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Thank you for your suggestions. might give that a go, I could add another 6 green neons, brining my number to 12 green and 11 ember to see if that improves things. My other option would be to add some ottos as always fancied trying them out. Yes Apisto seem nice, but always think they will...

Cichlid keepers often use tetras as dither fish in the upper layers to make the Apistos or whatever feel more confident and outgoing. I wonder if this is a two way relationship and also better for tetras if there is a larger species (but not large enough to eat them) in the same tank. Like the...

Need lots of greens for them to be out , I think greens if you want to see them need to be in iwagumi i have my ambers in iwagumi and greens in NA style aquascap, but I cannot catch mine to swap so I habe given up, One day!!! In my case I think my 2 year old is constantly harassing them and as...

Yes

What a beauty!

the both look very nice. maybe just give them a bit of a trim, i personal like the natural look

And this truly is the key in home aquaria. Whilst I appreciate nature, we can never let truly emulate it at home. I’m looking forward to seeing the tank develop and hoping you manage to add more to it over time. There are some stunning cold water reefs out there and not many hobbyists trying...

Hi everyone, I have two aquascapes that I’d like help with. The larger one is a Rio 350L and the smaller is a Fluval 125 which is only a month old (please excuse the murkiness on it as it was after a water change) (the more pink looking H’ra in the 350L is the latest photo after adding liquid...

With a lovely mature heavily planted tank like that I’d try adding more fish to see if a bigger school makes them less shy - up 12 of either or 6 each and see if that improves things. And/or maybe add another type of fish with a different behaviour, sometimes the tetras seem to need to see...

Have them on top of wood ,sort of in the grooves with a tywire loosely around and moss draped over, they were about 5inches high in May taken off a potted plant ., they have really grown but l think the plantlets take energy from the mother plants so after flowering will cut them off...

hello i got some (seen better days plants for cheap) but i need help to identify them and also i need to know if they are gonners. there are 4 plants in total they came in pots for each i took a top down shot and side shot. here goes and thanks for any help you can offer

Absolutely. :)

I’ve not made any changes to the flow or scape, but thanks for the suggestion. As it is high light, it often gets denser growth, followed by trims on a regular basis. It’s been trimmed last week, should it’s less dense and that has not made any difference. The behaviour to the embers going shy...

will air driven sponge filter be ok

Did you make any other changes? I find altering the flow has an impact on whether my embers are out of hiding more. Could be plant growth effecting it even if you havent altered the physical set up.

No, the plants will probably do better without a heater. I'd have something to move water around though.

That sounds amazing to have a tank that size, I can imagine the excitment of setting it up and having your own boat and being able to dive to collect things! A lot of people go for thick acrylic tanks I think, must help a lot with that condensation you mentioned as well as extra insulation

Hello. I got a few plants and an empty tank. was thinking of adding the plants to cycle the tank. do i need a heater and flow the plants are stem plants in a tub with tropica substrate capped with mano base and Anubis nana and buce kedergang. and a crypt i think i would rather not have a...

I love this thread, it brings back memories and excitement! I wish I could find some photos of my old tanks but, I have given it a bit of thought and realise the last cold water marine tank I ran must of been about 27 years ago. My first attempt would have been as a child, I can clearly...

Sounds like things can be random & different experiences in different tanks. Thanks for sharing

Now that is a very cool idea. I do monitor the salinity regularly, what I should have said was that I no longer have to worry about it being the tiniest bit too high or the tiniest bit too low like I did with my last tropical nano reef. All of the life in the tank is accustomed to fluctuations...

This is truly a thing of beauty. (It must be said, I am partial to black and blue tones with accents - but woooah!)

i have minnows (5) and they hide at the bottom i was told due to it being cooler and darker and more oxygen at bottom . they feel more safer.

Sadly not. Too many other elements at play in tap water. RODI water is best, then any elements that are low would need dosing either separately or using some form of all in one. At a minimum you should be testing: Specific gravity - “salinity” Alkalinity (Dkh) (Mag and Calc should in theory...

Firstly, what a beautiful aquarium. That greenery is something to die for. Very lush! Well, I tend to stay out of fish politics! Mainly because I find there is no rhyme or reason for it. In my aquarium, I have Sun Platy's, Salfin Mollys, Green Rasboras, Cardinal Tetras and Phantom Tetras - a...

Anyone have any ideas why new lotus leaf and stem turning brown and dying as of July 1st Current Conditions 1. water change ever two weeks (dechlorinator added per correct dosage for 32 gallon water tub) 2. No fertilizer yet Advised no fertilizer added until i see leaves progressing to vertical...

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...

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?

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...

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. 🙂