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Its a private server, folk gave money to a stranger, he did what he sort fit and doesn't have to account for a penny off it A good reset is all thats needed m8 - your wife was right - just walk away

When I was really into cold water marines, I had several larva rock hardscapes stuck to a perforated plate. I would place one hardscape in a suitable half tide rock pool and keep one in the tank then swap them around every few months. The fresh hardscape would hold an amazing amount of life...

Hi guys, back after a well deserved holiday! I would kindly ask the mods to remove this thread, this was to bring some background into the turbulence and restore some stability as things were getting out of hand from my perspective, which seemed to have worked, things look somewhat normal from...

Oh and I use an Olympus OM-1 with the Olympus 60mm macro

Thanks! I have a male & female pair of Common Prawns, they don't seem to touch the algae or at least don't make an impact on it. I have seen them lowering their heads down to the rock to graze but that's all, never on the sand. They seem to be mainly scavengers rather than algae grazers...

Awesome photos! What are you using to take them? Do you have many shrimp in there? Do they not have a go at the diatoms?

Of course all hectic at the start, but it’s been a couple of weeks now and still no answers. Things do move slowly, but thousands of pounds of donations are still unaccounted for. I have given hundreds to ukaps, well, at least 100£ - I forget these things. I don’t believe us to be strangers...

Thank you for this clarifying this. Ah I didn’t think about the green neons possibly bullying them. All the fish including the neons are hidding, but I guess the neons could be keeping them all hiding. Would be interested in knowing how other people have dealt with this?

Hi all, You are right and he is wrong, and they definitely aren't tank bred and even if they were? It wouldn't make any difference. If you think it will make any difference you could point him at TomC 's Apistogramma site, it has water data - <"Welcome to Toms Homepage">. Strangely it might...

Hi all, It is likely to be a nutrient (fertiliser) issue. Have you changed anything? Fertiliser type, or dosing regime etc? cheers Darrel

Little update for you all, The tank is doing really well at the moment! A Snakelocks anemone even split in half to multiply, so now I have an extra one! Some algae and brown diatoms are starting make more of an appearance since increasing the light intensity a little for the snakelocks, but I'm...

Here it is in January...

They're slowly dieing back, up until recently I was pulling a bucket load of plants out every couple of months as it was all growing so well. I don't think so... I'm going to clean the pump out and see if I can improve air flow.

Hi, In my 60P co2 injected planted tank I have always had ember tetras, and they have always been confident swimming around all of the tank, and pretty much taking a territory. A month ago, I added 6 green neon tetras to the 11 ember tetras. Since I added the green neon, you would think that no...

...a few weeks ago, I would of said I take no part in it, but I did I posted and read posts on here. So the catalyst for the perfect Social Media Sh*t storm on UKAPS began when LondonDragon stepped down from the back end of his excellent service to this community. Folk/Strangers took on extra...

Thank you all for your concern. I'm fine. Just hoping the financial transparency issue has been dealt with, and you're all happy with the outcome. Sorry, I'm still having to use this account since my real one remains blocked. Tim

Nice tank!

It is a strideways pro plus CO2 regulator with an inline diffuser - I bought it from Aquarium Gardens

Hi all, They are fantastic. I'm guessing that <"is a general finding">. We've had a bit if discussion about <"turned up to eleven "> plants, like Ludwigia sedioides <"Ludwigia Sedoides where to get it?">. Even <"RBG Kew struggle with them">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Horrible for you, but I've never seen a fish recover from there, so it was the right thing to do. cheers Darrel

Hi @Aciko, I don't use artificial plants and they aren't beneficial at all as far as I'm aware :)

Do you use artificial plants in your tank, and if you do, does it have some benefits?

Hi all, I think you are right. That is the <"million dollar question">, and I would <"really like to know the answer">. I'm going to guess that once the plants have grown in that <"the oscillations in microbial stability"> are going to be damped to a level where the tank is "fish safe"...

Hi all, A video from <"Dave Goulson"> from the <"University of Sussex>. cheers Darrel

Nice! Do you just have them bare rooted attached to the hardscape @PARAGUAY ?

Hi all, You honestly don't need a video, all you need <"is a container">, some <"RO or DI water"> and the fertiliser. I use old milk cartons, but you can get better bottles. All the instructions are in @Happi 's thread <"Solufeed 2:1:4 and Solufeed Sodium Free TEC or Solufeed Coir TEC...

I was told before there was light, nature was enveloped in darkness. Basically me just wanna play god. Also was told higher diversity of microbiota counters algae's competitive advantage. And some bacterial/archean species thrive more in darkness than with light. I dunno if all these = true...

Nice, I had them in my tank for at least two years and not seen flowers yet. Actually no babies either, im probably doing something suboptimal... Imagine they are too low in the water after a top up...

Plants in second photo look healthy, have you changed anything ?

A lot of the approach you take is what works for you, in my case doing large (,as you would with a CO2 new set up) 50% water changes in my low techs gradually from daily to one a week in the first few weeks reduces algae considerably and less diatoms but l think heavy planting helps and you can...

Nice too see Spider Plant flowering

Still tickled pink👍. Don’t know about others but l’m finding that when using the Biomaster 600 in combination with a glass surface skimmer it’s paramount to keep the strainer section ( not the skimmer, the standard return part ) clear of debris and algae build up and keep any vegetation in...

@Superpuma1 - are we still tickled pink? Or has the filter reverted to old practises?

I've bought the solufeed 2 1 4 and solufeed sodium free tec , my question is if anyone has done a video of making it into liquid fertiliser

I think for me it was less cycling more to save daily water changes and any ill effects ammonia spike may cause to the plants and i had no melt what so ever. I have found it to be helpful but not alge free which is the main selling point and alge most likely is my own fault for being a noob alo...

Sorry to hear that @Kevin2016. I don't think it would have been treatable, so you did the right thing.

It’s done. To the swimming pool heaven 😥

Welcome! :)

I sadly don't have any Ludwigia helminthorrhiza or Aeschynomene fluitans any more, they did great in my big tank but had to destroy everything with the Fish TB saga :( I got both from Wildwoods from Dan, so I'd say he's your man for them! Fingers crossed he can still get them in ... when I...

My concern with this line of thinking is that the microbial community is going to go through changes every time you tweak your parameters. Is the microbiome you spend a few weeks cultivating in the dark going to be a better starting point than what they replaced (the one adapted to the air) once...

Hi all, not posted for a while. Last year I redo the tank fully and the plants took hold really nicely. However in the last few months everything has died off really extremely. Has anyone got any ideas why? I have attached photos of it when I first planted it up. It then all grew really nicely...

Oh about a year bad I was plagued with pest snails! I now have a healthy colony of assassin snails because of it 😂

I've been developing a view that this focus on ammonia is slightly off-mark. Even tanks with normal substrates are prone to algae blooms at the start and a series of protocols are created to mitigate it. Be it low light, or increased water changes, or light fertilization for a few weeks, or...

:( I’m making clove tea now and when the water is cooled down I will put the fish in it :(

Two of my fish had it and within 24 hours they died

That's a nice mix. Cool hitchhiker- beats snails and algae!

Great photos Tai !

Both species were a bit boom and bust for me too, I think that the levels of light they need to thrive are truly tropical. I found L. helminthorrhiza thriving in clearwater streams in the north east of Brazil in 2022 and the weather was pretty much the same as the Sahara...without the cool nights:

Thank you!

Hi there, yes I do! I am trying to get images of the plants against a white backdrop, like this: :)

I don't have any first-hand experience. However, my reading about the disease is that it is a bacterial infection and only reacts to broad-spectrum antibiotics. (It is not available in the UK, but maybe in the Netherlands?) It seems to be a nasty disease with high mortality rates, especially...

Hi all, That is definitely where I'm coming from. Yes, I'm always going to be aiming for a <"low ammonia microbial assemblage">. I think a lot of people have always done this if they can (I always did), but it does seem to have a basis in Science <"Correspondence with Dr Ryan Newton - School...

I think a dark start is a good strategy if you are using high ammonia releasing manufactured soils. I wouldn't consider it a reason not to flush that ammonia away with large water changes at the start though as mentioned above - as @dw1305 has highlighted before the microbial community we wanted...

Seems like it! Can I do something about it ?

Indeed it is, and eventually it disappeared away to nothing. It was also a bit of a pain to deal with, so I don't have it anymore I'm afraid @taistrietman

Hi all, I fully agree, it would make much more sense to quote everything as the elemental concentration, there is no ambiguity then. cheers Darrel

Is that possibly an advanced case of Dropsy?

Hi all, I think a lot of us <"may have been there">. Reducing ammonia (NH3) would be a reason for <"doing a dark start">, I know @Cor used this technique <"Amano Shrimp , co2 and Tropica soil">. I'd just try and ensure you have <"plenty of dissolved oxygen">. cheers Darrel

Hi! Just came home and my diamond gourami is kinda blown up. I’m not sure what’s wrong with her. I already noticed she doesn’t eat well lately. Pictures says more than words. What can this be ? Kevin

I think so too. It sounds neerdy so people get attracted by it! I am aware of this, but while doing the IFC Calculator we have seen how in some instances some manufacturers sometime either are conveniently unaware of this or turned things in a way that is confusing to the user. In the case of...

Hi all, Definitely a Fissidens sp. cheers Darrel

I was just like, "Ooh, what a good question," and then see that it's my own thread. Doh! I forgot I dark started that tank at all! 😭 As you might intuit based on how forgettable it was, don't have a feeling if the dark start did much. There was never much of an ammonia dump from that aquasoil...

Pearl Gourami, Black Phantom Tetras, Yoyo Loaches, a khuli loach that hitchhiked on a plant, amano shrimp and a bamboo shrimp & Rainbow sharks. Fairly heavy stocking but I do regular maintenance 🙂

Hi all, I think they must have invented it. There is a "capstone course" one that allows students to demonstrate expertise in their subject area, so maybe it is meant to imply expertise in fertiliser formulation? This gets a mention in <"What is the “Duckweed Index” all about?"> - <"How to...

Hi all, Something to look forward to. @Wookii had it in 2022 (picture below) , but I know it is a "boom and bust" plant. @shangman had this, but the same may apply? I going to guess that is a more unlikely find, @greenbliss <"grew it">, but I don't think they visit the forum anymore...

Hello, welcome :wave:

Thanks d(ad)arrel :))) I do have some big magnolia leaves in there, have been topping up frequently so it's pretty tannin-y. Ive bought some Esha exit and Esha 2000, so will keep seeing how things go and treat with that. I'm using tap water with conditioner, but I can swap to rainwater from...

Could always agitate the surface more over night.

Hi all, Possibly not, if you are sure it is White Spot (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis) you can medicate, @PARAGUAY's suggestion would be mine as well. Certainly is, I'm not sure there any fish that are really peaceful. Do you still have some structural (big) leaf litter? If you do pop it in...

Thanks @shangman ! This is leaf mulm not new tank mulm, but I'll vacuum if this will help. I'm reluctant to add any more fish whilst I'm dialling in what I'm doing, but hopefully I can get the tank all balanced and up numbers. Having read more thoroughly I think tetras can be quite nippy, I'm...

That does look a bit like ich, I would treat with esha exit, it worked for me to remove ich and didn’t seem to upset any other fish in the process. I might also treat with esha2000 too in case the ich is caused by stress from other illness. To be honest when you get a big school of fish...

Hi. I'm new here. Sorry to hear about the problems. I hate it when this happens. 😕 Diagnosing remotely can be challenging, but based on your pictures, here are a few thoughts that might help: Translucency at Night: If you took pictures of neons at night, they often appear translucent and...

You need pictures from: Aeschynomene fluitans Lagenandra nairii Ludwigia helminthorrhiza ???

Life is difficult for smaller fish. I had rummy-nose tetras (with some help from 5-banded barbs) essentially wipe out the chili rasbora population. They also ate all the cherry shrimp. So much for "peaceful community tank". Circle of life thing... not much to be done other than get species...

Hi all, As some of you may know I'm in the process of publishing my upcoming book, 'Aquatic Habitats - Aquariums Inspired by Nature'. I'm currently sorting out the photos (there are thousands) and I find that I need photos of three plant species which I used for the book but which I no longer...

This was my fear at first and I do tend to check on them more now.

Just keep an eye on any fish for suffocation at night time.

Thanks @bazz I’ll be more patient with it!! These are designed to run 24hrs a day (which I’ve done so far) and my drop checker is staying a dark lime green so I think the levels are steady. 🙂

Yes, of course, if you have a nitrogen-rich substrate, you can get away with that kind of fertilization. But in my experience, the EI system is the easiest one, mostly for beginners. It is cheap because you can use inert substrates such as sand or gravel, and you can make your own fertilizers...

The same strategy can be applied to low-tech tanks as well. You are very welcome. ;)

Absolutely, i have a matten filter so will not be cleaning it regularly! It just doesn't need it. I've noticed the finless Cory is now quite lethargic after feeding - I will monitor today, although unsure if I can do anything. I really don't want to stress it.

No problem - I'll help where I can. This would be good, although it might be hard to separate fin nipping from bacterial degradation. If, and it's a big if, it's a bacterial issue living in the water column, then water changes help, but only to a certain degree. If you had 10 billion bacteria...

Thank you @Bradders :) the tetras are back to their usual colour now, so I think Paraguay was right about the lights. Another newbie note! I've ordered some more plants, as it can't hurt to break up the sightlines a bit and I'd like more in the foreground. The tetras spend most of their time...

This has been very, very insightful. Thanks once again.

Hello @megwattscreative - sorry to hear about the problems. I hate it when this happens. :confused: I think it's always a problem when performing diagnosis by wire, but I'll throw a few things in based on the pictures you can use to further your thoughts and perhaps give the community a chance...

Not to enter into a fert debate, but there is no one-fit-all fert formula. They all have their pro & cons. Some people like to prioratize coloration over growth speed, and some other growth over coloration. I understand both approaches and have experienced boths. They both work fine and have...

@Hanuman and @fablau - thank you so much for the insights and advice. This is exactly what this forum is all about. Thank you. I dont use C02, and have easy plants - but even so, it seems I may need to re-think my Fert strategy.

Using medications is a last resort but esha exit and esha 2000 are a good combination. I would do water change and maintenance session first. Follow the instructions to the letter, fin damage will repair but finrot will spread to the body if not treated. Mention the problem to Abbys see if any...

That's a BIG trap. Never limit nutrients. That's hard to handle, and you may easily end up creating the problem you were trying to avoid in the first place. Better use balanced products like Thrive, which I always recommend to beginners...

Hello there! Very nice aquariums- what livestock do you have in the Fluval?

Here's a picture of the ants I spotted. They are dead. I honestly don't know how they got in there and why. I haven't noticed any new ants in there and there are definitely no ants in my glass tanks. There is still fish that I want to quarantine but I probably shouldn't keep using this tank...

Are these new salts that you bought or are they from the same batch you were using before? More possibly what is occuring is one of two things: 1. you are using new salts and they are not the same hydrates as you were using before; 2. most likely IMO, user or machine error. Your scale could be...

Welcome! :wave:

Hi, Interested to see how is this going with the sump etc. would be good to have an update and a photo. Cheers!

Afraid I'm not using one and not sure how long you have had it running but plants generally take a week or two to transition to new parameters. As such I personally find keeping the CO2 stable throughout the photoperiod as important if not more so than having wavering levels trying to reach some...

It could well be what @LMuhlen has described, are you keeping your salts in good quality airtight containers, I can imagine it being quite hot and humid in Italy at this time of year? I'm no chemist but I know that some anhydrous salts are used as desiccants therefore I would imagine CaSO4...

@fablau Looking at the 2hrs Aquarist website guaranteed analysis % values, they are being reported/expressed as oxydes: P2O5, K2O and MgO. This would require a convertion in order to obtain P, K and Mg. This is what we have done for all the fertilizers in the IFC Calculator whenever a...

I wouldnt do it either. I’m picturing plants being pulled out with their roots entangled in filter floss threads. Floss is good for running water through but it is just a mat of fine threads and i wouldnt want to be putting stuff in it and pulling stuff out of it.

It's a proprietary formula, namely the "Capstone formula", whatever that means. Beyond this, it is well known that 2HrsAquarist fertilizers limit N in order to increase plant coloration. This is one of their selling arguments. It is assumed when using APT fertilizers you are also using a rich...