Setting up my small Freshwater Planted Aquariums

[@MikeTytula]

First time commenter, long time viewer! I love when people have so many relatable hobbies! The tanks look great!

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! I'm glad folks like yourself enjoy the variety :)

[@johnvnuk5650]

Happy New Year to you both! 🎉 The one thing that keeps coming back to me from your videos (besides your creativity and enthusiasm for projects), is how incredibly patient you are… great choice of music btw 😉 and just to freak ppl out, I clean my tank maybe every 8 months; haven’t had a fish death in 5 years. 😬

[@johnvnuk5650]

Oh and the most important part, your setup is beautiful!!! 🤩

[@Stevehatesgravel]

Nice to see a cycling aquarist 👍I raced road and cyclocross in the 70s and 80s I still do about 200 miles a week. Been keeping fish tanks for about 40 years. Thanks very much for the video

[@comounaverdura]

I wanted to learn how to set up a tank like that. Thanks for this video.

[@arturkrol2907]

I was lured here by the aquarium rather than the bikes (although I have a bike too). Very easy to watch, relaxing. 🖤Good luck with your aquarium projects and on trails.

[@elenamakes]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@mexicalifishkeeper]

that was very smart to use some of the old substrate, it will help jump start your nitrogen cycle in the new setup

[@brianstranyak1049]

That looks amazing, great job. I had a 50 gal fresh water tank for years. Tried some plants but didn't have much luck. I had ghost shrimp and crabs too, fun to watch. Crabs are great escape artists though. It took some thought how to protect them from getting out.

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! A 50 gal would be a lot of fun to work for a tank setup.

[@brianstranyak1049]

@@elenamakes Welcome. 50 is a good size that is easy to manage w/o being too big. I live in Michigan and I had it decorated with rocks from Michigan rivers & lakes. I took some limestone from Mackinac Island, and made little caves with it. Looked good.

[@bigburlymikesmswoodworking]

I especially like the larger tank. My dad always loved having fish, and the last tank he had was just huge (100 gal., I think). It had a couple of rather large goldfish in there, and he would actually feed them romaine lettuce. He made a weighted clip that would hold the lettuce and keep it in place while they fed and a hook to retrieve it when they were finished. When it was feeding time and they saw him prepping the clip, they would get all excited...it was really cool

[@Scaperoot79]

Just found your channel. The bowl and tank look great, and your Betta is beautiful!

[@brianstarks9525]

Nicely done

[@steverees1936]

Hi there from Northern Ireland. Just came across your video and that's a great wee tank scape you did there. Have a look at Rumeynose Rasboras,( also called Asian Rummeynose) they are stunning. Your Betta fish bowl is lovely also and nice contrast with light and dark sand. Only thing I will say is you will need to be careful not to get muck and debris in your tank when cleaning that sponge outside your filter. 😊

[@Vinny-i8o]

Looks great my friend will done. All the best for new year 😊

[@p.a.u.l.555]

Awesome tank, have a great weekend Elena 😊

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! You too!

[@mexicalifishkeeper]

Nice selection on the livestock

[@marinabiragova7367]

Love the setups! I can definitely relate to the nerdiness of the hobby. Sometimes I get a new medaka or something similar and rave about it, and my friends are like, "That's a plain-looking fish..." 😂 A couple of tips: - The bags you used for pouring water looked like trash bags-those might not be safe for fish, especially if they have any fragrance. Regular food-safe ziplock bags would be a better option. - The round tank looks cool, but it’s generally not ideal for fish because the distorted glass can affect their eyesight. It might be better suited for blind fish. Good luck!🫶

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! The bag wasn’t scented but agree definitely would want to avoid any scented trash bags :)

[@FindingNemo-b1y]

Woman and Aquarist is a rare combo💎

[@later_daze_4080]

Yes!!! That 12g long is sweet!

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! I'm so happy with how it turned out :)

[@efraimlouisegolicruz795]

amazing!! great work! 🤩 happy holidays elena! 😊

[@elenamakes]

Appreciate it! :)

[@rdred8693]

Subscribed and liked. Great set ups. The plants in the beginning looked yellowish. Aquarium safe plant fertilizer is always helpful

[@elenamakes]

Yeah I actually tried some Flourish from Seachem in these tanks for the first time.

[@andrzejbrzozowski8534]

No i restarcik wyszło ładnie oby szło dobrze

[@RuebenNomura]

Morning that was a good freshwater planets tank on this video happy new year 2025

[@jakubsitka9900]

Great work, very nice!👍

[@elenamakes]

Thank you! 😊

[@allenbruner4609]

Gorgeous.

[@diontrespeller]

Nice aquarium

[@hendrymarquez3182]

very beautiful

[@Loudgcoupe]

Hhhhmmmm gave me some ideas for my turtle tank 🙌🏾

[@stevepiechock9234]

The work to produce these tanks is exhausting but worth it. Careful with the sore throat. We had a case of flu that lasted almost four weeks. The results you achieved are excellent!

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! Luckily the sore throat didn't turn into anything too bad and went away.

[@jodip719]

Hey Matt!

[@mexicalifishkeeper]

😆 definitely a nerdy hobby

[@florentincioaba7989]

Bravo from Romania Dracula land 😂

[@adambollenback6371]

Awesome video, what tank is that?

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! The long one? It's from UNS and it's their 12 gallon.

[@allmight8057]

Boiling the driftwood is the worst thing to do 😂

[@elenamakes]

Nope. It’s what is professionally recommended. It’s unsafe to not do it.

[@jefferybonem7336]

Very cool Where do you purchase your plants? I have sone from the pet store but they are questionable quality and expensive. I have a 30 gallon tank with 6 tetra’s and 2 albino catfish, so I can add more to it Regards

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! I actually buy most of my plants from Etsy. I've had good luck purchasing from AquariumPlantCenter and AquaticMotiv on Etsy.

[@jojofeathers5235]

The tanks are beautiful!! Do you have a heater in the tank for your betta? Or some method of keeping the water warmer?

[@elenamakes]

Thanks and yep! I forgot to mention it but if you look closely you can see a black cord going into the bowl that connects to a small heater.

[@Nakamamas]

I am proud of you for being vulnerable and showing us another interesting side of your life. You can make another channel just for planted aquariums! Great job

[@elenamakes]

Haha thanks! I should probably focus on just on topic for the channel but it’s more fun to talk about a diverse set of stuff.

[@djgummikuh8895]

I really like the diversity of your videos! Please keep that under one channel as long as possible :-)

[@coreyshelikoff1712]

Looks great! Where did you get that piece of furniture they’re on?

[@elenamakes]

Thanks! It’s a coffee table I got off Craigslist and I modified to make it a stand, so unfortunately it’s not something you can buy as is.

[@racecar945]

What do u mean by happy holidays 🤔

[@milesofkyle]

Have a happy holiday!

[@ikgz98]

What's your tank dimensions?

[@emersonpires8312]

Boa tarde! Tudo bem? Qual é o tamanho do seu aquario longo, por gentileza?

[@elenamakes]

12 gallons

[@IsabelMak-t4g]

A heads up, bettas making bubbles just means they are sexually matured. Unfortunately, it does not equate to happiness or to being healthy. Anyways, the bowl did turn out really nice with all the anubias you have in there.

[@MarcelnicolaeBadau]

Cum vedem căsătorit pe KZbin❤❤😊

[@srgreeniii]

Topping off a tank is not a water change.

[@elenamakes]

It’s not a traditional water change but you lose a lot of water to evaporation in an open top tank so topping it off as it evaporates does change over the water. For example, my long tank loses ~1/3 of the tank water a week to evaporation so I’m constantly refilling it to keep the water line high.