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Naturally unpacked everything as soon as I was home from work! I’ve tried a couple of layouts but not sure I’m entirely happy with either, I think I might need a slightly bigger piece of stone for the main piece Though in pictures I’m preferring the second one

Diffuser placement goes hand in hand with flow distribution. To maximize dissolution, you want to maximize the time the bubbles travel through the water before reaching the surface, and you want it to go through some turbulence, if possible. One common flow distribution technique is to have the...

One plant that caught my eye was the camphor tree -The Camphor Tree - Guide To Growing And Care – MK Library – super unique and adds a bit of spice to any collection. Plus, they're known for their aromatic leaves, which is a bonus! Does anyone here have experience with them? I'm curious to hear...

I like internal filters as I am frightened of leaks. I have a tidal 55, but it has loads of gaps even after I put sponge over the inlet. The bioplus looks like it has lots of grills, i don't understand why there is a gap in the market. I did consider multiple filters put that just eats up space...

Yes. You need trace elements and macro nutrients so you need the 2:1:4 aswell. That box of TEC will last you FOREVER. I use these products and you need such a tiny amount of the trace elements. It’s very good value. I run pressurised CO2 at a level lower than most recommend. It’s just a boost...

Hi, I personally wouldn't turn up the CO2 any more at the moment (your current plants will be fine with lower levels), in fact I would turn it down a notch for the time being. I can see you have guppy grass in there but with a tank that size I'd be tempted to add a fair few more bunches of fast...

I’d go with the recommendation on Dendroboard mate. Silicone and glass over it on the inside. Then wrap or paint that panel black. It shouldn’t need to hold too much water if you have the drain constantly open.

That's hilarious. Avoid the used scales. But don't forget the serious home baristas who also measure their coffee beans in gram increments. @dw1305 I keeep meaning to share a link to 'coffee brewing water remineralising sachets' with you - worse than Seachem and Co...

unfortunately i think the way its put together is a bit too much for me to DIY, it needs to hold water in that specific section in between draining. I think it'll probably come down to getting a piece small rectangular glass and attempting repair on the inside, to see if water tight. We live...

I'd second (fourth) the powerhead and sponge combo - mini pats with larger sponges here too. I'd start with one and see how you felt about flow then add another in the opposite corner if needed. Black background and black sponge blend well. You could do a HOB and add a sponge to the intake, but...

Try googling the brand name and replacing the glass - see if there is anyone that's done it before so you can see how much would be involved in taking it apart to replace that section. Does it need to hold standing water or is it just damp? If it needs to hold water I guess the only way to...

Let me know how it goes!

Personally I suspect the iron, or indeed fert dosing at all, is a red herring in direct relation to BBA, as is the acidic substrate (I've seen it in plenty of tanks with sand/gravel). I would agree is seems to like higher CO2 areas though. For me BBA predominently appears with excessive organic...

I have a tank which I believe to be an old Juwel Primo 60. It has a Juwel label, the style and dimensions match, but it has an old fashioned T8 incandescent tube rather than a modern LED bar. I wanted to swap this out for an LED, and found a Superfish LED replacement (seemingly of the right...

Darrel, I believe you misunderstood my post. "Excess Iron, Lots of CO2 and Acidic substrate are some good conditions to grow BBA." This is a most common condition for EI dosed aquarium. Even under hard water setups, the BBA was mostly commonly found when Iron was present in excessive amounts...

Yeah more frogs, i'd kind of considered something else like the crested gecko, but this size wouldn't be the best.

What’s the intended inhabitants mate, more frogs? If you went with something else, you might be able to avoid all the misting and therefore less water.

It was only setup yesterday so I'm trying to get the required co2 levels by slowly upping the bps the defuser is at the opposite side of the tank where do you suggest for the best placement, again I've been using Google for the answers and what I'm learning is that there's a ton of conflicting...

Not an aquarium, but a terrarium i got from gumtree, still in original packaging. Should have trusted my instincts on why it was a good price, but here we are. As you can see from the attached pic, I have two lovely cracks that extend through the front bottom panel (front to back), extending...

Sillily I removed the air stone last night and I have put it back in this morning, I'm currently running at approx 2bps and to get that I counted the amount of bubbles in a 10 second period with my son on the stop watch and then devided it by 10 for the bps

The confusion arises because in a closed system not open to atmosphere KH does influence CO2. The closed system is where most of the chemistry discussions take place so this is a quite natural mistake to make. We however are nearly always dealing with an open system system where KH does not...

And this

It was often suggested that to optimize CO2 you should reduce aeration and surface agitation. Of course this would make it easier to reach higher CO2 concentrations. Nowadays the suggestion is the opposite. You need adequate flow throughout the tank to distribute CO2 and you need decent...

Is this the stuff ? And I don't mean to be a pain how do you dose it? Do you pre-disolve before adding it to the tank

Pause CO2 until you actually have more plants and plants that will benefit from it. Currently it is an unnecessary expense and thing to cause issues. Agree that inadequate ferts is the cause of your poor plant growth currently. Edit: notably, you currently are not dosing any nitrate. What's...

Thanks Darrell I appreciate your input I'll check them things you suggested out 👍🏻

Great response Bradders. I’m starting to think it may be something as obvious as plant growth starting to obstruct the inlet portion ( not the skimmer section ) of the glass skimmer, for info the inlet section is fully open. I’m gonna trip the foliage and see how it goes…..

Hi all, I'm guessing that is where your problems lie, you need a fertiliser that supplies all the nutrients required for plant growth. Have a look at <"Solufeed 2:1:4 and Solufeed Sodium Free TEC or Solufeed Coir TEC Combination">. I think you will struggle with Riccia fluitans, it really...

I had 1 dead fish now it could be coincidental I'm not sure, the reason I wanted to go down the co2 route is id like to be able to successfully have a more densely planted tank,I've recently added java moss and Riccia fluitan (because I'd like a carpet effect)and the guppy grass and I've tried...

I actually spat out my coffee laughing at that description.

Hi all, Yes, that looks fine. I can see the caves, do you have L numbers? and are they the fish that died? You don't actually need CO2 with the plants you have. I can see your floaters and I'm a <"floating plant obsessive">, but one advantage of floating (or emergent) plants is that they...

This is my 182l tank I run a fluval 407

Hi all, That is the issue for me <"with a lot of filters"> too much complexity and too many gaskets. I'd never realised <"this was an issue"> until relatively recently. Looking back it was obviously naive, but I hadn't imagined that any-one <"would use the scaffold intake">(as supplied)...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS, and sorry for your losses. That is a real problem, there is "advice", often contradictory, coming in every direction. Hopefully we can give you better advice than Google. I'm not a CO2 user personally, but "yes" leave the air stone in and on. As you've found...

I've just done a HMF and it just looks like a black backround. Plenty of flow but nowhere for shrimp to get mangled.

Question I setup my first DIY co2 system the fzone 4l off Amazon I followed all the instructions and it was working I have it on a timer to go off in the evening and to come bk on 1.5hrs before my lights now after reading a few different things from Google please don't shoot me for listening to...

Hi all, We have a thread about where that assumption <"may have originated">. One issue is: So we don't really know that "30 ppm CO2" is actually 30 ppm CO2, as @Andy Pierce <"says"> above . Your limestone (CaCO3) rocks will <"dissolve more quickly"> when <"you add CO2">. You will have...

Hi all, We just don't know what <"causes BBA"> (Audouinella spp.) outbreaks, or why the algae <"sometimes detaches"> for no apparent reason, although it may be linked to <"alternation of generations">. There are some microscope images here: <"What exactly causes BBA?"> Anecdotally the <"best...

Great comments from everyone. A lot has already become clear to me. :clap: Still one more remark: Where does the comment come from, for example, that Seiryu stones release lime and thus influence the entire CO2 process? Lime is also a carbonate, right? and that you therefore have an increasing...

Hi all, If you use a black sponge you could hide it in a corner? Personally, for me, the powerhead & Koi sponge combination <"Shrimp safe filter for 35l tanks"> is always a winner - <"Flourish and Flourish Excel">. You get a lot of <"filtration and flow">, a <"sponge grazing surface"> and the...

Ahhhh - got it. Should have checked that. Yes, good point indeed. I recant my last suggestion! :D

It is odd. Looking at what we know, your Oase is capable of being vert quite - from 2 days to 2 weeks. If it was constantly ingesting air (like a hairline crack, bad seal) then it would likely be a constant issue, not intermittent. So could this be environmental as the source of the issue...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS. Poppies probably aren't ideal, a lot of them are poisonous and they are fairly flimsy seed pods. Mostly people use woody seed pods, like Alder (Alnus spp.) "cones" etc.. cheers Darrel

I'm a fan of K1 style plastic media too, but they won't work as well in a Tidal filter as its a bottom-up flow design, so the media would end up getting pushed over the weir if loose unless you add some sort of DIY grill. You could put it in a bag, but you risk a lot of bypass unless it's...

What about seed pods, like poppy etc

Hi all, Looks like it may be magnesium (Mg) deficiency, which causes <"interveinal chlorosis"> on older leaves. Has anything changed recently, like a <"different water supply"> or fertiliser regime? If it has? I'd go back to what you were doing before. Because these are mobile nutrients (any...

I went for an Airstone in the end, well, Limewood diffuser would be more accurate. They don’t last that long but I make my own.

I've had my S. Repens as a "carpet in progress" for about a year, and they've been grouwing veryy slowly but surely. About a week ago I noticed the lower leafs started turning yellow and holes appeared in them. I removed them, but the problem reappeared two days later, see pic below. Does ayone...

How about two Aquael pat mini filters, one each end of the tank? They have an adjustable flow rate & flow direction. It's also pretty easy to change the filter sponge for a larger one or different coarseness with a little DIY!

Nope, l ensure the level is constant, it’s just started up again! May have to ditch this surface skimmer approach, it wasn’t like this with a standard glass return.

Used 3 pieces of horn wood, some seiryu stone. Plants are Eleocharis Pusilla, Eleocharis Parvula, Eleocharis Montevedensis, have chucked a couple small Anubias in also.

Hmm... I think I see two filter intakes, two jet pipes, a spray bar and what I assume to be two temperature probes? :woot:

Were the issues maybe due to changes in water level?

Or this. https://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/products/650lh-650-cif?currency=GBP&variant=45370049036573&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=f20b45b292d8&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwm_SzBhAsEiwAXE2Cv1FZWPQMw78Ih74U1TZP0G1IVUEwEsrrsu9jFei2hDtcaCskgy144hoCRygQAvD_BwE

I had an Eheim internal filter once and that had a sponge behind the inlet screen so that should have been shrimp safe. You don’t get huge flow though from the internal filters I’ve seen. You might need two on a 90L? Edit: Maybe something like this?

Only option I see then are HOBs or under gravel filters. Will this be a planted tank? If so I wouldn't go with an undergravel filter. Just my opinion.

Thanks for the option, but its not a shrimp only tank and I wanted something with more flow. I don't have the space for a canister filter and I don't mind paying for a good option. I don't really want a sponge filter because as mentioned the look.

where can I find this study for Under Water plant? Evidence should be taken from both sides, one with BBA and one without BBA while using the same method (in this case EI method) and so far the Evidence does suggest that there are Many/More EI users with BBA issues. I don't think we should...

I’ve had a couple of surface skimmers over the years and none of them worked reliably. This was the first type I used many years ago. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn’t but it never sucked in any air.

Be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Eheim and / or Fluval Bradders…… I’ve ran JBL’s, Eheim, TetraTec and manufacturers of external filters l can no longer recall in the past, none have behaved like my Oase 600, if it weren’t for the prefilter and integral heater l would have gone back to...

Hi Andy, I believe some people have talked about this on this thread as well. to answer your question if there is any link between Iron and BBA ? the answer is Yes. Excess Iron and Phosphate react with each others and when such event occurs, they both are reduced. Iron, especially in form of...

I think sponge is a good idea - albeit they are a little ugly in the tank. But a lot of people use them with a pump and (with occasional light cleaning) get reasonable filtration from them. The other option might be under gravel filtration. It’s old-school - but they do work! I am assuming a...

Unless you like that sort of adventure of course!

Just a suggestion, but instead of bioballs and ceramic rings, why not fill it up with K1 media? The surface area on the K1 is significantly more. I know you have a lot of plants and other filters anyway - but if you are going to fill it up with something try 3 litres of that.

A red pill moment while sitting in my apartment in Kyrgyzstan experiencing an earthquake sipping wine sounds like the start of a superb story.... clearly one that needs to be told in full over a glass or two of wine!

And I'm ordering the Nano this weekend for my desk. I didn't get on with the APS one very well. So going back to the tried and tested nano I've used in the past. Will catch some shrimp from the main tank and add to it once ready. I left the hatdscape from the badis tank in here. So that I...

I've gone for a Tidal 110. Don't think k I've had one of seachem filters before. And I can mess about with planting up the compartment with creepers/climbers etc. Think I'll just fill it with bio balls and rings for surface area colonisation. Also for the heat we're 🔥 having atm have added a...

Sponge filters. There isn't anything safer than that. You can either power it with an air pump or a water pump. Entirely up to you. As for which sponge filter specifically well, there are plenty of models out there but they all do the same. You just have to pick up any you fancy. Only...

CO2 arrived today, ordered from acres aquatics as they had it for a great price, first time ordering from them and I’m very pleased with the service, I accidentally selected pick up in store and they called me to check and changed it to delivery with no fuss! The tank (from proshrimp) and some...

Hello folks. I am setting up a 90l 60cm tank and would love your suggestions on a internal filter that is shrimp safe. Cheers malik

@Yamato check above post.

I built this stainless system recently. It’s a Parker IR6000 regulator with Swagelok needle valve.

MFS = Multiple Filter Syndrome!

I personally would go with the Complete as I would imagine (without looking) that Lite does not contain any Nitrate or Phosphate which are two of the Macro elements most plants need to thrive. You could get away with using Lite while the Aquasoil is new but with a tank that size a bottle is...

Hello, Nothing to do with nutrients and everything to do with the inability of the old leaves to source CO2 from the water column. Keeping the light intensity low during this transition will reduce the demand for CO2. Flow is not really an issue in a non-CO2 injected tank. Look...

Yes, CO2 is toxic as Hell. You can kill fish faster with CO2 than with "new tank" ammonia/nitrite syndrome. Having said that it's a certainty that if the hobbyist is dosing CO2 at a rate that negatively affects the fish but that does not turn the DC green it means that something else in the...

Sorry but there is zero relationship between Iron and BBA. EI dosed tanks have high Fe without necessarily incurring this penalty. In fact, studies have shown that Fe can be dosed up to approximately 13ppm before becoming toxic to plants. I myself, for the EI article dosed up to 3 ppm Fe with no...

Hello, Anaerobic zones should be avoided where possible. The idea of a planted tank is to oxygenate both the water and sediment in order to improve the health of plants and fish. Oxygen promotes the rise of the good bacteria and supplements the availability to the fish. Plants send oxygen...

Yes, this is not correct. As mentioned, CO2 saturation in water has nothing to do with carbonate concentration in the water. The effect that carbonate has in the water column in it's interaction with CO2 is purely that of change in pH. CO2 dissolves in high carbonate content water in exactly...

Haha life gets in the way mate. Experienced an earthquake on the other side of the Kyrg mountains while sipping wine in my high rise appartment. I immediately thought to myself: "Self, this is not sustainable..." Talk about a red pill moment...:crazy: Cheers,

Cheers mate! (or maybe something like "Ура!"):wave:

It doesn't actually work this way. In the steady-state situation (after all the moving pieces become stable and stop moving, for example 2 hours after you've been injecting CO2 gas) the amount of CO2 dissolved in the water (what we care about) is independent of the pH of the water and also...

Good idea. I already have to grease the pre filter seal otherwise it does not seal correctly. I will grease up the main seal and also the Heater seal to see if this makes a difference.

Here's a tip. If you've already checked all the typical seals (head gasket, hose adapter, priming pump), checked for any intake restrictions and it's still pulling in air, take apart the priming pump to lube the blue priming head. After lubing it, most of my air purging problems went away...

Me too. I’ve come to the conclusion that nearly all the external canister filters on the market have too many gimmicks. It’s not surprising we hear so many complaints of leaks and excess noise etc.

I'll let you count all the equipment (temporarily) in this aquarium. :D Just don't ask what the hell I am doing ....

The Biomaster has very many rubber seals due to the complex design. This makes many entry points for air if seals are not perfect and/or the flow at inlet is somewhat restricted (such as partially blocked pre-filter). A seal that is water tight might not be air-tight. Greasing all of the rubber...

I am similar and have been swapping out a fair bit of kit, it can certainly be fun tinkering :). Of course, not a problem!

Somewhat obsessive according to my wife! I do love mechanics and technology, and I like to fully understand something's capability. Hence the incessant tinkering! That is very, very kind of you. And may take you up on that! Thank you.

Just an update. Added 3 more Mollies and 2 Banded Trochus Snails. I also found 2 Molly babies in the bag and I raise them in an isolation box in the DT. I was quite surprised when I noticed them in the acclimation tub. Hardy little buggers! I also bought my first coral frags: Duncan Gold...

Biomasters seem to have some inconsistent QC or something, people saying their units were quiet and both of mines very noises, new plate improved the noise on mines as well as purging, others have the opposite effect…not sure what’s going on, I hope it somehow gets better pm your unit, might be...

BTW - I am going to (once I have time) extensively play around with my new 350 and see if I can work out what is going on. I am (rather sadly) also going to get hold of an EHEIM Pro 5 and a yet-to-be-decided flavour of Fluval and start putting them through their paces as well. I don't know...

Yep, when I bought the Biomaster 350 a few weeks ago it had this new plate in it and the same symptoms. I am not convinced this is doing much good, but all the new units have them as standard. My 250's are air free - well, they are not making any sounds anyway.

This. It is not clear how many gaps there are and how big they are. If it is only one gap just large enough for a small fish to swim through then I would suspect a relatively high percentage of the flow is going through the gap. If there are several such gaps then the flow will almost excusively...

Mine seems to have made it worse 🫤 I’ve tried to refit it multiple times, but had enough for tonight now, so will see if it beds in. I left it for 30 mins, but soon as I nudged filter it purged loads off air, then I had to keep slanting it to remove more air. Will see if it improves 🤞

Fair enough. I just think in terms of filtration, gaps cause the path of least resistance, and water will do its best to go around rather than through. I would try and plug it for filtration and (and you say) fish though.

Having used pressurised CO2 and had plenty of low energy non CO2 ,l will say you can have a successful aquarium without CO2, trick is to choose yor plants carefully,l like to have just two or three different species keep up with maintenance and water changes. I use soft water but if l didn't...

Dates clash terribly for me, else I’d have made the effort for this 😩

It isn't clear from this post, but looking at the FTS from her journal, the matten filter is very large, so the openings on the side are relatively small and probably won't affect much in terms of filtration. That said, I would also try to prevent any gaps and make it water tight for the sake...

Totally agree with this. In filtration terms, through - not around - is best.