Dustin: What's up, fish tank tank people! Species Sunday and I haven't done a video
for a while. Kids are sleeping and I am in the greenhouse loving it. Bryan came over
yesterday, cleaned out all the tanks and am having a beautiful time. We are not shipping
plants this week, so I am having some zen time in the greenhouse and I'm not wearing
those ugly sandals that some of you like to point out. I'm barefoot this time and having
a blast. I want to show you a little something that I've got going on today. So I have my
man Steve over here. What's up, brother?
Steve: What's up?
Dustin: So first thing, Steve, people were like epically sad when your tank just went
to shit. It's hilarious, bro, hilarious. But I got to say, I'm bringing it on back, dude,
bringing it on back. It's a shame you can't see it to well with the glare, but 40 is just
bumping, bumping baby tears. Thumping, thumping at 100 degrees, but the baby tears doesn't
care. So Steve is over hear and we are talking about what to do today. What do we want to
do? So we are just screwing around with a 10 gallon tank and not doing anything fancy.
We just want to show some hardy beginner plants and how—if I had a ten gallon tank—how
I'd set it up. First of all, if this was my ten gallon tank, I would have dirt underneath
the substrate, but that is outside of the scope of this video because I just wanted
to show you a little aquascaping action.
Steve: So what is in there, Dustin?
Dustin: What is in there right now is pool filter sand actually. But I haven't used all
of the pool filter sand that I am going to use. I have just put about three quarters
of the pool filter sand I am going to use and three quarters of the water that I am
going to use. It is easier than draining and filling it, although it doesn't matter because
it is just a ten. So we are going to start with a piece of driftwood that I got from
a guy who sells driftwood and this is a sick piece of driftwood. So I am just going to
start with this and anubius. This was just one piece of anubius, but I split it off so
I have two pieces of anubius here. I don't really need a tie because see this crack here?
I am just going to slide it through the crack and tug the roots through there. So that is
how anubius likes to be. It does not like to be down in the substrate. It likes to be
tied or fixed like so. It will catch on, on its own.
Steve: So if you have a really powerful filter, what would you do?
Dustin: So if I had a really powerful filter, I would just take a piece of black thread
and go like this a bunch of times and then shove it down in the crack like that.
Steve: Exactly.
Dustin: So I am just going to put this one back here. It is weird that it has a flat
bottom because I always like to kind of angle my driftwood back. So this sword, I would
not actually recommend for a beginner unless you have dirt.
Steve: That's a Rueben, isn't it?
Dustin: Yea, I think it is a Rueben actually.
Steve: It has a nice red color to it.
Dustin: So we will just shove this Rueben right down in front there. So what I like
to do when I am messing with the tank, is I like to leave some gravel or whatever or
sand on the side. So if I want to do some touch up work, I just leave it out so I can
go over it like this. And then I will leave a mound over here as a backup so I will use
that in a little bit. Jungle val may actually get too tall for this tank, but I just love
it. So jungle val is just kind of a part plant. Love it, love it. Loves sand. I've got tons
of it out in the two pond I've got tons of it down there in that tank you just saw. And
it will melt back as you all know, but I will trim it. What I do when I get jungle val in
and what you should do when you get it, is take it and cut it halfway down. I'm not going
to cut it because I am just going to throw it back in the tank. So I've got some jungle
val action going on in the back and I have some elodea arachnis already in there. I've
got the Rueben sword. I'm going to put together another anubius here together for you. Same
deal. Find a crack, stick it in. That actually looks pretty hot. So run with it like that.
I kind of like to have all of the stuff angling back and pulling the eye back. So I have this
one angling back like that and this one like that.
Steve: So do you want to put the driftwood right in the middle of the tank?
Dustin: I never put driftwood in the middle of the tank.
Steve: Exactly.
Dustin: I never put driftwood in the middle of the tank. Although I got to say here, dude,
you pulled off that crazy piece of driftwood in the other tank and I never thought that
was going to fly. I never put anything directly into the middle of the tank unless I am doing
some...but even then. Dwarf sag! Some of you were on the live Dustin-spree-chat thing saw
me do a chat. I was live and you all were chatting with me. I had some dwarf sag growing
in my pond. I don't actually have dwarf sag available, but if you buy some of the giant
sag and you put it in the comments, I will throw you some dwarf sag. Only if you put
it in the comments though because I am trying to rebuild my supply and it is coming along
quite nicely. So short stuff in the front and tall stuff in the back. Just get this
stuff going. And aquascapes never look great right away. They never do because the plants
are adjusting to your water...
Steve: The plants are going to grow a little better if they get used to the thing.
Dustin: Yes, once they get used to it. You might have some green leaves coming out of
the middle which means the plant is doing really good. Trim the ugly stuff. I'll just
throw this over here. And look, I am just flying, doing this for you all.
Steve: Five minute tank.
Dustin: Yea, the five minute tank. So we are just throwing this together, having a good
time and the girls are inside sleeping. I hope you enjoyed that Gerber video to by the
way. Gerber's Tropical Fish—that shop was hot. It was great to see a local hobbyist
doing it, enjoying it and running it.
Steve: Support your local fish business.
Dustin: Definitely support your local fish businesses and not the big chains. Because
the big chains come in and they take everybody out who actually knows what they are doing
and then you get someone who doesn't know what the heck they are talking about.
Steve: And they never get the cool stuff in.
Dustin: They never get the cool stuff in. The fish have ich, so support your local hobbyist
shop for sure.
Steve: It is looking pretty good man, that is a good start.
Dustin: I don't know, I think there is too much stuff in the front so I am going to move
this to the back here.
Steve: It's going to grow out.
Dustin: And be a ridiculously huge sword. That will be ridiculously big, so we got to
kind of plan for that. And I've got my spare reserve of sand to fix it.
Steve: So a few water changes and the water will clear right up. Pool filter sand, you
are really supposed to rinse it first. And make sure to dirt this tank and give the roots
all the nutrition they need to make it look fat/ phat .
Dustin: Yea, I would not leave this tank as is because it is not dirted, which is a travesty
to me. Although it would be kind of cool to dirt it, set it in the sun and see what happens.
I am sweating. Can you see how hot it is in here? It is 100 degrees in this mofo. So everybody,
I hope you are having an awesome weekend and an even better week. Welcome new subscribers.
Go to Dustinsfishtanks.com and hit on top ten aquatic tips download. Download that and
you will get on my newsletter. Thanks for the surveys. And make it an awesome week.
Later!