Did We Forget That Fish Live Here? Is Habitat Based Aquascaping the Future?

[@MicrobiusBlue]

I have been desperately trying to steer people away from the cruel trend of the NHSA...No Hidding Space Aquascapes as I have called them for years now, trying to get people to put their fishes wellbeing as the primary consideration...it is a hard battle and just feels like I am banging my head against the wall with most of the NSA people...looks like people may finally start to listen with a video I can link people too now...thanks BRS

[@brentbondura7339]

I've never bought into the NSA style. It looked too artistic. I recently set up a 120 and did what you call an HNSA with just a bit more density and it looks so natural yet clean. The fish LOVE it!

[@krishnar1182]

I am so glad that you did this, thank you. For a long time now THE standard for setting up aquaria that has been pushed by vendors, commenters, so-called experts, etc. has been what is best for SPS corals. Fish are our fellow vertebrates and have nervous systems like us. People have stressed and starved fish and subjected them to less than optimal environments solely for the benefit of their corals. If you're going to stock an aquarium with fish they should be the focus of aquascaping and set up.

[@spicyreef]

I've always created mini homes for all the inhabitants in my aquarium and NEVER add too many at one time. This was lesson 101 from my LFS 30 years ago. I'm glad it's being emphasised today.

[@spicyreef]

PS there is NO reason you can't have "NSA" and hiding places at the same time. Keep the space in mind when adding inhabitants and feel free to add more hiding/homes...

[@artistic_spaz3724]

This may be the most important and influential video you have posted and I wish I would have seen it before setting up my first tank. Now I feel like I owe it to my fish to set up a newer larger tank using this habitat method!

[@clsanchez77]

The liquid glue, sand dusting and compressed air is a nice throwback to model railroad days.

[@556musicman]

Thank you BRS for all these awesome videos! I got out of the hobby about 15 years ago, but am recently back in with 20g and 9g tanks. I thought I kinda knew what I was doing back in the day, but your information has absolutely upped my reef game and I can already see positive results in so many ways using your tips and knowledge. Thanks again!

[@PeterFeltersnatch]

I was taught about 20 years ago that the more hiding spots you have in your rock,the more fish you can have and the happier they will be.

[@tomg5405]

Yes and it is true

[@jamesgreen9372]

As a elementary student, I often wondered what happened to those who excelled at “cut & paste;” now I know. Thanks for the insight, tests that yielded cool techniques, and insight. I look forward to having the chance to create one of these some day, Jim

[@omar15911]

This is why I love the real reef branching rock because you can stack or put them together and still have plenty of hidden spaces for fish

[@johngraves2185]

We used to hand pick pieces of live rock that were open, had plenty of holes and hiding places for fish. Marshall Island rock and select Fiji rock has this built in. Never been a fan of NSA for that reason. I get why people like NSA, I’m just not one of them. Thanks for sharing.

[@jharlowrose1]

This is the kind brs tv I want to talk about and see. Thought provoking and a clear evolution of information. That clearly can and needs to be branched off of. To lend information and finding into other aspects of this hobby. Well done!!!

[@dopeameanreef6221]

This is extremely helpful because im actually aquascaping my 90 gallon now and i had this idea in mind. This video just solidified my thought process ... thank you for all the beneficial knowledge i have gained from BRS... it has taught me the patience with my process

[@mikeydee7815]

This is the kind of video a lot of reefers need to see

[@opethmike]

I absolutely adore the scape in this video. I found that liferock shapes are really good for easily make a habitat friendly scape.

[@EsoxLVCIVS6776]

The main problem for me is the complete lack of decent underwater footage of fish in their natural habitat. I have 3 tanks that I have tried to extensively research for the fish that I wanted to provide an authentic scape for. A typical exercise in aquascaping for me can take many, many months of research before I get started. There is a lot of information out there in text but it would be useful to have a series of videos filmed with quality equipment as most of the ones I've watched are painfully amateur. Two of my tanks hold nano fish, the third one is a fancy goldfish /loach tank which is heavily planted. If I was to open an aquarium store I would incorporate video footage around the store to show people exactly how different species live in the wild.

[@horsetwin]

I had a pygmy fairy wrasse that always hid. I read that their natural habitat is along the cliffs in the reef, so I restructured my rockscape to mimic that more and the pygmy wrasse comes out all the time now.

[@mathewstreet]

What I have learned, if you are going with SPS, only put rock about half the hight of the water so scape is only 9" to 12" high in an 18" depth of water as an example so Corals can graw tall

[@BRStv]

That's good advice. Most SPS are big upward growers for sure!

[@josephcruz2950]

That scale is awesome that’s exactly what I want to do for my next build the more visual breaks the better

[@modotd3885]

Great timing for me. Just about to start on my Scape

[@Mattcarr3]

I'm finally getting my dream tank and thinking about trying to build something like this. Did you have a specific size you were trying to build too? How tall did this end up being? You should think about putting a pack together with everything needed to do this. Base it on tank size or something. I'm about to do a 75 so I have no idea how much rock to buy with foundation pieces.

[@BRStv]

This aquascape was built for a 120 gallon system, which is 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet tall. This aquascape was pretty tall at about 18-20" tall. If you were going to build with an SPS system in mind, you'd want to keep it shorter.

[@ozzy1887]

Wow, perfect timing. I'm just starting to make one for my new tank.

[@mitian]

Love the topic Ryan another great job MR. Guru!

[@insanity4224]

Finally NSA that actually makes sense.

[@TampaBayReefEnthusiasts]

Thats a very nice scape you've created there. Definitely going to try this method as well as this rock. Much of mine is too dense, not providing the open spaces like this. Thanks!!

[@shoomiesreef1745]

Shoomie's 3 H's. Husbandry, Habitat and Health...

[@clsanchez77]

I have argued this for years, especially with “shoaling” fish. Currently rebuilding my own tank for jawfish, which will require absolute minimum rock.

[@jxj5924]

I’m really liking this. It’s making me consider redoing my scape (I just have stacked rocks). It’s a little intimidating though

[@brucegelman5582]

3 most important questions: 1) what do they need? 2) what do they need? 3) what do they need?

[@glennrudolph]

Imagine an Aquascape for a 20 gallon cube…not too bulky and in this tank, NSA would look weird. Now for bigger tanks, just make multiple 20g cube structures. For my 220, I have 5 structures that are all separate but they look cohesive.

[@glasscanvasart5273]

Some very good techniques in this video. The aquascape is a bit cluttered and without sacrificing too much habitat, you could increase the amount of negative space and greatly improve the aesthetics. There needs to be a balance of negative and positive space, but you also need to use positive space wisely to maximise the habitat for the inhabitants.

[@JaroenK]

Great video! Thanks. Also surprised this is apparently something new to the reef tank hobby. I'm a beginner aquarist and was looking for seawater / marine biotopes. You know, that's what they do in the sweetwater hobby. For years already. And surpringly - I got no results for the reef tank hobby. None. Lots about aquascaping and placing rocks and stones and corals and sand. But of course, it's all because of maintaining a healthy environment for the living inhabitants of the tank. Fish and other marine creatures. And corals! So - I'd say it's definately in order to bring the habitat aquascaping to the forefront. Why not looking for biotopes by the way? Cheers! Continue the good work!

[@JaroenK]

Just to add - why the focus on 'negative space'? I know the subject and I'm also a photographer, so . . . I think it's not about negative space so much. In a way it is, but I think the focus is on a natural, or at least healthy, environment for fish (and other marine creatures). And sure, part of that is room to hide and room to swim. But also, many many habitats have very different ways of providing these. Like algae, real rock and stone, walls with holes, the corals themselves, etcetera. So there's more to it. And you mention flow for example. Many many reefs have little or no flow. Soooo, why that focus on flow so much? Or detritus and cleanliness. Again, many many reef habitats are not so clean and fresh. To me it seems like this 'habitat' scaping is a wonderful advancement of the hobby, but there's definately room for more. More in the direction of biotopes. The next stage would be to create biotopes that also look brilliant. Can it be done? Comes across like I'm overly critical. Apologies for that. It's really great to pick up the subject! It's really because I'm surprised this habitat/biotope thinking is missing (???) from the reefers hobby while it's so much part of the (sweetwater) aquascaping.

[@tristanwilhelm9600]

I notice on many reef tanks, all the rocks and corals are on the middle and back side of the tank while the fish only swim in the front side 🤔 I wonder why not baby arches and stuff for fish to swim through

[@franks8127]

i drill caves into my larger dry rock i just follow the softer part of the rock with a concrete drill and hose of the dust every so often....

[@shadbonen]

Couldn't have said it better myself 😉

[@fishpony1211]

That is a beautiful scape. Make me one

[@novak52489]

I have pretty much all but ignored the NSA stuff for the same reasons you described in the beginning. But this HNSA scape looks incredible and just added another week, at least, to my 120g build, and a bunch more BRS orders to my wallet. Any chance this scape is for sale?

[@BRStv]

This scape is going in our new flow test tank, but thank you very much for the compliments! You'll have to share yours when you're done with it 😁

[@sidz8975]

Hello from India 🇮🇳 . Just getting into reefing. And I wanted advise on where to set up my reef tank. Ate livestock affected by loud music say once a week? I ask because most forums say it’s a bad idea (music and fish) but I have seen aquariums set up in loud public spaces and malls and bars etc. Any pointers or advise would be great. Thanks

[@BRStv]

This isn't something that we've really looked into, but I'd imagine that bass would be the biggest issue (compressing the water...and fish). As long as you keep that at a reasonable level, you should be fine.

[@spseale]

Guys, the videos are great, of course. But when you have these "ah ha!" moments, like ditching mortar, it would be really useful to go back and notate old videos, or even update them, so that your customers/fans don't run out and order a bunch of mortar for the habitat that they're getting ready to build (that would be me). So now I have a big package of mortar that just isn't going to get used. Not fun. Keep up the good work, and please think about ways to keep the videos updated with this kind of helpful insights.

[@BRStv]

Just to be clear, the mortar method that we used in the NSA video still works and still works well. Creating these aquascapes is a lot like art. Some artists might prefer one style or method over another and as you make more and more art, you learn and evolve your skills. That doesn't mean that your old art was bad 😀

[@dopeameanreef4437]

where can i get the epoxy from ? do you carry it at BRS?

[@BRStv]

Here you go! www.bulkreefsupply.com/aquastik-underwater-epoxy-putty-stone-grey-two-little-fishies.html

[@zauzakeking]

I want to if you guys actually used all 200lbs of rock. I have a 120 that I'm setting up and I'd love to go this route and I have around 120lbs. I won't go as tall as I'm gonna have acros up top

[@BRStv]

Not all of it. Some of the rock ends up being too small after it's broken up, so there is definitely some waste in that regard.

[@zsxking]

After that NSA hype and fallout, this also need some soak time before pushing for prime time. In theory it has many hiding space. But from reality, how often do you see fish hiding in a rock hole that's not at the bottom of the tank. I have the suspicious that the hiding space half way up the rock will not actually be used by fish. They will just fight for the ones at the bottom. The ones in your 360 tank are all on the bottom. Without putting this into a real tank to test, this HSA might only work as well as NSA, not better.

[@BRStv]

Interesting thoughts! It's definitely going to be a good idea to think about the livestock going into your tank when building something like this. If you're going to be primarily keeping fish that hang out near the bottom of the tank, you may be right. If you're picking more free-swimming fish, then the bottom hiding places might not be used as much.

[@zsxking]

@@BRStv the 24" of height is really nothing to the fish that used to live in the ocean. So is there really a thing as fish hanging at the bottom vs free swimming mid water? From all the tanks I saw, fish always hide by the bottom regardless where they swim when not hiding. I hope fish will make use of the hiding spot up on the rock work. But that's just a guess without actually trying it out in practice. Recommending solution that sounds good in theory with great deal of certainty, but didn't actually testing out, is dangerous of misguidance just like what you did with the NSA. And kind of irresponsible without some disclaimer especially you have done it once already.

[@shanereich8944]

Would BRS ever sell this of scape???

[@BRStv]

These aquascapes take a ton of time (this has been in the works for weeks!), so I don't think you'll see them offered for sale on our website. We just wouldn't be able to produce them quick enough.

[@paulmansell8393]

All fun and games till it all falls apart!

[@paulmansell8393]

More glue and cement than there is rock probably.

[@BRStv]

Trust us, it's SUPER strong! Between the glue and epoxy, this isn't falling apart any time soon 😉

[@ReRe-yl6dq]

your rock setup you have shown looks like way too much rock for a reef tank. its perfect for a FOWLR but a reef, the corals are gonna fill in alot of that space and it will end up being a solid wall.

[@BRStv]

If it was for an SPS tank, I would completely agree. We definitely have to take the types of corals we want to keep into account when we're building the aquascape as their growth pattern will dictate how we build it.

[@MerkDolf]

Oh NO! "no instaset"

[@alternativeaquascaping517]

In some ways, the saltwater side is far more advanced than freshwater, and some ways its the reverse. This is one of those reverse times

[@carlosvillanueva8530]

I've been telling hobbyists this for twenty years now.

[@alexpellman8637]

I tried to order the big bottle of super glue gel and was sent the watery stuff. Then customer service made up my mind for me. They just decided for me which glue I needed and wouldn’t send me what I ordered 😡

[@BRStv]

I'm so sorry to hear that happened. We will 100% make that right for you! Please send us a chat/email/call and our team will jump on this immediately. (P.S.- Tell them Randy messaged you on YT) ;)

[@alexpellman8637]

@@BRStv I was impressed to get a call from Kyle on Friday about my order. Thank you guys for taking the time to reach out to me and fix the confusion. I’m happy to update that brs was kind enough to offer me store credit for the price of the bonding glue. Again thank you Kyle and Randy! 🙂

[@douglasachaiba7885]

Good luck catching a fish in that..... Lol

[@BRStv]

That's true, you'll want to put thought into your stocking list. Of course, purpose-built fish traps help out a ton if you do find yourself needing to remove a fish from a tank with a similar aquascape.

[@tomg5405]

To much reefer I know, forget to make many place for fish and just make aquascape for corals and the poor fish have nothing for hide and think they should go in the corals..

[@commonsense7520]

Enthusiastically encourages thousands of ppl to scape like you do then casually says opps I was wrong do this instead. Well at least brs gets to sells thousands of more dollars worth of rocks in the process.

[@BRStv]

I think that trying new things, admitting mistakes, and sharing what we've learned is our responsibility to our community. The NSA style scapes are fantastic for coral habitat, but the fish habitat just wasn't quite there after months of real life use in an aquarium with fish and corals. This "HNSA" scape is an attempt to reach a middle ground between fish and coral habitat 🙂