CAN I BUILD A NANO AQUASCAPE FOR 100 EUROS? Low Budget Betta Aquarium

[@MJAquascaping]

Everything I've used (affiliate links) 30C Cube Tank EU: bit.ly/3CDEQBJ US: amzn.to/3Q87vE2 Light EU: bit.ly/3z6R16F US: bit.ly/3S2WxjC Filter EU: amzn.to/463KDLU US: amzn.to/47d4FFr Heater EU: amzn.to/3u6HNbG US: amzn.to/3FMmuyI Root tabs EU: amzn.to/45UdpPf US: amzn.to/3SvEa9t Substrate EU: bit.ly/3qhHDt4 US: bit.ly/3Rea86F Background foil US: amzn.to/3NKopcC EU: amzn.to/41d4HJg Super glue Liquid EU: bit.ly/3rC0rY3 US: amzn.to/408UAqi Super glue Gel EU: amzn.to/46B3L52 US: amzn.to/3J2owwM Co2 diffuser EU: amzn.to/47BtM4z US: bit.ly/3gitCd2 Plants used: Monte Carlo US: bit.ly/47gOZAy S. Repens US: bit.ly/3sEnce7 Rotala Blood Red US: bit.ly/46VMS5l Bacopa Monnieri US: bit.ly/474I9hW Bacopa Amplexicaulis US: bit.ly/3QqGpbv Hygrophila pinnatifida US: bit.ly/3QquprP Christmas Moss US: bit.ly/3vbxH6H 🚨Watch this next!🚨 Inspiration playlist! kzbin.info/aero/PLrlvf56gZy-ipL3105SdfKsUBrMUSttoh CO2 buying guide! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnq5o6Vnrrhmqbc How to SETUP your CO2! kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4Sri2d8Z7V8aNE Simple fertilizer dosing! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5Cuc4KLgpaFjq8 👉🏻Cool Aquascaping T-shirts: mosscotton.com/ Code: mjaqua10 👉🏻15% off 2hraquarist.com with code: MJAQUA 👉🏻Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my KZbin channel: KZbin.com/mjaquascaping #plantedtank #aquascape #mjaquascaping

[@ThePlantedTankTV]

In the states it's basically impossible to acquire everything you need for 100$ Especially when starting from scratch. The hobby isn't near as popular over here. Finding used items for sale is a pain. Besides my rant. Loved the video as always man keep doing your thing!

[@user-ohmy]

Used tanks are cheap in my area since people get a pet and it dies cause they don't know what they are doing lol. But plants are like 12$ each it's crazy, betta fish are like 25$ each. And for rock, wood, substrate it's like 10$/lb. It adds up quick I've spent easily 1000+ on my 75gal.

[@Edielyng]

I agree! Plants and hardscape are so expensive. I usually try to find my own hardscape to clean and cure but it's a little dodgy.

[@Yosh-doesnt-understand]

If you are able to find a local fish club, you'd be amazed how cheap you can set up a tank for. Last club meeting I went to, I got 5 stems of Myriophyllum Tuberculatum (red), 10 stems of Ludwigia Repens, 20 stems of Rotala Rutundifolia and a beautiful female Plaket Betta for $30 in the auction. Plus, I sold some red root floaters and java moss for $25. All said and done, I spent $5 by the end of the night. The auction before that I bought a bag of 10 Rili blue shrimp for $12 and a bag of 25 bloody Mary cherry shrimp for $30. The color for both of them was really vibrant.

[@Darnss123]

@@Yosh-doesnt-understandstop I’m jealous. 😂 you’ve convinced me to go to mine. Cheers!

[@birder4life999]

Yep local trades and found hardscape/substrate is essentially required unless you are a high roller.

[@priyankardas2668]

I really like the fact that you have gone the lengths to collect hardscape from nature, surfing online for plants and so on. The end result was beautiful. It makes us understand that its better to not compromise in certain areas like good diffuser, light, plants etc...

[@Ankescapes]

Koi Bettas can keep changing their colors, mine does too. It's called the "marble gene ". So, as long as he has no signs of desease, no need to worry 😀 the tank is a really cool project 👍

[@nickbovee4372]

When I had seen a glimpse of this tank on the colaborative video, I would have ne-ver guessed this costs only a little over 100. Impressive!

[@theduck4469]

As a tip for co2 diffuser you can use an aerating stone that is used with air pumps. It's inexpensive an it works well for me.

[@ayushmanngautamjr]

I’ll give you even better. Indian broom stick. Bubbles will be tinier than the best CO2 diffuser. I have the cermaic CO2 diffuser but I always go back to using the broom stick. Dont know if its easily available in the west.

[@theduck4469]

@@ayushmanngautamjr I don't know how to imagine that... Can you send an aliexpress link with the item you're talking about?

[@ayushmanngautamjr]

@@theduck4469I dont think they even sell those in aliexpress. Its just available in every Indian and Nepali household.

[@ayushmanngautamjr]

⁠​⁠@@theduck4469Its just a basic broom. The plant is called Thysanolaena. You can see in google. We just dry it and use it to make broom. The bubbles it can produce is too small. I just keep it near the external filter powerhead and the bubbles are so small that its hard to see.

[@tombarb2864]

I think this experiment shows how expensive everything can be. Thanks for pulling it together 😎

[@ladywater000]

Great idea! And great inspiration for those who don't want to or can't invest a lot of money!👍🏼🌿

[@ewakraft5770]

Interesting video, thanks. I watch it with my Sunday breakfast, best entertainment. 🤩

[@MJAquascaping]

Enjoy!

[@matthewsmith22]

Great looking tank! In a pinch you could have used one of the twigs as a co2 diffuser, cut one end on a bias, the other perpendicular and jam in the end of the airline

[@crimegeek]

Found your channel a few weeks ago and I’m really enjoying it! Thanks for all your cool videos great job

[@MandyJane123700]

That was a great deal on the tank! The scape turned out really nice, too.

[@homefishmedia]

Not believe that your handmake so cool, that make amazing place for bettafish

[@nachosuarez13]

Awesome video! One trick for the difuser, you can use cigarette filters, put it tightly in the end of the tubing and it will difuse very well the CO2 bubles. Thanks for the inspiration, greetings from Argentina!!

[@darwingomez4195]

Hygrophila pinnatifida grows so fast! Great video!

[@MJAquascaping]

Yes it does!

[@SpiritAquatics]

Unfortunately for me my fish angelfish like to eat it. Just that plant though, all the others they won't touch

[@sesmuel2593]

I started with a 30L Fluval Flex and upgraded to a 120L tank. I got the tank on ebay for 12€ with a inside filter included. I sold the inside filter for 20€ and then bought a Hydor Professional 600 for 35€. Since I could reuse most of my old hardscape from the small tank I only needed to grab some bigger rocks. A good place to look for interesting rocks is in your neighborhood or at construction sites. A lot of places use rough natural looking rocks in their garden or as base for driveways or terraces, often times if you ask for two or three rocks it won’t make a difference for them, since they just buy them in tons and one rock costs less than a few cents. Plants can also be bought cheaply on ebay or other sites. A lot of people sell cut offs from their fast growing plants for very cheap.

[@dudeanderson2401]

Beautiful tank! Nevermind the budget! Its still a great looking tank. Aqua clears are great filters for their price too!

[@SpiritAquatics]

Thats a great deal on the tank with that light. My first few aquascapes were low budget too. I had a 20 litre tank kit (with a light and filter in the lid of the tank), which cost £30. I bought a heater for £15, small aquasoil bag for £10, some sand for £10, 1 pot of hair grass, a narrow leaf java fern, moss & anubias nana for £15. Small wood piece for £5 and locally collected some slate type rocks. £85 total 🙂 And my betta for that tank was very cheap too. Only £3 because he was labeled as a female & was in the tank full of female bettas at the fish shop. He grew up into a halfmoon and his colour marbled from white/cellophane when i bought him to having red on his dorsal and lower fins but kept a white body and tail. He was the best betta 🐟

[@michaelfarmer537]

Your an inspiration MJ. Please do an update once it’s grown out completely. 🇺🇸❤

[@Wesz808]

New to the channel. And I have to say, your English is a lot better than our fellow Dutch 'steenkolen-engels'. Nice work. Will start a new aquarium soon after a hiatus of about 7 years. Nice info.

[@AkashSingh-zd7kb]

You smashed this challenge brother♥️♥️♥️♥️🥰love the way it turned out🙏💪💪💪💪🎉

[@Domwpiemonte]

I always find it hard to find the rocks in NL, that’s why I bring them from my holiday in France and Italy. Great video and nice promotion of aquascaping on the budget!

[@fredk4136]

Wow great and beautiful setup. Love the low cost setups specially when they look this good.

[@grassnake7122]

Just brilliant, thank you so much for your video. It looks amazing for the budget 👍

[@lorenzospina3174]

I love Betta splendens my favorite fish ❤.

[@craigquinn8225]

you could off bought a tester pot of paint for the background. got some dirt from the garden and a small bag of sand to cover. but that was an awesome deal you got the tank, light and accessories for. Great video. 👍 👌

[@sheriDJ71]

Yay love this experiment MJ 👏🏼 Looking forward to updates There’s nothing wrong with second hand……bargains to be had 🤗 For some going into this hobby for the first time it’s best to try this avenue first to see if your hooked before a big outlay That’s how I did it Loved that you went out into nature and collected too Hope your sneakers cleaned up ok 😅

[@cherylmartin9994]

I think the set up looks great and your betta seems very happy 🤩 loved seeing your rise to the challenge of a low budget build. As always you did an amazing job 😍 Going to the bi-annual fish auction in Montreal (Québec) in a few weeks and can't wait to see what treasures and inhabitants I can pick up. Lots of great breeders in and around the city so you can even order from them with pick up at the auction. Exciting lol

[@artmartdc]

Thank you, I learnt a great deal. A really well put together video full of information.

[@antemercep8844]

I have 150cm long tank and it would be insanely expensive to buy wood for it, so I collected all of it in nature. I had that wood in aquarium for years without any problems. Only thing I would do is clean the bark of it and keep it submerged for a while. This is really nice looking tank and slower growth is something that many people find easier to maintain and will be easier for them to decide and try something like this. like you said I only think better choice would be if you went for pond soil substrate capped with coarse sand. I think not only that would make it easier to plant but probable prevent algae issues because soil would be capped better

[@GlassSurfing]

As always, you make it look effortless MJ. And beautiful too. Dealing with white spots on my older betta boy now, hope it's just a sign of maturity on your guy

[@RWAquariumPages]

such a nice scape! i love this video, simple but very elegant aquarium. i love that you've listed all the products also so it's easy for us to find!

[@SoTypicallyMeh]

I’m constantly checking online for used tanks near me (in Los Angeles), but all I ever find are either below 10 gallons or above 150 gallons. nothing in between.

[@Nettixxx]

Get above 150 gallons then you can keep things like african cichlids or oscars

[@ballistic350]

Where I live by lake michigan, shorelines I find so many dry driftwood that would cost 100+ at the store... im thankful for that .. that jelly can be like petroleum jelly? $140 around there ..nice

[@MJAquascaping]

That’s awesome 😎 No petroleum jelly doesn’t work. You need something sweet, so that’s why I make a sugar syrup and add gelatin.

[@Goodness14966]

Whats the name of that fish that sticks on to glass of the tank

[@justin94431]

Even with this low budget you pulled off an amazing scape.. ❤..

[@dndndndndn419]

What a beautiful little tank! Hope the cold passes (or passed) quick!

[@MJAquascaping]

I hope so too!

[@rodhatte]

Two ways to get free rocks: the beach and asking a farmer. Farmers are constantly picking rocks out of the ground, because they work their way up, and end up destroying their plows if they leave them in the fields. When I've done this, I've always washed and boiled them. I don't think it's actually necessary to boil, but it doesn't damage them, either.

[@tracys.6033]

Enjoyed video. Tank looks great. Fish seem happy in it. Thanks!

[@SooRoo92]

Hey MJ theres also at Hornbach sorry if its advertising but they sell boxes with stones of Ohko and such for like €23 where 1 rock costs 8-9€ it helped me keep cost low. Also for outside rocks you should check if there is a farmer closeby.. when they plow their field they mostly throw all the rock on 1 spot and its quite a pile smt I did that for my pond.

[@MJAquascaping]

Great tips! Thanks 😊

[@jaqhass]

Fun fact. You can use a clean soda bottle for a co2 system wihtout a tube. Grab a knife, cut the top, weigh it down, fill it with aquarium water, opening facing down and fill with co2. It will last. Use a capped acrylic tube if you wana be fancy. Also, fine grain sand will do much more for you than gravel.

[@denims9110]

Great video as always Mark! 🎉 I wanted to ask how you prepare the branches and stones before you put into aquarium. Disinfection process is very interesting for such setups.

[@MJAquascaping]

To be honest with you I didn’t even rinse them 🙃

[@dimitarsimidchiev866]

Wow, I’ll be afraid to do that! But we see it worked just fine for you. And that is very interesting.

[@yashtapase3821]

Really great scaoe that i love to put this in my desktop table ❤

[@sin3358]

The background foil could easily be replaced by acrylic paint! Its cheaper and a fun diy project. Just make sure it stays outside and it doesnt go in the tank

[@sergeiz.5815]

White sneakers in the mud brave 😊 i live next to ocean lots of rocks

[@nancywaterhouse3135]

I would not have guessed at a low budget for the end result you created. I have lots of slate type of rock around where I live (Vermont) and enjoy finding interesting shaped pieces to collect for scapes. My water is very hard and caused lots of challenges when I first got into aquascaping. There is a natural spring that runs year round in my town that I get water from--the PH is lower. One tank is only that water and my other tank I mix half and half. Both do very well. So, working with a budget, or in my case, with natural limitations can add another dimension to the creative process.

[@lindacooper4893]

Love your videos, but for beginners co2 really, I’m 76 this is my second year and I would not get this because of my low vision however I love your scapes as I am into that unfortunately where I live the plants are not good or very expensive. I also go out and forage for wood and rocks. I have a 4 foot 3 foot and now I to nano tanks because of you. Please tell me when I scape a tank and leave off the top it eveaporates, what should I do.

[@dystopianfuture1165]

Found this channel, glad I did.

[@igortamaev]

Instead of a diffuser, you can use a sprig of rowan (Sorbus). You get very small bubbles.

[@michellel.wilson6751]

I think it looks great

[@webms833]

I love the concept of this video, however in Canada this setup would cost $300+, I wish I lived in the Netherlands, it seems so beautiful there! Great video loved the end scape!

[@petesie80]

That was a great deal, Twinstar, Dennerle...my Scottish blood is bubbling! Great vid MJ.

[@juhuguo]

Did you use some cleaning product etc. for clean up the rest of the used aquarium? I have one similar at home but it´s not that clean...Can you recommen me any cleaning techique?

[@skoventure7805]

Great content man! Keep it going.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

Very shoes string budget: Be very patient and find a free tank on your local MarketPlace. Take rock, soil, roots, algae from your local area/pound/nearby river. Look for free fish, etc. You can also do your own DIY tank with recycled glass shelve and silicone, DIY filter as well. For me, it's part of the fun to design it instead of buying most of stuff.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

I've found a 70 gallons and a 33 gallons full equipped for free yesterday. I was not ready to invest all the time, so I did not contacted the 'donators' to let them to somebody else who have time for that right now.

[@darrenderousse4804]

Nice set up! Not a bad price 😉 maybe top soil and a sand cap next time!

[@xandernova3878]

Beautiful tank! In the US a nano twinstar like that would be $100 alone

[@Pinda072]

Bedankt voor deze video deze heb ik hard nodig !!

[@fuzzy_little_duckling]

Wow, this budget aquascape turned out awesome! Do you have any suggestions for finding cheaper plants online? Here in the states a single pot of plants is usually around $15-20 and tissue cultures are generally in the $10 range. For this reason, I mainly get my plants from local ponds and lakes and then clean them when I get home lol

[@MJAquascaping]

I would try to connect with other local hobbyists and ask them for cuttings

[@ILIKEUALOT]

Gorgeous!!

[@cherylbeswick7327]

This was great! Where is your shelving unit behind you at the beginning of the video from please? 🙏

[@MJAquascaping]

www.leenbakker.nl/kasten/boekenkasten/wandmeubel-kyan-zwart-naturel-180x120x40-cm

[@larreve1814]

i lovee this chanelll. bedankt voor alle tips!

[@khoffmann1978]

I have bought a used cylindrical vase of approx. 10-15 liters for 13.5 €, and have made a cheap aquarium for my living room.

[@gouzios1]

Looks great. Can you post a link from where you got the plants? 🙏 🙏 please.

[@MJAquascaping]

www.aquarium-planten.com

[@gouzios1]

@@MJAquascaping thx

[@deanshrdn]

Hi Mj ....could you please tell me where you got your shelf unit as id love to set a similar set up.

[@MJAquascaping]

www.leenbakker.nl/kasten/boekenkasten/wandmeubel-kyan-zwart-naturel-180x120x40-cm

[@DanielPeterson-n4f]

Does anyone know what the white bump on the bettas fin is. Mine has 2 bumps aswell.

[@Aquaticvibes9775]

Was waiting for a video😍😍

[@MJAquascaping]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@Aquaticvibes9775]

@@MJAquascaping yes mj 😍

[@arturopratsfernandez1988]

I’d love to hear how you deal with the algae problem

[@MJAquascaping]

Manual removal when doing a water change, and the shrimp + otocinclus helped a lot as well.

[@HeRo-qd6tk]

Very nice 👍🏼

[@thefezturtle3030]

hi! what are the dutch websites you mentioned? i often have to travel a long time to go to Heems or just get not so good gear from my local shops :(

[@christopherhammontree3222]

I like it. Something different and really quick. Hey I wanted to ask again if you’re going to do that terrarium with some water at the bottom? I’m thinking about trying it out.

[@MJAquascaping]

I'm hoping to make something like that in the near future yea

[@i_nvade8098]

I like your videos man

[@rickyabdullah4758]

Nice low budget aquascape 👍🏻

[@benbarnett5684]

Awesome video as always, MJ. Have you considered/plan on coming over here to the United States for an aquashella?

[@MJAquascaping]

Yeah I would love to! Maybe next year 👍🏻

[@IndoorEcosystem]

Second hand is always great if you don't mind sratches! That's always hardest part! 😅

[@cloud12335]

I also got the same wood but 2-3 days after my water in tank goes a little brown or something, can you help me how to maintain this? thank you sir, helping means a lot to me. :>

[@igortamaev]

Please tell me what the floating red plants are called?

[@MJAquascaping]

red root floaters (Phyllanthus fluitans)

[@igortamaev]

Thank you! I always enjoy watching your videos

[@HasaN-0686]

Hello friend, how many days does the CO2 duration of yeast gelatin candy take?

[@MJAquascaping]

6-8 weeks

[@beetisman3869]

Looks like the lump on the betta's fin could just be a regular old tumor (nothing to worry about) or if it looks like Cauliflower, Lymphocystis, which is a viral infection. AFAIK there's no treatment but it should clear up on its own after a while.

[@ajashbrook]

Seems hard to believe, but the patients part is key. I got a brand new 10g waterbox from a guy with at least $100 worth the plants from his main aquarium just by asking if he would sell trimmings for $40 total.

[@cccc9635]

i think the easier way to set up a low budget aquarium is to dig up some dirt, microwave it to kill unwanted organisms, cover with gravels and start w/ dry start if one wants a quick monte carlo carpet..... DIY CO2 is a clever way to cheat around the budget,, but i think if u include the cost of river rocks it would definite exceed the budget limit further... anyway thanks for your demonstration of the concept!

[@gavinmillar]

You can find rocks like that for free lying on the ground pretty much anywhere in the world. Landscape supply places also sell them by the truckload.

[@batsoupp]

Is this possible without CO2 mj?

[@andreymendoza1696]

great vid!! from 🇵🇭

[@MJAquascaping]

Thanks! 😃

[@Ilike_aviation]

Good video!

[@MJAquascaping]

Thanks!

[@ABones-bm3vq]

white nikes in the woods, I wouldnt lol. Love your videos bro

[@kgonzi868]

You could have used a cheap air stone for the co2 and save money on the diffuser

[@0action847]

You can use a cigarette filter as well and it works better than a air stone.

[@abhishekm6751]

Nice Scape .. Just out of curiosity .. whats' the shelf you have with all the aquariums ?

[@MJAquascaping]

www.leenbakker.nl/kasten/boekenkasten/wandmeubel-kyan-zwart-naturel-180x120x40-cm

[@MarkSegree]

Question: How long do you run the CO₂ for?

[@MJAquascaping]

With this DIY system it’s on 24/7. If I’m using a pressurised system I switch it on an hour before the light and of as well an hour before

[@timieboy15]

Nice MJ!

[@666Maeglin]

is that forrest collected wood not going to rot and procuse fungus in your tank? Should you soak it in hot water for soem timer first?

[@MJAquascaping]

So far so good, maybe the bark will rot, but I guess that's easy to remove

[@Albertiites]

From what website you ordered the plants? awesome video!!

[@MJAquascaping]

Aquarium-planten.com

[@Albertiites]

@@MJAquascaping thank you! And they ship to Germany!

[@sashacoates7049]

Wow, it would cost nearly 100 dollars for just the plants in the US! I'm so jealous!

[@thomasman9896]

Do you have any issues with Amano shrimp trying to climb out? I noticed you have no lid.

[@MJAquascaping]

Rarely happens

[@malipi96]

Hey man ! On your video explaining how to make a DIY co2 bottle ( which i find amazing ) you used 2 bottles ! In this video you only use 1. Could you explain the diference ?

[@MJAquascaping]

Yeah the second smaller bottle is optional. I use it as a bubble counter and a way to “clean” the CO2. Sometimes the yeast can create a lot of foam which can enter the tank via the tubing. Its completely harmless, but it can clog the diffuser.

[@malipi96]

@@MJAquascaping thank you very much for the quick answer ! If you dont mind ill add a new One. I was considering using this for my 50L tank. But recently i bought a 10 L cube that i wanna use for shrimp only. Is this safe on a smaller tank ? I was concerned about too much CO2 even on my 50L. Maybe remove it during the night is safer ? Or a good water agitation is really enough?

[@malipi96]

@@MJAquascaping sorry for all the questions

[@Goose87803]

Nice sneakers, MJ.

[@MJAquascaping]

Yeah not anymore 😅

[@JustinV911]

Amazing videos

[@isabelestevez7612]

I also had a betta with that same white dot and it turned out to be a tumor, my betta eventually died because the tumor kept getting bigger, but it lived perfectly most of its life

[@maryglover8283]

I am afraid of the glue. Beautiful aquarium.

[@tristansouchon3210]

It's easier than it looks! :)

[@missunderstood2647]

I wish there was somewhere in the US where you could order aquatic plants for a couple of bucks a piece. The cheapest order i ever placed was $46 for 3 plants and shipping. Even with the euro to dollar conversion 22 euros for all the plants you got is just a dream. .....*sigh*....😩

[@sergeiz.5815]

Is this mr zombie betta since other betta called Alien😅nice setups im sure cats like it😅