This Tank Is Completely RUINED! (It's Bad)

[@SerpaDesign]

It stinks (pun intended) that I had so many issues with this tank, but it could be a good learning opportunity. Have any of you experienced anything like this before and if so, what type of driftwood was it? Before now, I've never seen anything like this before and I've scaped a lot of tanks. Also, how do you think the new scape compares to the original?

[@mesterh6402]

What wood is that? It looks like it could be grapewine, which will do exactly that!

[@mrkrabs5729]

Are you ever going to get a Savannah monitor/tegu?

[@garrickanderson5204]

@@mesterh6402 you're making me really rethink my grapewood in my 55. . .

[@Shrimpscapes]

I have had that issue with a recent order of Anubias from a huge plant farm in FL. They (mostly) rotted away, causing a STANK like none other. Killed the other plants in my tank as well. Also left behind that same slime.

[@joannfujii5806]

Is this what is called Dragon wood? Looks like it. I’ve used it recently but it not as thick. It’ll produce a purplish film on everything and does have a unusual smell although I did not see that sap coming out. After two weeks of changing water almost daily I tried to put my fish back in and they all started gasping within 5 min. I finally got it seasoned enough after 4 weeks and with Purigen I was able to put the fish back in my tank but still net had fish loss. I will honestly never use it again in a tank. If you keep it dry like in a wardian case is just fine.

[@theocloete4320]

This shows you.. not even the professionals have a 100% success rate, thank you for actually sharing it and not hiding it away like most other content creators. 😁😁

[@SerpaDesign]

At the end of the day we're all hobbyists.

[@eidiu3551]

@@SerpaDesign and that is fine i love such failure videos cuz because of those we can learn from them without them we would only do the same mistakes

[@denis_zanotto]

I thought the same, thats make him more human! lol

[@bigfoxki]

Sadly but true. I once, and still kind of into crystal shrimps, I followed every step and suggestions from many professionals shrimp keepers, tried many times with perfect water parameter for the shrimps. They just won't breed, the shrimplets were healthy for a few days then all gone suddenly with only a few left to be gone later days. All adult/semi-adult were fine and carrying eggs, but only the shrimplets died.

[@romeowhiskey2759]

true that. This guy wants us to learn from him. Not just viewing figures

[@keith161]

I first started keeping aquariums and terrariums back in the early 80's. I believe your problem is that what you have is not true driftwood. "Dragonwood" is actually woody vine. I see so many types of "wood" sold in the aquarium hobby trade which are not as good as true driftwood (such as grapevine). These pieces of "wood" may have interesting shapes and textures. They haven't reached a stage of stable decomposition where they can be kept submerged for an extended period of time. In essence, it smells because it is not just developing a biofilm, but it is literally rotting in your tank. True driftwood are pieces of dead deciduous trees that have been submerged for a long time so that all that is left is lignin. There's not much else left to quickly rot when it's submerged. Also, some of the initial tannins have been secreted out. This is why true driftwood often floats and needs to be weighted. This doesn't mean someone cannot use other types of dead wood, but there's a gamble of its suitability and longevity underwater. There are types of wood being sold on the market that are dense, less porous, and not truly decayed. Therefore, these not prone to rapid decay underwater but do contain most of their inherent tannins (such as mopani or "Malaysian driftwood").

[@vernonosborne9975]

Thanks Keith, I've had the exact same experience of the video, trying to get a load of Mopani prepped for my next aquarium. Luckily I tried to skip the initial rotting stage happening inside the aquarium by soaking it for multiple weeks. I added cl to the water, since I thought it was maybe some kind of bacteria stored inside of the wood causing the foul smell. Ther're some huge, thick pieces. Do you think I should not use the Mopani, or continue to try soak the rot out, if thats even a possibilty? Do you have any suggestions to speed the process up, or am I fighting a losing battle..

[@vernonosborne9975]

The tannings and the smell are gradually decreasing with each week and water change

[@vituperation]

Any time a person strays out of hardscape typically used in the hobby is basically in uncharted territory. Rocks leaching or even fully dissolving into the water are definitely another big issue. I spent weeks researching the solubility of minerals, particularly copper and iron, before adding some rocks I found into my tank, especially in a mildly acidic environment. I for sure didn't need to spend _weeks_ researching, but I got sucked down the rabbit hole.

[@keith161]

@@vernonosborne9975 From my understanding, mopani is a very dense, hard, African wood, so it has low porosity. Therefore, it sinks automatically and has undulating grain, so it is attractive in aquariums. On the other hand, the low porosity doesn't allow water to seep quickly into the center. Water helps with the decomposition of turning dead wood into driftwood with little tannins and viable organic material for biofilm to feed off. The thicker the piece of mopani, the longer this process will take and the longer it will take to lease most of its tannins. I've used smaller, narrower pieces mopani wood before so the water can penetrate the wood quicker. Even with repetitive boiling, it will leach out tannins for awhile. This is just a natural process. We can quicken it with boiling. Personally, I don't mind tannins. There's quite a good amount of biochemical benefits of tannins. In the end, all forms of wood or driftwood are organic material and will all eventually decay and crumble. It's a matter employing wood at a stage of decay with its "skeletal" (ligin) remains but isn't falling apart.

[@keith161]

@@Rsheissekopf , I'm fortunate to live in a geographical area that naturally produces abundant real driftwood. It may not be overly exotic looking, but when I put in a planted aquarium, it somehow looks more naturally realistic than very exotic looking wood. Understandably, not everyone lives near bodies of water with collectible, wild driftwood. If you are looking for the least amount of tannins released from the wood, then you would want to buy true driftwood. Most of the tannins and other softer organic compounds of the wood have decayed in real driftwood. You can use other hardwoods that have been dead for a long time and feel very hard and dry. Manzanita has small diameters and large surface areas, so most tannins are extracted quickly. Experiment by soaking a questionable wood in a large bucket to see what it releases over a period of time before adding it to your tank. Personally, I don't mind some tannin.

[@Freytraz]

There are some tricks to cut down the time of "seasoning" of the wood. First (and kinda obvious) you gotta remove all sapwood (the soft part) with a knife or some scrubber. Boiling the rest for a long time (up to a day) helps. Boiling it in salt water also helps. But mostly you need time in the water so the wood can leach out everything. If you leave it in the dry, you will never be able to use it on an aquarium.

[@effy_kujo]

That stuff leeching out the driftwood looked stinky, lol, I can only imagine 🤭 this really shows the importance of cycling a tank and not just throwing live animals in a fresh set up. Although I can't wait to see Pancake and Flapjack in a proper aquarium, they're going to love the new one once it's deemed safe and blend so well with the leaves and flat stones. Thanks for showing the fails too xx

[@teddydunn3513]

In this case he was having a sulfur issue, so in essence the cycling was pertaining to the sulfur cycle as well as the nitrogen cycle

[@chriscavy]

When you were "swimming" I laughed so hard I started crying and couldn't catch my breath. That is the funniest thing I have seen I swear, it was so unexpected

[@gavinjacobs685]

Same I watched it like 3 times

[@antsandpets]

i know right i laughed so hard

[@denis_zanotto]

I just said "WTF was that?" lol

[@TheDro]

the second and tenth time its even better

[@chriscavy]

@@TheDro I know right? I came back five hours later just to watch for that few seconds and was not disappointed, crying laughing again

[@screamfortress2811]

The one dislike is from the driftwood

[@SerpaDesign]

😂

[@rat_dragon]

The 82 dislikes are now from each hole in the driftwood. And as the dislikes go up, it'll be from each fibre 🤣

[@screamfortress2811]

@@rat_dragon indeed

[@jetjazz05]

"I'm not smelly YOU'RE SMELLY" says the driftwood...

[@dyrcosis]

It's just as important to show when things go awry and how you deal with it as when everything goes fine. I like the new look and think mostly moss would be a good way to go.

[@morneschaap2944]

I love how the frogs eat, stuffing their mouths with both hands. 😁 New tank looks great, I can't wait to see them in there!

[@AngieDoesStuff]

I can totally relate to Pancake in that way.

[@SerpaDesign]

Haha me too!

[@liquidmind]

LMAO! TANNER TOAD SWIMMING AT THE END, LOL

[@j.stonehouse5004]

That was FANTASTIC ❤❤❤

[@toxxicrose]

Too good!! 🤣

[@JazzOLantern]

Even after preparing myself by seeing this comment, I still bursted into laughter when that part popped up.

[@noearellano4824]

Man! It gets me off guard man. I love it!

[@liquidmind]

Just so funny he is.

[@fossphur]

I had a piece of what's sold here as "gold vine" go bad but I didn't work out where the problem was for months. That tank must have had a high mold spore load as uneaten food would become furry very quickly and fish constantly had health problems despite very clean water from many many water changes. I finally decided to give up and take the tank down and immediately when I got the wood out of the water the smell was obvious even though the wood looked fine. It had actually rotted from the centre out and was mushy with a harder shell. So glad that tank is back to normal now.

[@mellie4174]

wow! who would have thought!

[@Ash-uu8ow]

My first thought was "Maybe it had been seeded with a fungus" 🤷

[@embyrr922]

When I saw the thumbnail, I got scared it was the pea puffer setup. I’m glad it was an un-stocked tank. Since the thin parts of the dragon root seemed to season okay, I wonder it they could be used in a riparian setup, although I’d still be nervous to stock it.

[@sydneywachtler9327]

I just want to say that I’ve been watching you for a few years now and it’s been awesome seeing you become more comfortable showing your sense of humor and personality! I’ve genuinely laughed out loud the last few videos at the little Tanner pop-ups 😂

[@DanKillam]

Sounds like some anaerobic bacteria were feasting on the wood. Glad you got it out if it was making that much sulfide

[@MrOneneft]

7:13 always with cheeky surprise lmao. love it

[@zaki_1337]

The thumbnails and editing are getting out of hand 😂😂

[@SerpaDesign]

Gotta keep it fresh! 😉

[@zaki_1337]

@@SerpaDesign Indeed.

[@unknownmale7467]

I really respect the fact that even as professional as your setups are you still show flaw and failure with the success

[@wheelchair_charlie]

Too bad about the Dragon Root it was some really neat looking wood, but nice rebound with the Malaysian wood. Tank looks great!

[@some1namedno1]

Tanner, you swimming in at the end there had me in stitches.

[@RyoWatanabee]

I almost nearly sniffed my phone to see if I could smell the wood 😆

[@kirani111]

Lol, I did the opposite. I held my nose as if the smell could transfer though the screen! 😂

[@Ash-uu8ow]

I'm sorry but, the thumbnails of you two on my phone look like y'all were separated at birth.

[@Ash-uu8ow]

One another note, as gross as it may seem, I really wanna know just how bad it smells. Like, in person.

[@doubtful_seer]

@@kirani111 same, I could swear I could smell it. lol

[@crocketthenderson3924]

It’s somehow comforting to see you, one of the kings of aquariums and terrariums, make mistakes. It happens to all of us. Thank you for sharing, and I’m excited to see what you come up with for the toads next!

[@CORYSart]

I got my drift wood from the Mississippi river. Its the root of a cedar tree I imagine grew on a bluff because it's so odd. I noticed it had one black mold spot that pops up and I clean that spot every few months and it's big around a a finger nail. Its hollow inside so I scraped the bug rot out and it's great. My betta loves the top because I have a plat growing up there and there a notch missing so he enters there. I have the air line running down the inside and out. Its fingers off at the bottom and you'd never notice the gap in one leg but in side that lives two koli loachs. My bristle none pleco keeps it clean.i can wait for the river to do down in the summer because drift wood will be everywhere.

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

Pancake and Flapjack are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing this Tanner that's how we all learn is by sharing our experiences!! The Driftwood was extremely beautiful, but as you said if it doesn't work... it just doesn't work.. would it even be safe to use in a terrarium type setup? I really did enjoy the build of this Aquarium!! It definitely still looks fabulous maybe even better!! Another great video!! They're at the end I saw a third one.. I think he should be named crepe 😂😂 I hope you and your family are having a very blessed week! Thanks again for sharing! 🙏🌿🐸💚🐸🌿

[@bonlynx]

I do like the pop of color the plants provided in the original set up so maybe just add a few to the new one?

[@Byhamzilla]

I adore how playful you've been with editing recently. It's always such a delight to see something quirky and you have a gift for it :D

[@fieryferret]

I love the failure repairs as much as the new builds, honestly. It's nice to see the approach to something like that, and helps me feel a bit better about my terrarium failures. Also swimming with the frogs reminded me to hit the thumbs up you will deserve, love it

[@paulinajanzen300]

When he talked about the smell of the wood I got flashbacks from my 33g who also went bad and I had to scoop all the soil and substrate out which also had the smell of the wood in it. 🤢

[@Trishakins0890]

I literally lost it when you were “swimming” in the tank 😂😂😂😂😂

[@denis_zanotto]

I just said "WTF was that?" lol

[@sandyg8794]

Hi Tanner! The new scape looks really good! I just finished watching the one where you added pancake and flapjack into it. They seemed really happy. It was fun watching you feed them. It's cute the way they use their hands to eat. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@HomemadeEcosystems]

Can't wait to see what you make of the new tanks! But knowing you it will be awesome!

[@margaretwaldoch7692]

I'm so glad you take the time to show failures as well as success. I'm going through my first battle with an ich outbreak in my freshwater community tank, and it's really reassuring to see that even the pros have struggles!

[@alexpatyababa5221]

LOL the clip of you "swimming" with the surinames, love the content and am excited to see how this set-up goes, best wishes, see you next time!!

[@3Y3ECE]

I appreciate your honesty. Your brand of video presentation is unique, real, and focused. I enjoy following your progress, successes, and failures. Though this tank didn't work out for this reason or that, you are still left with a beautiful custom tank, and a new world of options for it. Thanks for what you do, showing us how, showing us what has worked, trying new ideas, a real hobbyist approach to perfecting the craft, in your own way. Well done!

[@wskrrr6874]

Bro, when you said "I've just about lost my patience with it", I did a double take. You're a patient man, Mr. Tanner. Glad the new scape of the same tank turned out looking great.

[@TobyCreates]

One good thing about waking up at 6:00 am is making it early to a SerpaDesign video!

[@sabolcht.3355]

Good to you. 16:00 in there :(

[@randomperson97238]

Lol

[@OriginalRaveParty]

Good rebuild. Yeah I think a few plants with long drooping grass like fronds would look great gently waving around in the tank.

[@lynniewood]

You've inspired me to start making terrariums and collecting plants, now i have four successful mini terrariums, some succulents, and a bowl of moss balls (can't remember name rn) and I'm hopefully gonna get some fish and reptiles and set up some lovely tanks soon. Thank you so much for making videos, and i hope your projects all go well :D

[@MPRbyHamlin]

Love your honesty dude, and care towards your subscribers, helping them not do the things that didn't work out for you. Top man 👌

[@valeriemoran6289]

I love that you show your problem designs as well, it's refreshing to know that even pros aren't perfect.

[@domitnate1997]

Dude your extra little animations/intro things are so fun. I have been watching for a while and always thought you’re an awesome producer. Those stepped it up

[@mikemulligan7619]

Last weekend as I went out prospecting for gold on a claim my friend paid into I collected different types of moss and plant life. The next week I picked up a large jar with a latch a seal like you used in your native terrarium, with a little activated carbon, while I was gold panning I collected rocks for a false bottom, and made my own native terrarium. It's beautiful and the whole process brought me enjoyment, now I just need springtails and other little critters for it! Thanks for all the informative videos and the inspiration tanner I appreciate you!

[@vangeovani5615]

I lost it when you greenscreened yourself swimming with the toads 😂

[@MrDart7383]

I set up a nano waterfall tank with the same wood a year ago. I foamed the wood into the structure of my setup, so I have been stuck dealing with the decomposition of the wood. One submerged piece seems to have stabilized. Another that is half in submerged continues to mold though. I have to spray the water's surface every day to combat a moldy scum that forms. It's slowly getting colonized by moss and liverwort. I hold out hope that one day this tank will prevail and get inhabitants. Thanks for sharing your experience with this devil wood!

[@HippoTheThomas]

I had this happen with my first real fish tank... total disaster. Unfortunately I had already stocked the tank and lost all of my fish. Took me a long time to figure out what went wrong, but once I did I gave aquarium keeping another shot and found success. Love the videos. Been subscribed since my senior year of high school and I’m now in my senior year of college. Your videos are extremely inspiring to me. Thanks for putting in so much effort in your art.

[@yazunakarmi3315]

7:15 You're welcome :)

[@Maui_Waui]

Lmao wtf

[@meisterfluffbutt]

hero.

[@davidec.4021]

Lmaooo best timestamp ever

[@salatwaffel]

i hate and love it at the same time

[@pipdippitydoooo]

Tanner makes a cute frog, lol!

[@RACERetteX]

Tanner!!!! I am literally going through this right now with dragonwood! It’s been almost two months of 90% water changes with only slight improvement at this point. I packed the filter with anything I could think (carbon, chemi pure, fine floss, purigen, I can’t even remember what else), got a UV sterilizer, even tried bottled bacteria as a Hail Mary in case it was an epic bacterial battle. The water when changed was a murky charcoal color. Like you, I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s a much smaller tank, thankfully (17g). The biofilm is insane...it even grows on the glass and waves like hair in the water flow. THANK YOU for posting this so I could help figure out it IS the wood, as I suspected! You’re awesome. Mopani FTW!

[@xfatalxflawx]

Not every project is perfect. I appreciate that you are humble enough to show failure. On the plus side, you got a great video from it!

[@dkeazy_61]

Hey Tanner. Really enjoyed this video. The first tank I built had the same issue. I pulled the wood out last week and had the same condition I am seeing in your video. Nice to know you have challenges at times as well.

[@graysonlangham4579]

Actually so helpful to see a video where a tank fails (for whatever reason), and is recovered. This is so useful and honest. AND we actually see the final project for the surname toads, great vid.

[@klcpca]

Nothing worse than a "stinky" tank!!! The new setup looks great though. I LOVE your woodwork.... sooooooo beautiful!!! Can't wait to see them all set up 🧡

[@parrots4life74]

As someone who runs into the fungus wood thing a lot, I'll suggest a couple things to help next time you come across it. 1- Water filter with good tank circulation. And 2- An algae eater (I suggest bristlenose catfish) With these two things, your unlikely have any more issues with the fungus. The fish will eat it, and the yukky particles will clear up with the filter, all while less will grow with water moment. Of course you'll need the tank heated a little for the fish but thats about it.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Tanner, thanks for sharing this, making sure you share a realistic view of the hobby, I've been struggling as of late with a few things in my glass boxes, it helps to know I'm not alone in the struggles, keeping it real man, that's why I keep watching. The animal room is for sure a goal for me 😎 awesome work, awesome content! Have a good rest of your weekend!

[@RedHeadForester]

I don't watch nearly as many SerpaDesign videos as I perhaps should, but every time I watch a new one it's always a notch or two higher quality than the last. It'll be absolutely amazing to see where you're at a year from now! You're levelling up so damn fast with your video making, and the videos I was watching when I first found you were already fantastic! Keep 'em coming!

[@myusernameisthisduh]

Tanner I am in love with the new subscription reminder breaks in the videos. They get me everytime.

[@quill_bee]

The way those toads really utilize their hands to eat by shoving food in their mouths is so interesting and hilarious 😂

[@mellie4174]

i love how flap jack chews his food daintily but pancake just gulps it all down in one big gulp! LOL

[@shanerogers2857]

I feel so proud of this guy, his content is always so professional and wholesome. Thank you for always making me feel inspired at 3am to make my own paludarium :)

[@elisabeteart]

Somestimes things just don't work out but I'm glad you were able to solve the problem. The toads are so interesting! I really love to watch them.

[@rechelieu]

Your fish room looks amazing....A M A Z I N G.....Keep up the good work. I enjoy the fruits of your creative labor....

[@MrOnlymoin1]

love the plywood look with the brass fittings..room got that 'victorian' vibe going

[@missywickberg1153]

Waking up to a video from you is always a good day!! Thank you!

[@SillyKerberos]

hey man, i just wanna give you some thanks. i've been extremely afraid of frogs and toads my entire adult life but this winter ive been watching videos about them to try and get over it and the way you genuinely love and care about these animals has really helped me overcome my fears. hopefully this spring when im out in the woods looking under logs if i find a toad it wont send me climbing up a tree. your videos are awesome dude glad youre around

[@MarbleHercules]

So glad you shared a failed tank. So many content creators try to act like they don’t mistakes and everything will go perfect if you follow their guides. But stuff like this can happen.

[@jewelleryhannah7493]

Awesome video! So weird the wood went off (eew) and interesting to see how to sort-out a re-set when things don’t go to plan. So excited to see what’s going to be in the new tanks!

[@greentape7817]

Oh I can`t wait to see where that Schefflera is going to wind up! Schefflera is one of my favourite plants because of how cooperative it is. It can handle different light and water levels (within reason, of course) and it responds to pruning super well and much of what you prune off propagates very easily, so you can really customize it if you have a particular vision in mind and it will play along. I can imagine you using it to bring something amazing to life!

[@VashGames]

That wood looks like Hans level of nasty.

[@CricketsMa]

Shows the wisdom of letting a tank mature and season, especially when using materials that are new to you. It looked purely gross, Tanner! I feel sorry for the toads living in such basic conditions! I'm sure they don't mind. It's probably just a human thing. When will they get moved to their new tank?

[@davisbenn2179]

Love seeing the ups and downs of keeping animals. Your transparency helps others learn!

[@Rryan8065]

Tanner, I found my first ring neck snake after 6 years of my last time seeing one! I got so excited

[@ShellyCline]

I love the new set up. I can't wait to see the roads swimming in it. 🐸

[@1884Winter]

can't wait to see the new setups! It's always such fun to watch. I almost had smell-a-vision with that driftwood...it looked so nasty

[@waterlover]

Love how everything looks the same no mismatch tanks

[@monjier17]

Gotta love when the plant matter decays in water and produces sewer gas, you should see how bad it smells when this happens in a large bottle terrarium and you decide to open it bc you notice a few plants are missing and there is some mold here and there

[@practicalmagic9]

Loving the multiple tank set up! And congrats on figuring out what was going on with the toad aquascape. At least you fixed it!

[@doodadsdandy]

flapjack using his little hands to eat his worms omg such a sweetie

[@VyvienneEaux]

That was an amazing biotope-style tank! My hypothesis is that the wood attracted yeasts and bacteria, which started eating the wood. The smells you describe are byproducts of sugar and protein metabolism. You can try soaking the wood in a tub of bleach and sodium hydroxide for a month with weekly bleach changes if you ever want to try again. That should destroy enough of the nutritional value at the surface of the wood and any spores present!

[@gwendolyncarter5668]

That was NOT a clean up job I would have wanted! Great Job on new set up though! I have never seen frogs like that. Omg, they are just too cute! LOVE their names!! Their feet are just too beautiful! Just wanna hug them up!🤗

[@midgetkungfu]

Awesome vid! I think it's awesome that you showed the tank hardship and changeout! Can't wait to see those two in their new tank when it's safe! :)

[@Geo-sesarma]

For whatever sort of future setup you give your Pipa I'd suggest using some kind of larger grained sand like pool filter sand, rather than rocks, these animals really dont come from substrates of river stones in the wild, instead coming from sand and dirt and mud with layers of leaf litter and detritus on top of it so I had a lot of doubts about if the tank would even be viable long term for them

[@TheBoognish7]

We've all been there. Thanks for documenting/sharing.

[@RageAgainstGOD]

i really love your work. one little suggestion is to stick little piece of sponge or sth like that to make the door shut quietly! that will add a little perfection to the tank and maybe less stress to lucky animals who'll live there

[@NE-BO]

Love seeing a video in my feed Tanner! The content quality just keeps going up!

[@_potat0729]

I love how they use their little hands when they eat 💕

[@loostrom93]

Had the same happen to my scape, after 3 months of water changes and scrubbing I started up the aquarium and never had a problem with the wood since then.

[@badge_of_honor]

I just had this happen to me as well with a betta tank. I had a Mopani wood stump with plants. I knew something was wrong when my java ferns started dying. Pulled out the wood and the only way to describe the smell was death.

[@rcjames4]

This is weird to say, but thanks for posting this, its nice seeing when things go wrong and how to get back on the right track

[@sarcohuman8147]

Serpra design is a amazing aquascaper definitely the best for natural aquascapes

[@magandmick]

Everything you make is absolutely amazing and your dedication to your hobby is impressive! I'm awestruck.

[@sheilacasper2030]

Wow. I didnt know that tanks could get so rank. Have you ever considered having plants in your room? That would look really nice.

[@hlsghost]

Glad the toads will get a nice cleaner home! I think a few plants would complement the moss and toads well.

[@giwanverveen3496]

Hey @SerpaDesign, I have had this problem before aswell. I solved it by redoing the scape (with the same wood) and adding extra filtration and flow for a while. I took out all the wood and sprayed it off with hot water in the shower. With the wood out of the tank i scrubbed down every surface in the aquarium and did a good gravel vac and did two 100% waterchanges (all the botanicals were thrown away). After that I placed an extra filter on the tank and added a couple of amanoshrimp (Caridina Multidentata). This completely solved the problem for me. I let it cycle like this for 10 weeks, after that I took out the extra filtration and let it cycle for 2 more weeks after which i slowly stocked my tank.

[@johnr.timmers2297]

Gotta say, that before and after was a gorgeous transformation

[@qq911]

I had a similar issue, there was no smell, but the driftwood was obviously not matured enough. The wood would constantly have fuzz all over it. I constantly scrubbed it, did water changes, but 4 months later I gave up because all of my plants were dying, and barely growing (i have 2 other tanks, and have some experience, so it's not my process or ferts or w/e). I rescaped, removing the wood. 8 months into the new scape, no issues, it's a jungle!

[@frankietatcanbearrange3874]

Awesome setup, man u are the kahuna of aquascaping, terrarium, vivarium & the lots!

[@bnhietala]

Bummer of a set back. I've been dying to see those toads in that setup! But you certainly can't have them swimming around in all that gunk. The redo looks great, though! Definitely looking forward to them getting in there! Soon, little toads! soon....

[@jaitotani9741]

Haha love the toads and how active they are. Started laughing when Flapjack came out of nowhere thinking you were giving them food. Lavalier mic is crystal clear as well :)

[@888fluffy]

This dude be having wayy too much fun with the green screen of recent I love it

[@chosenundead4610]

I like the way you remind/ask people to like and sub, it's short, sweet and usually totally unexpected and hilarious, it definitely worked for me 👍

[@pipdippitydoooo]

I like both setups but imo the first one looked better thanks in part to the plants. Sorry it rotted :/ The second build is bound to look better after you get some greenery in there. Pancake and Flapjack are gonna love it! Speaking of loving it, that unit you built is beautiful! I would totally stock those top three with poison dart frogs, lol! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

[@micahmesker9903]

One of the things I really appreciate about your videos is that you are willing to share the flops along with the successes. It's validating (and refreshing) to see that even the experienced people run into challenges! (PS - I'm super jealous of your mad carpentry skills.)