Making a 4ft Carpet Aquarium for Mollies and Swordtails

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We decided to make an simple but massively impactful rock only aquarium with a full carpet that's easy to grow.
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[@MDFishTanks]

👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com We decided to make an simple but massively impactful rock only aquarium with a full carpet that's easy to grow. Find @Fish Shop Matt here: KZbin: kzbin.info Insta: instagram.com/matt_swfishkeeper/ Equipment (all links affiliate): GOOSENECK LIGHT: amzn.to/47mMqfD LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3m3cEz9 UK amzn.to/3orIdRv GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2 AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1 STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL API® products Subscribe to API on KZbin: kzbin.info USA consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.com/stores/page/2193F555-CE5F-4A6B-BDC4-F315CB7F175D?channel=MDTanks UK consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/25663644-6C8C-432C-9E6A-0A85082C3E3C AQUARIAN® products Follow AQUARIAN on KZbin: kzbin.info/door/NxaNWKoWr_ztSgXgPj9r8A Purchase AQUARIAN products here: aquarian.co.uk/where-to-buy/ AWESOME MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY kzbin.info/door/3uQXzXSPspf2LoGdtYGiHwjoin FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/md_fishtanks/ FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES: [e-mail] #plantedtank #aquascape #mdfishtanks

[@graffic13]

Yall need a green finger algae carpet saltwater aquarium with The striped blennys that look like zebras

[@stevecurtis2907]

Is there a link somewhere for your CO2 kit? Looks like a good one.

[@IStarkI]

Heya MD. If others agree with me would you be willing to put in a few more minutes at the end of each build video of just the fish swimming with some chill music. That is my favorite part, seeing the completed build with all the critters enjoying it. I would even watch videos of just your finished tanks in action. Some relaxing music and some fish doing their thing. Maybe a separate channel or a stream of some of the more popular tanks could be a hit.

[@nuttyboi6645]

Definitely that’s my favourite part of fish tanks fish are so goofy

[@yashtapase3821]

👍

[@yashtapase3821]

When he builds a tank he should update on each tank after month how it grew by time its the best feeling to see how the scape looks different after some time this is what we need and like to watch.

[@tylerdunn1921]

I would love a live stream or just long-form video of just a tank for an hour or more. I can’t have a fish tank right not and would love to get the relaxing enjoyment of watching a beautiful tank in the background while doing other things.

[@robertdeschu4367]

I agree

[@MadisonLeigh]

"uploaded 3 minutes ago" *me at work...* Don't mind if I do! Not me just sat clicking refresh on KZbin until I get an MD fish tank upload notifications hahaha MD and Matt got me so addicted to watching aqua-scaping, in only a couple of months I've watched all your videos uploaded within the past 2 years and bought 2 tanks already, would love to show off my first ever scaped tank, grown in now after 4 weeks and I loveeee it! not good for my bank account though :D

[@karlidomingo]

Same, they got me obsessed 😂

[@martincairns1555]

And me. So calming.

[@roshithPilla]

😂😂

[@Rockfish37]

Damn Matt's strong!

[@PULAG]

Working hard I see hahaha

[@xxsid1979xx]

Amazed by how big the swordtail family's grown since those initial 6. Just goes to show how settled the fish feel in the tanks you make for them.

[@HomemadeEcosystems]

I really need to get into aquariums, this looks awesome!

[@Krishnath.Dragon]

I can recommend it, as long as you don't start with difficult species, it is pretty easy to get into. Best advice I can give you is: Get a tank of at least 100 L to start with, preferably more. Higher water volume means the water quality is more stable, which make it easier to find issues before they become a real problem. Secondly, read up on the species you want to keep and whether they are compatible or not. You can't keep tiny fish with large aggressive ones for example.

[@HomemadeEcosystems]

@@Krishnath.Dragon thanks! definitely want to start with some easier species to get some experience

[@imsofuckinhighimightcrash]

It’s a lot easier than it seems, or just as easy, depends on how you see it. May be a little tedious, but don’t confuse that with difficult. It’s so worth it once you see an environment you created.

[@smarz312]

Bobfish

[@Krishnath.Dragon]

@@imsofuckinhighimightcrash Wouldn't recommend starting with Discus Cichlids or Chocolate Gourami's though. Lol. But yeah, read up and even mid-tier difficulty fish (like most dwarf cichlids) aren't that difficult to keep happy.

[@LaBeLsDistracted]

Perfect way to kick off the last Friday of 2023 with @md and @matt!!

[@judmurad2184]

Now that you have Matt to help, you should definitely do an 8ft Discus tank!!😍

[@davidvento5481]

I’d still like to see one antique Victorian tank/paludarium in the studio. It’d off-set all the modern, high tech equipment and show the evolution of the hobby over the past 100 - 125 years. Some have incredible detail, I’ve got one with a bronze egret standing guard among cattails in each corner. Another has classical 3/4 fluted columns at each corner with “dental work” detailed molding across the top and a stepped bottom. Interestingly both have drains in the center of their (metal) bottom; another option for emptying. With Europe being as old (and vast) as it is and the “Victorian” era originating in the UK I think finding unique antique “fish boxes” would be even easier/less expensive than here in the US. It was the Victorians who became fascinated with replicating nature-in-miniature indoors and made the fish, reptile, small animal & plant keeping hobby popular.

[@altf469]

You've encouraged me to make my own aquascaped fishtank. Love your content!

[@izaihpaponette4366]

Same, my scape is simple and not that great but it's much better than the previous boring scapes. Hopefully, it will quickly recover from the diatom issue it currently has.

[@altf469]

@@izaihpaponette4366 It's my second tank in 5 years, MD is the reason I finally got another. Same as you with having a basic scape. Hope your tank recovers quickly!

[@briwhitt7800]

Please do the Dalmatian Molly tank. That would be awesome 😍 Love the new tank. Was surprised to see the swordtails weren’t actually that radioactive red. ♥️😂

[@BlackNoteStudios]

Hey MD! Can we get an update on all your Eco tanks? I'd love to see how the big bowl, vase, and other eco scapes are coming along. As always, thank you!

[@lkawaiteacher]

A full studio tour to start the new year would be awesome.

[@tinchytarantula]

Yes Christmas has just been made better with an MD and fish shop Matt video

[@zach3451_]

Love that instinctive reaction of Kate coming in to the studio. So uplifting to see your family support your work

[@rebeccaampuero2347]

That is a lot of green! It makes a great backdrop for the fish. I was holding my breath while you were putting the biggest rock. It looks amazing, but so heavy!

[@JacksonTownsend-nh8gg]

This was a really good viddy guys. Especially liked the section that included the DIY Co2 setup & the transfer of the red swords & black mollies from the old tank (recall they were originally in MD's plant farm tank!). Nice one!

[@pink_alchemist]

Yes! The orange swords and black mollies, my fave so far! Love it! Looks so amazing.

[@davejones7202]

Cant wait for the cow tank sounds great

[@dexterbryant7255]

This is one of the best looking tanks to me, the colors just PoP.....

[@hasnansupaat356]

I've always wanted to see MD doing his version of iwagumi style, and this is it. Well nicely done i love it 👍

[@PredictableEnigma]

I do fear the glass cracking. I've seen other scapers use egg crate light diffuser under the substrate to help evenly distribute weight across the whole bottom glass panel so that there are no pressure points. Have you ever used that method before?

[@ralphdupre357]

❤❤ Swordtails N Mollys 💚💚 Substrate, Rocks and Pearlweed Wow 🤩 So simple and beautiful! thanks Guys! Now I can’t wait to see a green field and 🐄 Cow Mollys 😂 This has to happen now!

[@TheFishman3226]

Saw on another channel that you can use a waterproof electric razor to trim carpet. Havent tried it myself but if I were to it'd be on that carpet.

[@rizwanshafiq5585]

Splendid! It’s THE BEST hardscape in the studio (in my opinion), seen the glimpses of the tank in the other videos and was waiting for it to come out. The carpet is always very fascinating to view. Will definitely try something similar very soon… Thanks for your hard work

[@GarryGreen-e9u]

Got my first tank having watched your videos , keep em coming brilliant, fish shop matt legend

[@drawsomethingyoulove3945]

Just bought myself a 30l cube and currently waiting for the plants to grow. I think i`ll put some shrimp in soon. Your vids are really inspiring and I`m glad I got back into aquariums.

[@KhaeLikesCoffee]

Looking forward to the cow scape 🐄

[@SunFlower-cq6gi]

Ok but Matt lifted that rock like it was nothing!😱 that’s cool 😂

[@anoobis_]

I'm going for an Iwagumi style for my next rescape. This is one of the cleanest Iwagumi scapes I've seen. The pearlweed carpet looks fluffy.

[@pagewhite61]

I can’t tell you how much I look forward to your videos, they make me so happy! This tank looks amazing, I’ve loved the Molly Swordtail combo in every tank but this might be my favorite.

[@woollakoushik5928]

Your production quality and aquascaping talent is brilliant. A big fan for years brother! Cheers.

[@LisaTheWulf]

Really couldn’t stop picturing you two hucking that huge rock right through the side! Glad it didn’t go down like that but it was a little fun imagining it.

[@cigarsmokingguyatx]

I love the Oase Thermo filters. Actually in the process of replacing all of my canister filters with them. The only issue I have with them is sometimes no matter how hard you try they will not prime as you have seen but if loosen the heater and lift it out it will prime. You have to be quick but luckily the canister holds a lot of water so you have a few seconds. Once it gets to the level of the heater just tighten it back up and you are good to know. Hope that makes sense.

[@cigarsmokingguyatx]

Also have you thought about using an inline CO2 diffuser that goes inline with the filter return? I have been getting good results with them over the in-tank versions.

[@nailsbodybeauty6692]

Can some one please tell me what he uses to fill his tank 😩😩 I had to do about 50 trips back and forth from kitchen to tank to fill with water 😭 Tia x

[@AWtanks23]

Hey MD & Matt I did the exact same tank but different set up went for a rock peninsula look with Orange Swordtails, Black Mollies, Black Corydoras and two black bristle nose female and male (which are breeding). Though your tank looks mad and was much quicker growth definitely great set up. Thanks for your inspiration and also Matt for his knowledge ✌🏼

[@shorrockshorrock1786]

Hi guys, I'm new to your channel. You probably know this by now. The two active ingredients for the Co2 reactor will most likely be citric acid and bicarbonate soda. Love your work!

[@Knutahh]

Absolutely brilliant looking iwagumi. The hardscape is to die for, holy mol(l)y. I think you would have saved yourself some work if you went for dwarf hairgrass instead. That doesn't really need to be trimmed, and it grows quickly into a carpet with strong lighting and Co2. I guess different strokes for different folks. Either way, thoroughly enjoyed the video guys.

[@clydesmith1855]

Rocks and pearlweed looks stunning. Great choice of lights gents.

[@missjolo20]

Love love love, as always, so many ideas, questions and thoughts about all of this incredibleness. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@RWAquariumPages]

Love every second of this scape. Looks so beautiful and amazing and anyone would want this in their living space. I love the canister priming part, that's everyone's struggle with canisters. The black mollies and sword tails are stunning. Can't wait for the next video 🎉

[@Boogerboys1990]

Love it. U need a box fan with a furnace filter on the back to filter your air in ur room. All that dust and silicon is real hazardous. If u mount the filter 6 inches off the back of the fan will dramatically Improve it. U can use cardboard or anything. Cheers

[@xuzme720]

I use citric acid and baking soda in the co2 reactor as the 2 "components". Also, if you use ice instead of water, you can get the top on before the reaction starts and you don't waste any of the gas. It does take a little longer for the pressure to build but I find that it lasts much longer than when you lose a lot of gas on start up trying to get the top on.

[@baloghro]

Hello MD Fish, i would like to ask ,ou, what kind of co2 system do you use? Could you please share few info about it? Thanks, Robi

[@ironmaiden12369]

I LOVE getting notifications everytime you upload! Hope you all have a happy new year :)

[@dominicdandrea1224]

Look forward to all your videos, thank you for all you do for the community!

[@ancaraturquiaasia3685]

Mirando este video, con todo y patrocinios.

[@MDFishTanks]

Nothing in this video was sponsorship. I just tell people what I'm using so they can take my word for it what to buy

[@athenaweber4517]

Hi Kate! Love when we get to see the Mrs!!❤ Happy new year to you and the whole family!!

[@corey17022]

What a great friend giving Matt the light end

[@mattclinch1976]

I always get some inspiration to trim my tank after watching a episode.

[@TC4Dallas]

Oase biomaster canisters from time to time need lubricant or Vaseline around the ring of the pre filter to hold suction for whatever reason. Once I learn this, saved me a lot of frustration and headache.

[@KMD-if2gm]

Bravo gents, another fantastic build. Can’t wait for more 👍

[@DavidPastrana-t3m]

wish i had a buddy like matt

[@Maugrinn]

It's time for Kate to scape her first tank on video 😄

[@joetrapp5952]

I’ve got one of those co2 reactors and the ingredients are baking soda and citric acid at 200ml for my 2L cylinder and 300ml of water.

[@growinginportland]

This is an amazing tank. something that I would like to do simple Fish simple set up. Thanks for posting.

[@matthewsmith6169]

that does look good, love how the colour pops

[@SeanJefferson-m4s]

I was a bit wounded when your mate wasn't in the video at start and then he appeared another brilliant job men

[@ScarsOfAFracturedSou]

Hi MD and Matt, love your channels. I was wondering if you could put the sponge from a sponge filter over the pipe when emptying a tank, so Matt wouldn't have to use his hand to prevent fish from being sucked out.

[@areacode911]

I love those massive rocks I would love to do that on my next tank. Looks great.

[@kalgae]

Was just about to scape a new tank, I'm so glad I saw this

[@CEA046]

Holy crap the things we do to scape a tank😂

[@adinsus3305]

You should do a video "day in the life working at maidenhead aquatics!" Love your videos!!

[@BH369]

waterfall will look awesome on that rock

[@markhamilton2329]

Awesome ! you guys aquascapes just get better and better.

[@spencerroffey3970]

Whenever I see a new video has come out from you I get so excited

[@pinedita08]

Amazing pearlweed, gotta get some of that here on my tanks

[@maht0x]

CO2 made using 100g of baking soda (£5 /kg on ebay) + 100g of citric acid (£7 /kg) + 300 ml of water. Colombo refills are £15 for 3 x 200 at Aqua Essentials i.e. 3x the price. Nothing to do with yeast

[@0action847]

I use the sugar and yeast c02 method because it take about 5 min to make one.

[@bladerunner666]

@@0action847 Sugar and yeast c02 requires high temperature and is not so stable.

[@0action847]

@@bladerunner666 I live in Australia so the temperature is not a problem and you can use gelatin to stabilize the mix.

[@DashDrones]

It's actually more than 4x the cost! £12 or £6/kg vs £25/kg for Colombo.. Thanks for the advice, very good to know!

[@maht0x]

@@DashDrones i was too lazy to do the final calculation, i just estimated it in my head :)

[@danforsythe5869]

If you use citric acid and baking soda in the reactor instead of the bagged recipe it will build more pressure and last longer.

[@lynkin]

I love it, but the size of that 1st rock…wow!

[@dallasbrat81]

Very smart to have bags of substrate. I'll copy

[@BradK02]

Tank came out amazing.

[@psychicduck2023]

Happy New Year to all fish friends

[@leonardsanders5826]

One of your better tanks in my opinion. The rocks made me cringe when placing them....man does that look good though. My compliments.

[@tonytraveller7218]

Another great tank.. wow! Thanks for the upload… I love the carpeted tank… such a good look

[@Luffy-r8z1x]

I made a tank like this in inspiration but I don't have any plants right now

[@jordangitlin5237]

Cant wait for y'all to wear different shirts one day! That would surprise all the viewers I think.

[@Everything.On.Wheels519]

Elegant yet simple!

[@ctfddftba]

Would love to see a “fields of cows” aquascape 😂

[@meglh23]

Beautiful! Strong Pride Rock vibes from The Lion King. 😁

[@MrYim72]

Happy new years for all yours ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@fishfuse02]

MD and Matt while picking that goliath Rock: Matt : Yeah😄? Yeah!😊 Yeahhhhh!!☺️ MD : Oahh😯!!!Uh...Ahh!!😮 Ahhhhh !!!!😮‍💨 . . . I love this duo 😂😂

[@goober-ll1wx]

The in/out is in respect to the pump. Out from the pump is the input to the tank and viceversa...

[@Random90sHobbies]

Would love to see a 2023 montage and hear more plans for 2024

[@IgorEngelen1974]

super nice tank. Just wondering if it hadn't been easier to get the big rock in with a small step up like a euro-pallet or something similar.

[@madeitboom2744]

I've watched this video 26 times. Certified banger.

[@ccmlkm]

I really like the pearl weed! I just ordered me some for my 30 gal here in Colorado. Question though, do you have any problems with your swordtails jumping out of the tank without a lid? Thank you! Great store and KZbin channel! I wish you had a store here 😊😊

[@mcbabs7495]

Un grand merci pour la vidéo!

[@iainaquariumagic]

Nice one 👍

[@rodyjperez7659]

Beautiful work!

[@AquascapingGreatness]

you can also get a wifi controller for those lights. I have the led bar of the same make

[@BudgetFriendly215]

Thanks to you I got back in the hobby and now my mother aint and grandmother all want tanks 😭🤦🏽‍♂️

[@rettag2020]

Love, love, LOVE this one ❤

[@jaimegriesbach6770]

I'm totally here for WHACKING everything up 😂

[@debstewart4558]

It's going to remind me of Ireland.

[@dr-k1667]

Great job guys!

[@AburaGamer]

Can you guys show how you do your trim-ups of tanks like these?

[@twintigress]

That mid rock is giving me major Pride Rock vibes 😂

[@homefishmedia]

very beautiful and suitable for bettafish home

[@lizdyson3627]

Love it.

[@michaellomax26]

Looks awesome!!! Question though where can I get potted pearl weed all I can find is the Tropica 1 2 grow cups? Thanks

[@miffland9690]

That's so nice

[@charlottefalconer8602]

Wow. Incredible