I Built The PERFECT Tank For Cichlids, Yellow Lab Aquascape 

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The fish swimming in and out of the rocks - stunning. Job very well done, and thanks for sharing and for all you do for the hobby!

Wow that's a lot of rocks and weight. And here I am looking at my empty 20 long getting ideas. Yea I'm content with that (maybe). Appreciate your son and his service.

Nice vision and great job! It really turned out great. Hi kitty, and hi Lisa

Wow!! I didn't know yellow labs had dark edges on their find- the rock scape really shows the fish off - thank John 💕👍

It looks so good! And I agree that watching the fish go in and out of the rocks is the best.

Love it!! And you can tell that the fish love it too. Nice job!!

I had the privilege of snorkling in Lake Malawi and I must admit, you nailed it!

The outcome was just perfect! This has turned into my favorite tank of yours! 👏🏼👏🏼

I can’t believe this tank started two years ago. Time flies. It looks amazing after the rescape. Thanks for sharing, John!!

Just beautiful! The labs really seem to be using the entire span of the aquarium, where before, they seemed more concentrated near the rocks in the middle. They look so happy! You guys are great at what you do.

God I love your labs, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're the reason I have my own yellow lab colony. Your tank looks incredible

I absolutely love how this turned out!! Beautiful!

MY NEW FAVORITE TANK IN THE FISH HOUSE ❤ You did so good 🥰

Oh my, that is drop dead gorgeous! I love scaping with rocks, and you have just knocked it out of the park. I’ll never be able to duplicate your effort, but you have given my dreams wings.😍

That’s how a mbuna tank should look! Very nice 👌🏻

You did an excellent job, John. I live in Chicago. After watching this video, I went to the Shedd Aquarium. I saw the tank you were referring to. You created the same, beautiful aquascape...just smaller. Regardless, it is astonishing!

Seeing them going in and out of the rocks makes it totally worth it, amazing work!

That looks great. This idea can also be applied to smaller tanks with smaller river rocks. Might attempt this in my 75 gallon tank

That tank is beautiful! You did a fantastic job! Looking forward to seeing what happens next. 👍

Ever since you put this up I’ve been wanting to do my version of it. Last weekend I went to the beach and gathered several buckets of rock and filled my 75g. It looks really sweet and my lfs is supposed to have the yellow labs for me by late this afternoon.

😂 you was love struck sir !! At least you was up front with the Mrs...Nice video and trust me I know the feeling seeing these videos made me know I'm doing this wrong..with my cichlid tank

the cat absolutely killed me!

What a spectacular payoff for the hard work. Well done mate!

I love this style of tank. The fish are much more lively and confident because at any sign of danger they can disappear into the cover of the rocks.

The tank looks great!

nice quality and informational video while including an ad that we aren't really thinking about. I dig it. Quality of your videos have really improved over the years. happy to see you flourishing.

Absolutely stunning build! Although I think I pulled a muscle in my lower back just watching you place all those boulders! Yeikes! This makes me want to put up another African Cichlid tank. I just don't have the space for it right now.

They really do look so happy😍 Love it!

I really enjoyed watching this video, John. It certainly makes for a beautiful aquarium worth sitting and watching and very peaceful. Thanks, and congratulations!

John, the tank looks amazing! I have something similar but on a smaller scale in 1 of my mbuna tanks and I love watching them swim in and out of all the rocks, staking claim to areas, digging up sand, it's a fun thing to watch!

I keep 2 nano aquariums (20 gallons for some CPDs and 7 gallons for shrimp). This video has me wanting a giant 200 gallon cichlid aquarium. This scape is gorgeous and I can't wait to be able to build my own project like this someday, after some good research and prep of course! Love your videos, you guys have got me into this hobby and I'm so glad you did!

Looks absolutely perfect for the yellow labs. They must love it.

That’s great looking. I like your CatFish you have in it lol. Hi Lisa and good luck with all the Rocks in there.

Wow, this tank looks absolutely gorgeous!. I’m obsessed with the rock work that you did. Very impressive!. Keep up the good work 👍🏼

You kinda nailed the way I go about scaping my African tanks, I watch scuba vids and then try to recreate what I see. Looks really good BTW, great job!

Hi John, I have to say I was really happy to see this new aquascape. I've really liked seeing your Yellow Lab tank since you got it (and hope to have a similar one one day), but was a bit disappointed with the initial scape of just a small pile of rocks. I understand your reasoning that a large amount of hardscape significantly reduces water volume, but I think for certain fish including these the increased surface area and the nooks and crannies your new setup provides are equally important, specially for eliciting natural behavior. It seems the Yellow Labs are already utilizing the full height of the tank when previously they mostly used to stay near the bottom. Just love this new aquascape! Happy new year to you and Lisa!

Thanks for sharing, John, your efforts certainly paid off, it’s stunning!

Awesome looking tank. If you’re worried about rocks falling you could always super glue them in random areas

Really shows how simplistic scapes are super cool. I really dig this! Very exited to see it mature, I bet it looks even better when there is algae all over it!

Tank looks great John. Your hard work and vision paid off.

It looks fabulous. Simple but stunning.

My favorite part of fish keeping is setting up the most realistic environment. Your tank looks great.

What a workout! Totally paid off seeing all the happy fish! 1 thing I would add is a big recliner right in front of the tank! Enjoy brother!

I agree that the cutest thing is seeing a face sticking out from the rocks. My Striped Raphael catfish and Tire-track eel do that all the time.

Loved your aquarium cat

It looks amazing, I will admit that I myself was cringing while all those boulders were being stacked in the tank, but it did turn out awesome looking. Now I’m contemplating doing the same for my Mbuna Lab tank👍👍👍

Love this set up. Very well done! Looking forward to seeing this tank in the future. Thanks for the upload.

5:59 that's the cutest Catfish I have ever seen!! This is probably my favourite tank that you scaped! It looks like a piece of nature and the Yellow Labs seem to love it too 🤩🥰

That tank absolutely mesmerized me when I was at Shedd too, funny enough I was there around when you put this video up too. Super cool tank.

Beautiful tank! All the cute yellow tic tacs look happy 🥰

Looks awesome! Happy new year ❤️🇦🇺

Thank you so much! Gave me a great idea as well. I love your channel. I had a large tank once upon a time. I married my current wife 8 years ago and moved, gave the tank away. About 3 months ago my wife and i decided to purchase a 40 gallon tall tank. It has community fish, angels, patties and red noses and a few others. Tank is clear as a bell now. I use a Fluval 207 external and love the results. I want to personally want to thank you and Lisa for your channel. I do a 10 gallon water change every Sunday and seems to work well for the type of fish I have. I'm telling you this because your channel has made fish keeping fun for me and the information you provide is fun and informative. Again, thank you and best wishes for a profitable New Year! PS, my wife want to buy another Beta. We have a 10 gallon tank for Charlie, He's a dark blue beta. Dan

That Mbuna tank at the Shed is also my favorite. I find my self standing there for very long periods of time.

I appreciate your effort give your fish an aquascape that matches their instinctual want. I did very much the same in a 125 gallon with chunks of large rounded igneous rocks I found on the shores of Lake Erie. No problems with cracking as long as the rocks rested on the substrate.

Congratulations on your son's graduation! Thank him for his dedication and service, the tank looks amazing......hopefully when I get my store up and running , my scapes will look this wonderful

It looks incredible! Great job John. The fish look so happy ☺️

I just recently set up a 125g Central American tank and it's the first time that I've had a scape turn out essentially exactly as I envisioned it. It's a good feeling. I'm glad you're as happy with your setup.

Love it. I did my 55 this same way. Have 2-3 inches of gravel and crushed coral on the bottom and then rocks I picked up from the lake I live on. Super simple but beautiful. It has 15 swordtails and corydoras. They love it.

Great looking tank John and Happy New Year to both you and Lisa!

Have to say. The tank looks amazing now. I agree the workout was worthy of the out come. ❤

It turned out perfectly!! I love it, too!💕 Your cichlids actually look happier ( if that's even possible) than their original scape!😁

I agree you did make your lab tank perfect. It is gorgeous, Thank You

Turned out really nice. I absolutely love yellow labs. When I had cichlids back in the day I had yellow labs and the Purple Acii with yellow fins. They were just perfect with the yellow labs and their blue fins. I really enjoy your channel! Keep up the great videos. Thanks!

That is going to look so good once the algea gets going and such. One of my favorite things to see on youtube are actual videos of the areas these fish come from. They inspire all my tanks.

I'm loving this 'scape! Great job!!! (And, as always, mad props to the Shed!)

Tank came out really nice ... 👍

Hi Lisa 😁

I love that hardcase. Looks awesome with the yellow labs.

Even with the murky water I looked cool! The entire scape is beautiful! I am so glad you did this I looks fantastic! Look forward to your new aquarium.

Tank looks great John, fish swimming around the rocks. 😄

Looks AWESOME. Thank you for sharing.

Stunning!!! I've always loved your yellow lab tank but this is next level!!

WOW! That Penns tank went from nice to amazing! Great work!

I love the simplicity of this tank! You did an awesome job. Great video as always 😄

Great aquascape!!! & congrats to ur son i graduated myself from there as well back in 97!!!! Hoo-rah!!!!!!!!

Beautiful tank man. Love this idea. Looks so natural!!

Looks absolutely gorgeous ❤ really brings out the colour of the fish too! Great job John.

Great tank! I just visited Shedd aquarium last week while travel had me stuck in Chicago. It inspired me to finally set up an African Cichlid tank!

Absolutely love it so natural. I’ve been trying to figure out a hard scape for a severum tank

Looks Marvelous and can see how your fish appreciate all your efforts they are in fish Heaven going through all those rocks. Love the colors in rocks with your yellow fish is perfection, well worth your efforts. Wishing you both the best for a Happy New Year in 2023.

Those are the happiest yellow labs I've seen, aside from an actual labrador!

I must agree with you, your tank now is perfectly build up for your fish, I can see that they are really very comfortable, swimming around very slowly with no stress between them, great job 👍👍👍. Would like to see a new video when the tank get's mature 😉

Wow! Look at how happy they are!!

Tank looks great. Great video. Always enjoy them.

Wonderful tank jhon...👍..congratulation .👏.nice job.and i few happy when the people get the goals down...its a good felling.👏👏👏👏regards from spain.👍

One of the nicest mbuna tanks I've ever seen. Awesome 👍

John....B.E.A.U.tiful 👏👏👏

Happy New Year John and Lisa ,that is the best tank that has ever been put on RU-vid fantastic, I love it

Fantastic job, that was a ton of work...and rocks.

This was definitely a lot of work, even the back of your head got a bit dirty. The fish seemed to really love it and that makes all the work put into it worth it!

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT JOHN!!!! You are right in stating it looks like a natural scape!! So often we see a tank full of fish with no natural structure mimicking their natural environment. I have a 200 gal full of Texas Holey Rock. This is stabilized with a 2ton substructure for support. I can tell you unequivocally that I fully support your effort!!! Why have a tank full of fish with no natural environment!!!!………BUT……and this a BIG BUT!!!! Good luck cleaning the nooks and crannies of debris and detritus WITHOUT removing the entire scape every so often!!!!!!!!!!

That’s a nice tank set up! I’m a big rock lover as well. Although, I still would toss & turn every night waiting to hear glasses breaking due to a collapse of the rocks. Besides that this tank is definitely a winner. Your yellow labs will be happy! 😎💪🏾🐟🇺🇸

The St Louis Zoo used to have an aquarium on its grounds..everyone went nuts for their MASSIVE reef tank, but the African cichlid tank was my favorite....could never reproduce it with the tech of the 80s and 90s, but man it was cool.

I absolutely love the natural look of a little algae in a tank ..you know what I’m saying ..great tank and love the look of the rocks ..✌🏻all it’s missing is a little algae ..

WOW ! Want to come there and just sit and watch them. i'm also in love now. GOOD JOB!

WOW!! What an awesome tank!

I didn’t think you could have made this tank better! You did, though. 😊 Well done!

Looks awesome 👌 And the best selection of electric yellow labs that I have seen in years !!!

That’s awesome 👏 I have always just had large rocks in my cichlid tanks and I just love the natural simplicity of it all… you are going to get so many babies now 🤣🤣🤣