Why I Left YouTube, My Relationship w/BRS, Seahorses & Macroalgae 

I was so overwhelmed trying to get into saltwater aquariums. Your videos and website have been instrumental in helping me understand this entire process. Thank you. I hope you can come back one day, but if not, thanks for the work over the past years as they are still extremely helpful today.

Thank you for giving numbers when discussing the income, it makes me appreciate even more the value you provide. It also helps me keep from dreaming about trying to support my hobby with anything other than a day job. 🤣🙂

I only found you through BRS but instantly liked you and what you do, your honest, interesting and no nonsense vlogs are exactly what I like and you’re now one of my favourites along with the likes of Fish of Hex, Fragbox, Reefdork, Inappropriate Reefer etc. 👍

Good to see you back Matthew. I've tried to get ONE video ahead a few times and it's bloody hard! So well done for loading up. Looking forward to more talking head vids 👌

Matthew your one of my favorites to watch! Appreciate your honesty and candor!!!! That's why I'm here and I'm sure others...keep being yourself and doing your thing!

Thanks for being so honest and open it’s refreshing. Also, thank you for the high quality content!

Hey Mathew I love your amazing content! I have watched your full 59 video series on setting up a reef tank as I prepare to set up my own, and it has been so helpful and informative.

Thank you for bringing great videos! I’ve been in the hobby for over 20 years but still I find your videos quite informative and last couple of months I was quite excited every time you released a new video on beginner series. You have been one of the only RU-vidr-Reefers who can explain things in layman's terms and a true beginner guru! Keep up the good work and best of luck! 😊

Keep on keeping on man your videos are so much more in-depth and get straight to the point very informative, I can say I’ve learn more about the hobby through your videos than Brs or other channel that basically just focus on products to buy any who hope to see more on your channel !

Keep up the great work! I’m re-entering the hobby after a long break and your videos keep answering all the questions that come up. Appreciate the balanced opinions, personal stories etc. Don’t let any haters stop you!

Love your videos man, especially the beginner videos. I’m currently setting up my first saltwater tank and you helped a lot. Sometimes I play your videos in the background while I work. Keep it up 👍

I started doing my research last year and watched so many video's. I can imagine it can get a bit boring sometimes to do beginner video's, but you do it so well and you are one of the very few who make those video's not boring to watch.

Welcome back! Thanks for the update.

Nice to see you back. You’ve been my virtual mentor in this new journey so it’s nice to see your face back on RU-vid. Look forward to any new content you put out!

I love your stuff and have watched a ton of your videos. I have been wanting to try a saltwater tank FOREVER. When I do I will absolutely start it with you and My First Fish Tank. Thank you my friend for all of your time and valuable info.

You’ve been one of my favorites to watch because you’re just real and don’t get all technical. I set up a seahorse tank for a few months now and love it. Watch your nitrates once you get them. They’re dirty little things! But super social and curious. You’ll love them

Love the honesty. Appreciate you as a content creator. You rock. Looking forward to updates whenever you get around to it! 😊

I've only recently started to try to make my own content and it's definitely more daunting than expected. I have no idea how guys like you manage to make so much content but it's definitely impressive! Welcome back and good luck with BRS too.

Great to see you back and getting to do what you love! Congrats Mathew!

Great video, Matthew!!! I can definitely relate. I'm honestly super impressed that you can write/film/edit 2 videos a week as a one man show. It's soooo much work!!! Keep up the fantastic work, brother! We should do a collab some time! Haha

Thank you for all the great content! I really appreciate you talking real numbers about what you make monetarily. So many people keep it really vague, but there's real value in understanding creator finances. Thanks for your honesty. ❤️

Matthew, don't know if you still look at comments from this far back or not. I just wanted to say, I entered the hobby on some horrible, in my opinion, advise from a LFS with a 20 gallon nano. The nano has been up and running for about 2.5 years now and I've finally decided to move up to a 75 with a sump. Your videos have been imperative for the new tank! I was waiting to have money to buy EVERYTHING I would need and your advise has helped me to start piecing everything together. Just really wanted to thank you for all that you do, and I'm so glad BRS brought you on so you can continue to educate all of us and keep us inspired! Keep up the great work my man, also big thanks to your wife for being so supportive!!❤

You just earned a lot of cred/respect with me. Honesty is so refreshing and I wish more practiced it.

Thank you for everything that you do for this hobby. Hoping things get better for you my friend. God speed.

You, Thomas and Reef Dork are easily my favorite!!! Thanks for everything you do!

Thanks for the update. Good to hear about what's really goin' on!

The videos you had up with Marine Depot and here with the beginner set ups were great. Even though I’m not a beginner, it was great to watch to refresh. Too bad those are gone

Hi Matt, thank you for sharing your story with us. I realize that is already a year back or so, but anyway, I really do like your content. Great job🙂

Appreciate your authenticity and content, thanks for doing what you do and how you do it 👍

Thanks for your transparency, ps love your videos as a newbie

I'm a newbie with filming my reef tank, and I enjoy watching your videos. I'm glad to see you are back, and making your own videos.

New to this hobby! Definitely have gravitated toward your channel because of your knowledge, way of explaining things, and authenticity compared to other channels. As I continue in this hobby I know I will continue to follow your channel.

Good to see u back.I have kept my reef tank for 4 years but still a beginner i can not hand it.

Awesome video. I have been in the hobby for over 17 years and find your information very valuable. Always willing to learn something new. Great content!

Thanks for your honest talk and can't wait to see whats happening with the gallery & seahorse tank! Thumbs up to you.

Great news for BRS! They woud have done a big mistake not keeping you. Do your best and whatever you share will be fine. Thank you for keeping us updated. Congratulations on your yet to become seahorse tank.

Love your content man! Congrats!

Your videos were/are my go to for all my reef panic questions!! Thank you very much

I haven't seen the full video yet but I just wanted to say Glad to see you again and missed you a lot

Great to see you on your channel again. I also really enjoy your BRS videos.

Appreciate the honest video… really enjoy your content.

Love to see the return!

Mathew, I am also passionate about learning how to reef. I currently have a 10 gallon tank a couple of LFS bought live rocks and a few fish and hermit crabs and snails. I’m working on building a 55 gallon tank, and currently building the Aquascape for it. Because I am so new at Reefing, I had not seen anything from you before BRS, but that’s ok. I’m writing this to tell you that I really appreciate your dedication to making videos about beginner reefers, and those have helped me. I really love BRS and all their videos and comments on reefing and products. I hope that you continue to make videos and help those of us that are, like you, not experts but enjoy reefing. Thank you for everything that you do.

Welcome back!🍾🎊🎉👍

I know I am late, and this was posted like a year ago, but I really love this style of vlogging, and more updates. Don't get me wrong, I really love the other style too, but I watch a ton of BRS videos, so that is where I initially found you. I'm setting up my first saltwater tank, and the BRS and this have really been HUGE tools to give me the knowledge to have the confidence to actually set one up. I have tried a few times with fresh water, but as soon as I would run into any struggle, and not be able to find solid answers and options and what the differences are between options, really made me give up. That was over a decade ago now lol though. BUT with these series I realize that had I just stuck it out, and not made changes quite so suddenly, it probably would have been fine. Anyways, this style is really fresh, and I'll be honest I've been overly excited to just get water and rock in my glass, and hope for the best, but this helped remind me that slow things take time, and see how you work through struggles in real time. Like I've been struggling with my lights, and how to mount them because I am having a similar issue. I do have a lid (need one cause clownfish), but the way they sit, it's supposed to fit under snuggly, but it's just like 2cm too short. So watching you work through that actually did help me realize there are *some* custom edits I could make that would be easier and cheaper than buying a whole different mount.

We appreciate all the hard work, makes it so much easier and pleasant for us newbs

Great work, and thanks for the openness and honesty. Keep it up!

Mathew, The video was way cool as all your videos are. I am a new subscriber to your channel but I have watched numerous videos thru other links. I thank you for all the knowledge you give to everyone. I have listened and instead of rushing into this expensive long term hobby I am not rushing. I look forward to learning everyday and this is a building block to having an actual having a thriving tank. I am purchasing the Ref Sea Nano Peninsula. I hope things for you and your family. I actually live next to you in Bermuda Dunes. If you see this post and could recommend a local store. Take care

I'm glad I found this. Thank you

I really hope that everything will work out for you and I wish you all the best! Im kind of sad that the beginner series is stalled because I really liked the full in-depth theory and how you made it so easy to understand. I want to get into saltwater after two years of freshwater and 3 tanks at the moment. Your series was the only in depth guide into saltwater aquariums within one channel. I really do wish you the best and I hope you'll find your way in this new stage of your career :)

The video was spontaneous and informative. Not a terrible video as you stated. I will continue watching. All the best with BRS.

Keep going Mathew ,Great to see you back😀👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I just wanted to say a massive thank you for setting up your channel and all your videos for First time keepers. As an reef beginner i am finding you videos on the ultimate Beginner Series really helpful. Since then I’ve found your My First Fish Tank, and will be starting this channel. I would love to have an Seahorse aquarium, you have given me the tools to go and research everything I need to do and get to run a seahorses tank. A massive Thank you Sir

Outstanding job. Thank you for all you do :-D

Thanks for sharing. Its tough going but keep at it, it will all pay off.

Great update! Also....I now can tell myself I'm not a slacker for having trouble keeping up with my 2 videos a week for my membership, plus 3 live videos a week as a specialty retailer and quilting teacher! Since I turned my hobby into a full-time job for myself and husband, I've been looking for a new hobby and a reef tank may be it. Best wishes for the future and getting ahead with your videos.

Thanks for the honesty and courage!

Thanks for the inside finance information about your business, very interesting. Keep up the great work. Your videos helped me get started on my 300xl Red Sea reefer back in June 2021.

love ur channel. as long as the video is informative and done with good heart, you shouldnt worry too much about editing. by now i think your folowers should be forgiving enough on small mistakes given the ups and downs you have been going through. Thank you much and please try to post as much on seahorse tank as that one is my 6 month goal. Also any particular reason to move chiller out ?

this was a great video we all love ur content! KEEP IT UPPP

Good to see you back all the best.

I don't know what ur talking about, that was a great video :-)!!! Love the update keep on keep'n on...

First, I just found your channel yesterday. I started watching the beginner series with Marine Depot collaboration. I’m not technically a beginner, but you make amazing videos. Honestly, worth 300k+ subscribers. You make better videos than some RU-vidrs that have close to a million subscribers. I’m only about 6 min in but I LOVE the transparency. I’m not technically a beginner as a I had the armed Sea Max Nano for a couple years 2017-2019. I wish I had your channel before i started. We were moving and due to close to a year of not being able to fix some issues with the tank, I used the opportunity to get out of the hobby. I’m considering getting back in and doing a FOWLR. Specifically looking at probably doing a 180 gallons, 72x24x24 (approx) to be able to have a big variety of fish, invertebrates, clean up crew, etc. It would be awesome if you did some FOWLR specific series and/or builds on your site. I love your approach to breaking down everything and would find it very helpful to get the info all from a FOWLR specific perspective. I plan to keep it simple and only add more as need. For example, just starting with mechanical filtration and refugium. I know you are going to make the series just for me, but go look. There are barely any videos on FOWLRs, even from Marine Depot/BRS. I was shocked. I think you could fill a huge void there. I think FOWLRs are way underrated. You don’t have the added stress if keeping corals alive/happy and fish are a lot more interesting to watch than a lot of corals. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please keep up the channel and let me know how I can support you. Thanks!

Glad I found you again Matthew!! I’m again wishing you luck in your endeavors & with those sea horses!! I’m watching you!!!👀. Is that tank ok by the window??? It’s clean… just wondering. Be well

Always a pleasure to watch.

I advocated for you heavily. I knew your nitch and knew you were a huge resource.

Fun video! Those little jellies are hydroids and mine have always disappeared when I have limpets in the same tank.

Good to see you back Matthew. I know you have spent a good amount of time trying to get ahead with your videos for BRS. The seahorse tank along with the macro algae looks very nice. When you do you plan on stocking it with seahorses and how many? What other fish are you going to put in there as well?

I'm not a newbie by any strech, been in the hobby for roughly 20 years (that's scary to say), but I enjoy your presentation and going through equipment and ideas/plans. I don't have the time I used to for research or looking up equipment, so its nice when people go through things they found useful (IE, the phyto container you posted I've never seen before, but I love dosing phyto)

Your videos are really good at brs but I miss the videos on this channel.keep up the great work,tanks are looking awesome 👍👍

Glad to have you back on your own channel

Matthew- I thought I saw your UV light mounted horizontal, do you have any issues with air bubbles? Or does it not matter? Thanks! Excellent video-

That fix to your light is brilliant! I cannot wait for you to own seahorses!

Thanks for the clarity Matthew, much appreciated. Side note, I tried to find your Patreon but didn’t have any luck - is it still active? If so can you link? Thanks.

This is very good Mathew. Well done.

Hi i am a newbie from England.. I started my tank in July and have been watching you tube all about reef tanks and got hooked on BRS and when they took over marine depo and thats when i started watching you… I think you do amazing informative videos all for newbies thanks i have used some of your tips… 👍 If your looking how to get rid of the little jelly fish you could put in a couple of larger ones and they will eat them or a bearded goby is suppose to eat them too… keep up the good videos👍

I’ve been watching your videos for about a year or so now. I didn’t know you left until this video. I REALLY like your content. You’re a lot easier to listen to. While knowledgeable Ryan is a little surfer-boy for me lol. Plus they always recommend the most expensive product and don’t cover all the bases for the mid to low end.

Welcome back Matthew 👏

Loved your video! If we say you'd like to get rid of the red algae, can you then just remove it and it will be completely gone forever, or would you have to deal with it forever in the aquarium when first introduced? I'm starting up a new reef tank, and thought I could have some macro algae in the tank in the beginning. But I'm afraid if I can never completely get rid of it again.

Love your videos I learn alot ...I didn't know u were part of brs but love your stuff I'm not a social media guy either Im quiet don't like talking to groups or anything not alot of friends either.....I'm trying to start this fluval Evo 13.5 and I'm worried I'm not doing it right but think I am I was using ammonium chloride Dr Tim's and fluval cycle.....but just ordered dr.tims nitrifiying bacteria to use instead .....only been 3 days ammonia in-between 1.0-2.0 nitritewent from 0 to 0.25 my pH is 8.0 hopefully when I test it's still going good.....but does this all sound good

Matt, it's so awesome that you are part of the BRS family.

Dragon’s breath macro algae or flame algae? Also I think those are called colonial hydroids(jellyfish) great stuff man and best of luck!

Great video!

What type of super glue did you use? I have a small crack like that on my tank I’m about to get going

Do you have a video on how you made the shelves? They're awesome!

Great work good luck ridding the tank of those the hydroids!

Good to see you back friend 👍😊

What's the red algae called? Don't leave me hanging! Also those things on your lights are hex nuts. You probably could get a slightly longer screw for one or both sides and add some washers to get a better fit.

i will always stay with your videos

I kinda get the fancy editing but I’m only here to check out the tank. One shot would be fine with me. Maybe do local tank tours? One shot!

Soooo Many ♥♥♥♥♥

Thank you

I like your videos because it's informative, You don't need all the fancy editing. You can do updates on all the tanks evey 2 weeks or if something goes good or wrong. How to videos are a good idea.... Or an hour long LiVE Q&A once a month or every few weeks that would be easier for you. Leave the product review/promotion on the BRS side

I am setting up my true first saltwater system its a fish only set up. I am looking for advice on if i made a mistake buying the Flu Val FX 4 canister filter i dont know what type of bio media would work the best for this filter. I do plan on getting a hang on back overflow box and building a sump in a few months. Any advice would help me greatly with understanding if i made a bad choice in buying this canister filter

Also, shout out to your wife for helping support your hobby!

Your Red macro looks like it's in the Gracilaria genus, probably an Ogo or a pom-pom... As for the Phyto dosing, great idea. It can be useful for some filter feeding corals, can be an ideal food for bi-valves ( like clams), and it's the primary food source for Pods. I wish more content creators would focus in the variety, use, and cultures of Phyto for hobbyist's. Given it's the base of the marine food chain; if it's used well, all kinds of benefits can be had. I personally dos my fledgling 70G reef about 2 ml per day for my pods. People talk about dosing or spot feeding various macro molecules, like amino acids for there reef's. Well most of the nutritional value in Phytoplankton are items like fatty acids, omega 3, amino acids, trace vitamins... It varies, depending on which species(s) are in your culture. It can have some draw backs however, such as spiking your nutrients if done incorrectly. Like any autotroph, they required a nutrient solution to grow. When Phyto is eaten or when it breaks down, those nutrients enter your tank; just like a fish food. Eventually, it undergoes decomposition and then mineralization just like food and other waste turning to mulm. Second, there are a good 2 dozen kinds of common phytoplankton's in use, both commercially and in the hobby. Everything from chlorella in freshwater, to green and/or brown marine algae's, to diatoms, to extremophiles like spirulina (a cyanobacteria which favors a pH12 environment). Needless to say, it's a deep topic. If you have space in your series, it may be a topic you can create an introductory series on. I've also enjoyed tracking that series, both on Marine Depot and now BRS. Well done. I also have a sweet spot for algae tanks, so I'm happy to watch that content too. Best of luck Sir.

how do you like the jbj tank?

I agree don't do social media I won't even put my face on camera. Your braver than I dude.

I don't even have a salt water tank but I watch your videos because they are great.

I agree what you said about social media🙂