SWEET TANK TUESDAY

7/26/22
"First Time Buyer! Plants arrived on time in good shape, and look to be very mature and beautiful plants. I got some growth juice as well so looking forward to seeing how they do. I put them in a heavily planted 120 gallon discus / community tank."
-David C. wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review about Sexy Red Aquarium Package (We pick REDS!)
What's Up Fish Tank People! Dustin here!
I don't keep these fish. I have made videos about how I don't like these fish. BUT I LOVE THIS TANK WITH DISCUS.
One word comes to mind here for me. BALANCE. 
This hobbyist and tank has figured out BALANCE in this setup.
Again- I don't keep these fish... but from what I have HEARD- Not First hand knowledge-- Discus like higher temps.
I can tell you FIRST HAND however that many plant DO NOT LIKE HIGH TEMPERATURES.
I have "heard" Discus like a lower PH.  I KNOW first hand that almost ALL PLANTS DO NOT like a Low PH!
(To be completely fair- I am also aware that MANY Discus are tank raised and can handle both lower temps and a higher ph....but still)
This aquarium is rocking at all levels. The use of foreground plants is great- there is a nice mix of Lilaeopsis (a plant we pot in house)  and what look to be Hygrophila Compacta.
The middle of the tank has some great Rotalas as well as some as some super heavy nitrate absorbing water wisteria.
The background has a cool Hygro I can't sell called Hygrophila Angustifolia as well as some Ludwigia Repens that is flowing to the top.
Clearly the plants are healthy. I would like to point out this looks like some sort of a fluorite (decent) substrate- BUT Also....and this is often missed....
Notice the RED GLARE at the top? While it might not be the greatest look for the photo- THAT RED GLARE IS KEY.  I have no idea what the light fixture is, but I can pretty safely tell you that the light is putting off the proper RED SPECTRUM of light- which is typically lacking in most light fixtures. (The plant growth also tells us they are happy as well.
The BIG WOW Discus speak for themselves... but look closely and you'll see some tetras rolling around as well.
TANK ON!
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7/12/22
What's Up Fish Tank People?! Dustin here! 
We have been getting a good laugh about the "Worst Tank Decorations"
But what if someone could successfully pull off the "Gimmick" tank?
I know someone who has been doing it for years.
The man needs no introduction, but I am going to anyways.
He trained under the late "Godfather of Aquascaping" Takashi Amano.  (And immediately had "Amano Sensei"  tattooed on his neck when he found out Amano had passed.)
This is Oliver Knott. (and in German- you pronounce the K so "Ka- Not")
Check out the use of these decorations.  The plant composition and growth is also awesome.  I was lucky enough to watch him scape a private 150 gallon one time and learned more in 3 hours that I had previously about aquascaping....
Look- I know this isn't for everyone... but sometimes "All the tanks look the same"
.....KNOTT with Oliver.  TRY STUFF!     TANK ON!  (Danke Oliver!)
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6/29/22
"Amazing! I got a lot more than 4, and all were incredibly healthy. This is my 3rd order from DFT and I won't go anywhere else now. I've been in the hobby for 5 years and these are the only plants I've gotten that are consistently in great health and have very minimal shock from shipping if any. Always great!"
-Summer R. wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review about Get Our Best Selling “Beautiful Plants" Combo - Get 4 Plants for 19.95
What's Up Fish Tank People?! Dustin here!
This tank had me at hello.
Why?
An aquascaping concept called "Tension"  
There is that ONE perfectly placed rock right in the center of the tank pointing to the sky.  This is the steep mountain- the jagged cliff. It looks like an impassable mountain you see in a movie fly over.  There are also some thin red stems like some lingering, last remaining trees to the right. You can see some Mayaca flowing in the back right as well as a nice accent.  There is good use of negative space with that strategically placed piece of dragon stone. The light coloration of the back overflow helps make this pop more.
Off to the left there is another bigger mountain that doesn't get as much attention but even with the algae on it, it still shows you we have a big old mountain range behind this scene.  
... but this mountain is different- This mountain range is covered in rampantly growing anubias.... but the anubias is NOT on the solo barren mountain in the center. 
The foreground of this aquarium works but could be stronger. The dark driftwood and the lighter rounder pebbles and rocks kind of clash in my book but the caos between the big mountains and the little rocks is workable. I would suggest getting an ugly piece of the same color and rock as the "sheer cliff" and smashing that with a hammer and using golfball to marble sized pieces of that as the rocks in the foreground. (One could also use those jagged type rocks with the same type of tension as the cliff I love only on a smaller scale)
One last thing.  This tank has TWO Neon Tetras in it.... IT NEEDS 20 (or more in my book)
Remember the work "Tension" folks and try to work it into your scapes.   Sweet Tank Summer! TANK ON!
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6/14/22
"Insane Growth! Ordered this along with a few other plants (Jungle Val and Madagascar Lace). This was the first to take off. Extremely cool plant! I trim this beast almost weekly."
-Josh C. wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review
What's Up Fish Tank People?! Dustin here! 
This weeks tank is a fun one for me as I am "Rah Rah for Rainbow Fish" :)
You can see the yellow one that is a Herbert Axelrodi. (and that photo doesn't do that fish justice)  There is also another Rainbow down low and what looks to be a Ram of some kind.
My guess is this is a 40 breeder which is 36 inches across.  It looks like the tank is dirted or has something under the light colored sand. 
I will say I like the wide open foreground with just sand and a Ram running the show down there.
Starting at the left side I love the simple LOW LIGHT Java Fern and Java Moss Combo rolling. 
Moving to the right a tiny bit we see some Anubias.
In front of these plants in the foreground are some wide, nice growing crypts....
The very middle of the tank has what looks to be Ludwigia of some kind and to the right of that a HUGE bush of what looks like a Hygrophila of some kind.
In front of the Hygro (I think it's a Hygro)  is a MASSIVE POP OF A RED TIGER LOTUS!!!!!  You can see this plant is at it's perfect growth stage. I would like to point out that it does have ONE lilly pad hitting the surface of the water. If you want to keep your lotus putting out big round leaves as they are doing here- you will want to avoid letting it hit the surface.  ONCE a plant hits the surface it immediately starts sending all of its energy and effort there, because it can breath CO2 from the surface easier from the air than the water column. 
All the way to the right, you can see a sweet curly Aponoten Ulvaceus.  This is a SUPER FAST grower and nicely rounds out that side of the aquarium.
Last but certainly not least. We have some pretty awesome Giant Val rolling along the back.
I love the open-ness of this tank while still being pretty decently planted. It's a great combo for the Rainbows and the Ram down low I am sure has personality.
Nice tank! 
TANK ON
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6/2/22 
 
This week's tank of the week is just plain FUN. Don't overlook the fun though as someone is also doing a nice job of GROWING PLANTS- Heck GROWING a CARPET.
My guess is this is a 55 gallon based on the photo.   From the back the first thing that I love is the commitment to the "Lucky Bamboo"  This plant is often sold in chain stores as a fully aquatic plant.  Let me be very clear- Bamboo is NOT a fully aquatic plant. It can survive a while under water, but it needs to come up out of the top of the water.  This tank does that.  I love how I can count 12 of them!  You can see they are placed behind the light but look cool twisting out of the top.  Well done.  (I would add that I'd like to see them more staggered like a forest, but this presumably can't be done as this is limited by the light fixture.)
Off to the left the first thing you see is a THE BUDDHA!  Yes!  There is something about the Buddha sitting in that corner of the tank with the bamboo behind him... but it gets better and HARDER. The Buddha is sitting on a carpet of plants!  (I can't tell from the photos but it looks like a carpet of dwarf hair grass!)  We can tell from both the big light fixture, the carpeting plants and the CO2 checker in the corner, this tank has HIGH LIGHT and CO2, thus the carpet is thriving. 
In the center (But not in the dead center) just slightly off to the right is a bright blue stream!  Not only that, there is a bridge that fits perfectly over it! 
The left side is also super fun like you just got done visiting the Buddha and have to cross the bridge to the red forest!   The "Red Forest" is made up of Red Myrio and Ludwigia Triple Red.  I also see some green myrio, a crypt of some kind a sword.
If I could make just two little suggestions. One would be to ditch the in tank filter for a canister which would take up way less space and give the Buddha more room to spread out.  The second would be to pop some more foreground plants over to the "Red Forest"  (I was going to suggest more of the dwarf hair grass, but I think the contrast is cool and would do hygro compacts, which would also probably stay red under those conditions!
I picked this tank out because I really want people to, "DO YOU."  Too many people worry about what other people will think looks good.  If pink gravel, a treasure chest and a mermaid is your style "DO YOU"  
Do you, Do YOUR tanks. TANK ON 
(Great Tank E. Kelly- If you hit me up I'll throw you a coupon from some plants! NICE WORK!)
"Beautiful, Vibrant Red! I got these triple red and also the myriophyllum tuberculatum to add a splash of red to my tank and they are both just wow! I only ordered one each, but i got so many stems, I had to chamge my plans a bit to accommodate them, haha. They look amazing in my planted betta tank with my other live plants."

-E. Kelly wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review about Ludwigia "Triple Red" Easy RED aquarium plant & Myriophyllum tuberculatum (INSANE Red Aquarium Plant For Sale)
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5/24/22
"Never fail fertilizer! Can't believe how great this stuff works! My first planted tank and the progress in 4 months is astounding. I cut the jungle val every two weeks and I had to cut the wisteria almost in half after three months. Best fertilizer ever!"
-Sterling F. wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review about A+ "Must Have for Planted Tanks" Plant Booster GROWTH JUICE- (Our OWN Special Aquarium Plant Fertilizer) #1
What's up Fishtank People? Dustin here!
Here is your Tank of the week.
It doesn't have to be hard to be great. 
I love the simple look of this aquarium.
The classics are classics for a reason.  This tank has TWO Classics. ONE PLANT, One Fish.
Start with the fish- The Angel Fish. Regal and posing for the photo.  (It also looks well fed!)  Obviously this is the "Fish of the Tank" and certainly greats its owner begging for food. (My guess is that the Black Molly probably spends a good deal of time hiding.)
and the classic plant.... JUNGLE VAL.   How far back does this tank go? You know but you don't know. The forest of Val could go on and on.....  I also like how the right side is ALL VAL, a clearly defined forest.
One the left is a nice contrast of a plant with the Wisteria. Val is long and flowing, the Wisteria is dense and bushy. It also is a wonderful hiding place for other fish as well. Both the Val and the Wisteri are BIG at this point.   These are fast growing- Nitrate absorbing plants.  I doubt the Angel would let it fly- BUT- IMO- You could DOUBLE or Tripple the fish load with this many plants at this size.
The Crypt on the log is a nice eye catcher and breaks up the design with good contrast of both shape and color.
A note about the hardscape with the lone driftwood.  In the first photo it looks long out of place and awkward. In the second photo it looks like a welcoming transition to the forest of val.
You can get as fancy as ya want or you can keep it simple :) 
Nice Tank!  Tank on!
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5/17/22
"Just wanted to share my 2 tanks and give a huge thanks to you and your high quality plants. 100% your plants including Macrandra, Indica, Lotus, Dwarf Sag, Java Fern, African Fern, Crypts and Val. No CO2, another order coming soon
 😁"
-Drew
(WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE TOP TANK BELOW :)  Lower tank is also killer :) 
What's up FishTank People, Dustin here! 
In this week's tank of the week I wanted to bring it to you with a FULL TANK.
This is a 40 Breeder. If you aren't familiar with a 40 breeder it has really versatile foot print to it. It is 36 x 18 x 16. This gives the tank much more surface area, but is shallow enough to still get some good light.  I also like how deep it goes front to back. (A 55 Gallon tank you lose the ability to bring depth to the aquarium- it can be done but it is harder.)
You can see how far back this tank goes... It is so FULL of plants that you quickly get lost in it.
Does it have a manicured carpet of plants - NO
Does it have an intricate rock scape or hardscape- NO
What this tank of the week does have is a FULL PLANT LOAD.  It is LOADED with plants. This is the kind of aquarium you could stare at for a long time and wish you were a fish with all of the places to hide.
The background of this aquarium comes up like a rising or setting sun. The plant used is a Rotala Macrandra and it brightens up the top of the aquarium.
What pops for me in this tank is the use of the SUPER EASY Red Tiger lotus under it. The dark red pulls you into the tank. The dark leaves are a great contrast to the bright pinkish yellow above it. (The lotus also has it's own unique shape to it)
And finally- the foreground. Which actually isn't a foreground plant at all but it being used as one. That plant is JUNGLE VAL.  Yes- this is a tall growing BACKGROUND PLANT- but I believe it is being trimmed here to keep it low.
Great tank! 
TANK ON!
Drew's tank notes:
The other is a 40 breeder open top with 36 inch fluval 3.0 at 70% and carribsea gold sand. Slightly deep bed on one side with lava rock. 4ml Fertilizer once per week, 25-30% water change every 2-3 weeks. Moderately stocked
PH runs about 7.2-7.5
GH ~ 2
Nitrate 20-30
TDS ~ 140
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5/10/22
"Dirt is awesome! First picture is when tank was First set up. Second is today, about a month later. Myriophillum growing like anacharis. Dwarf sag spreading like a carpet."
-Harold G. wrote a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review about Dustin's Dirt Packs. (Aquarium Substrate Our own Premier Mix)
What's Up FishTank PEOPLE?!
Dustin here, This weeks "Sweet Tank Tuesday" is a SIMPLE one.
Often times people try to over complicate their aquariums. 
This is an EASY ONE.
These are all EASY plants.   In the top photo you can barely make out the little stems of Dwarf Sagataria.  In the second picture you can see that it has clearly TAKEN OFF.  While I don't know the time table of how far apart these photos are taken, you can see that Dwarf Sag and I believe the Baby Tears have taken off.
In the background of the second photo you can see they Myrio.
Again- this is an EASY to grow plant.  (So easy to grow that it is invasive and illegal in a few states)  If you take a second to look just in front of the Myrio you will see the RED Alteranthera
Notice how in the first photo it is rather skinny and obviously was just planted, in the second photo it is THICK and FULL.
There is also another yellow plant off to the left in the first photo.  This is Mayaca Vandelli.  This is a MEGA easy plant, but if you look in the "After" photo you can see that it has hardly grown at all.
Why? I'm not sure, but I point this out as sometimes it just happens. It might be a "Slow eating" plant. In other words, all of the other plants consume all of the available nutrients before it can.  Or it simply might be lacking something from the water that it needs that other plants don't and there for is thriving.
 
Regardless, I point this random, not growing fast plant out as sometimes, it happens.  (There is a lighter look to the Myrio which leads me to think this is a slight nutrient deficiency.)
The customer doesn't provide details as to what brand of lighting we are dealing with or how long it is on but clearly we have decent lights.
The customer DOES however mention how much they love the "Dirt Packs".  Look. Yes we would be happy to sell you some of our own "Dustin's Dirt Packs"  but regardless, this aquarium is a clear example of good light AND good substrate and the results you can achieve.   (You aren't going to get a nice full mound of dwarf sag like this with root tabs.)  
Plants need to Eat. Feed them where they Eat. Feed them WHAT they Eat.
Tank on!
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5/3/22
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Customer Tank: Paul D. "My new setup. No fish yet still getting all the plants setup and tank cycling"
What's Up FishTank PEOPLE?! Dustin here, This weeks "Sweet Tank Tuesday" I want to show this tank and talk about to the commitment to the carpet.
THIS TANK POPS because all you see is plants on the bottom. This is the often elusive "I want a carpet" Fully Achieved.
How did we get here? STEP ONE.  NO FISH.  This tank was designed out of the gate for PLANTS FIRST. There is heavy use of CO2.   Heavy as in presumably TOXIC- Kill your fish levels of CO2. You can see the use of both a drop checker and a little CO2 pipet.
So the MORE CO2 the more the plants breath and the more you are immolating "Above water " growing conditions.  Additionally there is HIGH LIGHT on this tank with full CO2.
The customer doesn't say how long they were working on this carpet or how long it has been setup, but that is a THINK carpet of Dwarf Baby Tears.
A fun and simple plant to point out in the background is Tall Hair Grass. It gives the scape a great grassy background. 
One thing I think could improve this is better looking rocks. and it wouldn't take much because the "Soft scape" is so strong. Just some simple dragon stone perhaps.
And a final note on this tank. This might have been hard to get balanced out of the gate with so much light and co2 while the plants were growing in. BUT - Now that it is FULLY carpeted, the plant load is way high, this tank can handle a HIGHER fish load ultimately because of the heavy, hard working plant load.  This person has the right plan- Plants first- Fish Second.  Nice Tank- Tank on!