Nano blackwater aquarium build with neon tetras

This is my first attempt at a blackwater tank, and I promise this one will stay a while so we'll see how it develops, ill do an update video on it very soon, so please like and subscribe.
After a week the tannins aren't quite as dark as id like them to be so I'm going to add some bark, and other things such as seed pods that should darken the water a little bit more and will make the tank look really natural!
Links to all equipment in the video below:
The Blackwater Aquarium: amzn.to/2nON0Qg
APS HOB Filter: amzn.to/2ARJTvl
LED lights: amzn.to/2BojWJ3
Dennerle Heater: amzn.to/2oeevCR
Substrate: amzn.to/2odNuzp (mixed with builders pea gravel)
Fluval food: amzn.to/2wfigwu
Hikari food: amzn.to/2PJxAtp
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Music:
Windy by Ikson @ikson
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs • (Free Music for Vlogs)...

[@Becks-fi6xl]

Tank looks beautiful you did a great job and was so cute the way your existing Tetra was schooling with the new ones whilst they were still in the bag!

[@KieransFish]

Thank you! Yeah haha that was so nice to see 😊

[@taramansion]

I'm glad you have ample room for them. Far too often ppl have fish in a grossly undersized tank and it's depressing.

[@fernedowns6652]

I totally agree i😊

[@ThePhoshow]

very nicely done! I love how the tannins made the water look! Love this tank as a whole

[@KieransFish]

Thanks man!

[@bbjanetsai]

I also use pothos in my tank. I’m so amazed by them. I have a densely planted tank but small bubbles still occurred due to frequent fish feeding. Ever since I put pothos into the tank water surface the bubbles are gone!

[@KieransFish]

It’s a great plant isn’t it!

[@bahadorshahrestanikia7823]

What are those bubbles for?

[@justanibbler4016]

Beautiful tank ! I tetras are so entertaining to watch always chaseing each other

[@KieransFish]

They are!

[@pikahunasatoshi1220]

Simple. Practical. Beautiful. You made my day, bro

[@KieransFish]

Thanks man!

[@tijamir4998]

I like the natural look of the Aquarium 👍🏻

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@kadalora]

Wanted something relaxing to watch before bed, this was perfect :) Your tone is very calming too cheers mate nice job

[@KieransFish]

No problem! Thanks a lot

[@petalss5325]

your tank looks amazing and it seems really spacious for the fish. I like how it’s like looking into a little stream :-)

[@KieransFish]

Thanks 😁 yes it’s doing well

[@CompletePandemonium]

What a fantastic blackwater nano! Congratulations.

[@ArshadKhan-pu6if]

It's looks very nice great job

[@skylynnestrada6681]

I think it looks really good !😍

[@secredeath]

Baby not as Good as you.. mmmmmm😋

[@christophernoto]

Nicely done! A very well done tank, and a pleasant, calm video. Many thanks.

[@KieransFish]

Thank you!

[@myfishcave382]

Beautiful blackwater aquarium with neons. The tank turned out really well in the end. Subscribed to your channel

[@KieransFish]

Yeah luckily! Ha, thank you

[@FionaclarkClark]

Your tank just looks so nice with just a few neon Tetra's.less is definitely more .😃

[@js-ke8uo]

Now this tank is sick

[@KieransFish]

Thanks man

[@branman3336]

That’s a clean tank.

[@amyasseektruth8246]

I like your accent. Man, it's relaxing. Good video -

[@KieransFish]

Thanks! Means a lot 😊

[@justiniadonisi9290]

Thanks for the video! I modeled my 10-gallon blackwater tank after yours - pothos, water lettuce, and everything. I really appreciate it!

[@KieransFish]

Very nice! Hopefully it goes really well

[@justiniadonisi9290]

Hey dude, my water lettuce isnt looking so great, and there's like this, like, layer of slime at the surface of the water. The fish dont appear to be affected, and my water levels are all perfect (as of my test yesterday). Any suggestions?

[@beesouljah]

I had to start using a lid for the fish tank as fish do jump 3-4 inches out of the water, if you wake them up and turn lights on in the middle of the night. Fish can get startled. Just wanted to give ya a heads up.

[@KieransFish]

That’s exactly what happened to me on my big tank lol, a huge Siamese Algae Eater jumped vertical out of a gap and landed on top of the lid. I was staring into the tank during the night and it freaked out 😂

[@dimitris.4484]

It looks good. Fishes tannin party started.

[@rev.jesseabelchristianlife6693]

Very nice! Your tank stand is fine, I have a 20 gallon tall on a solid low bookcase and it's fine. Plus your weight is dispersed over a larger surface area. If the table is real wood, you will be fine. Looks to be 20 gallon long?

[@KieransFish]

I’m in uk so not sure, 60 litres, 80cm long. Yeah the table will hold 😋

[@chew2live]

very nice tank..

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@FishNatures]

nice tank and fish

[@FinnsArtistryChannel]

Definitely something I need to invest in, I am sure my betta would love is own long tank, a 20-30 gallon would be great with some corydoras too! :3

[@KieransFish]

It is a very nice sized tank, great for the smaller amount of water but longer swimming length, panda corys would be ideal because they’re small

[@JohnJames.]

nice. good deal on the thermometer

[@sunflowerguru5118]

Cute video!

[@KieransFish]

Thanks thanks 😁

[@njnaz13]

Very nice set up...add some bottom feeder fishes too

[@KieransFish]

Thanks! Haha you think?

[@Fishtory]

this is awesome my friend! you should check out somphongsi rasboras and also neon green tetras along with purple tetras

[@KieransFish]

Purple? 😮 haha

[@purple1706]

A beautiful aquarium. Well done. I will recommend your channel.

[@KieransFish]

Thanks so much

[@anonchan3019]

an apistogramma pair would do great in that, beautiful tank

[@SCARLETT-r4h]

Im getting some guppies white cloud minnows and some neon tetras this week end I’m sooooo exited!!!

[@protopigeon]

nice job with the pothos. would look great with shrimp too.

[@KieransFish]

Yeah you’re right

[@RG-or3hu]

I got my first tank last week and it was full of tannings and dark hiding spots and moss. As soon as I put my tetras in they started mating! Yours look they are doing their mating dance too.. (then they will go to a bush and wriggle beside each other) I just was wondering if you/anyone knows a way to do water changes after this? It’s day seven and I noted some Teeny tiny specs swimming around but it’s hard to tell if it’s the tetras. My tank is new and although I cycled it for more than a month and had it heavily planted (also added sea hen stability) I’m anxious about a ammonia spike.

[@KieransFish]

Put a sponge on the end of your syphon, yeah mine do the whole mating ritual but never had any babies. Did you find out if they were babies in the end?

[@kentochae6311]

Absolutely in love w this setup! I'm just starting to experiment my own as well :)

[@KieransFish]

Thank you! Yeah it’s good fun 😋

[@george.a2329]

Nice job mate!

[@KieransFish]

Thank you! 😁

[@didray]

Really good idea ! Bravo !

[@jamesmartin4902]

Nice job mate....

[@swagatochakraborti1366]

Dammmmn! I've a huge crush on your tank.😍😍😭😭

[@KieransFish]

Haha thanks!

[@brizxy5475]

This is so pretty.

[@robertbrennan4957]

Very nice!

[@skylynnestrada6681]

Really love the way it’s set up

[@secredeath]

😚😚😘

[@MJ-HK]

so beautiful tank

[@썬더-f3c]

어항+필요한 장비+열대어= 생명존중, 생명사랑

[@petalss5325]

like ur voice too! really calming!

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@buddyroxy8409]

Good video mate. Thanks for sharing.. perhaps add some shrimp?

[@richardpost8789]

What's Blackwater

[@thomvannieuwenhuijzen1255]

@@richardpost8789 water with tannins

[@bingsu7824]

I think you could add java fern, they’re really good with any lighting too. You should try it and you could just tie it to the wood in your tank or you could just squeeze it in between crevices of like the rocks. Don’t plant it in the substrate though the roots would rot because it’s not planted that way so as anubias.

[@KieransFish]

I have lots of big Anubis in my other tank, Java fern is a good idea

[@jetjazz05]

You can brew up some Rooibos tea and put in the water to increase the tannins/darkness of the water.

[@terenceye]

Your Neon tetra are beautiful! How do you clean the tank? I have trouble cleaning mine...

[@KieransFish]

I don’t clean it, just water changes. And maybe use a toothbrush to clean to the glass if there’s a lot of algae

[@aaronfiddy4260]

Where can I buy pothos pls

[@lizdyson3627]

What are the measurements of the tank plz. I love it.

[@Su_Myth01]

nice setup

[@bakenman6371]

amazing setup! i really love this setup and will definitely do this for my betta

[@KieransFish]

That’s great to hear, thank you!

[@metju.u7620]

Did you mean amazoning setup?🙃

[@johnmarks227]

You can use peat in your filter to bump up the tannins. It's cheap in the bag at most home and garden places. Just be sure it doesn't have any chems in it.

[@KieransFish]

Yeah that’s a good idea

[@JaimeMartinez-lx9lg]

Sorry for the ignorance but what's peat?

[@jonpaulchavez1459]

please confirm if i heard the right measurement of your tank. length = 80cm, width= 30cm and height = 24cm. did you check the water substance or cycle? what kit u used? thanks. thanks.

[@pmotta4545]

Very nice tank 🤗 Thanks for sharing 😀

[@KieransFish]

Thank you for watching

[@pmotta4545]

@@KieransFish you're welcome 😉

[@GenScinmore]

Great video!!!!

[@KieransFish]

Thank you

[@NatureStudio25]

U have a very strong accent

[@KieransFish]

Thank you

[@browntrout3994]

the one usually doing these least amount of work is the boss ;-D

[@needless2048]

Love the scape man.

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@needless2048]

@@KieransFish, Np :)

[@brianshleifer6602]

Cool tank dude

[@joejoanabean]

Great video👌

[@KieransFish]

Thank you

[@CosmicWaffle26]

That looks awesome 😊

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@joesphcruz-trinidad4994]

Great vid. I'm not big on small rocks but I want to try this with Sand black or brown and see how it comes out

[@DanielKeepingFish]

Good build video. Nice tank.

[@KieransFish]

Thanks!

[@krismargett]

Apparently you can use rooibos tea bags to really ramp up the colour. It's safe for fish because it's naturally decaffeinated 👍🏻

[@bahadorshahrestanikia7823]

Was your tank cycled after couple of days when you added fishes?

[@KieransFish]

I used the same filter so the filter media was already cycled

[@hplovehandle]

Nice .

[@hadiaqasha]

Hey there, wanna know, where can I get mini heater like you use in your video? I have small betta tank and I try to hide the heater as much as I could. Any advise?

[@KieransFish]

You can get very small ones from Amazon

[@upnorth1511]

I really enjoy your channel

[@KieransFish]

Thank you 😁

[@rheanonjasmyne]

I love bubble wands

[@KieransFish]

Me too, pumps are noisy though

[@RendraAdityaPrameswara]

Nice, beautiful

[@KieransFish]

Thanks

[@xisotopex]

will the roots of that house plant rot?

[@KieransFish]

No, the Plant does really well in water

[@kellysuzanne976]

Love your tank and those plants are perfect:-)

[@KieransFish]

Thanks so much

[@kellysuzanne976]

Kierans Fish Your welcome🤗

[@2003zq8]

I was'nt aware that adding some types of leaves also give off tanins like wood does. Id like to duplicate a natural river bed scape, which types would be a good choice to add to get that look?

[@KieransFish]

I’m not the most knowledgable when it comes to black water but there’s a lot of information on the internet

[@rajulsingh19]

Hey buddy nice work 👍🏻❤️ Can you help me with the size of the tank?

[@lr1902]

Very simple but nice.

[@JesAbella]

Are the neons don’t get sucked into the filter?

[@KieransFish]

No it has a pre filter like a sponge on the intake

[@endelvelt7650]

wow this looks so good, love what you did with the tank! :))

[@KieransFish]

Thank you

[@aussiejjdude3066]

For me, I would of have the pothos to cover and hide the filter/heater a little, instead of hiding the veiwing area... But thats me! (I would also recommend upping the shoal size, for further impact! Even adding 4 more may make a difference, and would not impact water quality or tank maintenance schedule... )

[@KieransFish]

I tried that.. it got in the way of the filter and impacted the flow. At the other side it never has to be moved out the way. It’s a good idea though and maybe could work if I changed a few things. Don’t tempt me to add more fish 😋

[@aussiejjdude3066]

@@KieransFish Really? I wouldn't of thought the case, especially if the majority of draped over the HOB! (Maybe consider growing it inside the hob, or on one side of the HOB?) Temptation for more fish is needed! I have a similar setup, but instead have a (large school) of ember tetras, and habrosus cories in a 100L tank (basically mine's 45cm wide, and slightly taller) and my waterchange schedule is either when TDS is over 100 or I remember to change the water; which can vary weekly from weekly to ever few months - in most cases, I just preform top offs.

[@jesussavesrick]

Nice tank! Wouldn't a rubber mat under the tank allow the bottom of the tank to flex and perhaps create a leak?

[@KieransFish]

No it supports the tank evenly so it doesn’t crack

[@DebsInManchesterUK]

lovely good job I got 6 neon tetras and 2 corys in a tank I always use almond leaves they really good I have 2 betta fish a well in 2 five gallon tanks lol yeah they do that a lot of fighting in the tank the neons

[@andrewscala6006]

Nice job.... will you put any cories in to scavenge? I’m setting one up and I think I will use Chili Rasboras , cories nd maybe a few nitrite snails... what do you think?

[@KieransFish]

No just neon terras live in this tank, but yeah small cories and Nerite snails are a good idea

[@kenrayfrauenstein8181]

Could you please explain to me what is black water and tannin

[@ZipPtang]

Brilliant!

[@Brantov]

Intersting, very nice video.

[@KieransFish]

Thanks again 😊

[@bchanfive]

where do you find those plant holders that are attached to the side of the tank? it's driving me nuts not able to find a description of where to find them on anyone's youtube videos with them being used.

[@KieransFish]

I just put in glass plant pot aquarium in eBay

[@melchiorpoirier-coutansais5734]

how did you not get any fungus on your driftwood? always seems to happen to me

[@KieransFish]

Not sure, Iv had it a while

[@muruablogsinnogales1713]

Just seeing your videos, makes me wanna add drift wood to my fish tank , I do have a question, if I get drift wood from a Random place do I have to Boil it for 2 hours before adding it to the fish tank , good video we like long videos thank you 🙏

[@KieransFish]

Thank you 😁 yes I would if it’s from a random place, will help make it sink too. You could even pour boiling water over it and let it soak

[@DragonSkaterrr]

i have a 80cm tank, how many neon tetras do u recommend i put in? i want a school of maybe 10-15-20 maybe if its possible

[@DragonSkaterrr]

110 liters

[@KieransFish]

If heavily planted and a good filter id say 20 easy, maybe 30. If no plants then 10 -15 but that’s just a guess, I use Pothos plants also so that helps.

[@ZombieRofl]

Yes! Was waiting for this :) Great upload as always. Still I think that the water is to clear for a river biotope

[@KieransFish]

Thanks 😁 the water is definitely more dark off camera, but you’re right it needs to be darker, I’ll be adding a few more things to it, thanks

[@KieransFish]

If you’re following my instagram I got loads of different pictures and videos of this and you can see the tannins a bit better on some of them @kierans.fish

[@skid-mark1863]

Is it possible for your neons to breed in that setup?

[@KieransFish]

I imagine so, although I have never had babies from them

[@thecreekcrawler]

How is the tank doing with all the direct sunlight? Any tough algae blooms?

[@KieransFish]

Yeahh I do get a bit of algae, even with the blinds closed lol

[@kdr1048]

Very nice aquarium. Really like how you set it up. Subbed to you

[@KieransFish]

Thanks man! Appreciate it

[@davef.566]

Pretty tank 😂

[@alhabahbeh5281]

what is a black water tank???? im new to the freshwater hobby

[@7saji7ful]

Thank you for the good video

[@KieransFish]

Thanks for watching

[@MrMovieman174]

How much water are you changing

[@abdanilhamsyah5484]

Awesome

[@abdanilhamsyah5484]

I FROM INDONESIA

[@alscritters156]

Love how you're using a 15 gallon aquarium for neons which is the minimum tank size and not a 10 gallon. Of course this is debatable XD

[@KieransFish]

Thanks! Plus it’s 80cm long so plenty of swimming room