The Budget Aquarium Setup You Cannot Miss! 

FIND YOUR LOCAL SUPERFISH & AQUAFLEUR SUPPLIER HERE: aquadistri.com/store-locator/ Aquarium Gardens: www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/ 👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com Equipment (all links affiliate): GLUE HARDENER: US amzn.to/3VEpN4j UK amzn.to/4cD51YY 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 RU-vid: ru-vid.com 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 RU-vid: ru-vid.com/show-UCNxaNWKoWr_ztSgXgPj9r8A Purchase AQUARIAN products here: aquarian.co.uk/where-to-buy/ AWESOME MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITY ru-vid.com/show-UC3uQXzXSPspf2LoGdtYGiHwjoin FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/md_fishtanks/ FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES: admin@mdfishtanks.com #plantedtank #aquascape #mdfishtanks

Great build video! Obviously I was there when it happened 😆 but so cool to see everything come together in a well edited 30 minute video. Thanks again MD and can’t wait for the next one!

@MDFishTanks I just wanted to thank you, I found your channel a few months ago and after not having kept fish or turtles for about 15 years, I now I have 5 fully planted beautiful aquariums that I put together based on a lot of your videos, and a pair of baby musk turtles of my own in a 60 gallon planted paludarium.. you’ve created a monster, can’t thank you enough for the hours of content and inspiration you’ve created. Amazing job mate keep it up:) sending happy thoughts and positive vibes your way from the U.S.

A new MD video makes any day better!! Love your vids!

i dont have any fish tanks but this channel is my comfort channel i watch all the time during work and playing games:)

I think MD should do a new tour of the fish studio. So much has changed in the past few months.

''Budget'' is of course a relative term entirely dependent upon your disposable income. I appreciate that the cost of the kit varies depending where you buy it but it averages out at around £110 to £130 which seem pretty good value considering you have filter, lights, background, everything except the heater. I'd be interested to know what the retail price of those two pieces of wood and the 'only' 10 pots of plants were. I really thought you might give us a breakdown at the end of the video as to what it would cost for us to replicate what you have created.

Coffee made feet up and MDs on awesome, got you on the big tv.

Love over at AG, we have been loyal customers for a while now and fortunately only live 35 mins away. Great advice and service from Dave and the team.

You are always inspirational! I first started watching your videos about 8 weeks ago.... as a result I now have a 20l planted tank with Dwarf Neon Rainbows, Cardinal Tetras, Merited Snails, and Panda Cory's! Thank you so much for helping me get started on this wonderful journey!❤

I am forever grateful for Kate because you doing this has brought happiness to my life. Thank you both for all you do for the hobby.

Hey MD, I want to say thank you. After watching your videos I got the confidence and knowledge I needed to ditch the plastic plants and try planting out my tank. I have so enjoyed the process and the best bit, my fish love it ❤

Excellent video. Wish aquarium gardens was closer to me. When I did my 5ft tank all the plants, substrate, sand etc came from them and it was top notch. Plants were outstanding

Great tank MD! You should tell Superfish to get on to the States.

Just bought a Twinstar SA light from Aquarium Gardens, arrived next day and transformed my aquarium. Great service. I too struggle with hard water and having recently moved from a soft water area I can tell you it's chalk and cheese. So many more options with soft water.

the quality of the content, the professionalism, the camerawork, and the amount of work and effort you put into your videos and aquascapes are just remarkable. Keep up the great work

NOTE: NUTRA BASE cannot be shipped to US or Canada because in contains ingredients that are not allowed through customs. Really too bad.

Amazing as always

YAY!! New video, Thanks for the info!!

It's been years since I've had a tank, but my go to filter was the Aqua Clear. I ran the 70 on my on my 30 gallon long tanks and would run the sponge, some bio media and a polishing pad. They also had 'under gravel filter' setups for additional biological filtration and because I had those set up with one way valves into a T so that I could have normal AC air pumps and DC air pumps that automatically kicked on when the mains power went out and ran off a pair of D cell batteries. I might need to change the batteries, but those tanks were safe for days without power and that did happen because of hurricanes.

Love what you do MD . Keep smashing it. So much inspiration for every level of hobbyist 😊.

Hey MD! I love to hear the soliloquies at the end. You are a huge inspiration to me personally, i struggle to get my hustle going although i really yearn for it seeing you doing what you love lights a spark in me, and many others im sure. - Belgor

Gorgeous little setup, great video MD :)

I LOVE IT! BRING ON MORE VIDS MD!!!

Thank you for this nice video MD. I really love the ambient music, it's gives a really peacefully vibe.

Awesome content, I love the music you play during your scaping scenes.

Awesome build as always MD just brought myself a superfish scaper Tank

Love Dave hes a great guy spoke to him over the phone a few years ago about some stone and he was really helpful also when i need to re-do my plants i only buy from him the quality is excellent, one day i might make it to his shop as i live quite a distance away unfortunately. Love this video and all your content.

I’ve seen the tank in person it’s looking great. Well done MD 👍👌 Ps would love to pop in while you are there.

Thanks for being a inspiration bro

This was fun to watch. Thank you both for sharing………………..

Watched this and av ordered my tank been out the hobby for a while definitely inspired to get bk into it

You guys did a beautiful job . Love it ! Your channel along with the tips has given a lot of inspiration 😊 appreciate the detailed list

LETS GOO, i love when MD uploads!!

Another piece of art 🤩

absolutely beautiful!!!!

Keep it going MD love the content

СУПЕР ! Приятно смотреть как вы создаёте красоту ! Браво !

This was great! I'm looking forward to seeing the next level of tank for the shop that you create. One day it would be great to revisit the tanks from Matt's previous job that you did for them!

Looks good!

Great vid MD! I personally think that for any of these budget builds, it would be great to have a cost presented so that people who are looking to get into the hobby know what kind of financing they will need. Great job as always!

I’ve literally just bought this tank 😂 thank you for the video still planning my setup for it

Going to try that glue with the spray hopefully it works for me. Thanks for sharing.

That's so awesome you're working with Superfish! Great products they have. I dont know why this shop just doesn't run RO/DI water and if you're going high end with full blown CO2, it's easier to set up.

Really like the crypt albida touch 😊

Beautiful tank, but while it may be 'low tech', it's definitely not entry level budget friendly at all. I get what you're saying with the whole 'spend the money at the start to help avoid issues like ammonia and algae etc', but it's honestly not realistic for a lot of people starting out to spend hundreds on substrate and hardscape and plants. Most people will get 1 piece of wood, maybe 3 rocks, and a couple of bunches of mixed beginner-friendly plants plus something like a java fern. Would love to see you do a true entry-level build where you set a realistic beginner budget and organise the build from that. You could do monthly updates to see how the tank is growing and developing over its first year. That would be super helpful for people to follow along with while doing their first planted tanks, like a mini-series.

So good!

The Galapagos stones look very striking in that tank! Awesome tank

I HAVE BEENFOLLOW IN YOUR VIDEOS AND I AM LEARNING NEW IDEARS FROM YOU IHAVE BEEN DOING TROPICAL FISH SINCE 1975 AND I LOVE WATCH YOUR WAYS OF FISH KEEPING

Those tanks are amazing.

I’ve never had an aquarium, watching a few (nearly all) of your videos and seeing this one… I’m very tempted… might pick up this starter kit. I’ve always been worried about the welfare of the fish (as I’m a noob). Thanks for making this video 😊

Great job 👏

Great video, thanks MD💚 Excellent setup as usual!!! I really like that stone. It looks like posh lava rock. I'm not vibing with the ominous-toned music though.

Sooo… I set up my first live planted thanks to this channel, tank, plants, substrate and gravel, plus my koi plakat betta, £155.55. It got expensive and quick!

I was curious if you've ever thought of doing a sort of low-planted tank and keeping track of it over time to show how it grows in? I love how much you plant into your tanks cuz we get the full picture right away and it can inspire us for our own setups, but as I'm working towards my first planted tank I just had this thought.

Thanks for plant info for hard high ph water.

Loving the back ground music 🎶🥰

Superfish needs to be distributed to the US. Such great products. I'd love to get my hands on them.

Great build

Amazing vids

Beautiful tank ….love the scape and fish choice…🫶

I live in a region with hard water. The water in our whole region comes from a huge groundwater reservoir that is lined with sandstone. Been trying to learn what plants like our water so this is very helpful!

Nice one MD 😊😊😊

I also have a hardness of about 8 where I live in the US so this is a perfect plant list for me to try

Great video

Very Nice My friends ! Huge fan 🙏

It was important to point out that the hardness and pH of the water makes a big difference in what plants you can grow. MD you really do have magic water if it is soft. Plants grow better in soft water. I have very hard water, so no hairgrass or monte carlo for me. But I can grow crypt parva as a lawn.

Always beautiful 😍

We cant get Nutribase in Australia, what alternatives can you recommend?

I absolutely love your videos, motivated me every time I watch to stay patient and one day I'll have my masterpiece! I wish Colombo nutri base was in the US somewhere 😢!! Send it my way please! Also aquafleur 😊

If you wet the background then use something to squeegee it onto the aquarium, there is no need for tape.

Has MD ever done a saltwater tank? I think that would be a cool change to see

what type of wood did you use for the newest archer fish tank

Felt like an age waiting for a new MD video this time round

Wesołych świąt

Definitely a tank I’ve had my eye on but the only thing I don’t like about the Superfish tanks is the fact they don’t have lids. If you’re a beginner in the hobby but you have other pets or kids that could get to the tank it means you have to make your own lid. Obviously making a lid is another expense of either time or money. Seems like the only way to get clear lids is by either being restricted to buying the cube tanks, doing it yourself or having them custom made.

What was that little black mat thing you put on the stand before you placed the tank?

Hey MD great video as always! What do you think about the chihiros a2 led series? I just got it and i think it is a great light

what do you think of fluval bio stratum as a base layer with sand over the top in a small tank, anygood?

No matter how hard I try I can never make my tanks as amazing as yours ❤

I kept failing to replicate MD's success with plants in low tech setups but now I know my tapwater in London is too alkaline with a very high hardness to ever grow most plants successfully without CO2. The only two species that have survived long term in my tank are bucephalandra and java moss - even java ferns never last more than 6 months.

You mean you don't have to start with rimless tank, external filter, lily pipes, CO2, aquasoil, purigen, deluxe extra fancy lighting, white walled room with indirect recessed wall mount lighting? You don't need black rim glasses and tattoos with multiple ear and face piercings and a black t-shirt and slim fit jeans? Are you saying none of this is required for fishkeeping? :O

Love aquarium gardens. Wont buy my plants from anywhere else, always really high quality plants

Spooky, I’ve literally just got home and seen this video after being out and ordering this exact setup.

MD should do low tech column tank

You're always so self-depricating MD. You certainly have perfected your own 'way'. Yes, you copied others originally, but you have simplified everything and made fish-keeping far more accessible.

Hoping to get a betta tank setup soon

Wow, excellent tank scape MD! The Endler guppies and shrimp were fun! What were the black lava-like rocks and are they safe to use? (e.g. metals?)

Hello from Australia cool endlers 😊

Hey. Could you do a video on how you handle plants please? All the rock wool gives me the heeby jeebies, and all the fun with tweezers / etc. makes me feel like i'm going to be ruining roots. What's the way to do it? thanks!

I would love a response, at the moment looking for a new set of lights. Would these also work on a 150 x 70 x 65 and if how many would i need.

Which fertilizer was used for this aquarium?

Levi-osaah! Thank you so much for doing this. I have been watching for quite awhile but felt a bit intimidated by it all, even though you really explained things well. I want to to start and feel I can now but I know I'm creating a monster! I won't stop at one tank. I loved the look at the beginning. It had a real Zen look but love the end product too. Again thanks. One question and sorry if it's a dumb one. Is PH differences because of the rock/soils being different in different areas?

B careful with insta set. If it gets on your skin with the glue, it's like napalm! Just burns and don't come off easy.

Hi @MDFishTanks, I love your videos! Thanks to you, I've successfully set up my first heavily planted aquascape tank. Your tutorials and advice have been instrumental in the thriving condition of my setup. I've noticed that you use various types of rocks for your builds. However, most of these rocks can alter water parameters, and I haven't seen you address this issue. Could you please provide some guidance on how to address this concern? I'm particularly interested in using seiryu stones, but I'm worried about their long-term impact on my tank's pH and other parameters. Your input on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I usually scramble to watch your videos MD...but I just finish redoing my aquarium, worked hard on it, spent alot of money on substrate and nutrients, followed your guidance for tank cycle. Unfortunately idk what went wrong, all my shrimp n fish of over 3 years died, and my plants are melting/dying. I can't even bare to watch this it is really heartbreaking

Great tank, although I would not have used the pebbles. I would've kept the theme going and broken up some of the galapagos stone and put it around the bigger rocks.

The tank light and filter are available as a set for a 105.99 after a few minutes googling. I understand that not eveyone has a spare 100 to spend on an aquarium but to argue that this isn't a budget set up is unreasonable. Plus half a dozen small rocks and a couple of pieces of wood . The only indulgence was buying all the plants in one go which is very much the MD way. Additionally I will say if this tank does well it proves how possible this method is in high ph and with hard water considering this tank is going to be available to view for a long time at Aquarium Gardens. (Unless the nay sayers think they secretly put co2 on it and dose wirh nutrients when no ones looking ;-)

@mdfishtanks it is the MD way now. You have replicated other practices… yes… but we all start somewhere and it is your way. (Your comfort zone, Because it works very well). Own it buddy 😁, hoodie brand it 😊. A nice modern adaptation of a Walsted method 😁👌. I have visited the tank recently and it’s still doing well… look forward to and update video

Gateway tank🎉