Taking My FIRST EVER Reef Aquarium To The NEXT LEVEL!

In this video I'm taking my first ever reef aquarium to the next level! We are adding in new corals and a bunch of other cool stuff!
Everything I've used so far (affiliate links)
Tank
US: bit.ly/3Le1cfO
EU: bit.ly/3LCR1CX
Light
US: bit.ly/3oTrj42
EU: bit.ly/3LiuJoM
Wavemaker
US: amzn.to/45qLKWe
ATO
EU: amzn.to/3qBqqhU
US: amzn.to/3KOL8Sh
Heater
EU: amzn.to/3sbtsK6
US: amzn.to/3P5SMuk
Sand
US: amzn.to/3ZtDlOe (similar)
EU: amzn.to/3TTFphf
Refractometer
US: amzn.to/3JPFKgB
EU: amzn.to/42Pa7fF
🚨Watch this next!🚨
Inspiration playlist! • Build Videos
CO2 buying guide! • BEST CO2 SYSTEM FOR BE...
How to SETUP your CO2! • EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO...
Simple fertilizer dosing! • SIMPLE AQUARIUM PLANT ...
👉🏻Cool Aquascaping T-shirts: mosscotton.com/ Code: mjaqua10
👉🏻15% off 2hraquarist.com with code: MJAQUA
👉🏻Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my KZbin channel: / mjaquascaping
👉🏻 Use Code ''MJAMSTERDAM'' for 10% off Fzone products
#plantedtank #aquascape #mjaquascaping

[@gankedbydendi6857]

You sure can buy a pair of clown fish on nano tank , they dont’t swim much especially they host anemonee 🤣 , they just swim when you feed them

[@CherIsmail]

Clownfish are Damsels. So you added a damsel thinking your nano was too small for a pair of clownfish 🤷🏼‍♀️😉

[@taylormwilson1]

Lmfao, and be ready cause clowns are biters 😂 found out the hard way when cleaning the tank one day

[@taylormwilson1]

And moog point, I have my pair of clowns in an evo 13.5. So youe 10g would have been perfect

[@lax_nuggets_.]

​@@taylormwilson1 you know what's weird is I see this everywhere yet I've never been bitten especially by maroon clownfish

[@mitchellbaird1628]

It’s so funny that MD and MJ both posted their first salt water videos today lmao

[@MJAquascaping]

Coincidence? 😁

[@johnVidBozo]

Not exactly true. MJ has had a tank up for several months. MD has two tanks but they aren't even wet yet! So great props for MJ leading the way. I've kept both reef and FW for 20+ years and love to see the really skilled aquascapers like these two try their hands at the SW world. SW is much more complex, especially if it's a reef tank. The fish are so different. Much more color in the SW world but the fish are very expensive and usually extremely shy. If you love to learn new things, SW provides no end of learning experiences.

[@mitchellbaird1628]

@@MJAquascaping collab coming in the future?👀

[@paulshizzledizzle6180]

Clowns would have been perfect

[@richardgutierrez9223]

Not that it even matters anyway but md did saltwater years ago

[@aquarium.doctor]

Hey MJ, your shy damsel fish is actually shy because he is the only fish in the tank. Naturally these little guys claim a small territory close to a cave or overhang for themselves and take cover as soon as there are no other fish around (usually a predator is neraby then). I wouldn‘t recommend a second damsel for this small tank but a little goby or blenny might help. Keep going! Love your content! 🥰

[@paulm0573]

Damsel fish can actually be quite aggressive even though they don’t look it. Would have been ideal to add a damsel as the last livestock to add rather than the first fish because he will be very territorial when another fish is added. Therefore agree on the recommendation of adding a blenny which won’t swim around as much and stay out of the damsel’s sight more.

[@hhinojosareef1]

I started with fresh water planted aquariums but once I went marine reef tanks never looked back way nicer and interesting.. The colors are insane let’s not forget the fish.

[@farr1260]

Love the subtle editing where you use different music compared to your freshwater videos! Can't wait to see more of your saltwater journey.

[@psy_99]

The anemone spinning around is so cute

[@asteria7577]

Are you able to do a video breaking down the costs to start and maintain a salt water aquarium? That's one of the biggest draw backs for me right now 😅

[@cameron7847]

This could be something you didn't know but all the corals in your tank are very fast growers and will either spread really fast or span very wide very fast. Something to keep in mind 👍 Also the anemone should have been introduced first because they walk over and sting everything finding their place and the corals will not be happy and possibly die off.

[@BIG-ES-]

His corals are resilient and fast growers like you said. If he had sps in there then the nem choice would make sense, I’m sure they will be fine

[@natasha9570]

You can definitely get clownfish they don't swim around alot especially when they have a host coral

[@thomasvanderpol8047]

truely and genuinely just want to thank you for being so inspiring - starting with the fish bowl and i couldnt be more excited!!!

[@tombarb2864]

You need another “big shallow” style of reef tank. While sitting in the room you can imagine you are off the coast of Australia in the Great Barrier Reef….😂

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

YES!!!! Shallow reef tanks look amazing!!!

[@SoNiels]

Absolutely love your reef aquarium, can't wait to watch more of your saltwater journey!

[@avicunningham1969]

Love seeing a freshwater fish keeper break into the saltwater hobby, the low tech mindset in the saltwater hobby is a breath of fresh air

[@Eric_Allen]

nice thank. that pulsing xenia is very invasive and will take over if you aren't careful. I regret putting it into my aquarium. A small shrimp goby would be good in that size tank

[@IndoorEcosystem]

Really enjoying your salt journey. I'm so tempted to make the leap myself.

[@MJAquascaping]

Go for it!

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Do it! I did on his first video and I'm not looking back. Even going as far as selling my Discus to get into a reef tank

[@IndoorEcosystem]

@@Amarok_Aquatics I have a 70x35x20cm shallow that I was thinking about doing a shallow reef in, I'm just trying to get a rough idea on marine animal and coral supplies here in Poland. It could be a bit tricky. I'm guessing once you'd done fresh water for a long time it's not all that much of a step up like MJ say's. He makes it look easy!

[@Rbderoos]

Had a chance to talk with you a bit at Vivarium 2023. Awesome man. Thanks! (I’m the guy with the 30L betta tank and the 240L angel community tank)

[@Jdvdsnn]

The anemone floating around was funny

[@mitheelvartak5639]

Super inspiring! Thank you MJ!

[@foamy909]

Thank you for the content! It was really funny watching that anemone tumble around like a tumbleweed. Hope it'll anchor itself down soon!

[@matthewdavis1056]

Beautiful job man. Keep it up!

[@jordow63]

So nice to see you made your way into reefing. Love all the freshwater content so it's great to see the SW side on your channel too!

[@queencityreefs]

Such a beautiful nano tank. Great job 👏💯🔥✌️

[@RennjiTheDK]

Hey MJ, been a few months since your last SW vid, but I'm glad you're sticking with it. Couple of thoughts for you as always. Stop handling things in the tank bare handed. Coral and Nem stings hurt like wasps (no glove, no love). Be especially careful with those green palys you have on the bottom left. They contain the second most powerful neurotoxin on earth. Clowns are in the same family as damsels, so idk why everyone is pushing you in that direction. It's like asking you to get a betta when you have a dwarf gourami. Those clove polyps and pulsing xenia will take over the tank quick, killing everything in their path. Dont be afraid to get in there with some scissors and knock them back like a fast growing moss. The Hanna egg checker for dKH is the easiest test in SW. It's the same as No3 and Po4, but it's a liquid reagent. You just add 1ml to the test vial and it's an instant read test. Dial back your water changes to once a month. You're just wasting salt at once a week. Soft corals and inverts uptake next to nothing in non-nutrient parameters, and your bioload is pretty much nonexistent with only one damsel. They love dirty water. The general consensus is to aim for 10ppm No3 and 0.1ppm Po4. One other thing I wanted to mention. Corals are extremely sensitive to changes in both parameters and light. Be careful swapping out lighting as it will take them months to readjust. Also, yours seem to be stretching a little bit. They shouldn't look like flowers. Try upping the power 20-30%. You want the "stems", for lack of a better term, to be short and thick, almost hugging the rocks. Keep up the good work and happy reefing.

[@LegallyBlue]

The cut to the anenome floating around was hilarious Great tank btw!!

[@melissaskinner4501]

Absolutely beautiful-happy for you

[@tracys.6033]

Everything is looking beautiful.

[@MandyJane123700]

The tank looks so lovely! I'm glad you are enjoying this adventure into saltwater.

[@rickyabdullah4758]

Great reef aquarium

[@Tinus_Aquatics]

Thank You! for showing your journey lots of respect by just go for it! First tank was already next level. Level 2 is ...... Those colors. Love the new lighting and the lens just doubles the finishing touch. I say lets go for a bigger tank! 😉👍

[@tanimapaul-ym8nd]

Loving your tank ❤. I have started mine as well and I am really loving it 😊

[@dhxmg]

Those little flower corals are beautiful.

[@nikolaykostishen6402]

Thanks for the nice video!

[@lllD13T3Rlll]

Looking forward to your next salt water adventures!

[@frankvermeulen4621]

Looking very nice! I may take the leap one day, but I am not quite there yet.

[@philcarlino6942]

Love it. Keep up the great work!

[@ricardotolosa2671]

Hi MJ, thanks for the video. It's coming beautifull, congrats. Soft corals are way less demanding so keeping a nice aquarium is easier.The hard game starts with SPS ones. Keep an eye on your anemona as this specie like to change places some/many times and if it touches the circulation pump it may cause a lot of problems to the aquarium besides to itself.

[@bathi2427]

Love this saltwater series.❤

[@BIG-ES-]

Love the SW content Ps, love the damsel choice. Such a hardy, beautiful fish

[@relapsed_reefer]

You can pop the bubble algae.

[@andrescontrerasvargas5865]

Definitely one of my favorite saltwater tanks!

[@timieboy15]

Love the content MJ!

[@bryanjosephponce7984]

Been following your channel. But this will be my first comment. Hehe I really enjoy your vids. Really makes me want to go back to the hobby.

[@sergeiz.5815]

Very cool😊

[@HeRo-qd6tk]

Very nice. I would like to try it one day. A bit scared. 😮

[@timieboy15]

Might go for a salt water tank after this. It looks so good and enjoyable

[@Behindyouarethings]

Goodluck with your aquascape for Azaqua !

[@ArchiveRagtagMoe]

Can't wait for you to add in inverts 🐚🐚

[@taylormwilson1]

As someone that did the the plunge to salt from fresh this year too, i do agree, just do it. And yes cycling takes forever compaird to freshwater 😅

[@Reeftankmaster]

Nice video man 🔥🔥🔥

[@enetalv]

About testing dKH I recommend using the Hanna tester too, it will take you 1 min to get the result and it’s a number, not a color you need some interpretation… but I think it can wait till you have stony corals. Your tank looks great! Congrats

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Your last video pushed me to get into saltwater and I have never been happier mate. I can see what all the hype is about and I can see that it isn't as scary as I thought it was.

[@kylegawron5358]

the anemone just barrel rolling had me 😂🤣

[@MJAquascaping]

🤣

[@jasonyang5296]

You should get a spotted blenny. Super colorful and they stay small and algea eater.

[@gooxie7767]

Hi MJ, great channel and nice progression on the salty. My experience with not testing (hate it) and just looking at the corals is that the corals adjust to the slowly changing parameters until it gets to extreme. And then all of a sudden they get bad rly quick. But you can't correct those values right away because big changes kills of the corals as well. Kh, Ca, temp, phosphate and nitrate testing is just essential. Even for level 2 reefers 😉

[@MJAquascaping]

Okay good to know! I will start testing a bit more regular 😊

[@bartosztomasz]

Please review a light that emits "ice blue" color. I don't see it much but it seems like a nice compromise between light that is good for the corals and light that is pleasant to look at instead of must seeing boring blue. I don't know why people are so crazy about "royal blue". What's the point of having colorful reef life when everything is just blue. Anyone?

[@rogerlangford2836]

Blue lights are often actnic, which is a better spectrum for corals. Happens to bring out fish colour too..

[@benbarnett5684]

Thanks!

[@MJAquascaping]

Thank you!

[@Allbonez]

Interesting. I would like to see this in a year's time.

[@martius6026]

I personally wouldn't suggest a beginner start with nano tank because once your tank crashed you don't enough timeframe to fix it, we're talking about minutes here not hours or days like bigger tanks have. And when the crash happened you'll regret it and tell everybody saltwater is hard.

[@indostomus]

Look up some footage of these damselfish in the wild. They are highly active and territorial with dynamic social structures and a high metabolism. These are fish that are not suited for a typical aquarium despite their popularity and especially not a nano tank. With all due respect, I think you should consider rehoming this fish

[@anthraxcrab3238]

Just a piece of advice the pulsing Xenia can take over if you aren’t careful

[@stevenvanbeekveld7363]

Ziet er super uit Mark. Ik dacht altijd dat zoutwater aquaria te ver van mijn bed show was. Maar je maakt het echt laagdrempelig! Ik ga dit ook een keer proberen. Bizar dat je gewoon anemonen kan hebben.

[@DavidFeldman-ge2bb]

I’ve just moved from reef to freshwater (wanted a new challenge). Keeping it simple like Mark is doing is the way to go. I found the most interesting things were the inverts and stuff coming out of the live rock I.e the cheapest, easiest to keep things are sometimes the most interesting to look at (like Mark has done). Soft corals like Mark has, maximises chance of success. BUT the chances of an algae plague are very high the moment you introduce fish, esp if no effective protein skimmer. Can’t afford to miss water changes. Also Mark invest in a fan that hooks up to a heat controller for the summer. (Eg DD in the UK do a great affordable one) else come the summer everything will die off as you have previously said your place gets hot.

[@lalalabram]

Word erg mooi! :) ik zou ook wel benieuwd zijn hoe je een Armatus xs van aqua medic zou inrichten. Is een erg klein bakje voor naast je pc bijvoorbeeld. Bedankt voor de leuke video

[@nickbovee4372]

Honestly, this might be your strongest and best small aquascape to date! And that comes from somebody who has only done freshwater too 😅

[@willemvantoor3721]

Een hele mooie bak geworden. Super. Vooral de achtergrondplanten. Apart. Welke winkel noemde je hiervoor ? Blijf je volgen. ❤

[@onmyway5414]

i have an 150cm reef tank and my clowns just move 15cm all day long... up and down up and down😂. Other damsel fish actually will swim long distances in an aquarium or in a reef. So go for clowns if you can. Keep it up grait video

[@VincentQuaid101]

Which stones do you use?

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

nice video, is that aptaisia on the top left ?

[@moniquemoors1974]

how mutch time do you need for this kind of tank a week? i may be starting and visited ocean and lake in renswoude.

[@graphite2786]

I'm so glad you got a damsel, they are underrated in my opinion 🔥 As for clownfish, I'm not much of a fan. I find them a little boring, everyone has them now.

[@jaumeavinyo4515]

would say to be careful with changes. We, when starting tend to do a lot of changes like light, salt type or constantly stuff our hands in the tank. This tend to be a problem because corals tend to adapt to new conditions in long periods of times, and if we changed a light 6 weeks ago and now we change again the light when the coral just beggined to adapt to the new lighting conditions, we could stress them out and see them dying not knowing why

[@jaumeavinyo4515]

also be carefull not using globes, some corals sting and some zoantids and palithoas can be super toxic some of them even kill you if you cut them and their fluids touch you or enter your body. If it happens better call an ambulance

[@jaumeavinyo4515]

other than that, seems like you are enjoying your tank and I'm very happy for you!

[@richgodfrey7237]

I've been toying with the idea of setting up a saltwater, out of interest if you don't mind sharing, how much would the basic setup cost? I'm not expecting a budget saltwater video just yet 🤣🤣🤣 I just keep looking for things to add right now that don't need adding and think it's about time I went saltwater

[@hiddenederlof4319]

Hey MJ. Was wondering what’s the best salt water aquarium store in the Amsterdam region in your opinion? I’ve been to ocean and lake a few times but it’s not really around the corner. ✌🏻

[@eliavedri7876]

In principle it is quite easy, it all depends on which corals you have, the ones you have chosen are the easiest to care for, the only thing that is true for all is that this hobby ( Reef ) is expensive! There are corals at crazy prices of hundreds and even thousands of $$$! In my Reef tank I have a coral that cost me 3 times more than all the plants I bought for my planted aquarium put together! But I have no regrets, it's so beautiful, all the colors, shapes, even the smell is addictive!

[@suewestby824]

Tempting to try. 🤔

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Do it! You won't look back trust me. You'll regret that you didn't start sooner

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

@@Amarok_Aquatics +1

[@Jel0XD]

I want to hate it I truly do but you are doing such a good job! Some of the skills from freshwater keeping did transfer how you tackled this project. One thing, that looks like a sebae anemone,aggressive little ones until they become massive. Watch that damsel around it. Bubble tips might be a better option.

[@MJAquascaping]

I’ll keep an eye on it!

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Given you have a small marine tank, if you didn't already have RO water kit, would you just have bought salt water from local aquarium shop?

[@MJAquascaping]

Nah I don't have a car, so that would be difficult

[@joannaspivey566]

😊

[@kbye5323]

You should get some cleaner shrimp

[@DJDaRecon]

Looking at the box and packaging you ordered from Ocean Store? (I always order all my gear and life stock there :))

[@MJAquascaping]

Yep! Good stuff!

[@dusk1947]

Salt water can be a lot more work. As you get larger systems, start to quarantine fish, acquire stony corals, or fish with special dietary needs: the work goes up accordingly. But, there are also many types of marine tanks that are easier to keep than a planted tank. Macro Algae systems and soft corals are among them. Once you get past the significantly longer "ugly stages" and the tanks stabilizes, they are both easy to care for groups of organisms. Now that's not true for something like Acropora. For example if you add small polyp stony (SPS) corals, that KH test becomes a daily necessity instead of a once in a while test (The Hanna ALK version is the easiest you'll find by the way). And the problem with the "salt water is hard" conversations, is that quote is based in keeping SPS corals (Specifically Acropora). And that seems to take center stage. While in contrast, a tank like yours is thriving and quite straight forward. And it's looking pretty good. Well done.

[@paulshizzledizzle6180]

Bet more zooanith if you want. Zoo’s are cool

[@IsaacDS123]

ive been thinking about it, but here in south korea it seems so much less accessable than freshwater...

[@ken-kamm]

So you don't need a protein skimmer?

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Not for that size of a tank. They do make them but if you stick to doing a water change once a week there's no need

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

Only SPS want crystal clear water and a skimmer is needed. skimmer help also to reduce maintenance water change etc.

[@ken-kamm]

@@MyriophyllumTuberculatum SPS????

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

@@ken-kamm There is 3 type of corals : soft coral which do not have skeleton, they are the easiest, lps : large stony polyps coral, they have skeleton but thrive in dirty water tank. sps : small stony corals, hard coral big skeleton, live in the purest sea water, need lot of additive (alkalinity, calcium, magnesium) using auto doser and stuff, with sps you can't take vacation, they die easily

[@ken-kamm]

@@MyriophyllumTuberculatum Thanks.

[@roryvermeulen5761]

6 months later and completely stable 😅😊. After year 2 most saltwater tanks are stable. No offense, love the content and your work. 👍🏻

[@paulshizzledizzle6180]

Should have gotten clown fish for anemone. A lot better than damsel. If your going to get a damsel. Get “chromes” chromis aren’t as hardy as the damsel you got though. The damsel you got is super hardy

[@fajrdn]

02:30 that's aptaisia on the rock not coral. Also they way you did it kinda backward you should put the fish first and then the corals later on after your tank fully cycled.

[@rogerlangford2836]

Hi Mark I kept marines for some years and was always told water changes should be done with fresh water not necessarily salt water, too ups too. While the water evaporates the salt remains so the thing to watch is specific gravity that can be checked with an hydrometer.. Tank looks good but I think you are quite brave, as someone mentioned in another post small changes in a small tank have the potential of a much greater impact. Get the largest you can, my starter was a 4" foot..

[@Aquaticvibes9775]

Mj 🍃💚

[@bishbashash5319]

You'll be cursing that pulsing zenia in a few months 😅

[@Selene_Dragon]

What’s RO?

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Reverse Osmosis water. It's water that has been put through a special filter to take out impurities found in tap water.

[@dayankkumarasinghe]

NOTE; Remove the Wavemaker if you don't want to wake up at 3am and find it in pieces. Trust me MJ, it's so painful to watch and recover it. Your tank looks amazing, Cheers!

[@MJAquascaping]

Wavemaker is no longer present!

[@rajgill7576]

Yo why not a clown instead of a damsel fish? You already got the anemone, and clowns are NOT shy at all, mine is like a puppy dog

[@iKickerzx7]

Price

[@cloudivaporz952]

Just make sure you are keeping up with monitoring the alkalinity and hardness and pH of the water. Acidification of the water happens due to the natural biological breakdown of organics. The pH will start to drop as the acids go to work. The pH , hardness etc.. is very stable in the ocean. Most all the creatures of the sea have lived and evolved in those exact water conditions. Aquariums on the other hand are not stable and it should be up to you to keep it as stable possible. The single most important tip for saltwater and even more so, reef keeping is stability! I have seen the devastating consequences of ignoring this.

[@karllinde4486]

Colab with MD tanks 🙏

[@olecha277]

Be careful with anemone. It can sting other corals and burn them. Make sure to do some research on them :D

[@zyir7962]

i really want a salt water tank but god damn they are waay too expensive

[@YarnLoverRegina]

I was under the impression that you never need to add more salt to your water because the salt never leaves the tank even though you added more water?

[@thierryfelix7796]

Very nice but too much work and money for me.

[@Amarok_Aquatics]

Believe it or not, it's around the same IMO working on both. I used to think the same but in the long run I think saltwater becomes cheaper with less maintenance than freshwater. Hell, planted tanks are more expensive IMO. Definitely worth it

[@MyriophyllumTuberculatum]

@@Amarok_Aquatics Plant is harder to keep than soft/lps coral tbh, it's hard to tell if plant have enough co2 or nutrients etc, they are slow to react, coral are fast, i like saltwater side more now