The African River Aquarium: EPIC Aquascape Tutorial w/ Kribensis Cichlid & Congo Tetra

NEW MERCH CLICK HERE: teespring.com/en-GB/stores/md...
In this video I build the long awaited African River aquarium. So much work went into this but I'm so pleased with the final result and cannot wait for it to evolve further. We have Kribensis and femal Congo Tetra for the initial stocking and I will be sourcing some nice male Congo's for a later date. Make sure you are subbed for future updates 😊
Equipment (all links affiliate):
LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3t6HOHD UK amzn.to/3orIdRv
CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a
WAVEMAKER: US amzn.to/3lxk4Ln UK amzn.to/3oJtmph
GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ
SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5
NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK
GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13
MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez
TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i
STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1
ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY
AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2
AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa
FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K
MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1
STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC
BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO
Amazo UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL
HARDSCAPE AND PLANTS: www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/
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[@MDFishTanks]

NEW MERCH CLICK HERE: teespring.com/en-GB/stores/md-fish-tanks In this video I build the long awaited African River aquarium. So much work went into this but I'm so pleased with the final result and cannot wait for it to evolve further. We have Kribensis and femal Congo Tetra for the initial stocking and I will be sourcing some nice male Congo's for a later date. Make sure you are subbed for future updates 😊 Equipment (all links affiliate): LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3t6HOHD UK amzn.to/3orIdRv CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a WAVEMAKER: US amzn.to/3lxk4Ln UK amzn.to/3oJtmph GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13 MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.to/2SrYZ5k UK amzn.to/2GFWKJ2 AIRPUMP (FILTER SYSTEM): US amzn.to/31z8FA9 UK amzn.to/37GIoUa FILTER SPONGES: US amzn.to/3dQLUfM UK amzn.to/3dS2k7K MEDIA BAGS: US amzn.to/34Kaf2N UK amzn.to/3lAj3z1 STAINLESS LILY PIPES: US amzn.to/2FqHpvR UK amzn.to/2RlfrnC BOWL AQUARIUMS: US amzn.to/2M4FwFO Amazo UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL HARDSCAPE AND PLANTS: www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/

[@graffic13]

IDK ... those congos look sorta small you may have gotten juveniles ... not females ... 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[@joshhansen7345]

Thanks for the video. The tank looks beautiful.

[@mellewedin8221]

Sooooo the crystal wort is actually a type of moss, so infact moss does grow there.

[@neganrex5693]

Nice setup and i love the way you placed your plants. Really cool.

[@CoryPickerign333]

can u make one that is sort of minuscule river themed/island themed, half full tank with islands n what not. i just really want to build one like that sum day, would very much like to see one set up by a pro. =]

[@JimBeef67]

At this point you’ve got the infinity gauntlet of continents in your aquascapes

[@Sometallguy]

Waiting for the crocodile icefish Antarctic scape

[@Diesel257]

Yeah bro, where's you penguin set up? Slacker. 😁

[@jubalrichey1310]

The dramatic entrance always gets me hyped. That coupled with his mixing of styles and techniques makes MD the Bruce Lee of tank builds!

[@anni50ful]

Hilarious! I nearly spat out my coffee ☺

[@nolaanderson8770]

with that entrance music & dramatic drop into slow motion I thought he was going to jerk off on a cichlid

[@cooperbabich8739]

I love Congo tetras they just have a great personality.

[@davidadkins8805]

The bags are genius for keeping the different grades separate.

[@austinsouth5209]

Any worries in doing this though?

[@strider5119]

@@austinsouth5209 I personally don't see why there would be. Water still gets in, nutrients still get out, roots still get to it etc. It helps prevent it becoming a big mix of whatever towards the end, and unusable for future scapes.

[@davidharding1694]

@@strider5119 not necessarily unusable. You could do what Matt has done in the past and just mix it all together and put that in bags. It wouldn't have the same level of nutrients for the plants as bags of pure aquasoil but it would help cycle the tank that little bit quicker and avoid wasting the substrate.

[@MDFishTanks]

Don't forget to switch to 4k if KZbin doesn't do it automatically 👍😊

[@parthgaming0484]

We'll do

[@yasinmiah3943]

Please show all of you water change and water refilling stuff in detail, I really need an easy way to do this for a large tank, and please include links for the various equipment if possible. Thank you.

[@parthgaming0484]

Yessir

[@musicfruitcake236]

@@yasinmiah3943 how hard is it? A long pipe is all u need. The equipment for suction is everywhere

[@MDFishTanks]

@@yasinmiah3943 It's just a water pump and a pipe with a non return valve.

[@gabrielleyourmoder]

The best teacher at fishkeeping you can have

[@aletaniacklay9775]

Love how the congo tetra swim around thru the bogwood piece. What a happy peaceful tank!!!

[@turtle7701]

This had got to be my favourite tank from you, I'm a big fan of natural scapes and scapes where the fish have lots of place to hide, I don't know why it's just fascinating to me when I see them exploring

[@kurokii7596]

It's really worth it to wait for this scape this is really gorgeous! Thanks MD for giving us a wonderful full video scape.

[@carolebraswell982]

Absolutely gorgeous video! I was mesmerized and couldn't look away. Thank you for sharing your technical tips for backgrounds, filters, and water. This is my new favorite tank of yours!

[@brandhark7935]

It’s 2024, I watch all of MD’s videos but I constantly come back to this one because it’s so amazing.

[@saahils9789]

This tank is so amazing!! Glad you've build this tank it looks gorgeous with those fish!

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

Been waiting for this one!! As soon as I got the notification I got the coffee ready and the household settled down!! 🤣 You all have to let Grandma watch this one 🤣🤣 The bogwood was a perfect selection!! It looks so natural 😍 The Kribs and the Congo Tetras are going to be so happy 🥰 I always love the selection of plants and fish you use!! Maidenhead is absolutely amazing, with you and them working together we get to experience some incredible fish along with your aquascapes! Thank you for taking the time to put this video together for us. Absolutely beautiful and a big thumbs up from me!! Have a very blessed day MD and everyone 🙏👍🌿🐟🌿💚

[@MDFishTanks]

thanks mary, this tanks story is just beginning...

[@piercecowley255]

My favourite part of Maidenhead aquatics is those beautiful tanks they have by the entrance, at my local one, there is a one eyed harlequin rasbora and they have loads of immersed plants in the tank

[@marypaigeflynn4512]

@@piercecowley255 I can just imagine!! What a wonderful and beautiful place I wish I had somewhere like this close to me! Have a very blessed day 🙏🥰🌿🐟🌿💚

[@apss5736]

@@marypaigeflynn4512 yeah my local maidenhead has a huge 500 gallon with severums,stingrays,flagtail prochilodus,a big pleco and some geophagus and it is a beautiful tank

[@rickfromthecape3135]

Stuuuuuning! Even more so when the male Congo's show up. That piece of bogwood is spectacular.

[@feralon9570]

I think this is by far your best tank IMO! I love it! The big huge chunk of wood and the deep green plants is just sweet.

[@Dummythxc]

I just wanna say it’s been nice seeing you grow as a freshwater enthusiast over the past few years and seeing you go from super basic to slowly working in all the cool techniques and what not. LOVE IT. Thank you for taking the time to share with us !

[@Lanky4561]

Class set up man! Really really enjoyed the 5 mins of footage soaking in, the set up and the new fish; just watching them enjoy it. Was class

[@jeffb5785]

I really enjoyed watching this tank come together, it is a tank any aquarist could be proud of.

[@fredericoalves811]

Man you're going to love this tank! I had one very similar in scape and stock a few years ago, it was the most satisfying to watch that I ever had!

[@maureenk-farmhousecharms903]

EPIC is the perfect word!! Beautiful video MD! I can’t wait to see how this tank develops. 👍🏻

[@ggoannas]

You are wonderful at what you do and this is my absolute favorite tank so far. Love wood and hiding places in tanks.

[@erinjones2295]

I love all of your videos but this one is my favorite. So beautiful! The tank, watching the fish with the music is just so awesome!! Thank you for what you do.

[@mariemine1314]

Wonderful setup! Thank you for motivating us in this hobby.

[@dudeno3182]

This tank is absolutely amazing MD, fantastic job on it!

[@politicallycorrectredskin796]

Love the slow-mo, determined beard action at the start. Truly the Grizzly Adams of jungle tanks.

[@mellowmanta8975]

thank you for including all the really long tank shots w/ background music!! the whole video was enjoyable but actually getting to sit and watch it made it 100x better. great stuff

[@comedianmattrossey]

Hi, This is the first time I've seen your channel, and within the first 7 minutes I'm already really liking what you're doing. The idea of bagging the substrate to create and keep height is a brilliant idea. I don't know why I've never thought of that before. I tend to use flourescent lighting (egg crate) ceiling tiles to do that, but then have to place things in front of it incase the substrate is moved so the egg crate isn't exposed. And yeah, rooting totally takes place though mesh bags, I've had that happen so many times when I didn't want it to happen. (LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!!). The tank looks beautiful!!! I love its simplicity and the assortment of plants. Man I'm amazed at how you actually have tanks of plants just ready and waiting for a home, a brilliant idea. When the time comes that I have my own home and can have a dedicated animal room, I very well would do the same thing, it just makes so much sense to get plants as you =see them and keep them in nurseries for use when you want to use them or need them. Very impressive Aquarium room(s). I'm guessing you have more than those 2 rooms in your house? I'll be checking out more of your videos and look forward to seeing new videos! Cheers! Matt - Toronto, Canada

[@maritzsa]

MD : We don't have so many pieces of hardscape to choose from so I don't plan and design to find perfect pieces. (Has a large selection) Me: *watching with my 2 pieces of stick and 1 rock*

[@kimchatwin-smith891]

Lol ... same

[@jamiewestover6760]

I have 5 rocks and 1 stick!

[@joeyrotenberry9460]

Awesome video MD!! The hard scape rocks, plants look amazing, and I love the fish! The way the Congo tetra school and swim around the piece of bog wood is simply captivating. Keep up the wonderful build videos! 10/10 👍🏻

[@zacharykunzer2823]

Hell yeah!! Good choice on the red tiger lotus!!! I have two in my tank and I love them so much. They are SO deep red until they hit the surface and they get really green. They grow like a weed too and I’m constantly having to trim them! Can’t wait to see this tank in a month!!!

[@jamespollard4854]

Thanks for the chill footage at the end. Sweet!

[@g871]

Was looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint. Great job MD.

[@caleblee5791]

Hey man, have been following you for a while as I prep for my first planted tank, and just want to say: You are a great teacher, can really see how much you are putting into your craft and you make an otherwise overwhelming process look accessible and relaxing. Really appreciate you.

[@mattvolkman6529]

I have been wanting to re-scape one of my 20 long tanks, and I think a similar design to this would work great! You are killing it!

[@ayanpal1]

Absolutely FANTASTIC! Loved this build. Just too good!

[@tubetrotter7]

Loved it. And Music on point! You have become such a great cinematographer!!! The tank set up with the plastic bags is super neat!

[@zacthe1st455]

Okay, I'm 25 seconds in and the production quality is incredible. Very very excited for this build!!

[@UKFishCam]

This is true ark work, well done man

[@tiberiusmcallan1153]

Stunning as always, amazing setup, and gorgeous fish.

[@yatishnk]

Mate you nailed it , the amount of cost it involved is huge but at the end of the day it looks fantastic, I will always be your fan till I die. Seriously...... keep going and I hope one day you do a salt water tank and one for Corey's 🙂 take care and be safe, waiting for another video to come.

[@joshuagray9784]

How much did it all cost?

[@boarbot7829]

@@joshuagray9784 nearly a thousand pounds.

[@sarahbelmonte8888]

I really like this tank and the behaviour of the tetra’s and the male credenza was so fascinating to watch.. great job MD

[@ianbrown9578]

Outstanding! For some reason I can't explain I just love the 2 clumps of plants in the foreground(ish), the one in the middle and the one on the left, great mix of plants grouped together really well. :-)

[@pomeroy7]

Wow, love the set up. Looks amazing.

[@assiahinarkansas]

This might be my favorite so far. Beautiful.

[@iyshsd]

The bags are such a great idea for drainage in a vivurium when working with burrowing reptile specie's as well, thank you so much!!

[@AquascapingCube]

OMG It’s here! Keep calm and watch MD!

[@john25133368]

Nicely done MD, have some Congo's myself, you won't be disappointed when you get some males, especially when they do their dance! Can't wait to see this tank develop! 👍😃

[@alrik_as]

I can't wait to see the males! They are by far the most beautiful schooling fish I know, I wish I had a tank big enough for them :)

[@valeriee9532]

So here I am, home alone (i.e., husband at work and kids out and about) and I am listening to your videos while housecleaning. I love your channel and watch your videos multiple times!!! Keep up the good work. I love it🥰🇺🇸 Oh my goodness, I had to edit my comment to say that I totally agree....an aquarium is much better than a TV!!!!!!👍✌🏻🐟⛰🌱😎😂

[@twunderaquatics1770]

How many favorites can I have. I love this tank! Definitely worth the wait. You really outdone yourself. Ricci is very evasive for me. Great video. 👍

[@TechnoNut96]

Your audio and video quality is superb! That teamed with the great scape earned you a sub! Well done, can’t wait to binge watch all the rest of your vids!

[@Jade-hs1fj]

Love this vids. I'm new to the hobby and I really got inspired by your videos to the point that I'm planning on making a planted tank this month lmao. Love from PH!

[@laurencedavies6680]

The african river tank would look nice next to the discus tank

[@markmcdonnell010]

Watched u from ur first episode mate and I really think this might be my favourite scape. Thanks for all the inspiration and help with my own planted tanks

[@trevorcourtney7457]

Wow! Beautiful! I'm getting a 450 litre tank in the next couple of months, and thisis the plant regime I'm gonna follow. Thanks MD. :)

[@mathewcompton39]

This is my evening plans sorted

[@No-qp7]

23:09 my opinion but I love his plant storage tanks more than his setups they look so good I could only dream of having a tank like that

[@lindalaw8368]

Great build! Love your tanks, but this is my favorite thus far. Very natural and interesting, calming, but with points of drama - 😍

[@dr-k1667]

I really enjoyed watching this and didn't notice the length of time on the video. MD you make wonderful content.

[@davidlawrence3560]

Wow..this was great. I do not have the space or budget for such a setup, but I enjoy watching your build, and I’m inspired to use some of your techniques and approach on a smaller scale in my next tank build….!

[@mariamhernandez3377]

Absolutely 🤗 GORGEOUS 🥰❤️!!! EVERYTHING came out so smoothly md!!!! Thank you for sharing and making this hard scape!!!

[@shel.b.1090]

Another outstanding scape MD. xxxx look forward to this one maturing xxx

[@peterchan4732]

Watching your aquarium is so satisfying ☺

[@Caleddon]

Hello aquarists ! MD, great videos as always, you were one of the reasons I went to rebuild my 3 tanks from which 2 were hiding in garage for few years. Now I have 3 open top aquariums, coresponding with your jungle style scapes, no stones, mostly sand and lot of driftwood and plants (my water has high Ph so absence of stones doesnt bother me). Now, I need a little help. Every aquarium is doing fine, except for battle with string algae (but that is not my concern now). In two smaller tanks I have a lot of neocaridina shrimps, pygmy corries, tetras and rasboras, all of them doin fine. In my main tank, 120l, the situaion is great, apistogramma cacatuoides breeding, copper tetras breeding, then as company few guppies, some ancistruses and 2 SAE. To help to control string algae I bought like a month ago 5 caridina japonica (Amano shrimp). As a time went, I found two amanos dried on the ground.Water parametres are great, plants growing, fishes breeding and my neocaridina shrimps never went out of my other aquariums. So I thought it would be same with Amanos but apparently it is not. I want to ask all of you, what is your experience with keeping amanos in open top aquariums ? Have you lost any cause of their little trips out of water ? What did you do to manage it ? Thank you and keep it up :)

[@radaalmktamil6193]

Background and videos quality is excellent broo ❤️❤️💗

[@michelelees7510]

This is by far my favourite tank to date, Kribensis dad is more confident as well.

[@ggoannas]

Those tetras move so beautifully.

[@chrislim96]

We need more videos on the no-co2 dutch style tank! It just looks amazingggggg. All the stems are upright, no algae, awesome colours, minimal maintenance (I assume) what more can you ask for????

[@mraquaticnews5676]

MD your a joker dude 👊🏽 the intro music gave the feeling your going out for a final epic battle whereby civilisation will be wiped out! Epic 💯👊🏽

[@GODSNAKE73]

Without a doubt is your best tank ever… good job sir!!!

[@zTheBigFishz]

I don't even have an aquarium nor do I plan on getting one but I watched the entirety of this vid.

[@keshavkrishna6782]

simply incredible.

[@theguitarist1524]

Waited for a long time 🥳🥳

[@marthikacl]

Love the lastra parte of the video, so pretty, so calming.

[@jameandthegiantpeach2273]

....now that's a fish tank my gs, no high pink rocks, lime green tacky stuff every where, no bright none authentic colors, pure natural looking...👍👍

[@crazydaisy3212]

Get ready for a lot of babies 😂 I’ve had 2 batches in around 3-4 months of having them but they’re amazing!

[@something-unique]

Loving the editing, we need a hollywood voice over for the next intro.

[@itziarlarrauri4407]

Oooh MD, that tank is súper hyper fantastic! Bravo

[@twix0rz]

40 mins of pure artistry!

[@jumpingspider7105]

I really like the river rocks. SOOOOOO many aquascapes use quarried rocks with jagged edges, often bought at great expense. There is this convention that all rocks in a tank need to look the same and there is an attitude that high quality imported stones with fancy names ("dragon stone") make the best aquascapes. Obviously this can look good but I really think people could be more creative. In real rivers you often see rounded rocks due to centuries of erosion. I just started with aquascape and I decided to collect real rocks from Northern Michigan. These Rocks were found legally on property owned by my family. Its a great lakes beach Since Michigan and most of the rest of the upper Midwest was covered by glaciers the rocks are made from multiple kinds of parent material. They are all different colors. Some are red, some are greenish, some are bluish, etc. Some are sedimentary shale with fossils, others are igneous rocks with big old phenocrysts cooked deep within the earth. All of them are highly rounded and smooth, though sometimes containing pits or other surface features. I combined a variety of size classes (larger stones down to fine gravel) and added that on top of sand from the same location. Some people would probably say that multiple kinds of rocks look unnatural, but of course I know that's ridiculous since I actually collected them from a single natural environment that exists in real life. In fact its more natural than "dragon stone" or whatever. People worry about rocks leeching harmful minerals into the water but, once again, I suspected that anything that could leech into water would have already done so in the lake n which they were found. Its been fine so far, if anything all the minerals have buffered the water at a good hardness point and my snails and shrimp have been thriving (mostly an invert tank). The end result looks really fantastic, and it also has a unique story behind it and a personal connection. Anyway like the down to earth look and natural vibes. interesting bag trick.

[@johannessordfarne4553]

The wavey thing making the light shimmer - it is the piece de resistence, it makes the whole fantastic thing elevate even higher. It is a fantastic tank!. But no lady for the widower? Or for the other white guy in the other tank (leaving him to brood over his life choises)?

[@ambianceoftherain]

Oh my! They're absolutely gorgeous!

[@bobfountain2959]

This tank is pure magic! I love the the idea of using bags to keep substrate components separated, what bags are you using please?

[@billprentice3500]

Did you find the bags he was using? I'm currently scaping a tank and I can't find the right ones

[@cass8110]

@@billprentice3500 honestly they look like lingerie washing bags a bit!

[@LittleKingdom3]

This is so dope!

[@cindyjacobsen4221]

Your work blows my mind! Just Amazing!!

[@destenanty1367]

Very theraputic watching your videos. I do have a tank and at times getting more inspiration with ideas for my tanks. Thank you and I'm learning a lot about more plants and more info in general. I love your videos thand you

[@jaydenpatterson3316]

This tank looks amazing and I hope to do something similar in the future. I have a super noob question for you: what are you doing for algae control in this set up? I imagine shrimp would just get picked off by the fish. lol

[@daniellex8686]

hey man, ik u didn't intentionally do it, but this scape follows a lot of scaping rules. You have a good focal point, triangular concept, and you don't have any hardscape going towards the viewer. You have good composition, overall, you did a good job man.

[@claireoxley2300]

Love this tank, my fave so far 👍 please please please leave this one set up for a good time (8months + ) would love to see how the scape develops and grows over a longer period 🙏

[@lukealmighty8828]

I really like the last 5 mins just chil music nice footage of the tank awesome video thank MD!

[@arachnophilegrrl]

Great scape! But everytime you plop fish over that open drian in the simk, I die inside. 🤣

[@indyhobby3726]

The setup looks amazing makes me want to do something like this and are you planning on getting another female?

[@MDFishTanks]

not sure yet. See how it goes

[@sherrirowan5049]

Ohhh. Those discus are so gorgeous ❤

[@zed4225]

I love your fish tanks, awesome, thanks for sharing your knowledge and inspiring fishtankscaping

[@vamosaltemacongabrielmende3965]

The tank is a dream and the music uff, on point. Now I have a question, what happened to the little fishes mom?

[@thomascouturier6843]

This piece of wood is amazing! Thanks for sharing all your work, it gives me a lot of new ideas for new projects!

[@Wellwhatevernevermind]

Wow. That one came out really well! You've helped me create a more natralistic aquarium too. Cheers

[@amx1820]

Hold my beer...I'm starting up my android TV

[@renoatvan]

When your fish lives better than you