed it in obviously. I wish there was a place we could share our tanks with you! I'm sure you've inspired thousands with your tanks as I see your name mention in almost ever fb group I'm in. Ot would be awesome to see all the tanks that you've inspired and even receive your feedback on some. For instance, my 36gal bow front.... im sure you would see it and love it even though it's just hardcspe right now. The entire design was inspired by your neon tetra jungle and this nature scape. Anywho... im definitely a fan, and definitely can't wait for that apisto tank video! 🙌
Thank you MD! This is going to be my first proper build. I've had a little tank I've been playing with but this will be my first from the ground up build.
I find that the single most important thing for a freshwater tank is the substrate + plant ratio. it's actually possible to take a tiny slice of a river and have it exist and function in much the same way, you just need to get the substrate right and plant it sufficiently. If you got that right (which doesn't have to be costly) you can just hang a small internal sponge filter with maybe some activated carbon, that will create topwater disturbance and the sponge will grow a healthy bacteria culture. - getting this right has actually never ever failed me
I have just started to put together a set-up on a budget. But the way i budget is to buy a piece for the set-up each month and get the better quality end set-up. I got tank and filter in month one, then substrate and hardscape in month two. Once i had these i designed a hardscape layout and filed tank with water a started a dark start to cycle the set-up. I then purchased a light and plants in moth three which came as the tank completed its cycle. I then drained the set-up and planted the tank and filled with fresh water. the forth month I purchased a clean-up crew and month five my fish. I found this the best way to get a decent set-up on a budget.
I have the same problem with my current 54 litre tank, too much aqua soil, so algae that grows back day 2 after having cleaned it. It was the first time I used live plants on top of it being my first Aquarium. I used plants which weren't fast growing, nor did I use enough plants in general when setting up the tank, the store clerk recommended some active soil, which I didn't realise was too much at the time, nor that I didn't have enough regular substrate covering it. So now I have a tank thats covered in green algae, that I can't get rid of. When I get the money to re-do it, I'm definitely gonna change it completely, having learnt so much from research and my own experience since I first did the tank. I have 2 smaller planted tanks which I did much later with guppies and guppy spawn in them and they've had no such issues with green algae, despite having plants in them too. I have needed to do less frequent water changes or cleaning of algae too thanks to proper usage of substrate and generous use of plants.
I've just discovered your youtube site and I love it. The inspiration you give me is amazing. You make it look so easy. My problem is I am short of space and can only have 1 tank. I don't know which of your styles to use.
I can’t wait to start this hobby when I get home from overseas! How well has this tank held up? Does it still look this good today? Would adding a co2 ensure it maintained this level of vibrancy?
Really well sorted video, well defined, good explanations. And the important thing.. the right answers! "Yellowing" is typically Fe or K, so Plant Zone is the right answer. If you're really keen, you might notice young vs. older leaves, and try to diagnose within the lifecycle, but that's not always as easy as it seems. My general rule is to OD on NPK in a new tank, then allow my tap parameters to guide me on micros going forward.
Base layer of compost depth doesn’t matter. It’s the substrate cap that you use. Too thin or too small of a gravel and you’ll fight to find the sweet spot
There is a lot of capping. And I also showed my ram tank which is a huge success. The only difference between the two is the amount of compost. The light is exactly the same as well. I feel it was worth mentioning.
It's a good idea to make sure to buy plants that will make it in your tank. Everyone's chemistry is different. Plants are super expensive. Where I live it's $8 to $30 a plant. It gets easier to grow plants when a person learns about water chemistry. Over time you can expand what plants to buy. It's well worth the search for this information; although dry, it's really interesting.
My solution to lack of CO2 is extra aeration and extra fishes. Might be overcrowded, but it’s so balanced that nth is dying, none of them look stressed, no water changes required, minimal algae. The only maintenance required is water top-ups, and replacing of filter sponge when it’s too clogged
Do check little guides on how you set up your filters. ?! So guides on different soils ?! And basic plant guides. ?! Where do you get your spider wood ?!
My turtle loves listening to your videos! It's part of our morning routine to eat breakfast and watch a new MD video 😁 I think Colby has a crush on you
Such a cool tank! I love seeing the setup of tanks but wish there were more videos of the already established tanks. Could we see this on after 3 months or so?
Such a refreshing aquarium channel!! First rate and super informative. I’ve been keeping aquaria since 1984! I love learning new techniques. I’ve enjoyed learning so much from your amazing videos. Thanks!!!!!
I have just discovered your videos and I am absolutely loving them. I have kept tropical fish for 33 years but have never been happy with my tanks as they have always looked basic and boring. In fact now cleaning them out is more like a chore than a hobby for me but your videos have really inspired me. Please can you send me a link for the overhead light and brackets you are using on this tank but I need one for a 4 foot tank. Once again thank you for sharing and I have subscribed.
@@frogchamp1474 all set up, and started my cycle yesterday. I’m still waiting for my plants to arrive, but they should be arriving in a week. Can’t wait!
Crazy and I have 4 tanks now. My work put me in charge of the tank at work. Aquarium hobby bit me hard 😂 blue shrimp, guppy, Cory Dory, plecos, snails and plants. My favorite blue Electra
I heard (from Father Fish), that you should use 1 inch of dirt capped with 2 inches of sand. On one hand carpeting plants aren't getting much at the start, on another no algae bloom. Also plants like deep beds of coarse sand (gravel).
To all you stressed out working people... going to stand in line for your morning coffee. (30bucks a week) You could get an automatic coffee maker with your favorite flavors.. Make a couple of tanks like this in a year if you want. -THEN. This IS your morning coffee. And you look forward to seeing your little bit of Nature, when you get home... -And, in winter... When it's miserable and Cold... No leaves on the trees. Some green bit of tropical paradise waiting for you.. -Cheers!!.. Thx for sharing all your videos!! 😁
An absolutely gorgeous display. Love the composition of plants. One thing I noticed towards the end is the 2 BNs seems to be "bickering" with eachother. This could be an early warning sign that you have 2 juvenile males on your hands. Be on the lookout for beards. Once they grow up its like 2 old grumpy neighbours arguing over the backyard fence about a lawnmover incident no one else remembers. And BN arguements are usually resolved through "who can whirl up the biggest cloud of sand". Day in and day out. I can hear across the room when 2 of mine are arguing and I know that tomorrow when the lights comes on something has been moved around. Ive only ever observed this type of behaviour when keeping multiple males together.
Amazing build MD, I think it might be a case of rebuilding one of my tanks now, you a good source of inspiration, my Mrs will be wanting to know why I'm rebuilding it, but I'll just blame you! 🤣 Do love the low tech idea, I always worried about overdoing it with the plants but seeing how you do it gives me a bit of reassurance. 👍 Thanks dude.
Mate, I blame you for my MTS. I originally started with a 300 litre tank, now I have 5 and looking to get more. Great vids, you have taught me ALOT, thanks from Perth Australia. P.S. MTS = Multiple Tank Syndrome
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im unlucky, if i Buy from api it will be expensive as taxes are a lot when stuff comes from outside to india
What size tank did you use in this setup?
Did anyone use allpondsolutions light! What are your reviews on the light please? Thanks
Hey MD. This is by far the best video you have ever made dude, the format, music and editing is seamless. My wife and i have watched most of your videos floowing your journey and has inspired us to buy a 90l low iron tank for ourselves, we are going to scape it during the xmas break. Thanks for the lessons bud.
@@ShiznitLegit 3:04
I've been keeping aquariums periodically since 1980. I grew live plants then. I recently just started trying again in a small tank. I was good at it but I sure didn't take the steps they do nowadays. Just fertilizer and lighting. I'm always envious on how real and natural these tanks look compared to mine. Years ago before there was electricity people kept tanks even when electricity came about there was really no filters or air pumps and people kept tanks. It is a balance of how many fish were kept and how many plants. Very natural environment sustaining itself but there's always maintenance involved but it's worth it to have something that beautiful in your home. A little peice of nature that's enjoyable and educational. I actually at that time became more interested in keeping the plant's than the fish. I like growing things. My mother always said I have a green thumb she sad now that it just moved under water. That was yrs ago though. She passed recently and always enjoyed my tanks but said she wouldn't have the patience to take care of them.
That was beautiful to read.❤ i have had my first aquarium in 1987 as a small girl in former Czechoslovakia, everybody almost had one at home. Since then I always had a small ou big now I just have a small one with gupy endler. I would like to try something like this in this video. ❤
Thanks for sharing! I'm sorry for your loss
Full list of plants used
22:30 Vesicularia, montagnei 'Christmas' moss
25:18 Anubias barteri 'Petite'
30:13 Microsorum pteropus 'Trident'
31:25 Eleocharis montevidensis
31:54 Limnophila aquatica
40:00 Mini water lettuce
40:18 Blyxa japonica
Can you tell me the name of the stone he talks about at 18:00
@@MattySquared any update on the name of the stone.. Rio jenga :P
@@isoconfused8744 I wish haha
A great beginners step by step guide for those who want a planted tank. It was really enjoyable to watch MD. Thanks for posting!
glad you enjoyed.
@@MDFishTanks Cool guide, though anubias petite is quite expensive, at least at the place where I live ;/ do you know any cheaper alternatives?
Beautiful tank! I love how you don't overpopulate them, but instead just focus on a few very beautiful fish. It allows the scape to get some well deserved attention too. Very inspiring! 🐙
Thank you for another great video! You teach me so much every time I watch one. One thing I have learned doing dirted tanks it that seems to have about a 1 to 2 or a 1 to 3 ratio when it comes to the soil to the sand The other factor is how rich that soil is.
I'm like you I'm learning along the way because I had no real experience with planted tanks until over a year ago when I first started watching your videos! Then Father Fish and I became friends and he started teaching me about the deep sand cap. Making sure that soil was sealed underneath a deep layer of sand never breaching the soil underneath of that cap so the nutrients don't escape. Then being careful to plant roots only into the sand and letting them make their way into the soil.. Then of course lots of plants to take in all that nutrition!! So far I've had great success, with little to no algae!! Between watching and learning from you and sitting down with Father Fish a couple of times a week, talking and doing live streams(Plus all the incredible fish keepers and creators here that put in their input) you guys have made me enjoy the aquarium hobby so much!! No more days of the fruity Pebble gravel and plastic plants 😂😂
He and I also love your Channel and talk about your builds all the time.❤️ His solution to an algae breakout like this... if somebody didn't want to take the tank apart....would be to recap the existing substrate adding more sand on top (at least an inch)
And I do realize that some people don't care for that deep of a sand bed especially when it comes to a professional look or a show tank!! But for someone like me, it's been a great solution!!!
I'm so grateful for you MD and being able to watch all your incredible builds from your first videos till now you have been one of the best teachers I've ever had!!
I've been collecting things for a while to do a real Aquascape! You have taught me how to relax, don't overthink it, get creative and just go for it when it comes to making beautiful planted and Aquascaped tanks that look like our own personal and natural looking show tanks in our homes.
I combine your style with the Father Fish dirted deep sand capped substrate and for me as a hobbyist it's made it a lot of fun!!! That's how each and every one of us creates our own systems and I think that's really cool!
I haven't been writing my long comments lately 😂😂 who has time to read them 😂😂? I think it's kind of my way of journaling and of course fan mail 😂
So if I ever figure out how to make incredible videos and tutorials like yours and so many of the other greats here.. I will be basing what I do on who I learned from you guys are my senseis and I am your grasshopper 😂😂
I just hopefully one day hope to have my own studio or fish room to do these things and hopefully get to start breeding some beautiful fish because they're happy in their natural nature style aquariums!!
Much love always you MD and your family!! God bless and have a great day!!
PS. You were one of the people that when I lost my baby grandson last year, your videos and kind comments would make my day and encourage me!!
I also wanted to tell you that my family was blessed the day before Thanksgiving and my birthday with a new baby girl! (I put her pictures on my community page of my channel if you would like to see her)❤️🙏
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for just being here and being awesome!!!🙏🌿🐟🌿💚
Mary, I always read your comments. I always find them insightful, warm, and spreading the good spirit. I want you to know that you've inspired me, too, to be a better person. The hobby has given me a lot and I want to share that good cheer with others. Thank you for the tip about adding more sand, I'll keep that in my back pocket as I will be starting another dirted tank in the near future. I'm sorry for the loss of your grandson, he is with God now, only us here on earth are sad. And congrats on the baby girl, you are blessed. Take care and God bless.
@@philcarlino6942 Phil, thank you for your wonderful and kind comment! I had no idea when I came on to TH-cam how it would change my life!! I think what all these creators do sharing and teaching us about what we want to learn is one of the greatest gifts. It's something that's priceless. Giving a view, subscribing, liking and commenting to help their channels grow it's such a small price to pay ❤️
I came here just researching a betta 2 years ago 😂 I already thought I knew how to keep an aquarium, but when I started seeing planted tanks I was hooked!!
What a wonderful and beautiful hobby filled with some of the most amazing people ever!!
I always tell people you never know who might be watching that you are helping them without even knowing it! I started writing comments out of appreciation and to help me through some tough times!! I really never expected anyone to read them, it's kind of like throwing a message in a bottle out into the ocean 😂😂
but it was my own way of not isolating myself, like I have done so many times before. It's been the best therapy ever for me!!
To think that somebody reading my comment might do the same for them... I would have never imagined ❤️
Sometimes I think when people see my comments they think to themselves oh no, there's that Mary Paige and her books she writes 😂
This is such awonderful community and I sure am happy I found it!🌿🐟🌿💚
Thank you again and I hope you have a very blessed weekend!! God bless you ♥️🥰🙏
thank you so much for the kind words Mary. And also for always being so positive and a ray of sunshine. Im so pleased to hear the great news for you. Cherish every moment as I'm sure you do. ❤
Congratulations Mary, that's wonderful news after such heartache. 💖
@@77slate thank you so much Catherine! Such a true blessing indeed!! Have a wonderful day! 🥰♥️🙏🐟🌿
How do the videos keep getting better and better! A true inspiration!
Hi Chris how are you
Howdy 🤠
I know right?
Hey Christopher you have some pretty amazing videos yourself there 🙏😁👍🌿🐟🌿💚
You mean Betta & Betta 🤣
@@arsh15 fantastic! How are you?
discovered your channel yesterday (after watching a video about the world's most venomous sea creatures) and I've absolutely rinsed your videos. great content. I've no real interest in aquariums but the production is fantastic, your enthusiasm is infectious, and these really help my terrible mental state rn so thank you.
Have you ever thought about doing some slow TV? Just aim your camera at a tank for a couple of hours and then post it. You've got some beautiful aquariums and I would enjoy just watching them for a while. Especially Timmy!!
The tank looks fantastic!!! Especially the bright red/orange of the fish against the greens of the plants. Yep. Another great tank. You never disappoint MD.☺️
thanks cathy
@@MDFishTanks Your most welcome 🤗
🙌💪🐟🌿♥️
It doesnt matter how good the materials are if your a bad artist like I am. You make amazing scapes
I redid my 128L nature tank recently. The scape is inspired by everything I've learned watching your channel. Love every scape you do!!! 😍
I am….. SO JEALOUS of your collection of driftwood wow ✨
Envious**
Lol
This is one of THE most interesting, informative and relaxing videos ever. I could watch this kind of content for hours. The music, the footage and your voiceover. Noice.
The attention to detail and the lighting information garnered is the clincher. It's always low tech beginnings with high tech results, for you!
Thanks Mate
End result looks fantastic - I like the way we see it shaping up and how you say ‘it doesn’t look like much at the moment, but just wait til….’ Really helpful to know roughly what the plant spend is on your builds. The fish look amazing against the green and the black background
Each one of those Tropica plants costs around $12 where I live in Canada. It's nuts. I've never been able to afford enough plants to do even one small tank like he does.
I love the old school MD camera shots. No talking, pouring sand. I'm glad you're doing as well as you are! It just hit me in the memories.
Beginner Aquascaper here, This was such a great video thank you for sharing! Having things explained so well has really helped me get the confidence to go out and fix my scape!
MD, I love your channel so much.
Your channel is addictive as heck. Please keep up the good work and don't ever get tired of making quality contents.
thanks Ryan. Im also addicted 😂🤣
I love how you throw plants in a bucket of water and they grow n I place them in my tank n half of em die...
Great tank as always!
I just want to say I love watching your videos. They are so peaceful and filled with your gentle spirit and wonder.
Just wanted to say thank you. I followed this tutorial and watched a lot of your videos before I did my tank. Now, I have this great looking tank that turned out beautiful and is thriving. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Such a stunning tank! After 12 months of owning a 180l Juwel vision which started out with the classic first time fish owner over priced ornaments and brightly coloured fake plants 😂 I quickly decided I wanted a more natural set up. I spent around £400.00 on some dragon stone 2 pieces of bogwood and plants. I used TNC root tabs, with the existing hugo kamishi fine black glass gravel. None of the plants really grew and I was soon overtaken by hair algae a! Tried blackouts, adjusting light timings, TNC liquid ferts & co2. Removing with a toothbrush, added amanno shrimp. Nothing was working it just kept coming back longer and stronger. Water parameters were spot on etc. I did weekly gravel vacs/water changes.
I was about ready to give up after months of battling with the dreaded hairs!
I have finally got rid of it by literally removing everything and scrubbing it all away. So now my tank looks bare as lot of the plants were in such poor health they had to be thrown away. I’ve spent over £1000 on this tank already 😳 and I’m really keen to get it right this time. I’m going to follow this method and see how I get on.
I just have a couple of questions for you or any of your lovely subscribers if that’s ok. Are the Juwel led t5 bulbs a good choice for growing plants? I have 1 day bulb & 1 nature bulb. I do have a blue one that’s in the box but was advised not to use this one. Or would I be best buying a new light. I am running a fluval 207 cannister filter with the spray bar is this adequate or again do I need to upgrade as I never have clear water i always have lots of floating particles in the water. I am thinking this is filter floss particles as my water parameters are spot on. Lot of people in fish forums told me to Chuck this in my filter for clearer water, clearly it’s not working or the stuff I have bought is poor quality. Finally what is the name of the small decorative pebbles you used last.
Thank you in advance and thank you so much for your wonderful easy to follow videos x
The bright color of the fish is just perfect
yeah i love them
It’s absolutely beautiful. I’ve always wanted a tank like this but had no idea how to get started. Think I’ll give it a try. Thank you so much for sharing!
Those fish look gorgeous in that tank! Thank you so much for sharing your tips, techniques and expertise!
This video was definitely not low budget
😔😔
I got everything thing in this video for free, except the mesh bags and sand.
3:13 he definitely flexing his wood 😂❤
I was thinking the same way.... far from budget.
Hey MD, I just wanted to thank you cause your the reason I got back into fish keeping
no problem my friend. Glad to be of service
You're seriously one of my favorite aquarium youtubers. Thank you for being so amazing and informative/helpful! The experiences you share here on your channel have helped millions of people I'm sure! Keep it up👌💚🐟
OMG I'm in love with this tank. It's amazing what you can do with a nano! And those barbs are something special...
Wow! I’m so inspired by what you did here. I haven’t had the best of luck with plants and only have two that I’ve done well with but because of this vid I’m going to give it another shot. Thanks!
That's a beautiful and really natural looking tank .... It feels so good to c the fishes so happy in their new home ....
I love what is becoming your "signature style" - your tanks look fantastic from day 1 - such an inspiration MD darling - keep them coming
Yeah I try my best to get them looking appealing straight away or it would bug me.
I just watched The whole video then saw the time and was like wow i just watched 48 minutes straight without getting bored or even thinking about how long that was. I never can sit and watch one video so long and recently I’ve done that to all of yours that have popped up so keep it up. 🤙🏼
I love the look of this aquarium!
The green covering all the rocks looks amazing, excited to see more builds 🤪
Really enjoyed this tutorial. I’m in the process of doing my first nano aquascape and this video has helped me immensely. Thank you so much for your amazing content.
You never cease to amaze! Your aquascaping skills are amazing. The tank looks awesome! How long does it take for the glue to harden when glueing plants to the hard scape like wood, rock and stones? I can’t seem to wrap my head around that the glue doesn’t ruin the roots of the plants or plant itself. And great tip to use a fork to peel of the rock wool of the plants from tropica
In regard to costs, I find if one budgets responsibly for this hobby like any other, within a few months you'll end up having a collection of stuff in which the majority of it goes unused yet I regret nothing. Much love from the US, Pacific Northwest.
I work for a glass company I quoted myself a 75 gallon 3/8 glass, tempered, ultra clear, with flat polished edges which at my cost is $940.00 and thats with me putting it together. I just got a black friday sale of a 40 gallon 5/16 thick glass with a flat polish ( unsure if its tempered ) bow front glass for 140.00 with the aquarium stand. I understand 3/8 tempered ultra clear is over the top a bit but BOY thats a stark price difference. Side note the tank and stand came from China.
Love the channel
The new tank for the albino cherry barbs is stunning. Love your work MD. 👌💯💚
thanks very much
You sir are an artist. It looks like nature created the Aquarium.AMAZING !!!!
I honestly loved how green that rock looked at the beginning
Another amazing build! I love how you made it a lengthy video and showed all the details. I am gonna love to see this tank here in a few weeks when things really settle in! Keep up the amazing work MD! 👏
yeah I didn't want to rush this one in case anyone wanted to copy it exactly.
@@MDFishTanks the technique is the same across all your tanks and you have really dialed it in obviously. I wish there was a place we could share our tanks with you! I'm sure you've inspired thousands with your tanks as I see your name mention in almost ever fb group I'm in. Ot would be awesome to see all the tanks that you've inspired and even receive your feedback on some. For instance, my 36gal bow front.... im sure you would see it and love it even though it's just hardcspe right now. The entire design was inspired by your neon tetra jungle and this nature scape. Anywho... im definitely a fan, and definitely can't wait for that apisto tank video! 🙌
Absolutely STUNNING 💚
Thank you MD! This is going to be my first proper build. I've had a little tank I've been playing with but this will be my first from the ground up build.
Do ‘blow your own trumpet’ because YOU are the one making it look good!
I find that the single most important thing for a freshwater tank is the substrate + plant ratio. it's actually possible to take a tiny slice of a river and have it exist and function in much the same way, you just need to get the substrate right and plant it sufficiently. If you got that right (which doesn't have to be costly) you can just hang a small internal sponge filter with maybe some activated carbon, that will create topwater disturbance and the sponge will grow a healthy bacteria culture. - getting this right has actually never ever failed me
I have just started to put together a set-up on a budget. But the way i budget is to buy a piece for the set-up each month and get the better quality end set-up. I got tank and filter in month one, then substrate and hardscape in month two. Once i had these i designed a hardscape layout and filed tank with water a started a dark start to cycle the set-up. I then purchased a light and plants in moth three which came as the tank completed its cycle. I then drained the set-up and planted the tank and filled with fresh water. the forth month I purchased a clean-up crew and month five my fish. I found this the best way to get a decent set-up on a budget.
I have the same problem with my current 54 litre tank, too much aqua soil, so algae that grows back day 2 after having cleaned it. It was the first time I used live plants on top of it being my first Aquarium. I used plants which weren't fast growing, nor did I use enough plants in general when setting up the tank, the store clerk recommended some active soil, which I didn't realise was too much at the time, nor that I didn't have enough regular substrate covering it. So now I have a tank thats covered in green algae, that I can't get rid of. When I get the money to re-do it, I'm definitely gonna change it completely, having learnt so much from research and my own experience since I first did the tank. I have 2 smaller planted tanks which I did much later with guppies and guppy spawn in them and they've had no such issues with green algae, despite having plants in them too. I have needed to do less frequent water changes or cleaning of algae too thanks to proper usage of substrate and generous use of plants.
I've just discovered your youtube site and I love it. The inspiration you give me is amazing. You make it look so easy. My problem is I am short of space and can only have 1 tank. I don't know which of your styles to use.
You have found one of your many talents. Thanks for sharing, teaching, and caring. Keep it up.
A passionate true craftsman at work. Beautiful result.
I can’t wait to start this hobby when I get home from overseas! How well has this tank held up? Does it still look this good today? Would adding a co2 ensure it maintained this level of vibrancy?
low tech plants don't need extra co2, they do need some liquid fertilizer
Watching your videos brings me so much peace..
And your way of talking and presentation is really homely.
Love from Bangladesh .
Another fantastic setup. I found this one very relaxing to watch unfold as well: the background music was very mellow 👌
How inspiring and humble. The best so far for me.
By far one of the best educational videos for aquascaping. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!
Love your work so much I am into aquascaping cause of you keep up the good work 👏
awesome :)
Really well sorted video, well defined, good explanations. And the important thing.. the right answers! "Yellowing" is typically Fe or K, so Plant Zone is the right answer. If you're really keen, you might notice young vs. older leaves, and try to diagnose within the lifecycle, but that's not always as easy as it seems. My general rule is to OD on NPK in a new tank, then allow my tap parameters to guide me on micros going forward.
Amazing. It’s a serious skill to make it look already mature from day 1.
i saw the tour you did of your home and its awsome to see people working on there dreams.. sleep is for the week.
Beautiful tank!!! I could sit and watch it for hours....
This might be your best scape yet, exceeded my expectations.
Absolutely Beautiful ❤
Thank you for showing us step by step and showing exactly what you use 🙏🏾
So relaxing and satisfying. I love the way the fish look so happy at the end. And the roots of the surface plant is gorgeous. Thank you.
Base layer of compost depth doesn’t matter. It’s the substrate cap that you use. Too thin or too small of a gravel and you’ll fight to find the sweet spot
There is a lot of capping. And I also showed my ram tank which is a huge success. The only difference between the two is the amount of compost. The light is exactly the same as well. I feel it was worth mentioning.
@@quicksilver356 The walstad method works brilliently...it was my error in the tank.
@@MDFishTanks I’ve had the most success with a dirt style tank with the pea gravel substrate. It’s about the size of rice.
@@Mangobrain82 why isn't it called rice gravel, then?
@@PULAG Really good question.
Love the build. Heads up, those Cherry Barbs you have seem to be a group of all-male, longfinned (or tailed) albino Cherry Barbs. They are stunning.
I LOVE this tank. Eye candy. Beautiful thank you for the tutorial.
It's a good idea to make sure to buy plants that will make it in your tank. Everyone's chemistry is different. Plants are super expensive. Where I live it's $8 to $30 a plant. It gets easier to grow plants when a person learns about water chemistry. Over time you can expand what plants to buy. It's well worth the search for this information; although dry, it's really interesting.
LOVE THESE GORGEOUS FISHHHH!!! Wow. they just pop off the greens and pale browns.
This video feels like a mini spa retreat! love it!
My solution to lack of CO2 is extra aeration and extra fishes. Might be overcrowded, but it’s so balanced that nth is dying, none of them look stressed, no water changes required, minimal algae. The only maintenance required is water top-ups, and replacing of filter sponge when it’s too clogged
I love the algae! I think that rock covered in it looks so beautiful and so natural.
Do check little guides on how you set up your filters. ?!
So guides on different soils ?!
And basic plant guides. ?!
Where do you get your spider wood ?!
Love API products, they stood out to me from day one and I’ve been using them for the past year of my aquarium hobby
Congratulations on getting to 400k! Been a sub since you were at 160k, amazing how far you have come. Lets get too 500k by January!
Great video mate. I am about to use the exact method in my tank. It’s my first time doing a plant tank without C02 and hi tech lighting.
My turtle loves listening to your videos! It's part of our morning routine to eat breakfast and watch a new MD video 😁 I think Colby has a crush on you
haha hi colby
Such a cool tank! I love seeing the setup of tanks but wish there were more videos of the already established tanks. Could we see this on after 3 months or so?
hi there. If you watch my vlogs, I routinely give updates on all setups. For example I recently did an update on my Ecosystem aquarium after 6 months.
Your voice helps me sleep...love the tanks and your voice....thank you
Thanks for this. I am just getting into planted aquariums. . I still have so much to learn.
Such a refreshing aquarium channel!! First rate and super informative. I’ve been keeping aquaria since 1984! I love learning new techniques. I’ve enjoyed learning so much from your amazing videos. Thanks!!!!!
I've noticed, that he always used these 'no time at all' thingy..all the time. Cutee.
Absolutely stunning. Love the background music, sets it all off.
Another great video. Great that you're getting sponsors and having success!
cheers andy
You’ve really outdone yourself this time MD! Looks breathtaking and is so inspirational!
I have just discovered your videos and I am absolutely loving them. I have kept tropical fish for 33 years but have never been happy with my tanks as they have always looked basic and boring. In fact now cleaning them out is more like a chore than a hobby for me but your videos have really inspired me. Please can you send me a link for the overhead light and brackets you are using on this tank but I need one for a 4 foot tank. Once again thank you for sharing and I have subscribed.
Well, this is an ideal way for me to get into planted tanks. Got all the bits, now ready to setup my first tank! 😀
How did it go
@@frogchamp1474 all set up, and started my cycle yesterday. I’m still waiting for my plants to arrive, but they should be arriving in a week. Can’t wait!
Loved seeing this longer explaining scape build video! Beautiful scape
Crazy and I have 4 tanks now. My work put me in charge of the tank at work. Aquarium hobby bit me hard 😂 blue shrimp, guppy, Cory Dory, plecos, snails and plants. My favorite blue Electra
My favourite setup from you so far🤩
Wow...this is such a magical tank
I heard (from Father Fish), that you should use 1 inch of dirt capped with 2 inches of sand. On one hand carpeting plants aren't getting much at the start, on another no algae bloom. Also plants like deep beds of coarse sand (gravel).
yeah def need to up the capping amount and lover the dirt amount.
To all you stressed out working people... going to stand in line for your morning coffee. (30bucks a week)
You could get an automatic coffee maker with your favorite flavors.. Make a couple of tanks like this in a year if you want.
-THEN. This IS your morning coffee. And you look forward to seeing your little bit of Nature, when you get home...
-And, in winter... When it's miserable and Cold... No leaves on the trees. Some green bit of tropical paradise waiting for you..
-Cheers!!.. Thx for sharing all your videos!! 😁
was going to say a KFC fir the family(5) of us is about £40-50.(heck even going to a wetherspoons is more than that for a family meal.)
This is beautiful and so calming to watch
Mola , para los que no somos de Valencia y no conocemos la tienda está muy bien
The American accent for “shrink wrap” was funny!
An absolutely gorgeous display. Love the composition of plants.
One thing I noticed towards the end is the 2 BNs seems to be "bickering" with eachother. This could be an early warning sign that you have 2 juvenile males on your hands. Be on the lookout for beards. Once they grow up its like 2 old grumpy neighbours arguing over the backyard fence about a lawnmover incident no one else remembers.
And BN arguements are usually resolved through "who can whirl up the biggest cloud of sand". Day in and day out. I can hear across the room when 2 of mine are arguing and I know that tomorrow when the lights comes on something has been moved around.
Ive only ever observed this type of behaviour when keeping multiple males together.
Amazing build MD, I think it might be a case of rebuilding one of my tanks now, you a good source of inspiration, my Mrs will be wanting to know why I'm rebuilding it, but I'll just blame you! 🤣 Do love the low tech idea, I always worried about overdoing it with the plants but seeing how you do it gives me a bit of reassurance. 👍 Thanks dude.
You never need a reason to rebuild a tank. It's so much fun. Go for it. Each time is better and better
Mate, I blame you for my MTS. I originally started with a 300 litre tank, now I have 5 and looking to get more.
Great vids, you have taught me ALOT, thanks from Perth Australia.
P.S. MTS = Multiple Tank Syndrome