THE BIG SHALLOW 2.0 - HARDSCAPE FINISHED - GOING BLACKWATER? 

Let's gooo!! Drop your plant & fish suggestions below! 😍

Nice on MJ. Check your bitrates when compressing the video to get rid of the weird graining in some cases.

I love how this scape evolved…. It’s a great example of having a plan, but not being afraid to adapt as the picture emerges..

exTREME improvement that looks phenomenal

Yesterday I was at the Dutch garden center Intratuin, and they have lots of emerged aquarium plants we all use submerged. A tip to check it out!

LOVE the Big Shallow 2.0!!!

Wow .. can’t wait for the 2nd part .. please do just one video that finishes everything don’t make us wait again !!

Unreal. Absolutely stunning so far

I really loved this scape, brilliant job! Very strong and a natural. Can´t wait to see it planted. Thank you for the video

What a fantastic scape MJ.

Your work in the gym is paying off! Keep pushing 👍🏻

I have particularly enjoyed how your scape evolved!

Oh wow it looks soooo good ! I love this kind of scape ! Very different. PLEASE don’t hide too much of this magnificient hardscape with plants 🌱

Oh my goodness, this is stunning MJ! Initially I had a “whoa, that’s a lot of hardscape!” moment, but as it evolved it all fitted together beautifully. Kudos for being flexible and changing your idea as the scape progressed.

This looks insane🤯I can already imagine it planted, it will look so good! This is just a whole other level. Wow

I like it Mj, love those shallow tanks. Looking forward seeing it planted. Keep up the aquascaping.

I can see a world where Green Neons would look incredible in this!

This tank needs an Apistogramma for sure! Very beautiful. You can add some botanicals too they will add more details: catappa leafs, monkey pods, alder cones

Good choice with the wood placement 👌

amazing pieces of hardscape! very good arranged!

Maybe a big school of cardinal tetras would be a nice addition to the tank, to contrast well with the Blackwater theme. Great hardscape and video!

This scape is absolutely amazing.

Keep it up MJ! I love your aquascapes and the calm delivery of your videos. Good vibes bro 🥂

Blackwater would be amazing!

amazing piece of wood. love this hardscape, time to see planting... goldy

I have been watching your videos for some time now and i really like them al, and this new aquascape, wow. it looks very natural and the bigness of the wood makes it look like its not even in an fishtank. keep it up! For fish i thought of celestial pearl danios. i like these fish because the are really small and they look beautiful. And i think they will fit perfect with the shadows of this aquascape and the darkness of the wood and the lava rocks.

Great choice with the wood position!

5 things: 1. Such a unique hard scape. I didn't think I'd like it but it's great so far. It has a primal quality to it. 2. I live in a smallish apartment and still manage to lose things regularly. 3. Please keep us updated on the Eonian subsoil. Would be interested in how it compares to aquasoil. 4. If you do blackwater beware that there are some spots in the front of the scape that are fairly dark on camera (although planting may lighten things in those areas?). 5. Would be interesting to see shrimp roaming around on the scape.

This inspired me for a shallow tank

You’re getting so much better at scaping! Keep it up! The stump on the far right above water looks like a dragon head to me. Or maybe I’m seeing things 😂

Hi, loving the tank. I think some white fish would really stand out. Maybe a shoal of white skirt tetras? In a lot of dark scapes often we struggle to see the fish, so definitely white I would say. Really like your videos. Very informative and straight to the point. 👍

It looks amazing! I think a group of white cloud mountain minnow or zebra danio would look great. You won't need a heater either then. I can't wait to see it planted and stocked.

Yeah, I liked a lot that hardscape.

Tank looks awesome for a black water set up .... ill say go for it... love to see a school of cardinals there

Looks great lad 👌🏼 can’t wait for the planting 🙌🏼

I’m torn between loving this & loving the previous big shallow. Can’t wait to see it planted!

Really loving the scape so far! If you’re leaning more towards the blackwater or river stream, maybe some dwarf cichlids like the apistogramma or kribensis would be great center fish.

Blackwater for sure. The tetras and the cory would look pretty cool in there, just get some centerpiece fish.

Certainly inspiring! Love the fact you filmed and shared your creative thinking. Really, really helps - thank you!

hmmmmm... i wasn't crazy about the lava rocks in the background at first, but once you got water in i loved it. i have often times had mixed feelings about hard scapes from various youtubers, only to fall in love with the tanks after plants go in. I am super excited to see how it goes! one thing for sure, it is a drastic change from the big shallow 1.0 hahaha side note, you should watch some Serpa videos for some inspiration on how to tackle the emersed areas of your scape, maybe get a little water pump, or use some water wicking fabric to get water up on the wood like he does. I think this scape will be soooo awesome if you get the emersed area really dialed in well. i do think it would look better with a different sand, not crazy about the orange, but im sure you'll make it great! As for livestock, i think you should get some cool fish that would love the dark areas you've designed into the scape. Coolie(sp) loaches, maybe some vampire shrimp, a nice group of lazer cory cats would be awesome.

Your videos are the highlight of my week! Can’t wait to see the big shallow fully planted😍

I personally think that a biotope style aquarium would be really cool. With a lot of alder cones, leaf lither and stuff. And for the aquariumstocking I would go with some kind of mikrogeophagus ramirezi, maybe like the electric blue version ans then a big school of cardinal/ neon or green neon tetras would go wel with them because of the colours. Also a good group of otocinclis wouldn't hurt right? And to finish it of, maybe some kind of corydoras. But I would choose all fish originaly from the Amazon river.

Well done. Good music too...

This looks amazing, so natutal looking

Quite funny the name they gave to Vine wood... That will leaches a bit of tannins in the beginning and it's normal in case it gets fungus as well for a while. Good job Marc with the hardscape.

Love this scape, got some real emotion and impact. The sand has a great contrast. Wio are banging out some great products, really getting me thinking and excited for a new project. Great work buddy 🙌

Looks so beautiful!!!! I think a school of neon tetras, chili rasbora or cherry barbs would look amazing

This looks absolutely awesome, can't wait to see it planted.

Scape looks super nice! Only thing I’m wondering is if there will be enough flow for the background plants behind the rock dam (CO2, fertilizer, etc)… might want to look into a low powered powerhead in the back right corner. I recommend a Hydor Koralia Nano 240 or 425. Also, I think Congo Tetras would look really nice in this tank :)

Thats an amazing scape! Small plants here and there and yes, more greenery coming out from the tank. Love it!

This looks really incredible, great job! I think it would look awesome as a blackwater, but I wouldn't add the leaf litter, maybe some seed pods and stems to add hints. I wouldn't add many underwater plants either because the hardscape is just so strong, maybe some buce. The bog plants coming out of the tank will really give the colors and help with the filtration and have a great contrast with lush green above and dark and moody underwater. Would strongly consider larger-leaved floating plants like amazon frogbit and water lettuce, but salvinia could also work too with shorter trailing roots. As for fish, this really seems like a side of a river or even a bog, so I would pick blackwater fish from those areas. Small gouramis like the sparkling gourami or honey gourami, small rasbora like the Brevibora dorsiocellata, pygmy rasboras, Trigonostigma espei, barbs like the snakeskin barb, and loaches like the rosy loach or kuhli loach. So many options! These are just my ideas, but do what makes you happy and it will shine through in your work. Wishing you much success, take care.

Awesome! I kept on thinking during the video you should switch the light around so the cable is on the right side, but in the end you silenty did ;)

Absolutely stunning hardscape! Love that wood, it´s got so much character!

So much detail, this is already one of my favorites. Can't wait to see it planted and with fish!

Maybe a lillte pump driping water fron the top root??? Maybe some little rainbow fish (pseudomugil furcatus , or something like that)

This is absolutely outstanding, I knew you were a skilled aquascaper but this scape has really showcased your true talent, I absolutely love it and I cannot wait to see this planted.

Oh I cant wait to see the plants you pick to go with this fabulous scape... great job so far! :)

I like it very beautiful

Very beautiful scape, like the shadows created by the large wood and rocks looks really natural. Can't wait to see when you add the plants.

Went from hardly any hardscape to all the hardscape hahaha. I’m not gonna stop with the you need Apistos in there Mark. I personally would use purigen to get rid of the tannins I think you will be able to see much more detail underwater if it’s more clear! You have a massive land section I’m curious to see how you do with some emersed stuff I’ve never tried it before

2 x kessil tuna suns would make that scape absolutely pop man,the intense shimmer they give off, would pass fractions of light infront and behind that bold root sytem like structure youve built. the shimmer is by no means to everyone tast.but with a scape like this ,they bring it life.

Always Good stuff bro....Hoorah!!

you can use ludwigia, microsorum, buce, anubias, echinodorus, myriophyllum, rotala, (and many others) as emerse or half emerse plants no problem. Some, like rotala or myriophyllum needs help with transitioning from immerse to emerse, but others are very easy to handle.

Mark , is very nice project👍👍👍😍😍😍

Looks dope man well done ! I would love to see at least 50 neon tetras especially if it's black water tank. It would look real good I think. Massive gang on neons 😄

That is one intense hardscape! Can't wait to see the plants and colorful fish in the black water tank!🤔

O M G it looks amazing 👌🏻

Glass catfish would look insane

A pleco would love that big crack in the wood!

That looks sooo good 👌🏻👌🏻

Really nice hardscape.. go enter hardscape competition mate 😄👍👍👍

Looks amazing 👍 I think the Corydoras Pygmaeus will feel great in this Scape, because they have Something to hide. The Ember Tetras could look great, too. If I were you I would add some other Corydoras for the ground. And last I would add a coupple of Apistogramma, for example Apistogramma MacMasteri

Одна з найкращих ваших композицій,у Вас є чудовий дар творити з каміння та дерева,дуже гарно.(Україна)

I wish I could show you my small shallow tank I just built. I used Black java rock. Less algae on the rocks and harbors lots of beneficial bacteria.

I vote blackwater as well (I love the effect the tint has on highlights in the tank). For plants, above water, if we are going for biotope, south american fish and central/south american plants, would a monstera be too much? Pothos is another option with many ferns being a favorite for filling in the gaps. It's not south american, but the effect Hydrocotyle tripartita japnoica had above water in your past nano was goooorgeous. And most any of the plants for sale below water are grown emersed first, so they should adapt well. For stocking, blackwater would make it hard to see the ember tetras, so try to have them school with a flashy fish like cardinal tetras or black neons. A bunch of different cory groups going through the leaf litter on the bottom would be adorable. For a center piece fish, Apistogramma or Bolivian Ram. I would recommend SerpaDesign for inspiration, he did a huge blackwater scape with a lot of above water plants.

Someone loves mayo! 😜Looking very cool! I agree that that wood would go really well with black water. It's got a moody vibe. I know its kind of 'boring' bit a big shoal of cardinal tetras would pop

I prefer dutch style planted tanks BUT this Hardscape looks amazing. Details are highly visible. This is "pro" Version for sure.

Fantastic tank man! I think you will have a very nice constrast to the other tanks if you decide to keep it blackwater ( but thats just my opinion) Best of luck with your new setup :)

God damn, this look gorgeous! You are lucky all that stuff is heavy, so it wont get stolen :D I suggest: "Rasbora espei" Their colors are not that bright, but im sure the bronce will look great when they cross the light/shodow line. 15-20? "Tateurdina ocellicauda" Because its my favourite fish, would go with only a pair, or small group of max. 5. Hidden Treasure, for sure. Some kind of L-catfish I dont think a zebra would fit, L-107 maybe? "Trichogaster leeri" Also a pair or small group And thats pretty much all i would put in there, beside some shrimp and snails. I like the idea of putting only a few (but special) fish into such a big tank :)

Hear me out, the ember tetras and pygmy corys and then either a school of cardinals or neon blue rasboras ! Im a sucker for killifish as well and i don’t think they get enough attention but could be harder to get a hold of :) amazing scape ! I was doubting it at the start but once the sand and the water was in it just blew my mind

Wio sponsoring Mark with these gorgeous hardscape materials is like giving 2 infinity gauntlets to Thanos -- he's too powerful with those lol

This looks awesome!! I love the red wood on the black lava rock. I’ve been wanting to change up my 55 gallon tank and I was considering using large black lava rock with red manzanita branches. Seeing how nice this turned out has made up my mind! I love your videos. Keep up the great work.

STANDING OVATION!

Beautiful results! I think the corys and embers will look amazing in there. Cherry barbs too if your looking for other ideas.

I would suggest a bunch of rummy nose , black neons and some barbs maybe Ruby (negro ) barbs , they go well with the colours of the stone and the wood ! ✨✨😃

Mj I watch every video you put out and been subscribed for almost a year now.. BUT... that light being off center is making my eye twitch man.. lol Keep up the good work brother .

The hardscape looks great. I would go for black water vibe but with only sligtly tint. That will allow you to see more detalils of hardscape and plants. I also would love to see massive emersed echinodorus with some ferns, peace lilly on top, underwater classic plants that will grow on rocks/wood and mayby some tall grass in the back. Hardscape divided aquarium on different areas what can be really helpfull with multiple apisto harems - the first fish i see in this enviroment. Overall tank have great potential.

This is stunning. I’m getting jealous already, would love a tank like this. I’m not a fan of blackwater, but I agree that it would look awesome with this hardscape. You could always start with a blackwater set up, and then transform it in a couple of months if you getting tired of the blackwater.

It looks nice, something different, I personally tried something similar. If you like plants that much and from what I see in your channel you actually do, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't stick around that much as you think. Once the euphoria disappears usually after 1 month, you will only see it as a static image and there will be always an urge to change something, but with this hardscape in it, there aren't a lot of options what to change. Anyway you have a lot of tanks, so it might NOT be the case that I'm talking about. It looks good and you have to enjoy it ;)

Hey Mark, the hardscape is real nice man. Bit of Indo style.

DEFINITELY BLACKWATER

This is great. I'm not as big of a fan of the higher tech less natural tanks as i am with stuff like this. there is still art in making things natural and "dirty"!

Very nice composition, very powerfull! Great work! Looks like you need some fishes bigger then ambers or pigmy corrys to complement the boldness of the hardscspe.

Looks great. Love the black water vibe. Defenitely add some leaves and other nature products.

I like this one a lot. The hardscape alone could be it I would only add some little blackish, reddish plant below water and maybe some red root floaters. Have you considered adding a mist?

I think a pair of Apistos would look amazing, lots of caves for them to explore! Probably too big as i know you like your nanos haha

Nice shallow tank 👍🏻

Looks like lots of new content are coming soon- plants selection, fish selection, algae issues, changes that you made, maintainance etc. .... can't wait to see this tank in full running condition. P.S. Those hardscape selection are dope.

I think tiger barbs would go really well.

It's a bit rock heavy for me but I do love that wood!