I've binged hours of your videos. Building up the courage to begin my first scape so your educational approach has been unbelievably valuable for me 🙏 thank you
Personally; I think you should fix that tank and if you want the cost and maintenance of another tank, then set up a black water. I greatly dislike the idea a "rescaping" or tearing down an old tank that is still functional. How many plant, fish, and invertebrates will be affected? Aquascapes are often treated as decore and art, but they have a large living component that should be respected. I am not saying that you personally would simply kill half or more of that tanks inhabitants. But many do. "Rescaping" promotes the idea that the organism are somehow disposable. So while I personally love seeing new scapes, I also enjoy seeing them cared for long-term
I agree that many people treat plants as disposables, but if you decide to rescape periodically, as long as you have a cycled holding tank for the livestock and re-use or rehome the plants, there is no harm done :) Any plants I rip out that I can't or don't want to reuse in the next scape go into my emersed stock plant setup and then possibly terrariums if they work out well, or eventually another scape if I don't like the way it grows out of water
Advice with the tank is basically “if you can’t accept me at my worst then don’t expect me at my best” effort always shows. Keep the sick vids phones are amazing
I'm not a crier, my husband can count on one hand how many times he's seen me cry since we've been married, but there are a couple classical pieces of music that bring me to tears too. I get so emotional with the beauty of the sound. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Rio Negro blackwater for that 600. This time use duckweed or red root floaters as the foating plants. That way you can still have epiphites and crypts in the tank itself. It might actually look great with the Kessil light and a "ceiling" of duckweed. Go MD style with that one.
Hi from the state of Illinois, USA, George! So many of us struggle with the realities of keeping these aquascapes on top of all the other responsibilities of our adult lives. I think showing how one can successfully recover a scape like your Iwagumi will inspire and convince many who might want to quit the hobby faced with this to keep going and ultimately overcome these issues. Keep up your great work!!
beautiful gallery George. I hope you can work on the iwagumi tank and make it look stunning again as it is my favor tank you got there! thanks for sharing the update video.
Hey George. I reckon a black water biotope is a great shout. As much as i’d enjoy watching you repair the 600 and deal with the algae, it would be going over information and techniques that you’ve already covered in other videos. A fresh scape would be great to see, and i think it would add even more diversity to the gallery, alongside the other tanks. Would also be a good chapter for your book. Keep up the great work mate.
Hi George, RE: the nerite snail eggs. I've found that clown Plecs are really good at cleaning them up. They are a plec that doesn't have many greens in its diet preferring meatier foods. They also don't grow very large which is another bonus! Its been really helpful in preventing those eggs appearing everywhere in our tank with nerites!
Nimrod laying at the bottom of the flex had me cracking up 😂😂 George! please do another blackwater biotope of literally any kind, your last one was so gorgeous.
Lizzie Block My betta does something similar as well by tucking his head behind a leaf and lying on the soil, they really do sleep in all sorts of strange ways. It gives me both a heart attack and makes me laugh as well.
@@wxlurker One of my bettas likes to sleep half out of the water on the frogbit in his tank. I thought he was dead the first time I saw him doing it but it's been about 9 months since I got him and every morning before I go to work I check on him and the majority of the time he's laying on a frogbit leaf with his head out of the water
This is what I really like about you and your channel. You are straight honest and are not afraid of showing success but also failure. And this is what aquascaping is all about. You are an amazing guy and I really like your honesty towards the viewers. Many successful aquascapers kind of show the tank but no detail behind it, they don't tell the story of the thought process behind it, the struggles, what was done to fix it, the routines, the material and fertilisation scheme, etc... Regarding your question, I would say, recover that thank. make it an educational video and then, after a month or so, if you are still not happy with it, go for blackwater.
Your tanks are so amazing. Thanks for sharing the successes and the failures as new Aquascapers often give up. Planted tanks are a marathon not a sprint with trial and error as we work to dial in all the elements including lighting, ferts, CO2 and other variables. Yes, do a black water Asian.
i loved your fluval flex 15 tutorial! really awesome and it actually helped me a lot when i did my fluval flex 15 scape. i'm having trouble with hardscapes but i'm figuring it out
I like the cellphone in updates it makes it more person and carefree. Also BLACK WATER! I'd like to see some classic neons. My neons are in black water and the look amazing! When their far away their blue is almost purple and as they approach the glass their colour changes to a vibrant blue. I think it's something more people should see of such a common fish in the aquarium hobby
Thanks for the update video George. I think the cell phone footage looks great for videos like this, whereas the dslr is probably better suited for the more cinematic shots. As for the iwagumi, it seems like you’re leaning towards tearing it down and converting it to a blackwater biotope. It’s probably best to go with what you will enjoy more and can put the most passion behind. But before tearing it down, maybe contemplate the scape and figure out what you don’t like about it, and what can be added/changed to fix it. Perhaps add some wood and do a nature style iwagumi hybrid. Or a add tall delicate plant like eleocharis vivapara behind the rocks to fill the upper negative space. Either way, it means we get more videos, so I can’t complain :)
Great update! I like the idea of a Blackwater tank however I think they are showcased best in a larger tank. I say rehab the Iwagumi and if you are set on a Blackwater setup maybe do a 900 or something along those lines in addition. Great vid as usual!
Love how it’s filmed from a phone George no issues with that as regards to the tank I would love to see you do a black water you’ll have to go back to crowders aquatics for your supplies though with their amazing stock for black water 😀 I love angel fish so would like to see a tank with them or even a big school of cardinal tetras would be cool hope you do a black water tank 🤞🌱
Yes, a blackwater would be lovely and a nice contrast to your other scapes. Personally I love Corydoras, so maybe center the stocking around a school of dwarf cories?
Hi George, Another great video! I agree with Dusk194. I say you should fix the iwagumi and do a blackwater setup in a new tank :) The satisfaction from fixing all the hard work that went into the iwagumi tank will be awesome. Flex your scaping muscles! And then move onto a new tank for the Blackwater because you have been talking about it for a while now, and I am very curious to see how it would turn out! Cheers!
Camera: I like the first person view with the phone but I also like the cinematic videos that you do - loved the ones where you go super close to the shrimp and you can see the tiny bubbles coming up off the plants 😁
Love the fish gallery. It’s so beautiful. I’ve been thinking of redoing my 29 gallon as a Amazonian blackwater for awhile now, so to see you do one of those would be very cool!
The benefits of the snails mean I’ll happily tolerate the eggs. As for the black water aquarium, I’d be really interested in seeing one set up as I have no experience of them but do find them really interesting.
Yep a Black water tank i reckon, its something different then your normal scapes (not that there is anything wrong with them) and we can all learn something along the way.
Thanks for the tour. That 1200 is looking wonderful. I wanna see George Farmer do a tank with Killifish! I know it would require a lid, but still, their beauty with your taste would be great. Plus I am going to get my first killifish soon and need ideas. P.s. Looking forward to the book! Cheeri-O!- Little Bobby
George, I always enjoy your reviews. Your candor and stream of consciousness just seem so great. Entertaining and educational. Keep it up! ...and I'd like to see a black water tank with S. American fish.
George, your a busy guy and things are only going to get busier. You've demonstrated that an Iwagumi is doable but also a little higher on the maintenance. So I'm voting for the blackwater. Last time it was South American, how about a SE Asian? Nimrod would love it!
I think Blackwater is a very good idea. Try to go a littl bir against the norm with this one. You should try a riparium setup. Use plants with a lot of emergent growth, scape that creeps up out of the tank, maybe some air plants. Nothing huge though, just have fun with it, give it a thought.
I like the black water idea George.. You did a great job with it last time. As always I'll leave the fish up to you😁 Man, the 1200 is looking beautiful as well as the African tank and Nimrod. Just when i fall back in love with the 1200, you mention tearing it down😕 I'm sure it will be sweet whatever you might put in it's place...(salty?) 👍👍👍
I would love to see you fix the tank & bring us a lovely cinematic video of the iwagumi before breaking it down👌🏻🤞🏻 Then maybe a biotope tank specifically for your apisto’s?
Really enjoyed that George. I started laughing at the same time you were smirking regards the 53b. I’ve got mostly 53b in my Flex too. Where do you get the T-shirt from please? Black water scape would be interesting. Keep up the good work, and get writing, I’ve ‘requested’ your book for Christmas!!! Neil.
09:40 the apistogramma cacatuoides is really an amazing fish and about the iwagumi aquarium i'd strip it down and do a blackwater biotope setup from scratch
i would love to see you do a forest type tank (which is perfectly suited for blackwater) in the diorama style. It's the perfect mix, in my oppinion, of your natural style aquascape mixed with a blackwater style. I believe this tank would be a showstopper coming from you.
If you do blackwater, go for wild bettas, and use tight fitting lids or they will jump out. I think you should do a shrimpery style scape with a huge mound of stem plants
I would love to see you creating a black water south american tank. Some dwarf cichlids and you're good to go, I'd say. The other tanks are marvelous! The cichlid tank just hits it!
Love your scapes. I've only just started my first one and tbh, haven't got a scooby do what I'm doing, but fun and I've followed most of your instructions, so thank you for all help and inspiration. I don't know if you do requests, but I'd love to see a 'mangrove' scape, if you do?
Hi George great vid as per! Could you do a short vid on the equipment you use for and the method of your water changes need a better way to do it rather than carrying 20/30ltrs of water up a flight of stairs twice a week. Love the scapes and all the work you do for us! ♥️🌱🐟
if you decide to tear down the iwagumi, is there any chance you'd be interested in a dutch style aquascape? i don't remember seeing such a scape on your channel yet and i'd very much be interested in seeing the process of creation for such a scape! really enjoy the videos George!
I vote black water. I just built a 7 gal cube tank for my betta. Java ferns and Anubias in it and odds and ends from Tannin Aquatics. It’s become my favorite aquascape and my betta really enjoys it!
I think you had great success with your first blackwater aquascape. I'd say go with a blackwater biotope again. Given that the Amazon is on fire and being destroyed, maybe you could do an Amazon aquascape as an omage to it. With it you could do a livestream where people can donate money while you're setting up the tank (doesn't have to be just the Amazon, could be for different habitats). I believe that now that you're a figure in the aquascaping community, you could use your knowledge and popularity to get people to donate to some really amazing causes.
Where I get my plants - bit.ly/2JkGEWl My favourite aquariums with a lid - bit.ly/oaseaquarium My favourite filters - bit.ly/oasefilter My favourite aquascaping store - bit.ly/2XEQohb Felix Smart Aquarium - www.felixsmart.com/ Oase BiOrb Air - www.biorb.com/en-US/air/air-60/ Follow me on Instagram - instagram.com/georgefarmerstudios/ Buy merch - mosscotton.com/george
Great video as always. I've copied your fluval guide on my 34l and the growth is insane, I alternate between premium and specialised fertiliser as I thought it may help to offset the low bioload. I do have a question though, what equipment do you use for water changes? I use a 40l water butt I lug around everywhere, your video made it look easy!
Yes. Can you create a southeast asian biotope. Could possibly do a Northern Thailand blackwater biotope since there is no informacion avalible about the biotope.Some of these biotopes may dissapear in the future.
I do part iPhone part all my other cameras a lot it just makes more sense and so much easier. I keep going “I want to do a blackwater tank. Then I put a bunch of plants in instead. :)
You could fix the iwagumi, I was really looking forward to watch as it develops. And buy another tank for the biotope of amazon angel fish and tetras 😂
Hello George loved the video. In reference to Elgar, have you been to 'The Firs' his birthplace in Worcestershire? It's National Trust and really lovely place to see. Inspired me to listen to more if him. Cheers 👍
You keep talking about wanting to do a black water tank so my vote would be to strip down the 600P and create a South American biotope with pencil fish, corydoras, hatchet fish and small tetras.
Hi George. Great video and great channel.. i have just planted a flex with a betta. Quick question. How often did you dose the tropica prem ferts.. cheers
You've got a steady hand and experience with cameras, so recording on the mobile is quite good. I think using a mobile for this general update of all your tanks is a good idea. Keep with camera on tripod for when you are concentrating on a single aquarium.
Since you've never really been keen on the iwagumi since you set it up, I'd say definitely do a blackwater. That's my vote. Maybe even a riparium or paludarium for something new.
Love this update videos! Please do a blackwater biotope with wild caught green neon tetras! PS: I have the fluval flex 15Gallon and tried to use a lot of hygrophilas for mid and background hygrophila 'compact' and siamensis (not the 53B). for some reason it seems like they're struggling as they're not growing as fast and I see a couple of leaves with holes which eventually just detach themselves. Very soft water basically like RO, 7.0 pH, 27 celsius temperature, light running for about 9 hours per day and dosing 1 pump tropica specialized fertilizer every 2-3 days. Not sure what i'm doing wrong?
Thank you for the updates. Nice super nice tanks. It would be really cool to do a black water tank. The South American fish are fun, but then again so is the Asian. How about the African? Brown African knife fish are beautiful. So many options. I am sure I will enjoy anything you do. Thanks George.
Thanks for the update George! The 1200 is my favourite scape and its looking amazing! Also the mixture of filming techniques works for me personally. Its nice to have really cinematic videos but the informal "cell phone" footage is better for vlog or update style videos I think. Anyways thanks again for the inspirational update! If you do redo the iwagumi, dont look at is as a bad experience. I would say bad luck and maybe this is a chance to make something new that youve wanted to do!
Hey George - love the idea of a blackwater tank - since you were thinking of starting from the fish and moving out - perhaps an African theme, and a cute little Hydrocynus goliath would be a fun, interactive companion fish to keep! A joy to interact with, and clearly family and friend safe for dinner and garden parties. As for your nerite snail problem - there is some anecdotal evidence here in the colonies that Pygmy Corys will eat those snail eggs off the rocks - don't know what you've heard.... thanks for this video!
Have you ever considered using truly understated colors? Pale, pastel colors that have a natural glow, like Moonlight Gouramis? They have a glowing almost ... uh, moonlight ... feel with a pale green sheen. They glide through the open parts of an aquascape with those long, threadlike ventral fins comically feeling outward or trailing behind. You could go for a lighter feel with some pure white, opal, cellophane, or other pastel colored fish that glide rather than dart. Pale blue and buttercup yellow fish, Kubotai Rasboras, Longfin Golden White Clouds. (I know there are other pale fish are out there, I'm just too new to the hobby to know their names.) Build the scape around those colors using rocks with pastel threads running through them, pale sand, light woods, and understated greens in your plants with pops of color, for instance, mixing Anubias Nana Golden, Rotalla Wallachii, Bacopa Caroliniana, Alternanthera Bettzickiana Red, Lobelia Cardinalis, Hygrophyla Pinnatifida. Use darker colored plants as highlights (lowlights) or to define cave-like areas. It would be a tank overall soft and glowing with a pervasive sense of light. That would be my choice rather than yet another black water tank with all the usual suspects. Be bold by being soft. Now THAT would be a challenge.
I'm probably alone in this, but I'd actually love too see you fix the tank, show us where to start when our tanks go wrong. The steps you would take... We all fail at times, and it would be nice too see how to get it back on track without starting a over again....
I think you should persevere with the scape. Clean it up and see if you can rescue it mate. Really interested in how it will recover. You can always get another tank for the Black Water scape 👍🏻
Looking fab George! I did laugh out loud when you introduced Nimrod as playing dead, my Betta Darth Fishy does exactly the same thing all the time lol !! On his side, all sorts of positions and I have to put my glasses on and have a really close look to see if his gills are moving. I love my Betta fish too :-) Oh and please please do a blackwater tank!!
Since you already did a South American blackwater tank, I'd say do an Asian blackwater biotope with either a) Chocolate Gouramis or b) a WILD betta species which can be kept communally (I'm partial to Betta channoides or albimarginata or hendra). Those can be the centerpiece fish and you can have any of the Boraras species as a small schooling fish, or maybe Sundadanio axelrodi. A third option could be Licorice Gouramis (which can be kept with the Chocolates, no prob), but they are harder to find and somewhat fussy with water parameters.
I've binged hours of your videos. Building up the courage to begin my first scape so your educational approach has been unbelievably valuable for me 🙏 thank you
That’s music to my ears! Thanks for the feedback. 😊
Personally; I think you should fix that tank and if you want the cost and maintenance of another tank, then set up a black water.
I greatly dislike the idea a "rescaping" or tearing down an old tank that is still functional. How many plant, fish, and invertebrates will be affected? Aquascapes are often treated as decore and art, but they have a large living component that should be respected. I am not saying that you personally would simply kill half or more of that tanks inhabitants. But many do. "Rescaping" promotes the idea that the organism are somehow disposable. So while I personally love seeing new scapes, I also enjoy seeing them cared for long-term
I love the way you put this
good point, except that all plants and livestock can be relocated.
I agree that many people treat plants as disposables, but if you decide to rescape periodically, as long as you have a cycled holding tank for the livestock and re-use or rehome the plants, there is no harm done :) Any plants I rip out that I can't or don't want to reuse in the next scape go into my emersed stock plant setup and then possibly terrariums if they work out well, or eventually another scape if I don't like the way it grows out of water
Advice with the tank is basically “if you can’t accept me at my worst then don’t expect me at my best” effort always shows. Keep the sick vids phones are amazing
I'm not a crier, my husband can count on one hand how many times he's seen me cry since we've been married, but there are a couple classical pieces of music that bring me to tears too. I get so emotional with the beauty of the sound. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi George, make it educational and show us how to recover from your disaster.
good luck
keep on skapeing
I don't mind the phone shots at all George. I'm amazed at how steady you are with it!
Rio Negro blackwater for that 600. This time use duckweed or red root floaters as the foating plants. That way you can still have epiphites and crypts in the tank itself. It might actually look great with the Kessil light and a "ceiling" of duckweed. Go MD style with that one.
I think a repair job, it would be a good film to watch it come back to life.
Watching the tutorial video made me buy the 15gal flex. Great aquarium thanks Mr Farmer.
Thanks Kim 👍
Welcome
I loved the black water tank you set up in the past which the apistogramma were breeding in. Beautiful tanks, George! 👍
you are like the most talented aquascape artist
Beautiful room with full of nature
Beautiful aquascapes and beautiful home George!
Hi from the state of Illinois, USA, George! So many of us struggle with the realities of keeping these aquascapes on top of all the other responsibilities of our adult lives. I think showing how one can successfully recover a scape like your Iwagumi will inspire and convince many who might want to quit the hobby faced with this to keep going and ultimately overcome these issues. Keep up your great work!!
beautiful gallery George. I hope you can work on the iwagumi tank and make it look stunning again as it is my favor tank you got there! thanks for sharing the update video.
Hey George.
I reckon a black water biotope is a great shout. As much as i’d enjoy watching you repair the 600 and deal with the algae, it would be going over information and techniques that you’ve already covered in other videos. A fresh scape would be great to see, and i think it would add even more diversity to the gallery, alongside the other tanks. Would also be a good chapter for your book.
Keep up the great work mate.
Any new scape is educational, go for it.👍🐠
You should do a black water Biotop with the tucano Tetra 👍🐟
The phone footage looks great. It looks like you move around more naturally with it. So, keep doing it!
Hi George, RE: the nerite snail eggs. I've found that clown Plecs are really good at cleaning them up. They are a plec that doesn't have many greens in its diet preferring meatier foods. They also don't grow very large which is another bonus! Its been really helpful in preventing those eggs appearing everywhere in our tank with nerites!
Nimrod laying at the bottom of the flex had me cracking up 😂😂 George! please do another blackwater biotope of literally any kind, your last one was so gorgeous.
Lizzie Block My betta does something similar as well by tucking his head behind a leaf and lying on the soil, they really do sleep in all sorts of strange ways. It gives me both a heart attack and makes me laugh as well.
@@wxlurker One of my bettas likes to sleep half out of the water on the frogbit in his tank. I thought he was dead the first time I saw him doing it but it's been about 9 months since I got him and every morning before I go to work I check on him and the majority of the time he's laying on a frogbit leaf with his head out of the water
This is what I really like about you and your channel. You are straight honest and are not afraid of showing success but also failure. And this is what aquascaping is all about. You are an amazing guy and I really like your honesty towards the viewers. Many successful aquascapers kind of show the tank but no detail behind it, they don't tell the story of the thought process behind it, the struggles, what was done to fix it, the routines, the material and fertilisation scheme, etc... Regarding your question, I would say, recover that thank. make it an educational video and then, after a month or so, if you are still not happy with it, go for blackwater.
Thanks so much. Really grateful for your words 👍
i love george he is very endearing
Love the tanks! You could add some inlet sponge to your flex outtake to help reduce the flow - as it seems a bit wild for your Betta.
Your tanks are so amazing. Thanks for sharing the successes and the failures as new Aquascapers often give up. Planted tanks are a marathon not a sprint with trial and error as we work to dial in all the elements including lighting, ferts, CO2 and other variables. Yes, do a black water Asian.
Hi George I would say black water biotope as south America some small cichlids
amazon biotope, but with as many different tetras as you can, i think that would be awesome
@@dopey_duck_944 South Amarican biotopes are too overdone George should do another region like southeast asia.
All your tanks are beautiful!
George you work is beautiful and inspirational:-)
Nice full update George, all your aquascape tanks are inspiring, I see one tank quite unclear
Absolutely love the Flex and 1200, both look incredible and at opposite ends of the high end/low end scale 👌
i loved your fluval flex 15 tutorial! really awesome and it actually helped me a lot when i did my fluval flex 15 scape. i'm having trouble with hardscapes but i'm figuring it out
Thank you George, I really like the flex .
Thailand/Cambodia sparkling gouramis. 👍 also I hope to see you at aquashella in a few weeks!
I like the cellphone in updates it makes it more person and carefree. Also BLACK WATER!
I'd like to see some classic neons. My neons are in black water and the look amazing! When their far away their blue is almost purple and as they approach the glass their colour changes to a vibrant blue. I think it's something more people should see of such a common fish in the aquarium hobby
Toujours magnifique George et merci !!! 👍👍👍
George - the aquascaper 1200 looks fantastic! Would love to see a blackwater scape with angelfish.
Thanks for the update video George. I think the cell phone footage looks great for videos like this, whereas the dslr is probably better suited for the more cinematic shots. As for the iwagumi, it seems like you’re leaning towards tearing it down and converting it to a blackwater biotope. It’s probably best to go with what you will enjoy more and can put the most passion behind. But before tearing it down, maybe contemplate the scape and figure out what you don’t like about it, and what can be added/changed to fix it. Perhaps add some wood and do a nature style iwagumi hybrid. Or a add tall delicate plant like eleocharis vivapara behind the rocks to fill the upper negative space. Either way, it means we get more videos, so I can’t complain :)
If you do a blackwater biotope... I suggest chocolate gouramis! Awesome fish with a lot of personality.
Great update! I like the idea of a Blackwater tank however I think they are showcased best in a larger tank. I say rehab the Iwagumi and if you are set on a Blackwater setup maybe do a 900 or something along those lines in addition. Great vid as usual!
I'm generally not a fan of Malawi tanks but yours made me want to get one for myself
Love how it’s filmed from a phone George no issues with that as regards to the tank I would love to see you do a black water you’ll have to go back to crowders aquatics for your supplies though with their amazing stock for black water 😀 I love angel fish so would like to see a tank with them or even a big school of cardinal tetras would be cool hope you do a black water tank 🤞🌱
i recently bought a few pots of tropica 53B thanks to your videos. trying to grow them without co2 now
Real bummer about the Iwagumi, but also excited to see you create a blackwater tank!
Yes, a blackwater would be lovely and a nice contrast to your other scapes. Personally I love Corydoras, so maybe center the stocking around a school of dwarf cories?
Hi George,
Another great video! I agree with Dusk194. I say you should fix the iwagumi and do a blackwater setup in a new tank :) The satisfaction from fixing all the hard work that went into the iwagumi tank will be awesome. Flex your scaping muscles! And then move onto a new tank for the Blackwater because you have been talking about it for a while now, and I am very curious to see how it would turn out! Cheers!
1200 looking ridiculously good, love it. Unless you need to keep the iwagumi for images for your book, the biotope would be cool!
Camera: I like the first person view with the phone but I also like the cinematic videos that you do - loved the ones where you go super close to the shrimp and you can see the tiny bubbles coming up off the plants 😁
Love the fish gallery. It’s so beautiful. I’ve been thinking of redoing my 29 gallon as a Amazonian blackwater for awhile now, so to see you do one of those would be very cool!
I vote for a rescue ! With a day to day evolve video! I think a lot of people would be interested by some advice for this kind of accident.
I was a huge fan of the blackwater tank you once had so I'd be all for it if you decided to make one!
Hello George.You should do a black water Biotope and put in there the Apistogramma Cacatuoides you have in the bigger tank...they will love it!
The benefits of the snails mean I’ll happily tolerate the eggs.
As for the black water aquarium, I’d be really interested in seeing one set up as I have no experience of them but do find them really interesting.
Yep a Black water tank i reckon, its something different then your normal scapes (not that there is anything wrong with them) and we can all learn something along the way.
Thanks for the tour. That 1200 is looking wonderful. I wanna see George Farmer do a tank with Killifish! I know it would require a lid, but still, their beauty with your taste would be great. Plus I am going to get my first killifish soon and need ideas. P.s. Looking forward to the book! Cheeri-O!- Little Bobby
George, I always enjoy your reviews. Your candor and stream of consciousness just seem so great. Entertaining and educational. Keep it up!
...and I'd like to see a black water tank with S. American fish.
Thanks so much 🙏
George, your a busy guy and things are only going to get busier. You've demonstrated that an Iwagumi is doable but also a little higher on the maintenance. So I'm voting for the blackwater. Last time it was South American, how about a SE Asian? Nimrod would love it!
I think Blackwater is a very good idea. Try to go a littl bir against the norm with this one. You should try a riparium setup. Use plants with a lot of emergent growth, scape that creeps up out of the tank, maybe some air plants. Nothing huge though, just have fun with it, give it a thought.
I like the black water idea George.. You did a great job with it last time. As always I'll leave the fish up to you😁 Man, the 1200 is looking beautiful as well as the African tank and Nimrod. Just when i fall back in love with the 1200, you mention tearing it down😕 I'm sure it will be sweet whatever you might put in it's place...(salty?) 👍👍👍
I can sit there and stare at those tanks all day long..... beautiful! 🤝
For the black water, I would choose chocolate gourami or samurai gourami if you can find them. Throw in some chili rasbora too just for fun.
I would love to see you fix the tank & bring us a lovely cinematic video of the iwagumi before breaking it down👌🏻🤞🏻 Then maybe a biotope tank specifically for your apisto’s?
Hi George. You should recover the tank and make a video of the progress and how you did it.
Really enjoyed that George. I started laughing at the same time you were smirking regards the 53b. I’ve got mostly 53b in my Flex too. Where do you get the T-shirt from please? Black water scape would be interesting.
Keep up the good work, and get writing, I’ve ‘requested’ your book for Christmas!!! Neil.
Gorgeous your aquascapes my dear friend George. Have luck.
09:40 the apistogramma cacatuoides is really an amazing fish
and about the iwagumi aquarium i'd strip it down and do a blackwater biotope setup from scratch
i would love to see you do a forest type tank (which is perfectly suited for blackwater) in the diorama style. It's the perfect mix, in my oppinion, of your natural style aquascape mixed with a blackwater style. I believe this tank would be a showstopper coming from you.
If you do blackwater, go for wild bettas, and use tight fitting lids or they will jump out. I think you should do a shrimpery style scape with a huge mound of stem plants
Good job George 🙂👍.
I would love to see you creating a black water south american tank. Some dwarf cichlids and you're good to go, I'd say. The other tanks are marvelous! The cichlid tank just hits it!
Love your scapes. I've only just started my first one and tbh, haven't got a scooby do what I'm doing, but fun and I've followed most of your instructions, so thank you for all help and inspiration. I don't know if you do requests, but I'd love to see a 'mangrove' scape, if you do?
Hi George great vid as per! Could you do a short vid on the equipment you use for and the method of your water changes need a better way to do it rather than carrying 20/30ltrs of water up a flight of stairs twice a week. Love the scapes and all the work you do for us! ♥️🌱🐟
Yes! Do a Southeast Asian biotope with Sparkling Gourami, they are awesome- and I'd love to see someone do a tank with riparian vegetation as well!
if you decide to tear down the iwagumi, is there any chance you'd be interested in a dutch style aquascape? i don't remember seeing such a scape on your channel yet and i'd very much be interested in seeing the process of creation for such a scape!
really enjoy the videos George!
Nice clear water in the cichlid tank. What rocks are those? Amazing.
I was looking forward to seeing the Iwagumi evolve a bit. I do like a Blackwater though. I'm split.
I vote black water. I just built a 7 gal cube tank for my betta. Java ferns and Anubias in it and odds and ends from Tannin Aquatics. It’s become my favorite aquascape and my betta really enjoys it!
I think you had great success with your first blackwater aquascape. I'd say go with a blackwater biotope again. Given that the Amazon is on fire and being destroyed, maybe you could do an Amazon aquascape as an omage to it. With it you could do a livestream where people can donate money while you're setting up the tank (doesn't have to be just the Amazon, could be for different habitats). I believe that now that you're a figure in the aquascaping community, you could use your knowledge and popularity to get people to donate to some really amazing causes.
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Great video as always. I've copied your fluval guide on my 34l and the growth is insane, I alternate between premium and specialised fertiliser as I thought it may help to offset the low bioload. I do have a question though, what equipment do you use for water changes? I use a 40l water butt I lug around everywhere, your video made it look easy!
George Farmer 4
Yes. Can you create a southeast asian biotope. Could possibly do a Northern Thailand blackwater biotope since there is no informacion avalible about the biotope.Some of these biotopes may dissapear in the future.
Black water biotope tank would really round out the corner of your home. I say do some sparkling gouramis in it!
I do part iPhone part all my other cameras a lot it just makes more sense and so much easier. I keep going “I want to do a blackwater tank. Then I put a bunch of plants in instead. :)
Hi George i think you need to leave your scapes to mature for longer before changing!! but for the 600 you should try something crazy.
You could fix the iwagumi, I was really looking forward to watch as it develops. And buy another tank for the biotope of amazon angel fish and tetras 😂
Hello George loved the video. In reference to Elgar, have you been to 'The Firs' his birthplace in Worcestershire? It's National Trust and really lovely place to see. Inspired me to listen to more if him. Cheers 👍
Thanks Andy 👍
You keep talking about wanting to do a black water tank so my vote would be to strip down the 600P and create a South American biotope with pencil fish, corydoras, hatchet fish and small tetras.
great work.
Hi George. Great video and great channel.. i have just planted a flex with a betta. Quick question. How often did you dose the tropica prem ferts.. cheers
You've got a steady hand and experience with cameras, so recording on the mobile is quite good. I think using a mobile for this general update of all your tanks is a good idea. Keep with camera on tripod for when you are concentrating on a single aquarium.
Since you've never really been keen on the iwagumi since you set it up, I'd say definitely do a blackwater. That's my vote. Maybe even a riparium or paludarium for something new.
Love this update videos! Please do a blackwater biotope with wild caught green neon tetras!
PS: I have the fluval flex 15Gallon and tried to use a lot of hygrophilas for mid and background hygrophila 'compact' and siamensis (not the 53B). for some reason it seems like they're struggling as they're not growing as fast and I see a couple of leaves with holes which eventually just detach themselves. Very soft water basically like RO, 7.0 pH, 27 celsius temperature, light running for about 9 hours per day and dosing 1 pump tropica specialized fertilizer every 2-3 days. Not sure what i'm doing wrong?
Thank you for the updates. Nice super nice tanks. It would be really cool to do a black water tank. The South American fish are fun, but then again so is the Asian. How about the African? Brown African knife fish are beautiful. So many options. I am sure I will enjoy anything you do. Thanks George.
Thanks for the update George! The 1200 is my favourite scape and its looking amazing! Also the mixture of filming techniques works for me personally. Its nice to have really cinematic videos but the informal "cell phone" footage is better for vlog or update style videos I think. Anyways thanks again for the inspirational update! If you do redo the iwagumi, dont look at is as a bad experience. I would say bad luck and maybe this is a chance to make something new that youve wanted to do!
Hey George - love the idea of a blackwater tank - since you were thinking of starting from the fish and moving out - perhaps an African theme, and a cute little Hydrocynus goliath would be a fun, interactive companion fish to keep! A joy to interact with, and clearly family and friend safe for dinner and garden parties. As for your nerite snail problem - there is some anecdotal evidence here in the colonies that Pygmy Corys will eat those snail eggs off the rocks - don't know what you've heard.... thanks for this video!
Have you ever considered using truly understated colors? Pale, pastel colors that have a natural glow, like Moonlight Gouramis? They have a glowing almost ... uh, moonlight ... feel with a pale green sheen. They glide through the open parts of an aquascape with those long, threadlike ventral fins comically feeling outward or trailing behind. You could go for a lighter feel with some pure white, opal, cellophane, or other pastel colored fish that glide rather than dart. Pale blue and buttercup yellow fish, Kubotai Rasboras, Longfin Golden White Clouds. (I know there are other pale fish are out there, I'm just too new to the hobby to know their names.) Build the scape around those colors using rocks with pastel threads running through them, pale sand, light woods, and understated greens in your plants with pops of color, for instance, mixing Anubias Nana Golden, Rotalla Wallachii, Bacopa Caroliniana, Alternanthera Bettzickiana Red, Lobelia Cardinalis, Hygrophyla Pinnatifida. Use darker colored plants as highlights (lowlights) or to define cave-like areas. It would be a tank overall soft and glowing with a pervasive sense of light. That would be my choice rather than yet another black water tank with all the usual suspects. Be bold by being soft. Now THAT would be a challenge.
I'm probably alone in this, but I'd actually love too see you fix the tank, show us where to start when our tanks go wrong. The steps you would take... We all fail at times, and it would be nice too see how to get it back on track without starting a over again....
I'm uncertain what type I would like you to do, but I would love to see you try black water of some variety.
Nimrod is getting big!
I think you should persevere with the scape. Clean it up and see if you can rescue it mate. Really interested in how it will recover. You can always get another tank for the Black Water scape 👍🏻
Looking fab George! I did laugh out loud when you introduced Nimrod as playing dead, my Betta Darth Fishy does exactly the same thing all the time lol !! On his side, all sorts of positions and I have to put my glasses on and have a really close look to see if his gills are moving. I love my Betta fish too :-)
Oh and please please do a blackwater tank!!
Since you already did a South American blackwater tank, I'd say do an Asian blackwater biotope with either a) Chocolate Gouramis or b) a WILD betta species which can be kept communally (I'm partial to Betta channoides or albimarginata or hendra). Those can be the centerpiece fish and you can have any of the Boraras species as a small schooling fish, or maybe Sundadanio axelrodi. A third option could be Licorice Gouramis (which can be kept with the Chocolates, no prob), but they are harder to find and somewhat fussy with water parameters.
Once again a great video. I always liked that you as a pro talk about failure and algae, too. Nice intro btw =)