SETTING UP a 900 LITER Aquarium for SOUTH AMERICAN Fish | From Scratch

SEAN WELCOME TO THE PRESENTATION OF THIS NEW 900-LITER AQUARIUM PROJECT DESIGNED TO house different South American species, this is undoubtedly the aquarium Bigger than anything we've done so far on the channel, it's a project I've been working on I've been working for several months now, and with so much to tell, I've been recording EVERY STEP, FROM THE DECORATION PROCESS, WHEN YOU ENTER THE POUNDS AND EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS Behind this setup, you'll also spot some innovations scattered around the Fishroom. CHANGES I'VE MADE AND I'M GOING TO SHOW A BIT OF HOW EVERYTHING HAS TURNED OUT IN THIS SPACE, This video is definitely going to be long, so get comfortable. I will begin by telling you from the foundations, starting with the decoration, for this purpose I will I asked my friend Eduardo for help, who you surely already know because he's appeared several times on The channel. Since such large roots and rocks were used, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I did it all alone. The first thing we did was look for that the The two larger roots will remain in a position that we like. These will be the foundation. from our design, since they were going to dictate the direction of the others. We spent a little while longer Playing with them until we found a design we liked. This part is more or It took us less than four hours or more. Now, my intention with this project is to continue a style inspired by the rivers of the Amazon, but certainly in no way pretends to be be a biotope. I wanted to keep the lower part as clean as possible so that we could better appreciate several of the fish we will include later. The sand is the one they already know, a true classic on the channel, Silica 2030. I spent approximately about 80 kilograms for this setup, and before putting it in, I gave it a good wash because This sand usually comes out very dirty. And once the two largest roots were In their place and firmly set, we continued adding smaller ones to complement the arrangement. design. We had to cut some of them slightly to make them fit. We secured them. Very well secured to the main roots with black plastic ties. These really You won't be able to see them because the background is already black, so it doesn't matter. We're looking for form a kind of fall with the roots, so that all its branches remained pointing downward. We kept adding smaller pieces to maintain continuity and ensure All our design will integrate better. We glue these with cyanoacrylate and a little of cotton. And thus, the final design was established. We still added a bit more sand because if it was needed, but in total it was like those 80 kilograms I mentioned a little while ago. First, I put in a 40-kilogram sack And then the second one you're watching right now. After all the roots were in place, securely tied and glued, we continued with the rocks. The usual ones, just like the river sand. I've been gathering several of them right here by this point. In fact, there were two enormous ones weighing about 15 or 20 kilograms each. I wanted to use them precisely for this project. So, with the help of two fabric bags, we put them in. With great care, we lowered them as if using a crane, and we dragged them along until we arrived to the point we wanted. And we gradually arranged the others in different parts. We wanted to leave the right side clear, giving the impression that the rocks begin there creating a gradient from left to right. In the process, we begin filling the aquarium since there are quite a few liters to fill. With the roots and rocks already in place, like this It's how our design turned out. It took me about three days to complete it. I gradually left because you know I don't use tap water, due to the fact that in my The locality comes with parameters completely out of place. So I'm using osmosis water. which remineralized slightly with the same reject water that the filter produces. In this aquarium, I decided to try a sump, which was good since I had already seen it in a marine aquarium. but for those who don't know what it is, this is basically another aquarium with partitions, where in each division there are different types of filtering materials through which it passes The water. Later I'll show them in operation and tell you a bit more. about it and each filtration stage. Meanwhile, the filter is already operating, This is where the good part begins. By the way, just look who's peeking over here. There, Maya Michana Pardalis with the new background aquarium. And well, after verifying that everything was working properly with the pump, I left the aquarium running with the filter operating for several days to make sure everything was fine. Well, even though there were no leaks of any kind. In the meantime, he had to install the lamps. For this project, I decided to use the Wick Aqua Z400 Pro units. Each one delivers 120 watts and features with 4 condenser lenses of 90 degrees. And although it is designed for demanding applications, I decided to use it here for a very specific reason. It's an aquarium inspired by the Amazon. then instead of seeking completely uniform illumination, What interests me is creating well-lit areas and other areas that are more shaded. So they're perfect for that. That's why I only used two. On one hand, you have more intense areas that highlight the entire structure of the aquarium, and on the other hand, areas with less light that are ideal for bottom-dwelling fish that prefer darker and safer spaces. And well, as you already know, This type of lamp is also widely used to highlight fish colors. such as discs, goldfish, or cichlids. They remained hanging from a a structure they installed specifically to hang the lamps. As always, You know you can purchase these and other lamps from the brand directly from me. In the description and the first comment, you can find the direct link to the sales WhatsApp. I was there playing around a bit with the setup, adjusting the colors, even if they see that thanks to each color being independently adjustable, Can you somehow simulate an aquarium with tannins or blackwater? whether it's a bit more yellow or more red. For now, I've decided to leave it in this tone, a yellowish hue with a slight touch of red because I really liked how these colors look next to the marine aquarium. It gives my fish room a distinctive touch; I feel this is exactly what it needed. I left them at approximately 20% power. Well, this is how the project turned out once the lighting was installed. I'll leave you with some takes. By the way, Luciana also sends her greetings from the aquarium across the street. Days passed and I kept filling this aquarium with water that I drew. when I was performing maintenance on the aquarium where the angelfish were Why are all those fish coming here? Since the other aquarium became too small for them, Several pairs were formed and were constantly competing for space. With so much plant life, it considerably reduced the areas available for free swimming. But besides that, I made some fairly significant changes and took advantage of it. I decided to renew all the racks in this fishroom, so that they would be the same as Luciana's and everything would be more orderly. On the other hand, performing maintenance on aquariums almost at floor level was very complicated. but mainly it was for aesthetics, so that everything would look as presentable as possible. And what did this imply? Well, take the aquarium out of the tank, Taking apart the aquarium where the scalars were was quite an ordeal. A very large number of plants have grown out, which I will use to create another aquarium that will be almost identical. but with other types of fish, such as barbs, loaches, or gouramis. I feel those fish are missing from the fishroom. But this where the scalars were is going to stay for the tank. Because that balloon fish has grown too large and indeed needs more space. And my greatest concern, the records. Here, I definitely wasn't going to take everything apart the way I did with the scalar one. Because this design has been kept unchanged for more than 3 years, and I don't want to alter anything. Of course I took out the disks and the fish I could. I temporarily placed them in this container while they carried out all the movements. It was only a few hours, so there was no problem. The Zeroth aquarium team, who are the ones responsible for building all the racks and all the aquariums Fishroom helped me move it, with everything included—but with the least amount of water possible. To give you an idea, they had to raise it up to approximately 1 meter 30. With all the sand, all the rocks, all the roots, and a little water. It's an aquarium about 60x50x60, but fortunately everything turned out well. I was just recording there, but anyway, as they say, the one who doesn't get in the way helps the most. After that, they upholstered the furniture for the new aquarium. The truth is that I didn't want to leave the sump exposed, Because once it starts getting dirty, it's going to look quite ugly. Well, this was something that happened on the day we took apart four aquariums. In the following update, I'm going to show you how the entire fishroom turned out. but they needed context because surely they're going to ask where these came from They're scaling up, but now they already know that they're the ones who were in the other aquarium. I care for them deeply because I've seen them grow up from a very young age. I had them here for a few days in the marshland. while the other aquarium was ready to receive them, well, it's not a swamparium, This is what the mosquito house will eventually become, but it served me as a quarantine space. They're so big now; they've changed a lot since they arrived. Now it's finally here, the day we've been waiting for, We're going to add them to their ultimate aquarium. First I wanted to add the tetras and some of my doricarids, In fact, these ancistrus were born here. 100% acuablogenses from those I showed you in a video that came out a few months ago, Well, they're already quite big; most of them sold, but I kept some others. Now check out these tetras; they're called kybursi, I don't know how to pronounce it. They are not very flashy, but they are rare. In fact, these arrived hidden among other tetras. They grow quite large and are somewhat territorial toward one another. They've been with me for a good while now; in fact, they arrived extremely small and colorless. Well, they still lack color, but at least they have some interesting tone there now. Well, anyway, let me introduce him—he's a tetra, a bit tricky to see. The next day, I finally got to the ones that were missing, my group of Colombian tetras. These tetras feel underrated to me because they take a while to develop those red hues. What makes the fins truly striking? People usually don't buy them because they look like small, cheap trinkets. But look how beautiful they are now—they match perfectly with the scalars. And now, finally, it's the turn of the scalars, which will be the stars of this assembly. The water looks quite red, and this is partly due to the tannins that have been released by the roots, and also because of the lamp's colors, which he slightly adjusted so they cast a red hue, With all the fish, this project begins to come to life. Look how beautiful the school of Colombian tetras looks, They definitely needed more space. The fish colors are not as well appreciated with this configuration. yet I still quite liked the tone, it gives it a very Amazonian touch despite the fact that As I mentioned to you, it in no way intends to be a biotope. I think this setup is something quite different from what we've done on the channel. There has never been a project like this. By the way, I'm missing another one of those rare fish—it's a Nemadoras humeralis or humeralis. It is a very peaceful, nocturnal catfish. The angelfish started to give it Welcome, it's like a long corridor, and a friend gave it to me. She lived with the leopard brunette who currently resides in one of Eduardo's aquariums alongside her. of rainbow trout and other medium-sized fish; later I'll tell you more details about this project. And well, during the next few days the fish were very happy swimming about at their leisure. tanks in an aquarium that nearly tripled the size of the previous one. There were even several Farlowe's putts, some of which started and ended in the sump. Check them out, Apparently they have been feeding on algae and biofilm, as they're still there. Honestly, I don't intend to keep reproducing them since it's too much work. But these fish have reproduced in all my aquariums, and believe me, the situation doesn't end there. You surely saw the introductory shots, which are the most important ones, Because to this day, this is how the project ended up. We have a lot of activity; schools of tetras arrived, which a good friend of mine gifted me. He dismantled his project, which turned out perfect because that's exactly what I was looking for. it has a diversity of species sharing similar parameters; my idea is to have different groups of tetras, rhodochromis, corydoras, and peaceful fish that can Live in harmony. You may notice that I've changed the lamp settings again. It is designed to highlight the fish's hues and appreciate the water's clarity. We can gradually add variety thanks to our lamps, honestly they've Back to my favorites because they suit many types of projects—see how they highlight the fish. Moreover, I added some extra roots at the top to complement the structure. Well then, let me introduce the new members—we have a small shoal of cardinals. Well, little ones, they're about 35 inches, these ones already came in a very good size and are already Adults, so the scalars definitely won't be able to eat them. They give it a touch with plenty color and movement to the assembly; I think I'll add more later so they feel more alive trust and having a much more beautiful school of fish. There are also 4 drunk nose tetras, Of course, the ideal is to have more, so I'm also going to add some more of those. At the top, there is a group of black neon tetras; these are more typical of high-altitude regions. They've also already grown quite large. There are also a few tetra glow lights. Somewhere around 1 or 2 Tetra Ember and Tetra Ruby. Don't think I'm unaware that there must be more. But they sneaked in with the others, so anyway, I'll add the rest later. these schools of fish. And look here, we have an electric blue Ramirezia with a defect Manufacturing. This one came with all the fish they saw a while ago; it was a gift. but apparently that's how it was born and how it has lived its entire life. It is extremely territorial and gets involved with Anyone who invades his space ends up getting beaten up by him. Suddenly I've been caught in a Ramirez situation. So, they look like little bees. And well, the truth is, being honest with you, and also, don't tell them I have to say, this fish doesn't look that good in this project because this one is more like suitable for a planted aquarium with more colorful fish. I'm going to finish it by passing it with the Discs nothing but what he can pull out, but anyway, he's over there defending his space. We also have 3 streaked tetras, the same ones, they came in the tetra package. Obviously, I'm going to add more so they form their little group. And over there I have 2 of my Older fish, those that have been with me for five years or more, Corridoras Orange Venezuela. I've had them since the rainbow aquariums; honestly, I'm very fond of these fish. And of course, the plecos are back with this sabaji. I bought this one from another friend. but apparently they had it in an aquarium with plants and it was a mess. There's none here. No problem at all, I really liked it and he's very active—check out that little Ramirezi defending the pills. Of course, with the pleco you don't mess around because it's basically a tank. but gives a scolding to everyone else. The scalars have already formed several pairs and They've been putting it on continuously. One thing I've noticed is that here they don't fight as much anymore, obviously. because there is much more space for them to have their territories. The aquarium has current zones. a bit stronger and other quieter areas where fish can settle in where they prefer I like it. Also, since the bomb is adjustable, it can be gradually adapted. Right now, I have it set to maximum. The fish apparently found their favorite spot. One of the most gratifying things For me, in this hobby, it's about seeing the development and growth that our fish go through from We received them. They arrived very small and colorless, but today they look spectacular. I know many will tell me this project would have been ideal for wild discs or High, but honestly, I didn't plan, and I don't plan, to get rid of any of them to make room for others. Moreover, they blend very well with several types of fish, especially Colombian tetras. Well, little by little we'll be adding more fish to this project, especially to complement it The schools of fish. In fact, only tetras, small loricariids, and catfish are missing. The pH is between 6.5 and 6.8. The filtration system is more than sufficient and goes up to a house for all the fish that are here. Basically, the water enters through a spillway identical to that of the sailor through some grilles, then descends through the pipes, the one below is the The main one is the one below, and the one above is the emergency one. Go up here and start letting the water fall in this one. a system called WetRite, which consists of drawers containing sponges of various granulometries different. This is the part of mechanical filtration. This is extremely practical because it They are easily pulled out and cleaned. After passing through the drawers, It goes through this first stage, which is supposedly the one of the cauno, but it has not yet been implemented. Later on, I'll put it together. From there, it passes through various biological filtering materials and Then comes this stage, called deep sand bed. Here we are no longer talking about normal leakage, but rather from a more advanced process. In the deeper layers of the In the deep arena, bacteria develop that help consume nitrates and remove them from a natural filtration system. This is a slower filtration process, but much more thorough and stable. long term. In short, this will help us extend the intervals between water changes. I'll keep you posted. telling you how it's going because it's something new for me. The materials for this sump are from Shalom Discus. Moreover, they helped me assemble the deep sand bed. In the end, it reaches the section Where is the pump, which is a 15,000-liter-per-hour pump, and goes straight up towards the outlets, which are precisely located in the middle section pointing toward the sides. One points one pointing downward and another pointing upward. The one pointing downward leads directly to a corner behind the stones, so waste does not accumulate there. Also, they like loricariids, but as There was a lack of movement on that side, so I requested this internal filter to compensate. By the way, I put in a sack of purigén; I've always decided to remove the tannins for now, but maybe later. Forward, I left them. For now, I like how the project looks like this. As you can see, there's no heater. Yes, because they haven't actually needed it so far, since in the freezroom the temperature hardly drops. temperature, even in winter. In summer, it probably rises to around 27 or 28. I'll show you Also the base, how it turned out upholstered. It looks much better and matches everything else. In fact, It's right in front of Luciana's aquarium, and below is my Asian girl's aquarium. Soon. I will work on this setup, which at present serves to cultivate Valisneria. By the way, This little plant of mine grew from 3 or 4 centimeters and today it's over 30. I love this one so much. Cannja. On this side is Maya's aquarium, and below are the three Andrago chicks I have together. To date. In fact, there has been no problem of any kind. On the other hand, I liked it quite a lot. How does the marine life look next to... let's say, an Amazonian aquarium, which isn't actually Amazonian, Nothing else of that style. They make a really nice contrast. I'm leaving you some shots of how they look Aquariums from the outside, since there is a large glass door that allows a full view from the exterior. I am very happy with this project and the outcome. I have enjoyed it greatly and already had the urge to share it with you. Spoiler, check out what we're quarantining. You're going to be in Observation one month before entering the main aquarium, and obviously there will be video. Check these out Little drunkards and cardinals. They have excellent attitudes, but they need to gain weight and grow. because maybe these ones could actually be eaten by the scalars. For now, they're in quarantine and I hope you liked this project. As I mentioned, it's something quite different from what you've seen before. Got it, since all my aquariums have plants. And we already have the discus aquarium. which also has purely South American species, although this one has quite a bit of vegetation, So I changed up the designs we've done a bit. I'll record an update for you soon. because these disks have already been with me for almost four years. And well, remember that the You can purchase the video lamps directly from me. I'll leave the contact information in the description. just like that of many of the things I mentioned that were used in this project. Thank you so much for accompanying me to this point. I really enjoyed recording and editing. This project is for you. I send you a big hug, and see you in the next video.