The Mbuna Tank: EPIC 4ft FIRST TIME Aquarium (Aquascape Tutorial)

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This is my first time keeping these kind of fish and I'm really excited to see how everything progresses. The Mbuna cichlids are so colourful and full of personality as well.
IN THIS VIDEO
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[@MDFishTanks]

👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com This is my first time keeping these kind of fish and I'm really excited to see how everything progresses. The Mbuna cichlids are so colourful and full of personality as well. IN THIS VIDEO BACKLIGHT: US amzn.to/3O3ASYi UK amzn.to/3O4xqwA LOMINIE LIGHT: US amzn.to/3riYkbc UK amzn.to/43g9Q4v SUOER GLUE HARDENER: US amzn.to/3XGblrk UK amzn.to/3XE85Nr Find @Fish Shop Matt here: KZbin: kzbin.info Insta: instagram.com/matt_swfishkeeper/ Equipment (all links affiliate): LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3m3cEz9 UK amzn.to/3orIdRv 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 CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a 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 UK: amzn.to/2Vx73CL API® products Subscribe to API on KZbin: kzbin.info USA consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.com/stores/page/2193F555-CE5F-4A6B-BDC4-F315CB7F175D?channel=MDTanks UK consumers purchase API products on Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/25663644-6C8C-432C-9E6A-0A85082C3E3C AQUARIAN® products Follow AQUARIAN on KZbin: kzbin.info/door/NxaNWKoWr_ztSgXgPj9r8A Purchase AQUARIAN products here: aquarian.co.uk/where-to-buy/ AWESOME MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY kzbin.info/door/3uQXzXSPspf2LoGdtYGiHwjoin FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/md_fishtanks/ FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES: [e-mail] #plantedtank #aquascape #mdfishtanks

[@erikbrush]

You're British, so you say Muhbuna, even though everyone else in the world including the folks who live by Lake Malawi pronounces it Embuna. So Mm-buna or Embuna for the rest of the world, and somehow, muh-buna for you guys. 🤔 LOL

[@kevin1smid]

Still jealous of your water, ppm of 300 and ph of 8.1 here, 0 ammonia, chloramine and chlorine though (chlorine is not allowed in dutch tap water). I love shrimps but anything that isnt a neocardina just wont really thrive in these waters

[@krishnair4787]

Hey mate! Nice work! How big is the tank..is it 4 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot? Do you know what’s the max number of Mbunas you can have in there?

[@wagerja]

these fish are near 100% vegetarians and as such should never be feed a high protein (normal tropical) flake or pellet foods... they need Veg type foods or they may develop "Malawi Bloat" and die.

[@RascalV666]

the tetras of the aquarium are several levels higher.

[@howardgin5232]

You guys are the perfect Aquascape duo! Love seeing you guys working together!

[@lancelangley8662]

100% Love these two together!

[@davidvento5481]

A quality, enduring bromance!

[@areacode911]

I think another great thing watching these two guys makes the whole experience fun! It should be! Great job guys keep it up!

[@Beyn1]

Gods

[@Spearse29]

Yeah

[@jle92708]

Fish Shop Matt is a perfect cohost. His knowledge of fishes is so complementary to aquascape

[@trapzila6218]

Too bad even with all that knowledge he’s not taking into account mbuna will rip all that out

[@sschario60]

@@trapzila6218, MD loves to aquascape with plants, doesn't he? Would the video have been better if Matt put his foot down and said, no... you can't do that?

[@andrew-hf9fl]

Is this a channel about aquascaping? Yes. Is it a channel about family, and friendship, and the search for joy in this life? Also yes haha

[@alastair-r3676]

“I’m excited to see what they going to do actually, probably swim”😂😂 MD just can’t resist having plants. I can tell by your voice tone you’re genuinely happy about having few greens in there. It’s different tank from your usual style, greet job and nice to hear FSM details about the fish.

[@dallasaquascapingguy]

Hey MD, Charles here... the "MORE is MORE" Guy from Aquashella 😅 and Barry... The Dallas Aquascaping Guys. Thank you so much for the shout out and the compliment. Made my day! Love this new build and love the fish colors. That blinking light will be so fun for a in studio FISH RAVE PARTY. I want an invite LOL. Tell Kate and Matt Howdy from Dallas Texas, USA.

[@bjornanders]

This has got to be one of the best looking malawi tanks I've seen. Most malawi tanks are just 2-3 rocks in the middle of the tank and just open swimming space. But this actually looks like something I would want for myself. Great job!

[@jenpink4298]

This is really beautiful!

[@dawnt6791]

I agree. The lack of plants is the main reason I totally ruled out ever having African cichlids. I'm not a hardscape only gal. If some plants CAN be successfully kept with some of them, I might reconsider these fish, though.

[@xXSinForLifeXx]

​​@@dawnt6791he fish eat plants and did them up. Guarantee when they grow up all these plants are gone.

[@Krishnath.Dragon]

@@xXSinForLifeXx From my experience in the aquarium trade and as a long term fishkeeper who has spoken with many who have kept both Malawi/Mbuna and Tanganyikan Cichlids, they don't really bother Anubias, Javafern, and similar tough plants that are attached to the aquascape, provided the fish are fed properly.

[@TerryLestrange]

Exactly. That's why I never like those kind of aquariums. This one looks way more healthy and alive. To me an aquarium without plants is not beautiful.

[@JessicaMotion]

I'd love to see how Kate would scape and tank and what fish she would choose to go in it!

[@MandyJane123700]

I love it when you guys do a build together. So fun to watch, and still learn a lot.

[@kaseywichman4619]

Who cares if its not a biotope tank.. its his channel, his tanks, his fish, and his money. Great work on the editing. Very fun video and as always.. entertaining content! Keep it up MD and FSM

[@mtrzkagalwala]

53 mins of fun duo. ❤

[@vonyinzer]

Anthracite is a type of coal (used to be heavily mined in the eastern part of Pennsylvania USA)

[@davidvento5481]

There are still large veins of anthracite in the Northeastern states. Thankfully mining (in general) and strip mining (specifically) has nearly stopped in these areas. So much habitat has been devastated because of mining prior to WW2. The switchover to alternate methods of heating/power sources (solar, electric, etc) can’t happen fast enough!

[@tha3immortals]

@@davidvento5481i take it you’ve never seen how cobalt is mined and the devastation it does to the environment lol

[@rayzoarage]

The dynamic duo are at it again with a dynamic set up. Nice choice of fishes too. Great job guys!

[@joshs7135]

I'm so glad Matt said what we were all thinking about the work table :) Hopefully, you won't miss the workspace. Thanks for all of the great content.

[@grezeldafrightenstein1154]

Your soft water mimics the water where most of the plants we grow come from. I've lived in places with hard water and had tons of algae despite my best efforts and lived in places with soft water where the plants almost always out competed the algae. I now have hard water and the same problems with slower plant growth then my last place with soft water. Your tanks are a living testimony to that fact.

[@lunap7029]

The bromance is real between Matt and MD, and I love everything I see. Thank you for the awesome videos!

[@cccc9635]

Never trust md when he says no plants😂😂 But this one looks awesome and glad that the fishes are enjoying it

[@SmokeyMesa]

Lovely tank, Mbuna are awesome fish! I always had lids on my tanks, and I worry they could jump out quite easily. When you're not making video, I'd definitely drop the water level a bit.

[@amx1820]

The old African cichlid tank in your previous studio was also great, it's just that you don't enjoy it as much. But this one is absolutely beautiful, with or without the plants, I'm glad you added the buce

[@vasacermak1]

It's nice to see you try out something a bit different

[@endisforever22]

I moved from planted community to a Malawi hardscape only tank and dont regret it at all, the fish been bigger and semi aggressive just make them much more intresting than say a neons and guppies etc just been bigger fish makes them seem more personable, and the colours in the fish are so bright, i just have house plants in pots coming out the top to aid filtration and also it looks cool

[@davelane9366]

I went from a community tank with plants to Mbuna with no plants, so liberating to just have fish, much easier to change tank layout, no plants to have to care for. Who needs plants when the fish are almost as bright as marine fish, interesting behaviour to watch as well, intelligent fish.

[@ronlafond5288]

More is more! Anything worth doing is worth overdoing! 🙂 It's really a beautiful tank. Nicely done, Guys!

[@cathyhendrix7552]

WOW. I believe that this is my favorite tank out of all of the ones that you've done MD. The color selection of the fish is spot on. And I love watching them swim and explore all the nooks and crannies and scoping out their own little piece of heaven. I would be watching this tank for hours at a time. Thank you for going out of your comfort zone and trying something new. And please keep us updated on how this tank and fish get along with the plants. I'm really curious to see if they eat and destroy them. LOL 😆.

[@jaakkoleskinen4769]

I have kept Malawis for 15 years. Caerurulus, Esther and Acei have all been in my tank too. I'm very interested to see if the plants remain ok... I have tried to have plants many times. Only two species survive in longer term: Anubias are hard enough to stay in one piece when the mbuna scrape algae on their leaves and floating plant Salvinia Auriculata grows faster than the fish eat them. Good luck with this one, Great scape!

[@pamr.5954]

Lovely tank and lovely fish! For the palludarium waterfall, look at Serpa designs. Tanner is great at it.

[@cglenn1457]

My favorite bromance by a long shot. It's fun to watch you two men play well together.

[@mindofmx1813]

Hey Md, i have an idea. What if you made a high stream scape in a half high tank. for on the table in de middle of the room, so you can see it from diffrent sides. like the one with an angle in the fish shop but then a mini version. love the vids! keep it up!

[@darbbively3406]

MD, holding a bottle of cyanoacrylate accelerator, which he uses to accelerate the hardening of cyanoacrylate, wonders what it is _really_ used for... It's for accelerating the hardening of cyanoacrylate, exactly the way you use it. 🙂 LOVE watching longer videos like this, you put a lot of great information in them. And also love it when Matt's in too, you guys work so well together.

[@PlayfullyPainting]

Been following MD Fishtanks for a long time and loved so many of the setups but this cyiclid tank and scape is my absolute favorite of them all. This video with you and Matt and little of peeks of your wife and daughter was so much fun. This tank though wow its really beautiful.

[@littlenikki9539]

Ssshhhhhhhh 😅

[@davidvento5481]

You’ll find that African Cichlids have more personality & a higher intellect than most other freshwater fish. They seem to display direction & purpose to everything they do, much more like saltwater reef fish. They are from deeper lake water with little to no plant growth for shelter so they must be constantly vigilant for predators much the same as marine fish on a coral reef. Their habitats are similar so they have evolved similarly to cope.

[@senuraadithya9350]

ngl.thats actully really beautiful

[@barbarastrohmenger6123]

You guys are very impressive!! Beautiful tank and fish!!

[@nicholeyoung3408]

YES!! I was just watching some of your old videos. So excited to see how this turns out. The dynamic duo!!!

[@Grace-er9ep]

I give it 3 months and MD will start talking about putting tanks on the little cart

[@TSadz1878]

That’s a stunning tank 👏🏻👏🏻

[@JolliBliss]

Update us on how the plants are placed tomorrow.

[@Carlhors]

Please start marine journey. I’m sure we’re all curious on how it all works etc

[@andiincali.4663]

The fish seem to be enjoying the planted tank, look how comfy they are! That's good to see. Plus the fish really pop as well.

[@christypan2556]

I don’t know much about fish keeping or aqua scaling but this popped up in my recommended and I enjoyed the heck out of all 53 minutes of it

[@beverlyjensen443]

I googled it for ya... "Anthracite is a chalky, very dark tone of grey - almost black. In the real world, anthracite is a compact form of coal that has the highest energy density of all types of coal."

[@tinchytarantula]

MD and fishshop Matt killed it again great as always much love to you both ❤

[@AJVD2123]

As a fish store employee, that guys bags are perfection. It makes me so happy to see another person bag like I do

[@angiebear8727]

Know it’s gonna be a great build when Matt joins you and your bromance is adorable ❤💜💙💚

[@MattStrike]

Seeing you mentioned it at Maidenhead I remember when you had your own saltwater tank with the clown and the cleaner shrimps in your kitchen, time goes man. Love your channel, always keep up the incredible work

[@MJAquariums]

Yay.. the band is back together! My favourite MD videos are ones that also include Fish Shop Matt!

[@ogomideadebanjo7296]

Probably My favorite tank you made

[@debbiemcdonald4050]

OMG!!! I absolutely love this tank.

[@Jen.K]

That looks absolutely stunning, I can't take my eyes off it, perfect selection of fish and the scape is a work of art. I've never been fond of the African Cichlids, but this is a mind changer.

[@Arjun_Kini]

Finally!!!! Worth the wait. I’ve been telling you MD that Malawi Cichlids are the best. I personally keep them and I know how they are. God! I’m loving your scape. Thanks a ton!❤❤❤

[@userequaltoNull]

I prefer Tanganyikans. They have a subtle beauty, and incredible variety.

[@Arjun_Kini]

@@userequaltoNull I agree. I haven’t kept them in my tank ever. But, thanks, I will see if I can find them in nearby shops. I hope Mbunas, Malawi, and Tanganyikan cichlids go well in the same tank, yeah?

[@Pumpnineteen]

Anthracite is a high quality hard coal, with usually shiny surfaces

[@LukeF1984]

My favourite fish, so now my favourite tank. Once they get some size, the tank will be spectacular. Well done to you both.

[@askme7505]

Make a long shallow river like tank in the space you are gonna build the nano tank it will be awesome, think about it ❤

[@moffitdrew]

The dynamic duo!

[@robertnaude]

Top class aquarium. Matt has a lot of talent.

[@cichlidman5598]

This tank turned out amazing. You will find yourself staring at this tank for hours awesome job 👍

[@carolthorn]

have you ever considered saltwater aquarium? would be cool to see ! edit: lol wrote this before finishing watching the video

[@Schmittyapolis]

I think it's great to include your family. Grace is cute as a button! Let her be a kid on camera. Just think of it as taking home movies - they grow up quick!

[@galiamotala]

This was such a brilliant set up, well done, stunning! 🖤

[@DavidHunt-pc4xi]

I think this is my favorite video. You and Matt are so entertaining.. MD, I love your family. Kate seems more comfortable on camera and your daughter is a pure joy. Thank you!

[@jeffreyrichardson9568]

Thanks for making my Saturday better!!

[@GodisTruth914]

another gorgeous masterpiece from the two of you!!!!!!! Matt did a brilliant job picking out the fish!!!!😊

[@DjPosey3]

One of the many reasons why i love mbunas! I love how they interact with their environment!!!

[@user-fr7so5wr1b]

THE PERFECT AQUASCAPING DUO LETS GOOI

[@jillphelps8683]

Thank you for doing this tank. I know I will watch the video over and over because these fish are absolutely amazing!

[@GreenGaiety]

Loving the Mbuna tank!!! Those yellow cuties are a true focal point....

[@markpegler3277]

Amazing tank

[@pamlacey136]

I love the beautiful colors of these fish. So fun!

[@Otts287]

That tank looks really well built. I really like the frosted glass at the back.

[@paulmartin3946]

This is one of my favourite tanks, nothing complicated but great looking.

[@diterbolen3046]

Классные и веселые ребята. Получают большое удовольствие при создании таких красивых аквариумов! Так держать!

[@galejohnson8086]

Pseudotrophius solosci - love the bright yellow and bright blue

[@peterwinstonaldredge6927]

Beautiful aquarium and fish! Can't wait to see how this tank evolves and how big those fish get.

[@1990Jwood]

Probably my favorite tank on this channel so far. I really like the heavily planted tanks, but this one really seems to showcase the fish.

[@candysworld4u]

Really love this look!

[@coralineprince]

This one is one of my favorites! Fingers crossed you do a saltwater tank soon!

[@SamPonjican]

Looks fantastic! Really going to enjoy this one for a long while as the fush grow in and a few more select additions over time!

[@kweenkitten6207]

This may be my new favorite! So beautiful MD and Matt

[@loribalderston214]

Love this tank set up, and the fish look stunning under the lighting and the aquascape!

[@MrLeeJunFan1]

Wow, had to watch this twice. Love the set up and the fish

[@codylyon5639]

So glad you went with all the plants. Hope it works 🤞🏻

[@lorispencer2046]

This is my favorite so far! Outstanding job to both of you!👏

[@martinkruse7675]

I absolutely love this tank!!!!!

[@ryanirving4160]

This is one of the best looking aquariums you have ever done . Love how clean it looks mbuna cichlids are brilliant fish to keep . Glad to see you exploring other parts of the hobby . 👍👍 keep up the amazing work

[@user-wg6lp9xy8x]

This was such a brilliant set up, well done, stunning! . This was such a brilliant set up, well done, stunning! .

[@renedef1]

Malawi’s are awesome. I had a Malawi tank once. They dig nests and one was the mayor of the tank. Great to see the interaction of these fish.

[@stevenmiller231]

Love this set-up MD and Matt nailed it.

[@ironlion45]

Matt is a great foil to MD. Matt is so bubbly and lighthearted, while MD is really sober :D

[@yashankit1499]

One of the most beautiful setup. I would love to see how the plants & fishes turn into after few months😍😍😍🔥

[@jamesdeane8131]

I'm a malawi hap/predator man myself. This does tempt me to rescape my 8 footer and make the switch to mbuna. The tank and scape is faultless. Great job.

[@andrewarnott2428]

So so glad that you are going to go down the salty route too. Can't wait to see what you create . Take us along for the ride .

[@thegam3r511]

I love this tank ❤

[@suziesuzie9455]

Love this tank design, really beautiful. The fish are amazing, well done guys.

[@pink_alchemist]

my fave was the black molly/orange swordtails...but this is a close second! I love how clean and bright it is. The fish are super pretty and a nice colour variation. Nice work!

[@jasperxtreme7933]

Love that aquascape. Very interested to see how the plants do with those fish.

[@christinker5433]

One of the coolest tanks you have done guys 😀 I love watching your vids and Im learning so much from you all the way down here in Australia. I have a cichlid tank myself and recently had a crack at a first planted tank. I can’t get enough. What a fantastically pleasurable hobby. Thanks again guys, your awesome 👏

[@Talons_N_Tails]

I definitely want these fish! Excellent video ❤

[@WilliamHPastey]

You guys have become my favorite youtube people. I even rock the "Thicc" hoodie

[@Fearsomehero]

I'm totally going to use the idea of having a light on the back like that!

[@CricketsMa]

Love this so much! Great choice of fish.

[@johnpatterson9219]

Well done, guys!

[@zoltan303stackin]

Awesome setup and beautiful fish