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For me its not having to do multiple water changes due to the high ammonia levels in the beginning. High ammonia burns sensitive plants and contributes to algae issues. Dark start method is easy, simple and maintenance free (just let the filter run). Sent from my SM-S918B using Tapatalk

Yeah you’d certainly need a “dirtier” tank to keep filter feeders happy. It’s not impossible as there are plenty kept in the warmer side of the hobby.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/dark-start-worth-the-time.68876/ Reading this now

Just seeing this being recommended here ( Cycling advice for holidaying newbie) and I am not so sure 👍

Acknowledging that there isn't a wrong answer, I'd stick to your plan and do the dark start. I see it as an aid for the common turbulence of the first weeks. I'd recommend it even if you weren't going to be traveling, but if you are, even more interesting as you won't be able to react to an...

The Netted dog whelk is one Im keeping an eye on, but my understanding was that they feed on carrion like dead fish and crustaceans? or in my case, a little bit of prawn. As for the Sting Winkles, im going to have to release them as I wont be able to provide the right food, also the barnacles...

If you set up mid July, you should be fine to leave it for a couple weeks months later. However, don't be surprised if you come back to a dusting of diatoms. That is just about the time they show up and it's a phase you gotta get through. The first couple months can be rough as the tank matures...

Welcome to the UKaps! 🪴

You know when you forget which forum you’re on. I thought “Ooh lovely! I wonder where he’s going to ride his bike.”

Dark start perfect for holiday start

Looks beautiful.

They definitely require less maintenance. I got sick of mowing our small front lawn when nobody would ever be using it, so hacked the grass back, scattered some wild flower seeds and a few bags of compost. From this: A year later . . . All I’ll be doing is giving it a good strim at the...

Hi all, You are fine, sea water is already <"fully saturated"> with calcium (Ca++) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions. I'd assumed it was a baby one. I might a little concerned about those as well. cheers Darrel

The problem with the Sea is that we’ve been dumping tons of toxic waste in it for centuries. World War Two was a particularly bad time I suppose with all the shipping sunk. Then after the war some nations dumped unwanted munitions into the sea to get rid of them. I read just recently that a...

Only about 1cm, a little baby! Anything bigger would be awesome but would probably be a bit too destructive. Chalk, from a super rocky stretch of beach near the white cliffs of dover. I did have concerns that the rocks would make the water too alkaline but I'm keeping an eye on the ph readings...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS, What @castle says. Have a look at <"What is the “Duckweed Index” all about?"> it is a long thread, but it will repay reading. You don't actually need to worry about the cycle "crashing", in some ways it is an <"entirely artificial construct">. Where we differ...

Fantastic, well done for promoting a rock pool tank. I have run quite a few over the years, I found the half tide tanks (nothing collected from below half tide) can last for years with just weekly water change and no cooling. To get the more interesting fish, sea weed and coral to thrive you...

If I collected sea water how long could I store this for? I would keep it aerated, and kept in darkness?

Sounds like your Edaphotron is buzzing with life again! It's fascinating how the soil fauna has sprung back to action with the warmer temperatures, especially the roaches, isopods, and collembola showing interest in the maple keys over turkey feathers. The foggy condensation on the polycarb...

There is a similar situation with sea fish, our surrounding seas around the British isles have been depleted to such an extent it is beyond shocking! Not only fish but marine worms, shore crabs and rock pool inhabitance are all noticeable by their absence! My question is … ‘who cares’...

Good question - I've caught some monsters whilst 'crabbing' with the kids in Cornwall. They are incredible escape artists too!

Awesome little tank! I always said if we ever moved to the coast (we almost moved to Barnstaple at one point), I'd have a little rockpool tank! If you had a sump with a programmable pump it would be fairly easy to vary the pump flow rate and therefore the tank water level. With the current...

Really is a nice looking tank. What type of rock is it? Where did you collect? (So I can get my geology on) Why locally sourced rocks, but not use sand from the beach too? Do you have to use a blue light for these? I ask, as native tanks I’ve seen have been under t5s and doing fine 👌 as for...

Hi all, How big is the crab? cheers Darrel

We get severe inconvenience in my area sometimes when the Highways Agency or local council close lanes to butcher the greenery bordering the roads. Some councils have elected to grow wildflowers on borders. They say it’s for ecological reasons but I think they may require less maintenance...

Hi all, I'm not convinced the <"filter media has that much effect">. In Europe they use <"(Hydro)LECA">, it <"works really well">, but is a cheap product to buy and no-one is going to make much money out of it .......... <"https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/trickling_filter.pdf"> You need to...

It is the same where I work, which is a Site of Importance for Nature and UNESCO award-winning for its biodiverse gardens and environmental education. We still have a wide range of insects, but like... a much smaller volume compared to usual. I grew up going to the same garden and as a child is...

I've even seen a snakelocks that was out of water in the hot sun and dusted with sand! They also can't close up to protect themselves like beadlets do, so they must be incredibly hardy

Good catch! My mistake... now it should be ok ;)

Stocking is kind of irrelevant, the sooner you have plants in there, the quicker they will establish. Once established your aquarium will have a lot more resilience. The nitrogen cycle is kind of mute in a planted tank, with regular water changes.

It's working but at first glance the figures for FE are a decimal place out on Complete and Zero.

Thanks Castle. Just realised I missed an important point in my plan, that I don't want to stock before start of September as I don't want to be worried about feeding/ not checking water parameters whilst I'm away etc. I recognise that your advice might still stand, but would welcome views on my...

Before anyone starts saying that Rotala Butterfly numbers and IFC Calculator numbers for APT products don't match, please read below. The IFC Calculator used the PPM values as those were the ones available to the public at the time the calculator was made. I might update the values in the IFC...

I would set the whole tank up before you go, get it fully planted and get the light on a timer. Get some floating plants in there too. I don’t see the point of dark starting freshwater aquariums, and the plants will work magic from the start, kind of. You will basically skip the first rough...

OK, please test it and let me know if you see it working correctly (they are under the "Premixed" list): https://rotalabutterfly.com/nutrient-calculator.php The above specifics about the ZERO (APT1) and the COMPLETE (APT3) helped a lot in having details about the micro elements. If we could...

...Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), trickle filters <"are an easy way of doing this">. The vendors of <"denitrifying media"> etc try to imply that you need "balance", but that is just b*llocks. It is possible to have too much oxygen, but only in some <"very specific circumstances">. cheers Darrel

Hi All, I'm very excited to be getting a 36x24x18 tank and cabinet delivered from Aquariums for Life today. It's felt like an interminable wait - only actually 3 months - and I've spent much of that time planning and reading this forum. I kept Tropical fresh washer fish as a teenager, but...

I found it through Google search - looking for advice on filtration.

It won’t be desirable lawn grass if the species requires periodic division to eliminate dead centers regardless of growing habit. I have mixture of tall and red fescue in my lawn, the former being clump forming and the latter runner spreading. I had blue fescue ornamental grass in my...

A quick example if I may. From a well known supermarket. Pork Sausages. “Our sausages are made for us by a family run business who've taken pride in making sausages for more than 200 years. ” No wonder Pandas are endangered, we’re eating their food! :lol:

Thanks, Darrell. Something else to learn about! :D But just a few questions I have in the back of my head: What is a nitrate factory? Turning Ammonia into Nitrate is a 'process' - i.e., ammonia goes in, and nitrate comes out - assuming any filtration is doing its job properly. So, what is a...

I would expect so based on the previous experiments. The difference might be, that if I had a lid and a headspace under it, the oxygen exchange could be better because of the headspace oxygen. With the duckweed instead, there is no headspace as oxygen reservoir. It is well insulated, and we are...

As @RickyV surmises, the high DOC. You can use any media you want. I used a combination of foam and Tunze Granovit (porous media). These days I’d use only foam.

Awesome experiment. If you cover the tank with e.g. clingfilm or a lid, does that behave the same as the duckweed? It looks like something in the water is net producer of CO2 for you which is trapped in the water by the duckweed layer, and dissipated when you manually exchange gas under the...

Hi all, @Wookii is right, that is why older sewage works used trickle filters, they have huge bio filtration potential. That isn't right. Even if bio balls are suboptimal, they will still have enough wet surface area to work. It is the area of the gas exchange surface that matters, everything...

I have not, but I would expect the CO2 levels to be even closer to the air CO2 equilibrium. I can try it though in the next few days.

It’s not uncommon to find anemone completely out of the water and hiding in the shade of a rock. They really are tough inverts !!

You can actually order NSW and some LFS sell it too. Aquaforest do a “perfect water” but it’s expensive. I always liked ATI absolute ocean as it mixes so well.

Welcome! :)

I was interested in that too.

Awesome effort and really interesting results, I take my hat off to you @hax47 an ingenious way of measuring the tank water CO2 levels without requiring an underwater probe! Have you ran the air pump with the duck weed removed to see the effect of that without the surface gas exchange restriction?

People want cheap food and investors want big payouts so I can’t see much changing. There are companies that have interests in the chemical industry including pesticides, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. If you get cancer or dementia or any other disease from consuming pesticides don’t...

Found out why my dwarf hair grass carpet has been thinning... On the bright side the BBA on the rock faces disappeared, I'm assuming it was them 🤔 I think I prefer the look of the exposed sand.

Parallel Measurements of Air and Water CO2 in an Aquarium Over the past few years since I started maintaining planted aquariums, I have wondered whether increased aeration in low-tech aquariums adds or removes CO2. I have leaned towards the idea that CO2 levels in aquariums are typically...

I also don't use an ATO, so I guess the slightly inconsistent salinity and topping up with cold water would maybe help simulate some natural rockpool conditions. When the sun is focused on those pools all day it must get so warm, then the cold tide comes back and drastically changes the salinity...

Frozen Prawns, Mussels, and occasionally some of the granules of shrimp food get stuck in the tentacles too. Im not keen on feeding with the frozen mussels though, they seem to almost disintegrate a bit when first added to the water

Thanks everyone for the replies! Nope, that would be amazing though to make some sort of tidal setup. I've seen it done in an old youtube video, I think a guy did it for some sort of mudskipper mudflat biotope! But all of these guys are fine in more consistant conditions, they're all found...

Really cool. Are you collecting water or mixing your own? What are you feeding the nems?

Is there anything you need to do to as a substitute for the tidal nature, or are all these guys ok in more consistent conditions?

I think it's a fair point, and something for me to study more on. Maybe my next project over the EHEIM Pro 5 e?! :D I read something about why bio balls are optimal for trickle filters, and K1-type media does not do too well as a replacement. The supposed optimum configuration comes from a %...

I'm still looking into the plants, I'm looking at the stuff that Tropica list as "easy". I'm not set on the current hardscape, so things can change. On the area infront of hardscape, I was thinking of keeping it empty. While I would like a nice carpet plant, with basic lights, low flow and no...

But they don’t have to - I use a plastic media (Oase Hel-X) to very good effect, which also seems to dispers the water well over all the media with a decent strainer grating above. I’m not so sure . . . But very difficult to measure. The fact that the microbes have free access to 400ppm of O2...

Yes! This is something I’ve fancied doing for a while but time is the main obstacle. This looks beautiful and you’ve done a great job. I’ll save this post in case I ever find myself with time to do something similar.

Hello, Could you give model name of CO2 injector. Thanks.

From what I understand of TFs: Great for aeration; in fact, it is very, very good. However..... They typically have to use bio-balls with certain size grooves (which are not good biomedia), and the design means that water flow over the media is hit and miss compared to static configurations...

I have been working on our back garden over the last few years (off and on) starting with planting a long border of shrubs, trees and perennials. It's about about 80 meters long. The first picture is looking down the border. The second is looking up the garden over the same area two years ago...

Not sure what you mean, they are one of the best filters for biofiltration - many times more efficient than similar quantity of submerged media?

That makes sense - I had read that TFs are great for aeration but actually not very good with biofiltration without modification. But in a heavily planted tank the biofiltration is not going to be a key focus.

Grasses can be clump forming or runners depending on the species. You'd need to identify the ones in your lawn to know which they are.

Welcome! :wave:

Fantastic!

Incredible stuff - go Britain!

Mainly increased average DO levels due to the nature of the filter (particularly where plants aren't saturating during the photo period). Significantly more efficient biological filtration due to microbes free access to air. Both indirectly can produce an environment which potentially microbes...

You're shots are unreal :eek:

Thanks

Welcome! Beautiful part of the world you're from :)

Hi everyone,I'm Andre Yulianto, and I'm excited to join this forum! I have a keen interest in aquascaping and love designing and maintaining aquariums with beautiful aquatic plants. I've worked with various plants like Java Fern, Anubias, and Cryptocoryne, and I enjoy creating natural, balanced...

I found this forum when i browsing on internet for writing my college task.

That looks really stunning!

What is it about the trickle filter you are thinking will help with algae reduction?

Hi all! Thought I'd share some pics of my British rockpool biotope tank! A great way to keep a budget marine aquarium and learn about our native wildlife! I have always been amazed by rockpools, the amount of life in each one can be incredible to see, so this tank is really interesting to me...

I once used a trickle filter and experienced very little to no algae and had good plant growth.

Hi all, That one. Have a look at <"http://www.aquaticdesign.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/aquatic-mosses.pdf"> cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, they just fall off. Moss naming is a real mine-field, unfortunately people just call them what they like and then apportion a fairly random "scientific name" to them. In some cases we know that a moss is sold <"under the wrong name">, but in most cases, when you buy a moss, it...

The sporophytes are ephemeral and will die away on their own I believe.

Thanks also, @dw1305 - as you have educated me in the previous posts, if it's healthy, it's all good!! I am bedazzled why they sell it as Java Moss - when in effect it is not?!

Hi all, Absolutely fine, as @ElleDee says. In fact it looks really healthy. It doesn't matter at all, in terms of it role in the tank , but that probably isn't Java Moss (<"Taxiphyllum barbieri">) and the reason is...... Java moss very rarely produces spores <"Vesicularia dubyana - Java...

Don't the answer, but I have found that DOC/mulm can trigger black beard algae. Others on this forum have found a similar correlation. Perhaps the large water changes help reduce chemicals released by plants that reduce plant growth in other plants. It seems to me that in simple terms: strong...

Looking good, keep us posted and keep up with the water changes for the first couple of weeks to keep ammonia levels down and removal of decaying plant matter as they transition.

No, thank YOU for taking this on. Really appreciated.

Thanks @ElleDee - I will do nothing! What happens after this spore stage? i.e. do they need a trim at some point or do that change etc? (Sorry for questions - still learning a lot with plants).

Those are moss sporophytes. It's a normal part of the moss lifecycle and it's making spores. I would do nothing.

Thank you for the info guys. Let me see if I can make it happen... ;)

Hi All, Most of you know my setup, but I included some details just in case below my signature, including lighting and dosing. I added some Java moss on coconut to the aquarium approximately two weeks ago, which was all green when received. There seems to be growth, but it is leggy and brown...

What a dilemma and let's hope they come up with something soon, l worry about native Crayfish they are predated by the "introduced" European sp. and l haven't read much about how this is can be reversed

Paraguay, you mention Asia Hornets, I was allocated a hornet trap in March. A gentleman knocked on my door and asked if I could monitor a hornet trap for 8 weeks Unfortunately I gave it up after two weeks as the trap was killing to much in the way of bycatch! The trap works like a crab pot...

It makes sense that some plants and animal commit natural suicide as individual for the survival of the species. Cephalopods and annual are classic example. Technically, developing dead center is not suicide, just partial death, as the plant appears to move out in ring. Eventually, the dead...

Irises are one that benefit from splitting and repotting - the most active growing tips are using working their way outwards. Grasses/reeds often benefit from splitting too. Perenial is basically anything that lives for more than a year though which is a very wide group and they grow in...

Also plant lots of insect attracting plants such as lavender, digitalis etc.

On a slightly more positive note does anyone know of any ways in which we can help? My though was to build a small pond. import rotting logs, build insect 'hotels' provide areas of 'rough ground', no mow May & June. I do some of these but clealy need to do more...