Aquashella aquarium show! AQUASCAPES, FISH, CORALS, AXOLOTLS & MORE!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- A look at the highlights from my recent weekend at Aquashella Daytona beach. For anyone who doesn't know, Aquashella is an aquarium festival like no other and we need one in the U.K! A weekend of fish, corals, plants, aquascapes, axolotls and so so much more.
A huge shoutout to all of you that came and said hi, took selfies and generally nerded out about fish tanks. You guys and girls made the weekend super special!
Another big shoutout goes to the team that organise and run @aquashella you do a great job!
Last but by no means least a massive thanks to @MDFishTanks & @christopher_scott for making my time there amazing!
Let me know in the comments what your favourite part of Aquashella Daytona was?
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Loved the quote of "there is too much hate in the world" "we don't need it in fish keeping" unfortunately it's so true and we really need to figure out a way to change that my friend! Cheers!
I like the story of glo-fish, and anything that brings kids into the hobby is a good thing.
Oh, and also, I think I can speak for a lot of us fishkeepers in the US when I say you guys in the UK can have Aquashella if we can have your access to quality aquariums and fish shops!
I keep glofish danios in a heavily planted tank. My wife is legally blind so the bright colors are easier to see, and I find that it’s actually great to have my fish color coded so I know exactly which fish I am are looking at. It makes it easier to keep an eye on illness or behavioral habits.
Oh that's a really good point, I'm glad your wife can still enjoy fishkeeping in some way!
I work with the WCAG standard. I wonder where this would fit : )
Thank you for sharing this! My son has difficulty seeing and I love the idea of having fish he can actually see.
I never thought about that. I'm so glad your wife is able to enjoy the hobby.
Completely agree that the UK needs something like this, it looks amazing.
And who should take the initiative? Maybe Mat and MD?
Hahahaha I would love it if we could get something going.
We were absolutely thrilled to meet you and MD! Kids are not over how nice you all were 😊
Awwww that's so great to hear, it was great meeting you all too!
Love your enthusiasm for our hobby Matt and keep up all the work with the new projects in your new role with MD..
Looking forward to watching all the new tank projects coming up especially the 8 footers and the marine ❤👍
Thank you so much! Yeah it's definitely exciting times!
I completely agree with what you say about things not being our cup of tea,etc. I personally don't like the fantasy type aquarium with the glow- fish but when you look at it from a child's perspective, it's very attractive and really gets a child's imagination going. Then they might want to learn the science behind the fish when they get older which may turn into a dedicated study or get involved with other ways to keep fish. Or they may just keep the fantasy and add unicorns! And so what?
Love this you are on of my favorite fish keepers that I follow because you’re so humble and funny
It was great to meet you both. Hope you enjoy the artwork and they find nice spots on your walls! See you again!
It was great meeting you too! Will definitely find some cool spots for it once we stop moving the studio around hahaha
Thanks for the videos. Happy you had some footage. Thanks.
It was so great to meet you! The mixed stone in that winning tank was phenomenal. It made me take a second look at all the dragon stone I’ve put in storage since I don’t really use it anymore. I also loved the one Jennifer Williams did at the oase booth with the neon rosy barbs-maybe it’s because I keep looking at those and not biting the bullet to get some for myself. Glad you are on the mend!
It was great to meet you too! Yeah it's made me look at some of my hardscape in a different light!
Awesome video!! Thank you for sharing your adventure at Aquashella with us!! I hope you enjoyed coming to the US.
Thank you, yeah it was amazing!
I went to my first aquashella last year when I still lived in Chicago. I took my daughter and we loved it! I have to make it to another one! Oh and thanks for flying American mate 😉😂👍 hopefully I get to run into you at the next one!
Thanks Matt! Really enjoyed your vid, especially your view on the hobby. I totally agree that we all need to stow the hate, and enjoy different perspectives! If you want a totally natural scape, or orange fish with purple rocks, its all good. Do what you enjoy, and be tolerant of others! Thanks again Matt, looking forward to future scapes with MD!
Glad to have you here. I can see you had a great time, what enthusiasm you have for the hobby. Love your TH-cam. Watch it every chance I get. Take care of yourself and feel better.
Thank you sooo much!
I would have loved to meet you but I was unable to go. Thank you for your tips and videos. Know that you are appreciated! I hope you keep the studio mostly freshwater. I like one or two saltwaters but freshwater has definitely won me over. I agree, stop the hate!
Thanks for the summary of aquashella!!
Good on you mat miss you glad you had a good time 😂 rog Taunton
I wish we had shows, it would make it so much easier for me to speak to people in person.
Search AQUAH 2024 first show next year.
Yeah there is a show but they haven't been very active on social media so information is limited!
Sam scalz is an icon over here. Hell of a guy too
Great video, so glad I got to meet you and chat a bit. Keep up the good work
I can't say the glofish stuff is for me or the decor in the tanks. However amazing content matt, nice to see some bits from your trip! With you and MD being so busy I expected not to see anything. Keep up the great work both on this chanel and with MD 🎉
Thank you! See in a way I wish I could get some in the UK because I would like to see them in a cave style setup. Lots of rocks and overhangs and then these glowing fish. I think it could look quite alien!
Wel jel. Looks awesome. Xxxx
You have to come to Aquashella Dallas 2024! Do it for your fans!
I love your advice and attitude! Thank you!
Great video, I loved it. I am so glad that you are feeling better. I can see why the show would have been so fun. I, too, agree about there being too much hate in the world. It just tears everyone down!
Thank you! Yeah too much hate, I find it hard to hate something that passionately that I verbalise it, it's way easier to be nice!
I wish I knew you were there, I would have liked to have meet you. Enjoy your videos.
So glad you enjoyed yourself... I met MD at Dallas... I hope you come to Texas next year... Love ya bro... 😎🤙
It looks amazing. 🫶🏼 Hopefully one day you and MD can organise some sort of fish festival here in the UK. I know it wouldn’t be as big as aquashella to start with, but I’m sure you and Mark have enough contacts between you guys to get some suppliers, companies, fish breeders and hobbyist etc together. You could do one somewhere in the middle of the UK so all us fish enthusiasts could get to it. I’m sure it would take years in the making if it were ever to happen and be a huge responsibility, but I have faith that you two could pull it off. Put the idea to Mark and see what he says. 😃
Aquashella London 2024! lol
Thank you for sharing Matt!🥰🥰♥️♥️🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thanx for sharing Matt!!!
“Someone…” Matt! YOU should start a fish show in the UK ! You’re the perfect person to do it! 😃
Fish Recommendation you and MD might like. Blue-eyes or pseudomugil are a genus of nano fish from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Small enough to put with dwarf shrimp with much of the colour of the larger rainbow fish. I think you'll really enjoy them as they are something different. I don't see many people outside of Australia talking about. A seriously underrated type of fish.
I've got a tank of spotted blue eyes and am planning on getting some forktailed blue eyes or red neon blue eyes in the tank that I'm in the middle of setting up. We'll see what I can get my hands on when my tank is finished cycling and ready for fish.
Thank you so much for sharing this Matt!! Who knows, I might see you guys there next year 😄
Really think you and MD should organise and launch the first UK one ? I would be happy to help too ;)
Great perspective
Great video Matt 😊
Cheers, Matt! It really is about finding our own niches and having fun with it. Now here's my opinion: You should sit back and watch this video and then take your own advice! From what you've said more than once in this video, it sounds like there's an amazing opportunity for annual fish conferences in the UK. It also sounds like you just might be the one to do it! From what I've seen through all of your videos and those along with MD, you've got loads of smarts and loads of contacts. It sounds like it's time to start reaching out to them and be the point-man on what could be a massive opportunity for you. Sit down and start writing out a business plan. Put a list of ideas and potential contacts together. Look for people putting on other, similar style events. Start it small if need be, but I have no doubts, whatsoever, that this is well within your reach. Shake your cold first, than just do it!
Also, I hope you had a fantastic time here in the States and everyone treated you well!
Be well, and cheers! ~Ron
Hey Ron thanks for the comment it's very much appreciated!
It's definitely in my mind that we could do something, I know a lot of people in the hobby so don't think I would have an issue filling it.
It would be finding the time to organise such an event. But some things in the future mean that I may be able to do it so fingers crossed!
Amazing, didn't know something like this existed! Maybe one day I'll be able to go to one of those!
About the glo-fish, I am the same as you to be honest, I'm unsure. Would need to have a proper look to see if it shortens their lifestyle or anything like that.
I’m in the US and my initial gut reaction when I saw Glo fish was “Ugh, that’s cruel and tacky” and didn’t give it much more thought until now. I don’t actually know anything about them so I have no room to form an opinion about them! I never thought about it being a positive, like bringing attention to the hobby, or like another commenter said, giving a person with vision issues a chance to truly enjoy a colorful fish.
Really enjoyed your video as always Matt. You're a great narrator. I'm surprised you've not been contacted yet by the likes of the BBC. Keep doing your thing and spreading the joy and enthusiasm. We all appreciate you 🙏
I don't think Glofish themselves are inherently a problem, but the way they are often advertised is in too small of groups in too small of tanks, and typically all artificial decorations with no plants. I think that can contribute to the problem of people treating fish as an accessory or decoration rather than living animals.
Yeah I can understand that point, but then that can be a problem with natural fish as well unfortunately.
Matt; start your own FishFestival! First edition 2024!
You never know what the future holds!
Wish I could be like you matt your great at fish aquariums keep up the great content 😊
Thank you so much! Take your time and don't stress about it and you can do anything you put your mind to!
I'm currently cycling my 60l planted aquarium wish I could send you pictures I think looks great 😊
Tag me on Instagram or post it on my most recent Facebook post. Easiest was as I get tons of messages and it's impossible to keep up with.
I have commented on your latest facebook post with photos of my planted tank first and my Malawi 5ft cichlid aquarium 😊
I was very behind on your and MD's videos (to the point where I didn't know you were working with him full-time now), so I was SO excited to discover you were at Aquashella and it was lovely meeting you and MD! Such a nice experience to meet people IRL that you've been watching on TH-cam for so long.
It was great meeting you! It's certainly exciting being able to help people with this hobby way more than just in the shop!
The big twiggy one was my absolute fave. I wanted to just take home the rocks and wood and plop then into my tank. It was SO great meeting you!
There is a convention coming to the UK. AQUA 2024 can't wait!!
Yeah fingers crossed it's good, the only thing is they haven't really posted about it all that much.
Today I learned there was an aquarium show in my own state featuring my favorite fish nerd in Europe?!?!?!??? HOW?! How am I just hearing about this now?!?!! 🤯😂
Glad to see you are feeling better. That artwork is really cool! I'm in the States, and I've never been to a fish show. Now I really want to go to one. Thanks for the upload.
Definitely worth while, it was great fun!
aaaaahhhhhh...too cute. That portrait of the Axolotls
Matt thank's for sharing your incredible experience. We in South Africa also don't have Aquashella.
We need to start a fishkeeping world tour! Hahaha
@@FishShopMatt😂. Would your relationship will MD survive a world tour?
ty for sharing
Wow looks like an amazing show for you and for MD! I can’t wait to see the artwork framed and hung up 🐟🐠🐡🎏
I’ve got to draw the line at ship wrecks😂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Matt! Thank you for filming and editing this for us so we can see it. So much cool stuff! Can you imagine how much a kid would love that scape with the tree house and windmill? So fun. I personally have no interest in keeping Glofish and I don’t know enough about the effects on the fish to take a stance for or against. I’m going to read up on it though. If it doesn’t hurt the fish and it gets people excited to have an aquarium then I think it’s okay. I’m glad you’re feeling better. Thanks again.
Thank you that's pretty much where I'm at with it.
Great video Matt, and I hope you're better now :) I wonder if there would be the appetite for an event like that in the UK. If there was, you and MD would be the people to stage it. Nick Zametti ( resin crafts on youtube, which is also pretty niche ) has created a massive event at the NEC off the back of his TH-cam success, so it's interesting to consider
That's very interesting I will check out what he's doing. I definitely think there would be a large group of people up for it!
@@FishShopMatt Nick's event is called "Makers Central" and the info is already online and tickets on sale for next year. they have demos, make and take classes, live stage with TH-cam celebs being interviewed and doing live demos on stage to packed audiences.... Aquatics might be a little tricker but then - they do move fish for fish shows so it should be possible.
Great video :)
Tak!
Thank you! ❤️
Matt, thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the video, and applaud your comments on hate. Love seeing all the ideas people have in their fishkeeping - even when it isn't something I would necessarily choose. Wishing you the very best!
Fish shop near me years ago sold glass tetra with ink injected in to them in bright colours
Really enjoyable video Matt, get well soon :)
Thanks, will do!
Matt this was an outstanding video!! I love your excitement about it all and thank you for showing the highlights. Cool to see, I have never gone but hope to someday.
Wish I could’ve made it to Daytona Aquashella to see you. Glad you enjoyed it. Glad you’re feeling better now! Thanks for sharing.
Next time!!! It was great fun!
MD said he was far too busy with the fluval stand to get footage of Aquashella for us 😜 🤣
Matt, I'll send a sock to Maidenhead it's entirely up to yourself if you wish to pick it up and free yourself.....
I think MD and fish shop Matt are a great collaboration. I know Matt through MD who got me started in the hobby
That show was the first time I had been. Very good presentation and vendors. I saw you there but missed seeing Flo. Hopefully, she can be there next year.
Hahahaha I hope so too!
Good for you Matt. And thanks for this fabulous video!
Great coverage of Aquashella! Thanks for sharing 😊
Love ur words matt, hate doesnt have a place in fish keeping creativity! U do u. Hope u'll be the first to a fish show in the UK! Good luck and do more species profile videos pls! 🙏🏻
Thank you matt for being you....Keep up the
good work
From what I understand, the glofish are made from genetically healthy fish. So if you want to fork out extra money for a fish that glows, at least you know it should be healthy. Glad you had so much fun, and that you're feeling better!
That is true otherwise the company would lose money and would go bust. No point in unhealthy fish I guess.
The entrance to Aqua Shella looked amazing. I was happy to see the Glofish! There really is a love/hate thing going on with them. I personally love them. They started as a scientific assistant in our waterways and the bright colors made it easier to locate them and determine numbers, health, migration, and what waterways are connected that we may not have realized. As you mentioned, the only modification is the color. No one changed their structure or health. Since the modification was once in a generic level, these fish are not individually altered. They are way way over priced for essentially a white skirt, danios, or corydora. But they are a very color part of my planted 75 gallon community tank. Love the videos brother!!
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that info.
I was so bummed 😔 I wasn't able to make it, I really wanted to meet you and MD. Y'all are my favorite fishtubers. Hello from Florida.
Hey! Hopefully next year!
Woohoo! Looks like you had a BLAST! Good to see you're enjoying diving head first into these awesome life changes 😁💜🦖
I live in the US, and I've never been to one of those shows. I agree with you on that Halloween Oase tank. I've seen that in 2 or 3 videos now. So much of what you showed is amazing. Some of the stuff is maybe not to my taste, but you know, different people like different things. Thanks for this video.
You should definitely try and get to one, it's definitely a great experience.
Exactly not everything is to my taste but the world would be a boring place if we were all the same!
Brilliant matt looks like you had a amazing time some of those bettas 😍
It was epic I must admit.
For a second I thought we had one in England and I had missed it 😮ABSOLUTELY GUTTED we don’t have these shows, maybe you two could start one up in England 👍👍👍👍 ❤
I appreciate your work, keep doing what you are doing. I have really gone full circle on the glofish thing. I used to really hate it years ago, but now, I really want to have a glow version of an arowana. I have never seen one and I am throwing out the idea into the universe.
Thank you! A Glo arowana would certainly be interesting!
Thanks for visiting us here in the USA. Glad you saw so much, and I can sum up your remarks on the glow fish: Don't yuck someone else's yum! Hope you can be a leader in arranging a major show in England.
You really catch a vibe with this channel
Hopefully it's a good one hahaha
Love the video, such an awesome place to visit.
Much as the glowing entry looks cool I feel so sorry for the fish in that area.
I hate seeing animals put in those sort of situations.
Absolutely love that fantasy scape ❤
I'm not and have never been a fan of the glow fish but they weren't a thing when I was growing up. I've seen children in stores get more excited about those fish though than the very limited more natural selection that my local area seems to have available. I could see it helping maybe a few get into the hobby overall but is it worth it to the fish to modify them in such a way when most of them are going to end up in tanks that are too small for them or not cleaned/cared for properly because someone wanted them just because "they look cool". I suppose one could say the same about some of the fancy goldfish or other fish that have been breed specifically for a certain aesthetic. Beauty of it is though we can all have our own opinions on it and that is the great thing about it.
I hope you and MD will come to the original location in Chicago next August!! I finally will be able to go!
Not a fan of the glow fish.. Thanks for sharing this amazing event 🐟🐠🐡
Great update, thanks a lot! I couldn't stop looking at the fish tank behind you though, love how that's all grown in!
Glofish got me back in the hobby so I love them. I made a planted tank around them that people love when they see it. My mother’s visiting nurse got her son a small tank because of what I did so that means one more person in the hobby. Rather than be outraged about people should focus their energy on doing something about the overbreeding of certain species.
I attended the show at Chicago last year, and I felt the same way. ❤ Glad you had a good time!
Thanks for sharing Matt, Aquashella is definitely on the bucket list!
You definitely should, it's amazing!
Loved this Matt! Great overview of the “fish con” … and I couldn’t agree more, being friendly and encouraging like you do, should be what hobbies are about!
On the glofish topic…. Genetic modification is a tough one, selective breeding can be just as bad, look at what we’ve done to some dog breed…. However, as you say, if it’s not harming the fish, it maybe ok
Thank you! Yeah we need to welcome more people in, as long as the fish are looked after and happy the style of tank doesn't really matter.
Yeah I totally agree it's a hard call to make on what is right and wrong.
Thanks for showing us some of Aquashella Matt! We have a reptile/plant/pet/aquatic expo here in Canada but it's like 6-7 hours drive away from me😫Glad you're feeling better 😊
Oooo 6 hours is a long drive! But it could be worth it!
Awesome meeting you and MD in person!!❤
Sounds like you had a fantastic visit Matt. I agree, it would be incredible if we had something here in the UK, the hobby would do well through it. NEC would be well placed for most of the country if it was to be something big :)
That looked amazing 🙂 and yes we definitely need something big like that here in the UK.
Looks like an awesome good time. Glo Fish, you know at the end of the day it is not their fault they are what they are. I have an aquarium with glo tetras and glo danios. Why not. They add interest. An aquarium is natures art after all, even if some aspects did not have a natural say in how they look or how they were made. ;-)
That tank is stunning mat . Glad you went to Aquashella . You are right we need one here in the uk it would be rammed if we had one ,
Glad you all had such a great time! I am lucky enough to live an hour away from Prism Bettas…such a fabulous shop! Recently got a gorgeous longer finned female betta from there that I am absolutely in love with 😊
They seemed like such a lovely and genuine group of people on the stand and the fish were amazing!
Keeping the wife happy, might mean keeping the axo picture at home. Lol
Glad you had a good time!
Loved meeting you Matt, glad you had a great time there
It was great meeting you too! Also I just realised you sent me a super thanks on my last video! Thank you so so much it's very kind of you! ❤️❤️❤️