Recent content by ceg4048

Hi Katie, Well, yeah, that is not great but what I look at is how long it takes to drop the pH from gas ON. It still looks like a 4 hour lag just to drop it 0.7 units. I've seen this lack of performance from several peoples' tanks and it seems very odd to me and I always wonder...

Hi Mel, OK, well, first of all, it's really important to understand the reason we are using a pH drop. I feel that a lot of folks don't understand why we do it. We just tell them they should do it, and they follow suit, not always understanding the mathematics of the method. As you...

Hi, There really is nothing all that special about basalt or pumice, which is another volcanic material. The level of nutrients accessible to plant roots are miniscule due to the large particle size and hardness, and if nutrition is the property you are seeking then you would be much better...

Hi Tim, Yeah Dr. Axelrod was my hero as well. I used to read his books on the racks in the pet shops when I was a kid because I couldn't afford to buy them, haha. A shame what happened to him though. He was hiding out in South America and cannot return to USA because he was charged...

Hello, This is not really something to fret over. The term Lava rock or volcanic has been associated with any rock consisting of basalt, which is a heavier and more dense material than clay products, for example. It's simply the material produced by volcanos, which, really have no...

Yes, but again we are not growing plants outside the hobby. We are growing plants within the context of our hobby and in so doing it turns out that there are so many more factors that affect the growth and health of aquatic plants that the effects of spectral distribution are rendered...

I totally agree with hypnogogia. You will be wasting money buying "best media", which doesn't do any better job than common media. Your plants are the media. see the thread bio-media-for-fluval-305 Cheers,

Hello, There is no difference between any color light that you may choose to use. As mentioned, the subject has been thoroughly discussed and no one has any evidence in our tanks that spectrum has any value other than an aesthetic one. Plants simply adapt to the lighting provided and...

Hi, Yes, I'd consider moving it to another place, just to see if it makes a difference. No guarantees of course, but worth a shot. I'd trim the worst of the leaves as well. They will never recover and that's just extra baggage the plant has to carry around. Cheers,

Hi, Have you buried the rhizomes by any chance? It's an obvious question, but one never knows. I'm quite certain water hardness is not an factor, as I've grown ferns for years in hard water with no problems. The rest of the tank looks super nice though. You could try gluing/tying the...

Hello, In a non-CO2 tank one really does not need to worry too much about frequency of fertilization. I think folks get this confused as we are mostly CO2 centric. Adding tiny amounts of nutrients once a week will be fine in a low light non-CO2 tank. The photo appears to show ADA...

Hi, That's never going to happen. You cannot play ping-pong with water in a bathtub. In any case I fail to see a problem with this tank. I mean, it looks amazing. If you are not having any problems with plant health I see no reason to make any changes. Again, if the need arises then you...

Hi Monis, Wow, I'm really shocked at the pricing although I'm not familiar with the Danish Krone. According to the currency conversion charts that is about $65 in US currency, whereas in USA that same probe retails for about $40. So that is not too bad for a probe with two point...

Hi Steve, I agree with three-fingers mate. As far as plants go, calcium is a micronutrient, so it's content merely needs to non-zero. If your water is soft, or if using RO, you can always used the crushed-coral-in-the filter routine. If using hard water from tap then yeah, it's...

That is correct. There is always some residual CO2 left in the water, however, the amount of residual is dependent on water temperature, whether the tank is top is closed or open as well as the degree of surface agitation. Also consider the accuracy and calibration quality of the device being...