HOW TO: Attach EASY to grow plants to wood for your fish tank.

[@pizuk9358]

Genuinely don't keep fish and will probably never keep fish but I have to say I am totally hooked on you and MD's content! Not quite sure how you made it into my search algorithm lol. Love both your style and haven't missed a video in about 9 months. Keep it up great job!

[@FishShopMatt]

Awwww thank you! It's now my job to try and get you to buy a fish tank hahaha.

[@malcolmmcguire2876]

You clearly have too much time on your hands.

[@southend6578]

Good luck. was exactly the same - and because of an obsession with Matt & MD i now have an aquarium taking pride of place 😀

[@mattfudge7852]

Everyone needs at least one aquarium!!!

[@grootjnr]

A man who knows how to cut the bag of cable ties correctly 😎

[@Finkeldinken]

Heh, yeah I really appreciate that too, lol.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you very much!

[@passionfruit9710]

"It's grown in" lolllll Looks beautiful 🌟

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah hahaha I didn't mean that

[@SamRich94]

I’m an electrician and use cable ties daily, and even I didn’t know of the trick with the cable tie pack 😅 - Is there anything that you can’t teach me?! 😂

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahahaha tune in next week for more life tips!

[@owenclint4455]

Bruh you just made our day. We’ve been fighting to plant our new 75 gallon tank and failing miserably. Have a great day.

[@ms_katia2267]

It came out really nice and natural looking.

[@billbush1270]

Thanks for the tip on zip tie bag cuttings. I must admit I thought it looked pathological earlier before your explanation.

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahaha I learnt it many years ago and never went back. More unrelated life hacks coming soon hahaha.

[@mcwizz]

Love making nurse logs. Great vid matt as always

[@Chinco_NL]

I love your work, Matt. Thanks for your inspiration.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you and you're welcome!

[@csharpe5787]

Sometimes it feels like the plant you like most are the ones you can't grow.

[@JJLewin1]

Stunning job Matt. We always have a dead area or pumps and filters to hide, how natural is this to, not just cover but enhance a tank 🐟🪴

[@kevinmouser6580]

When you forget how much you love festivums and then you see them in a beautiful tank.

[@krawlspace]

Yet another banger, Matt. One of the coolest things about this hobby is making something basic look fantastic. And you and MD make it feel so attainable. Especially for us newbies.

[@catherinesaulnier5448]

Love love that..Vancouver Island BC Canada🇨🇦

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you!

[@billbush1270]

If you have a drill and some small steel bits, you could drill a little hole just a hair wider than the zip tie and create a place to tie on a plant. It would never be noticed even if you re-use the wood. Probably would be much quicker than having to work to remove glue, too.

[@FishShopMatt]

That's a good idea, I haven't ever thought about drilling it. It would mean you could get the plants wherever you liked.

[@andyh1]

I really enjoy doing this too and to be honest you can save a LOT of money spending 15 minutes making these yourself as they do sell for a premium at aquatic stores, love your content

[@TiminSE]

Good look, Mizzle

[@mattsandridge6766]

Cichlids look great!

[@iansheppard3711]

Seeing as the hardscape is wood, you could always drill holes in it to provide locations for the zip ties rather than relying on the knobbly bits to hold the zip tie.

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah that's a great idea!

[@PhillyAquarist]

Another great video and that bogwood looks great. You and MD are definitely my favorite fishtubers.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you, means a lot to me!

[@lizdyson3627]

That looks so good Matt. So relieved to see that you don't have to do it under water. I might be able to give this a go.

[@FishShopMatt]

Oh yeah you could definitely do it! It's so so easy, just keep a spray bottle to hand to wet the plants if you're like me and take too much time to decide what to do.

[@tomtomlin3408]

That is great. If you want to break the tank down all you have to do is drop it into place in a new setup. Good to move around to hide heaters and filter intakes...👍

[@Lost.aussie]

Lol if your buying the wood and plants in Australia, that's about a $300 worth of scape 😅

[@FishShopMatt]

😱😱😱 I reckon it about £50 maximum over here. The mad thing is a lot of our wood comes from countries closer to you than us.

[@Lost.aussie]

@@FishShopMatt most places charge $12 for half a tennis ball of Java moss , water lettuce is 15 for 6 bits , that 2nd plant you put on would be 60 here lol

[@Finkeldinken]

That's why you want to join a fish club for sure! It'll shave SO much off your plant budget especially!

[@CorgisWineAndNails]

Definitely gonna try the zip ties. Thanks!

[@MandyJane123700]

That's how I've been getting plants into two of my tanks with gravel substrates, except I always glue the plants to my fingers somehow. lol

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahaha I always glue my hands together, this time I covered one of my nails in glue without realising.

[@lkawaiteacher]

Same here and my daughter always asks me why I don’t wear gloves to which I say that I don’t want to make plastic trash.

[@MandyJane123700]

@@lkawaiteacher I tried using a toothpick to hold the plants in place. It works pretty good, but not perfect. I still ended up with superglue on my fingers. lol

[@miniscenesgb]

Zip ties - great idea. I need to redo my Cleair tank in the new year, want to change from artificial plants to full planted. I have some fantastic bodwoor already in there, so I must remember the zip tie trick

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah zip ties are so much easier to use than most methods.

[@cathyhendrix7552]

WOW Matt that looks fantastic. And it looks really good in the tank. You were right. It's exactly what that spot needed. Thanks for sharing it with us. I'm getting ready to do an update on my 20 gallon long tank and this has given me some ideas and inspiration. I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday season. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you! I hope you have a great holiday season! I look forward to reading about your successful update on your tank.

[@cathyhendrix7552]

@@FishShopMatt You bet. If I can find out how to send pictures, then I will take before and after pictures and send them to you. But I've never been able to find how to send pictures over to KZbin. I am on an older phone because I dropped my new one and shattered the screen, but I hadn't figured it out on my new one before I broke it. Go figure. LOL

[@cindyjohnsen326]

I absolutely love what you did with your wood. Now that sounds bad. L0L You create the prettiest aquascapes!! Is that the right word for that? Thank you for giving me a reason for buying more plants. Haha

[@KMD-if2gm]

Brilliant video Matt, you and MD inspired to get my first tank setup, it’s only a Nano but already doing great with shrimp and some really small neons and a lot of plants.

[@FishShopMatt]

That's fantastic news! I'm so glad we could be of inspiration.

[@neilvee451]

Nice one Matt merry Christmas 🎄🎁 👌

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too 🎄

[@Louis-hp9wl]

Merry fishmas🐠🎄

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahaha merry fishmas to you too!

[@friatankar]

So nicely done Matt. I want that piece of planted wood.

[@benbarnett5684]

Thank you for this tutorial! Its good to learn that you can he generous with the glue and it not harm the plants. I worry about using too much lol Cheers

[@southend6578]

If nothing else worth the watch for the top tip on the cutting of the cable (zip) tie packet....genius! 🙂

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahahaha I'm only passing on others knowledge.

[@wendygillard2133]

It looks great. I find plants like this in Australia are fairly expensive & unless you live in large cities, you have to buy them online unfortunately.

[@FishShopMatt]

Oh that's a shame, but the more people we can get into fishkeeping the more of a demand there will be.

[@lkawaiteacher]

I never see plants that nice either where I live (Honolulu), and what you can get online isn’t close either. I’m jealous every time I see what is available in your area. But with time everything grows and now I Anubius growing out of my tank.

[@yashtapase3821]

Now the anubias petite's upper area need to be filled 😂

[@HamsterPow3r]

That's looks like a beautiful salad boquet I'd love to do similar in on of my future tanks!

[@FishShopMatt]

It's such a simple and effective way of doing it.

[@rettag2020]

That looks amazing, Matt! Now I have to buy more plants 😂 Thank you for this!

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahaha you're welcome!

[@Taryn.aquascaper]

Thanks for the inspiration. Made a bunch of hardscape last night using spider wood, mosses, and hornwort. Now my fish are happy and the tank looks much better! Thank you!

[@justchriswilldo...7179]

It's like a Top Gear challenge, but with fish tanks!😅

[@pinkysaurusrex8964]

I have two pesky anubias that keep popping out of the rock wedge, they're the only ones I didn't glue to rocks 😅💜🦖

[@FishShopMatt]

I have a couple of those in one of the tanks too!

[@pinkysaurusrex8964]

@@FishShopMatt 🤣🤣🤣

[@Jacvibes]

The blue clear backdrop on the aquarium at md and your shop looks great.. the blueish hue

[@NinoMarcantonio-ry6mh]

I like the idea of using zip ties because fishing line and glue work for awhile and then come loose.

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah if it doesn't root before it wears off it's very annoying

[@robynisrael1015]

Loved you planting the wood replacement. When I redo my tank I'll be using this method! ❤❤❤

[@sallygrigson669]

Your video has given me so many ideas to use up all the small bits of wood I have. Glue them all together to make one large piece of wood and cover them in epiphytes. Literally can't wait to try this, thanks Matt 😃😃

[@Iron-cesc]

Great video Matt! With many and very good Tipps 👍 Greetings from Germany 👋🏻 and Merry Christmas to you and your family ❤️

[@FishShopMatt]

Hey 👋 Merry Christmas to you too. Thank you.

[@TheRealTMar]

I love planting plants! Btw, a new edition for Vivarium has just been announced for 2024! You should try to be there! :)

[@FishShopMatt]

😱😱😱 I'm definitely there!!!

[@TheRealTMar]

@@FishShopMatt Awesome!

[@TheRealTMar]

@@FishShopMatt Awesome!

[@CamsAquatics]

Looks great. Happy Holidays.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you!

[@jtkeepingfish]

Very nice and simple way to do it!

[@FishShopMatt]

Thanks buddy!

[@lindakochan774]

Merry Christmas Matt. I love watching your video's.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too!

[@Fixup1000]

Please do a video on new tank aging and what to expect

[@paulesgate3505]

Hi mat thanks for your good ideas love you videos

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you!

[@savagejoerude]

Matt you are a master! Thanks!

[@JeffGillis-lv1rz]

Great channel, keep up the great work.

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you!

[@KG-gg8rl]

Grand job there Matt, very impactful 😊 spent £100 on aquafleur the other week and all but two have done really well under my lights so a new scape is in planning! 😊😊😊

[@TaxiRED]

Wow, love this

[@justchriswilldo...7179]

Fun video content for the MD channel... Challenge build an aquarium for under £150 ... 2ft min...with stand..live plants...all in!...(Fish not included in challenge)... The viewers pick the winner!... Just for fun and to prove fish keeping and the hobby does not have to be extremely expensive!...

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah I really like the idea of these challenges so will definitely be having a think about this.

[@AWtanks23]

Hey Matt is it safe to use plastic cable ties in a fish tank and on plants? I love this idea and easier than using rubber bands haha!

[@Finkeldinken]

Yup, they are completely safe - you do want to keep an eye on them because they tend to become stiff and quite brittle some months in.

[@FishShopMatt]

Yeah absolutely fine to use them.

[@sarahtermite]

Very inspiring - love it!

[@stevenhobson8799]

What was that lovely reddish fish that came over for attention near the end?

[@Finkeldinken]

It's a goodeid of some kind; maybe Xenotoca eiseni? Either way, Matt has splendid taste in ornamental fish, and I mostly say that because I can tell from following him for a bit that we get overexcited and giddy about the exact same types, ha ha. I'm really envious of him for this tank! 😅

[@FishShopMatt]

It is indeed a xenotoca but it's the xenotoca doadrioi which has a bit more gold on it.

[@stevenhobson8799]

@@FishShopMatt Thank you! I keep seeing fish near to me and really want them but don’t have space, one of our stores currently has Threadfin Rainbows and omg i want them haha!

[@fecklessbohemian]

Thank you for making videos that are so informative. Anticipating the white mold video (Hate that stuff!) Merry Christmas!

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you, Merry Christmas!

[@stefan00123]

Hi matt, Great to see how you solved this problem! I want to wish you Merry Christmas hope you will have some great days with family and friends 💚 With love from the Netherlands 🙏💚

[@FishShopMatt]

Hey buddy thank you soo much, I wish the same to you! Merry Christmas!

[@Vincent-kx9ze]

Great idea

[@ruralblade8111]

Love it Matt I’m going to redo my 10 gallon for my baby convicts to grow some in & I’m going to try it out!! If you have any ideas or input please feel free

[@FishShopMatt]

That's cool! I would just with loads of cover to keep the babies happy!

[@paulbuckley7524]

Hi Matt, Completely inspired to get some of my bog wood and create that look, great video love your work! 👍🏻

[@FishShopMatt]

Exciting times glad I could help!

[@rebeccaampuero2347]

Beautiful!

[@lynnrobertson4657]

Thankyou for another great video Matt ❤ Merry Christmas

[@Scaperoot79]

Loving the setup! I've never been able to grow Pinnatifida so I'm hoping it works for you🙂

[@FishShopMatt]

Fingers crossed!

[@lkawaiteacher]

Won’t grow for me either..

[@Babyluthi]

Great video. What a great idea! Thanks for the tut. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!😊💙🐟

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you! You too!

[@its_elser]

looks great

[@Tom9991DnB]

Great idea on the zip ties! Just wondering what type of fish is at 19:15 with the black stripe

[@FishShopMatt]

The big ones with the black stripe are festive cichlids, the small ones are rainbow emperor tetra.

[@cindyjohnsen326]

I came in to ask the same question!! L0L The fish are beautiful!! Sorry to piggy back in your comment Tom.

[@sparrowsfish]

Question: i constantly have mulm build up around my plants. I believe it is from lost floating plant roots. Flow is low, and weekly water changes, but it looks muddy all the time. Any suggestions? I am new so be gentle!

[@FishShopMatt]

As you've already mentioned it is probably due to the low flow. Other than syphoning them out or getting the mum moving in flow there isn't much more you can do. You could look at adding a small air pump with strategically placed air stones, have this turn on with a timer 1 or 2 times a day and that will bring the mulm up into the water column and your filter should grab it. But it maybe time to upgrade to a more powerful filter.

[@sparrowsfish]

@@FishShopMatt thank you!

[@gregorynull5630]

Love your plants, I live in a small town in southern Oregon & that has 2 corporate pet stores with a pretty slim selection of plants & fish, so I have bought a small selection of plants, but the lions share of the plants I collect from the pristine creeks & ponds a short distance from home which is a lot of fun, & gives me an outing in the countryside, my fish are mostly plates that breed profusely, I put several different colors of plates orange red yellow, blue & have crossbred, the fish have taken on the colors of Australian rainbow fish, & are quite beautiful, & the scape is a jungle tank with a wild look, it just goes to show where there is a will there is a way.

[@FishShopMatt]

That sounds amazing and your fish sound beautiful

[@Babyluthi]

Hi Matt, a question: Little white worms on the glass on one of my tanks, what are they? Will they hurt my fish? Could you please do a vid on this kind of thing and what to do?TIA🙂💙🐟

[@kwackytankslap9339]

What are those cubes in the foreground?

[@FishShopMatt]

They're ceramic shrimp cubes that I'm maturing to use in a future scape.

[@MichelleBourne-g3v]

Hi Matt. Love your videos, thank you! Have watched several of your videos this week, as well as the ones you have done with MD - informative, inspirational and funny! Hoping to get my first aquarium in about 20 years. I would really appreciate some guidance on setting up the electrics safely in an aquarium cabinet potentially shared with an external filter in such a way that if I needed to replace an electric item after set-up, it would be relatively easy to do. My tank won’t be near wall sockets but I can use an extension lead (hoping to keep it looking as neat as possible). Also, I think open-top aquariums look fantastic - have you got any advice on how to choose between an aquarium with or without a lid? Thank you!

[@Devinered]

When you attach plants to the wood, and roots are not near the sand how to they get the required nutrients to stay alive?

[@FishShopMatt]

Epiphytes don't need any nutrients from the soil, if they reach it they may take some from it but it's not necessary. Very much like ferns and bromeliads in the wild.

[@R14DSR]

Hi Matt. Any advice to make driftwood sink?! Spent all morning without success.

[@mcnorcan]

It looks like MD’s “never too many plants” approach is rubbing off on you. 😂😂

[@floriangebert]

Hi Matt, whats that fish with that black "Eyeliner"??? Never Seen before. Mary Christmas and greetings from germany😊

[@FishShopMatt]

If it's the big ones they are festive cichlids.

[@Tjullert]

Heya . nice vid. cool looking fish - what kind of chiclid is it? :)

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you, they are a type of festive cichlid.

[@Xugarygoodness]

Hiya Matt! I just have to tell you how amazing your videos are, I stumbled upon your channel a few months back and got really inspired by you to make myself a scaped tank, its been up and running a week now! (No fish yet just plants, scape and some bacteria) I had a question; my parents had a 112l empty tank in their basement and my question for you is how long is the shelf life for an empty tank? Or even tanks in general, do you switch out tanks in your shop after a certain amount of time has passed? The tank in question has been in a cool environment and has never seen the sun, the silicon is nice and rubbery and theres no air bubbles in it (its very thick) and the glass is pristine. Ive had it filled in my bathroom for some days to see if theres any leaks but would you say I could wait and see if something happens for a month or 2 or should I just have it resealed at once? Thank you for what you do!

[@Finstastic]

Absolutely fantastic, mate. excellent video. What size zip ties did you use as I just checked on Ebay, and they come in numerous sizes.

[@FishShopMatt]

I believe these were 300mm but any length will do as you can join multiple ones together.

[@Finstastic]

@@FishShopMatt thanks Matt

[@emmelinejoy4509]

Newbie here! Love your videos 🙂 I've just aquascaped my first aquarium using this method. Looks very cool! However having a big problem with Tannins, and within 24-48 hours my tank water turns tea-brown. This is despite soaking and boiling the wood several times. At the moment I have no fish, so have changed the tank water. Will this keep happening? The wood used was 'Riverwood' from my local aquarium store - thanks!

[@henrybonner8388]

so my question is how well do they come off after you glue them for when you wanna change it. never done this before so curious

[@FishShopMatt]

They leave a residual but if glue but that can be knocked off quite easily. With regards to the plant they normally come off fine, you may damage a few roots and leaves but nothing to major.

[@henrybonner8388]

@@FishShopMatt Thats good to know thank you. Like i said never done it before so always curious. The next tank i do i would like to scape it and give it try. Yours and MDs videos help a lot

[@neilcawley2159]

Fish Shop Matt you did a great video on the shaker kit which I have bought middle size. My question is do I run the lights on sat 30% when 1st planting it then building up to a higher % (following you and MD on setting it up) thanks.

[@FishShopMatt]

Depends on the type of planting, try it at that low level and then slowly ramp it up. If you start getting algae growth you may want to drop it back down.

[@neilcawley2159]

Thank you

[@OSTOwnage]

Hi Matt, thanks for the video. I’m making a South American biotope fish tank. Do you know some South American epiphytes I can use?

[@willam8606]

hi, quick question: is it normal to see a small amount of bow in the top centre of the glass??? I have a 36" x 12" x 12" aquarium, after filling up with water, the centre section of the glass bows about 1/8" compare to both sides at 12 inches. thank you...

[@FishShopMatt]

There will always be an amount of bowing but it's always concerning. I would contact the company you got it from or who manufactures it and ask them if it's normal. It's hard for me to picture without seeing it in the flesh.

[@willam8606]

@@FishShopMatt ok thank you

[@MikeTimpson]

Hey Matt, Great job on another informative video. Thank you. Side note - I just realized I've never subscribed to your channel. I've been lucky enough to always get your latest videos thanks to the algorithm recommending your videos to me. Now today I've finally subscribed! That's my Christmas present to you Matt. No need to return the favor. But if you do find a reasonably priced corvette and have it delivered to me I'll graciously accept it and then we'll be even (red with black leather interior). Merry Christmas!

[@FishShopMatt]

Thank you for the sub, and the Christmas present. I really wish I could reply with a picture as there is a red corvette hot wheels car currently sitting on the table in front of me where my son left it. After all you didn't say it needed to be a full size one hahaha.

[@MikeTimpson]

🤣@@FishShopMatt

[@DavidFraser-w7x]

Hi Matt I’m planning a new aquarium again can you tell me I used to use proper ph7 powder after water change but I heard that proper ph7 is not good for live plants I’ve never had live plants before any advise please

[@SarahKilby69]

Can you make one for me please? 😂Mine never look that cool

[@FishShopMatt]

Hahahaha with the amount of people that have asked I would be busy until next Christmas

[@vivekcherian284]

Are those Pearl Gouramis ?

[@-AndrewR]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@judyallinson1281]

❤

[@sarahgowen3692]

So I've a couple of stupid questions from a beginner still theory-crafting their first tank: 1.) Does it matter what part of the plants you use the glue on? 2.) Can you use anything other than bogwood to glue on to? I'm guessing it needs to be something like wood for the plants to be able to root into it?

[@TomTvartom]

👍

[@PULAG]

My Anubias has thrived and expanded for a full year. I glued it to wood and 90% of it died within 2 weeks. Why?

[@Amandap-k2n]

I never have success gluing wood with tissue paper and superglue. I end up with a rock of tissue paper attached to one bit of wood and the other breaks free