Fangorn Forest Aquascape Comes to Life! Unboxing PLANTS and Dry Starting

[@DreamsandReality00]

Oh man, with that atomizer I almost don't want you to fill it! It looks so good as Fangorn Forest with that fog! Love your attention to detail and the care you put into everything. Can't wait to see how this turns out for you!

[@pepperjune84]

I came here to say that. It looks awesome as it is right now. But, I know the finished product will blow our minds as well :)

[@arachnophilegrrl]

I would DIE to have that many plants in one go!! This is already a masterpiece!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you! I'm so grateful for the plants :0

[@fazercraig9652]

What good are plants to you if you're dead?

[@Guppy_Girl]

When you put that moss in the blender it killed me. Nice scape, I felt like I was waiting ages for this video. ☺

[@ApatheticBlogger]

Felt like I was being blended tbh

[@Aiden-V2.0]

same y'all

[@michaelalexandercanade3449]

*Laughter* Thank you for sharing this amazing project.

[@IndoorEcosystem]

Man that's looking good. The Ents will be pleased!

[@juanedenburg6766]

That new Anubis is a good grower for me. Love your scape

[@SimplyBetta]

That's good to know! Is it huge?

[@billie869]

Ah it looks so dang good! Yippy

[@deadizbetter]

Now this is a tank I'm excited to see

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you :)

[@johnphom1136]

Man thats at least a grip in plants 😯. Looks soooo good!

[@SimplyBetta]

Not that much! But it was a lot, I'm grateful for the help

[@stephaniegagnon6737]

Omg the mist sets the mood perfectly 😮🤩

[@SimplyBetta]

Right!?

[@pirnotlie]

yay! it looks amazing. double yay, you got the Lobelia!

[@SimplyBetta]

haha yep!!

[@GavinKohAquascaping]

What a great looking tank and theme. I have Fissiden, it is a very wispy and delicate looking moss, the only down side is, when i trim, the little cuttings get everywhere and they attach hard and grow where they land. Now I have to keep plucking them from all sorts of nooks and crannies. First world problems, I know lol.

[@SimplyBetta]

I have the feeling all this moss will be a huge, mess pain to deal with. But yeah, first world problems! lol

[@jenpink4298]

I can’t wait for the next episode!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! I fill it next week, then I'll have a video out a little while after ;P

[@jenpink4298]

How is The Forest??

[@SimplyBetta]

@@jenpink4298 Great! It will be my next video :P

[@jenpink4298]

🎉🎉🎉

[@ericmogielnicki3101]

Omg when you opened that foil, I was like That's my salad from last night 🤣🤣

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah!

[@hmshood9212]

2023 just got better!

[@MidnightMaraly]

I'm so excited for this tank!!!

[@naegwut]

Happy New Year I like how you waited for the delivery

[@Loveofpets]

Looks great! Happy New Year!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you, Happy New Year :)

[@lakeshiamills1454]

Really looking forward to seeing how this turns out! Getting some good inspiration for my own 90 gallon 😁

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks, me too! I hope this gives you some fun ideas

[@wigglewiggle3789]

You ordered a forrest for your forrest. This is so cool. Happy New Year, take care.

[@SimplyBetta]

Yep! haha Happy New Year :)

[@aarocka11]

Holy shit it’s the voice of Penny!!! I only now realized this after being subscribed for like a year.

[@SimplyBetta]

small world!

[@lurklingX]

YAAAAAS so excited to see this pop up! been waitin on it since the last one! :D

[@naia_luna]

Low key super jealous of that huge plant delivery 😂🤣

[@SimplyBetta]

I'm so grateful T_T

[@dafud77]

love it!

[@bazrat69]

Wowzers that atomizer looks so sick! Imagine having all these plants! Tropica if your feeling nice you can always send me some freebies 🤣.

[@ErikWhyRock]

This is amazeballs!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to see it all grown out!!!!

[@SwatejK]

It's incredible how you keep up with this KZbin channel and family 🥳👏

[@SimplyBetta]

It's my alternative to a social life lol :P Thanks!

[@phillipsommer7973]

Yes! Been looking forward to seeing how this turned out. Treebeard himself would be proud. Can't wait to see how it goes in a few weeks aka one ent-moot's worth of time!!!

[@SimplyBetta]

haha thank you!

[@alaskangirl7675]

Sweet! Thanks for sharing. It looks great already.

[@Itsmaaark1331]

Wow it’s really coming along looks amazing can’t wait until next video.

[@noobfuzilado8661]

12:46 I was using our old blender to make homemade gel food... WITH WORMS. One day our new blender broke down, and my mother took the old one back to use without knowing it. My family can't even imagine this happened, it's a life and death situation.

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah! My poor family has had to endure blackworms in the fridge, plants and stinky homemade gel food, sterilizing dirt in the microwave constantly, worm cultures everywhere... Your secret is safe with me!

[@andystokes8702]

This is a secret you must take to your grave.

[@CichlidAquariums]

That mist is so cooooooool! Beautiful. Bravo! 👏 ❤

[@laughinglighting4343]

Awesome video!

[@Cgraseck]

Wow! what a crazy planting. Thank you Tropica for an epic shipment! I can't wait for the updates. This is so cool! Cheers, Chris

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you :)

[@roboshawn]

Love it. When thinking about occupants I was imagining those raven-like birds in the forest. So maybe something like black molly or maybe the black angelfish.

[@rachelb2464]

Maybe a school of Black Harlequin Rasboras they have a little color in the head area but that may not be a bad thing in a dark tank. They should also move around like a flock of crebain ;)

[@roboshawn]

@@rachelb2464 That sounds awesome. I've never seen those before.

[@rachelb2464]

@@roboshawn they are kinda hard to find but really cool. Look up an image of them if you haven't!

[@porkchopjp]

the tank the stand and everything in it is beautiful!

[@AnonV1997]

Forget making an aquarium, make that into a terrarium. That atomizer mist makes it so dope!

[@SimplyBetta]

haha right?

[@reginaphalanges7331]

Super 😎!!! The moss smoothies, threw me off, but not once I saw what you were doing!😅 I also love the mist, it definitely will make the next few weeks easier😃 and I love your beautiful moss colored shirt.. nice touch!👍

[@davidbaker6382]

Looks awesome already! Love the mist! Looking forward to the next steps.

[@ellenhorcher2890]

No clue how you have the patience!!! It's so awesome though...Me no never! Very very nice Taylor! ❤️

[@SimplyBetta]

It's harrrrd, haha. Thank you :)

[@mandyminshull2351]

Can’t wait to see it grown in and seeing what fish you put in it

[@mingbritson]

THANKS!!! I just got some fish delivered today. They were a day late so there are some losses... This video, like all your videos, made things a little better!

[@thekingofdiy]

if i ever had to pick someone to scape a tank, it would likely be you and one of your theme ideas! love them!

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha thanks Joey. You could fit the entire Shire in the 700g!

[@Evil_Genius_888]

That’s one huge load of plants!! I like your vision with the dark plants too. I’ve never done the dry start, but I’ve seen others do the moss painting. I’m surprised you didn’t put any on the rocks.

[@SimplyBetta]

I did do some rocks! I don't think I showed that though, I hope my mini pellis and fissdens takes on them :/ Glad you like my vision! I hope I can do it justice

[@audrameyer9558]

Hi Taylor! Happy New Year 🥳 This is so fantastic already.... I can't wait to see it when it's complete. I have never tried the moss painting before, but am going to need to give that a try!

[@SimplyBetta]

Happy new year Audra! Heck, I hope the moss painting works out!

[@shuanaroden5226]

You are so lucky to be able to get those plants here in Tasmania we have very few to choose from am getting sick of nagging our fish stores about the lack of plants

[@SimplyBetta]

Dang sorry!

[@wynja77]

Wooow, it's already looking amazing, I can't wait to see how it will look in the future! YOU might be ok with waiting, but I wanna see NOOOOW! ;)

[@SimplyBetta]

haha, thank you! Patience!

[@MissChelle]

Looks great so far, good luck keeping hair algae out of the moss!❤️🇦🇺

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah!

[@erinbauer5707]

I’m speechless and obsessed and I LOVE your plant choices. I only wish I could be shrunk down to a teeny weeny size and live in there myself. It’s truly a dreamscape!

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah! Best compliment ever, thank you :)

[@mattgray9297]

Mind blown re: the moss smoothie application 🤯

[@jonathaninscho9986]

Tank is looking amazing so far

[@jaxguthrie9459]

Gotta be honest, I thought you were insane for blending that moss until I saw how it looks painted on. This is already a masterpiece and I can't wait to see it submerged and fully grown!

[@stevecooper6653]

I know how much these plants cost 😮I’ve 15 tanks like you said just start off with some plants then propagate then take cuttings ect before you know it your tanks will fill in time.most plants you buy potted can be split into 3-4 plants 🪴 looks good young lady.definitely woke me up soon as you speak lol 😂steve 🇬🇧

[@SimplyBetta]

OOPS I think I was excited to get my plants at the beginning, lol. Yeah I hope people don't get discouraged by this! I'm so grateful to have help with all those dang plants or I would have been starting the normal way with just a few

[@betterthantelevision]

Happy New Year Taylor, tank looks awesome so far

[@candicehardin2225]

Three weeks starting......NOW! That looked like neck and back numbing work. Hope you caught up on your sleep! Its projects like this that require periodic massages to keep going. Now you need a tank for the plants you wont use...thats how my projects start sometimes. Thank you for the update, I have eagerly been following this! Love the quality of your efforts and forethought!

[@SimplyBetta]

haha yeah it was a lot of work, it's nice to be able to sit back for a while now! And I totally do have a special "temporary" spot for my lovely new plants!

[@cindylundberg125]

Thinking leave like is. When that mist crept along the forest floor absolutely stunning. What is the reason for the yogurt, you forgot to mention it.

[@SimplyBetta]

Oh you're right, I forgot to say! The thought is that a little yogurt will give the moss some nutrients to grow with

[@fenus609]

I legit thought the blending moss method was going to be legit, and it was! Also I don't want to even think about how much those plants cost, wow!

[@SimplyBetta]

I don't want to think about it, lol. The moss method is pretty cool, I hope everything turns out!

[@danasmith8557]

Wow can't wait to c the grown plant tank

[@rickfromthecape3135]

We do the moss and yogurt trick in masonry to make new stone walls and patios look old and established. Never thought to do it in my aquarium.

[@vampgaia]

OMG!! I have plant envy!!! I love Fanghorn Forest!

[@TheHobGoblin]

Such a cool setup, I can't wait to see it "full-grown".

[@hollyleafwell2118]

I'm just sad I'm too early for this. I want the instant gratification of watching part 2 where it's all established, filled, and stocked! But this is amazing, regardless! I can't wait to see how those plants will grow out and the moss!!! Ugh I'm already so excited, if you can't tell 🤣

[@SimplyBetta]

Instant gratification is the best gratification lol. Thank you!

[@FeistyNugget411]

This looks absolutely awesome! I would just die to have a tank like this. I love dark mossy looking tanks! I'm so excited to see more

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks! I hope I can do it justice

[@reality-is-illusion4938]

It looks amazing! I can't wait for the plants to grow!

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you!

[@fletchoid]

My brain exploded when I saw you blend your moss. I need to try this.

[@joynut1677]

I can't wait to see it grow!

[@GROCK619]

Cheers tay ..nice work 👍

[@lmp8932]

I can hardly wait to see the end product, this tank is going to be beyond amazing! Happy New Year 😁🐟

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you, Happy New Year :)

[@candicehardin2225]

Would using a hidden, fine air stone element near your incoming filtration add excess oxygen to your tank and make the light filter through an appearance of fog? That mist is just amazing and I'm wondering if you can recreate something similar under the water.

[@SimplyBetta]

It's a cool idea but the filtration would sweep it away!

[@nlhrb]

The mist makes it look like it will be fine as is, like a terrarium

[@SimplyBetta]

Right?!

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

​@@SimplyBetta I just thought of something... Why not a paludarium where you have a foggy forest, maybe even with live bonsai like fig trees with roots that grow down from the branches, and have them next to a pool that opens to a cave under the land mass like a cenote, and submerged plants growing wherever light hits under the water? You could have the best of multiple worlds, and even put crystals in the cave with back-lighting sort of like what Serpadesign did not too long ago.

[@ultimatefishkeeping]

Hi Taylor. 🙂 I hope you are well. It is looking very nice. The Scape is beautiful. You still have time to order the Hobbit and put it in, seeing as you are dry starting the Aquarium. I have learned about that method for propagating and attaching Moss, yet I have never had to do that as I have yet to find a reason to use that technique. I Once ordered a fogger for Somebody's Pond, yet I never installed it as plans changed along the way, however you never know, perhaps One day I will put it in or I will use it for another build. Anyway, I would like to commend you on your latest Aquascape, you have really done an Outstandingly Amazing job. 👏 All the best. Out of appreciation to you for taking the time to produce this film, I have granted your video the #136th #Like to say thankyou very much for sharing with not only I, yet with all us viewers. Take care, Madam. 👍🙂👍❤️

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you UFC, I appreciate the nice comment! I finally found a source for the crypt Hobbit, but it's in Germany! I'm still going to order it but I better wait for temperatures to be a little safer T_T

[@ultimatefishkeeping]

@Simply Betta It is my pleasure, Madam. That's good, I'm glad you have already sourced out a supplier. Yes, that is a good idea. 👍🙂👍❤️

[@monicaharmonica7152]

I’m so excited for all of this!!!!😮❤

[@Addi--]

I've never seen the moss in the blender thing. I'm interested to see the progress of the moss in this tank

[@SimplyBetta]

Thanks, I hope it works!

[@WhatIsMisophonia]

Yeah, fog is so awesome; I want a huge paludarium some day with a fog covering the land and water, though I currently don't have the space or tank for it. Unfortunately, you're going to find that you'll have to fill up that bowl with water two or three times a day, and the water is also going to get quite hot as well. If you let it run out, you'll burn up the fogger. I'm currently experimenting with a DIY reptile fogger, and it's easier than you think. First of all, you can convert a ultrasonic humidifier (one of those units with a built in water reservoir and forced air mist) into a reptile fogger by just attaching a hose to the end where mist comes out so that you can direct the fog wherever you want. Ultrasonic humidifiers are very simple in design and most have a gravity fed reservoir, the same type of atomizing disk that your little fogger has, and the fog is forced up and out via the use of a miniature blower fan (squirrel cage fan). I have a fogger similar to yours, and also bought some little usb powered 5v .25a 1.25w blower fans. My sump contains a small float connected to an RO filter so that I never have to top off water, and so in the case of my fogger, I can use the tank water itself as my reservoir. I have the fogger in the sump, and the fogger is covered with a container made from a pop bottle that has two openings. One opening is connected to a hose that is also connected to the blower fan. The other opening is connected to a 1/2 inch ID black poly tube that goes up to the top of the main tank. There, it is connected to a tube running along the top back of the tank and has holes drilled in it to let out the fog. Basically, the pop bottle container fills with fog and the fan pressurizes and forces out the fog. I tried to angle the tube running from the fan down so that the incoming air would sort of scoop up the fog rather than blowing over the top of it. Also, you have to make sure the other tube that runs to the tank is constantly moving upward, as some of the fog will condense inside the tube. If part of the tube drops down creating a trap in the tube, condensate will fill it up in time, you'll hear a gurgling sound, and fog will have difficulty coming through. All in all, my set-up is working pretty well so far. My experience with these foggers is that they work non-stop for about a year. There are other options though too where you can buy little circuit boards and individual atomizing disks which plug into them via long water resistant cords that I might experiment with. But yeah, good luck finding this diy vivarium fogger info anywhere else than in my wall of text. 😔 I only was able to figure it out by buying a humidifier, disassembling and analyzing it. I'm considering possibly making a video on it, as well as my DIY ghetto lighting, but Idk if this is even the best long term solution anyway, since the hard aquarium water might reduce the life expectancy of the cheaper atomizing disks. Of course if that's the case though, I can always stick a T in the RO tubing and hook up a second float to a separate container of water that would house the fogger so that it's only sitting in RO water.

[@williamamely7038]

Happy New Year, Taylor!! Can't wait to see all of the projects you will be taking on with your Bettas, and fish room. Those plants look beautiful. Your tank will look awesome. I wish you, and everyone else watching this video, a happy, healthy and productive 2023.🎉🎊🎉🎊😃😁

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you so much William, have a lovely Happy New Year :)

[@shesellsfish]

Oh Girl! That swirling fog mist is so freaking awesome! . What an awesome awesome tank that is going to be. So exciting to seeing this coming together. Happy New Year, Taylor, 2023 is going to be amazing for you. 👍💖👍

[@SimplyBetta]

Happy new year!! Thanks so much shesellsfish

[@102HuevosFritos]

I am really enjoying this tank 😊

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you!

[@sebramski1]

nice video, tank already looks great with the mist. maybe make a plant growout tank for the extra plants. another option is to darken the background of the tank so you can use lighter plants. but it give a total different look.

[@SimplyBetta]

Thank you, I do have the extra plants in a growout tank! If the background is too bright and distracting from the theme, I might just turn it dark green :P

[@Blackwings45LL]

Man I wish I had a tank even 1/10 as good looking as this is! Cant wait to see the final product, it’s going to be amazing!!

[@ladyrorschach2101]

This is a marvelous scape, Taylor! You are so incredibly talented and a great source of inspiration for so many of us! In fact, you have inspired me to do a similar fandom scape of my own! Granted I don't have near the space or funds for such a project at the moment, but you can never quash your dreams! I am planning on a 60-gallon tank scaped to look like The Valley of the Dragons which, any fan of the anime, The Slayers, would know of, as seen in Slayers Next! I am thinking about some Seiryu stone to really mimic those jagged peaks of mountainous terrain, and while I am still pinpointing specific plants, there will definitely be a LOT of plants to mimic the forest scape below the mountains! My main centerpiece fish would be a Golden Dojo Loach that I would appropriately name Milgazia, after the leader of the surviving Golden Dragons in the valley. Not sure on the rest of the stock, but I think it would be an incredible tank! Thank you again for being such a vivacious and enriching source of inspiration! Your work is truly remarkable! P.S. I am looking into the prospect of acquiring a female Betta this coming year, and I would love to get one from you! I am on the lookout for a little pink female, so if you happen to have one from the latest spawn that needs a future home, I would be happy to acquire her!

[@SimplyBetta]

Oh gosh, thanks for the nice comment! Hearing that others are getting some great ideas for tanks is really awesome, I hope to see some neat ones coming up! Ooooo the jagged-y Slayers mountains idea is pretty cool! Oh gosh, I'm only juuuust now able to spawn fish again (barely), I'm not sure when or what my next spawns will be T_T

[@randihardy6642]

how exciting! love seeing the plants going in. can u set up a little plant propagation bin or something with the extras for now? i'm mentally preparing to do a huge plant repair on my tank... everything is so rough looking as its had to fight to survive during my learning process, so i'm going to start taking out bit of plants to propagate in a separate bin. hopefully i can nurture it all and make it look good and then replace the rough patches in the main tank with it.

[@SimplyBetta]

Yep! My anubias is in a plant grow tray with a light, and some other things are in my Evil Driftwood tank :P Growing plants emersed (out of the water) isn't too hard, it will take patience though because your plant will have to convert first, then grow. Giving a solid trim to everything and keeping it in the tank would work too!

[@randihardy6642]

@@SimplyBetta ill give it try with trimming it down!

[@PBee8108]

I'd be binging on MD Fish Tanks videos if I bought that many plants. WOW!

[@lurklingX]

still mid vid but just wanted to say WOW such dedication to the plant names, posting them even, which is great! also, the reason i love your vids, aside from production quality and educational but fun content is your energy and also sillyness. (if i could siphon some of that boundless energy though............... LOL :D )

[@SimplyBetta]

you're so nice! I appreciate that :)

[@philcarlino6942]

This turned out so good, Taylor. I'm so happy I could remind you about crypt hobbit, I'm so excited to see how everything grows in. Maintenance is going to be a nightmare with all that moss, but at least moss grows slowly, right? Right?? Lol. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year!

[@SimplyBetta]

LOL thank you for that. It's impossible to find anywhere.... except GERMANY. Guess who is gonna try to import them Happy New Year!

[@kropka8259]

4:35 - 4:36 Defo ''my precioussss'' vibes right there 😅

[@SimplyBetta]

Lol!

[@brookebiddle6199]

How do u get tropica to sponsor you? Do they get in touch with you or do u reach out to to them? I always wondered how that worked

[@SimplyBetta]

I asked a contact of mine, who agreed!

[@AnyfinGoes]

I've been loving this series/project/aquascape. I've even been telling my non-aquarium lotr-fan friends about it, and I'm not sure that they care but I get a little "oh neat" from them anyway. Anyway, love the plant choices and thanks for the moss blending tip. I have a lot of Christmas moss but I just cut and cram it around nooks and crannies of tanks. :P Painting would be way better.

[@SimplyBetta]

LOL that's what most of my friends/family does too. They're like "ooo nice" and roll their eyes at the crazy fish lady and change the subject ;P If the painting doesn't work out, I'll be doing the "shove everywhere" method ;)

[@Bruno-fu4hm]

I can't wait to see this tank well established 😩

[@SimplyBetta]

Me too!

[@ESF19791111]

MORE...I WANT MORE... :D THANK YOU FOR SHARING :) THANK YOU FROM ISRAEL :)

[@lurklingX]

6:34 ok, NOW i'm overwhelmed. i know that feel of spending forever on something only to realize you have x500 more to do.

[@SimplyBetta]

Hah!

[@leigh161269]

love the video and the tank looks amazing, only gripe i have is the number of times you complained about preping the massive amount of plants that tropica "gave you". the number of plants you have there would cost me a months wages at least.

[@SimplyBetta]

Lol I could have griped less huh. I was really surprised by that. I’m so grateful for the plants

[@KerriGilpin]

Wow. As excited as I am to see the tank full of water, I love the look of that misty mountain mist! I’m also excited to see how well the moss does now that it’s been smoothied 🤣 I thought you faked me out when you drank the smoothie, nice one! (Now I want to know who your oil painter relative is!)

[@tamarasimpson2879]

Use the oops abubia in another tank. My red eyed red tail puffer LOVED the anubias in pots. She slept under the plants inside the pots. I used Nanna for her so she had all sorts of places to explore.

[@JamesDeGaris]

😂 That smoothie 😅👌

[@professorm4171]

Where did you get the tropica plants?

[@SimplyBetta]

From Tropica! But they're usually available on Flipaquatics.com or aquariumcoop.com, and most aquatic plant retailers

[@indecisivegardener]

You gotta have an extra tank laying around somewhere. Right? Throw those extra plants in there. 😁 You do all of the work while I watch.

[@SimplyBetta]

Haha you bet, those plants are safe!

[@mishkawild1090]

I wonder when the next update will be

[@siuit]

I had the meboldi red tirns into blue to pink i guess if your lighting is good its definetly a sight to see

[@SimplyBetta]

I can't waaaait

[@joanfergusonsgirl4774]

I wish stores in Australia could stock Tropica Tissue Culture. Obviously we do have our own sort of tissue culture but Tropica looks waaay better. Also the mist in the tank. As much as I’m excited to see the finished results of this thank I was still like "It would be so awesome if Taylor could leave the mist" lol. ❤

[@SimplyBetta]

So many people like the mist and say to leave it as-is, lol!!

[@landonwurst6677]

Where did you get that wood from?