# Greetings



## Aqua Essentials (24 Jan 2008)

Hi Everyone

Thought it was about time I stopped snooping and registered  8) 

Great forum and glad to see lots of people pushing the hobby forward

Richard


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## Martin (24 Jan 2008)

Welcome to the asylum


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## TDI-line (24 Jan 2008)

Hello and welcome to the forum newbie. 8)


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## JamesC (24 Jan 2008)

Hi Richard,

Great to see you here.

James


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## Ed Seeley (24 Jan 2008)

Glad you joined up Richard!  Good to see you here.


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## Arana (24 Jan 2008)

Welcome AE... about time too


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## nry (24 Jan 2008)

Welcome!  So, 10% discount for UKAPS members?  (Don't ask, don't get!)


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## TDI-line (24 Jan 2008)

nry said:
			
		

> Welcome!  So, 10% discount for UKAPS members?  (Don't ask, don't get!)



Or buy one, get one free.


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## nry (24 Jan 2008)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> nry said:
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I'm cheeky but not that cheeky!


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## George Farmer (25 Jan 2008)

Great to have you on board mate.


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## Aqua Essentials (25 Jan 2008)

What a warm welcome - thanks everyone

Didn't take long to ask for a discount did it!  It's a good idea though.

You scratch my bank and I'll scratch yours - perhaps one of the mods can drop me an email and we'll go from there with regards to setting something up?


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## Graeme Edwards (25 Jan 2008)

Hi Richard,
Thanks for Jumping on board, hope you have enough time to contribute to the cause.
*Shakes hand*

Graeme.


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## Arana (25 Jan 2008)

Just noticed AE are now selling Tropica Plants online...Wahoo!!!


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## Dan Crawford (26 Jan 2008)

Nice! I never new that.


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## Lisa_Perry75 (26 Jan 2008)

Oh, I was really hoping the standard size pots would be there...

Great for getting the others back in stock, people will have access to things like riccia again...


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## Aqua Essentials (26 Jan 2008)

standard pots will also be there - sometime on Wednesday


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## Themuleous (26 Jan 2008)

Hi Richard, welcome on board.  

Any plans to stock all the tropica plants again, or you sticking to the limited ones at present?

Sam


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## Aqua Essentials (27 Jan 2008)

plans will be to stock the entire range again 

I have also reconsidered my initial proposal and I am now willing to offer individual plants to be ordered - if customers are after _any _plant in particular, let me know and I'll order it in.


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## Lisa_Perry75 (27 Jan 2008)

YES!!!! There is a god    Is this a long term thing? I am setting up a new tank in the summer and I'll be wanting to do a big order, but that will be julyish august time... I like to plan well in advance


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## Aqua Essentials (27 Jan 2008)

yes, long term


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## milla (27 Jan 2008)

Welcome

Great news about the plants.
AE was the first place i bought plants online and have never had better.

Does this mean we may get to see a AE aquascape or 2 on here soon?

milla


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## johnny70 (27 Jan 2008)

Excellent news, do you plan to do a wider range of woods too, some wood, plants and kits for nano's would be good too.

JOHNNY


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## Aqua Essentials (27 Jan 2008)

milla said:
			
		

> Welcome
> 
> Great news about the plants.
> AE was the first place i bought plants online and have never had better.
> ...



I'm looking forward to selling plants again too.  Glad you were happy first time round.

I don't have much time for scaping these days


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## Themuleous (27 Jan 2008)

Nice one Richard  did you sort the heat problem that made you stop selling them previously?

Sam


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## Aqua Essentials (27 Jan 2008)

johnny70 said:
			
		

> Excellent news, do you plan to do a wider range of woods too, some wood, plants and kits for nano's would be good too.
> 
> JOHNNY



A wider range of wood is something I intend to expand on

Of course for plants, the choice is yours with Tropica

Kits for Nanos? We have glass ware and diffusers specifically for Nanos if that's what you mean?


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## james3200 (27 Jan 2008)

just when i thought i couldnt spend anymore at your shop


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## Aqua Essentials (27 Jan 2008)

Themuleous said:
			
		

> Nice one Richard  did you sort the heat problem that made you stop selling them previously?
> 
> Sam



No I didn't - I'll be stocking them submersed for the time being.  I am looking into a more advanced hydroponic set up with climate control though


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## zig (28 Jan 2008)

Hi Richard, good to see you here, welcome aboard  

Good news about the plants as well


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## Garuf (28 Jan 2008)

When he says a kit for nano's I think he means an off the peg system like the D&D reef nano's. 
everything together as a package lily's, tank, diffuser, substrate, light, filter. It'd be a nice package deal a just add water and plants system, fun but impractical I reckon.  
What I would like to see from AE is free stuff  
I notice you moved lily pipes into filtration at last, that used to erk me no end!


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## TDI-line (29 Jan 2008)

Richard, what co2 diffusers can you recommend for a 720 litre tank?


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## Aqua Essentials (29 Jan 2008)

Garuf said:
			
		

> When he says a kit for nano's I think he means an off the peg system like the D&D reef nano's.
> everything together as a package lily's, tank, diffuser, substrate, light, filter. It'd be a nice package deal a just add water and plants system, fun but impractical I reckon.
> What I would like to see from AE is free stuff
> I notice you moved lily pipes into filtration at last, that used to erk me no end!



Ah yes, an all in one job.  Nice idea but very difficult for stock control on websites

Yep, moved lily pipes into filtration.  I've been running a survey for a while and that was some of the feedback which I took on board.  I somehow missed it last time and then forgot about it


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## Aqua Essentials (29 Jan 2008)

TDI-line said:
			
		

> Richard, what co2 diffusers can you recommend for a 720 litre tank?



It's got to be the Rhinox 5000  8) 

Cracking diffuser


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## Dan Crawford (29 Jan 2008)

The Rhinox 5000 is the business and i bought it from a certain retailer whose name i shan't mention *coughs* aqua essentials   and it was the business until my clumsy hands cracked it.
Have you considered a Co2 reactor? I believe that is the general method with such large tanks.


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## Lisa_Perry75 (29 Jan 2008)

Do you have a shop we could visit? We could make it part of a trip, and uh I'm sure lots and lots of money will be spent! Nice to meet you too!


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## Aqua Essentials (29 Jan 2008)

Lisa_Perry75 said:
			
		

> Do you have a shop we could visit? We could make it part of a trip, and uh I'm sure lots and lots of money will be spent! Nice to meet you too!



funny you mention that.  I was only talking to my new supplier of mini landscape rocks and redmoor wood (which arrives next Thurs) about shops and he was saying he believes the planted aquarium market is the most untapped market in the UK.

We were discussing planted v marine and he said you wouldn't believe how many people spend up to 20k on a huge marine tank with all the equipment and live stock and in the planted market, you could spend 2-3k and have the same but nicer.  Problem is, no one is doing it right and most retailers know how to keep fish but mention C02 and you only need to watch them peddle backwards looking rather unsure...

Anyway, I will open a shop in the future.  The warehouse in which AE operates from is not kitted out for customers.  12' high shelving is not really ideal for customers to browse especially if they are climbing up ladders


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## George Farmer (29 Jan 2008)

Aqua Essentials said:
			
		

> TDI-line said:
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Or three!

I'd go for inline reactor, personally.  AE have some new ones in Feb I understand...


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## Dave Spencer (29 Jan 2008)

I know someone looking for an inline diffuser for a 240l very soon  .

Aquamas are the favourites at the moment, buy you never know....

Dave.


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## Lisa_Perry75 (29 Jan 2008)

Yes you're totally right.

Most people want well planted tanks, when they see the pictures of tanks on the tank box for example. People just do not know how to achieve this. They buy non-aquatic plants, with their substandard lighting fromt their all in one tank kits and they buy some inert gravel which will do nothing for the plants as the only dosing they'll do is something like plant-gro.

I must say how frustrating it is to spend what you consider a fortune on plants for them to all die. 

I think it's mainly the inadequecies of the lfs employees... Then again, isn't that where most of the problems in the hobby stem from? (don't forget I was one too so no offence to those rare good ones)


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## nry (29 Jan 2008)

You get plants back in on the day I get some from eBay for more than you were selling and I have Â£10 of points to spend too....pah


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## TDI-line (31 Jan 2008)

George Farmer said:
			
		

> Aqua Essentials said:
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Any news on the new reactors Richard?

I may have to spend some of my saved Aqua Points....


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