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Hi all, I've not been around for a while but am about to set up another tank. I have 8 grobeam 1500 tiles and 2 8 way controllers from my old 'Triassic Hollow tank ( https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/tonys-triassic-hollow-420l-now-for-sale.11596/page-10 ) which I'll sell. They've not been...

The tank and all the plants are now listed for sale in the Sale - the tank is FREE ;)

Thats very spooky timing Ady - I've just stripped it down this evening, and was just washing the tank out when an email pings in with an alert to your message ! The scape had to fend for itself for most of this year, as my daughters needs have increased as she has gone through her first year of...

I haven't been around for a long time due to work / family commitments leaving very little time for 'scaling :( Triassic Hollow is still going strong though, but ... We've also just agreed to a sale of out house, so this tank is fall sale ! I'd prefer it to go to a ukaps member as a complete...

Hi Iain. I know full well ( as can be seen above - thanks Ady :shh: ) how frustrating BBA can be once it gets hold. When i got it in the tank above, it was about the same circumstances - work got too busy and I didn't keep an eye on things, and let things slip. This seems to be a fairly...

Hi I can confirm its the Tridonic Atco OM Pak 150 M B113 230/240v50Hz that you need - I've got them on my Solar 1, and they were provided by TGM when I bought the light. Tony

Hi Antoni, the spraybars were some prototypes, that were going to be sold by John at Aquarium Plant Food UK, I'm not sure if they're available yet. They give a good flow if you have strong enough filtration, and do get all round the tank :) Thanks Aron, theres plenty in there, but with lots of...

Nah, they soon spread out and hide away! Once the tank has settled in, some of them will move to another tank;) The algae has no chance Ady - it wont even get a look in ! I like the ranunculus, its a really interesting shape, and once it gets going it will fill a tank rapidly ! Its my...

Unfortunately the spin involves spending many hours a week in here too :lol: Right, an update ... At 38 days things are going well. I had some signs of detritus on the manzanita and rocks, so introduces a cleaning crew ( 50 x amanos, 50 x otos ) which nailed it in a day ! The ranunculus...

Happilly married thanks Troi :) But this is my studio, so its my space - all MINE !!!

Thanks Paulo. The ranunculus is going well, though it did suffer more melt than anything else in the tank, as it adjusted to submersed life. Ha - well spotted flyga ! I'll be starting up a journal on that one very soon ;) Tony

Great work guys - looks really nice. Thats a tricky scape to pull off being viewed from three sides, and it looks awesome from all of them :) Tony

In that case, sod the work and the family - I'm there !!! ;)

Sad to say I cant make Stockport this week - work is just too busy right now :( Having been involved in the New Malden event I would really urge anyone who can get to Stockport to do so. You will be very warmly welcomed, and no doubt be given a little task to do if you want one too, tanks on...

:(

Here are a couple of iphone snaps from the last couple of days at the New Malden event. If any of you are nearby I'd urge you to head down there today and see the completion of the tank - it really is a HUGE tank, and impressive to see. Also the hardscape and Tropica planting looks great ...

Thanks Gary, I'm hoping the plant choice will remain very natural looking once it all matures, with different species intertwining with each other rather than having separate clumps of plants. Hi Christian. The planting was tricky but a set of long fine tweezers really helped. I also topped...

Thanks alastair, thats the messy corner of my office !

Thanks Stu, its a Bucephalandra Malawi, not from Tropica though :shh: ;) Hi Ady, yes they are the new spray bars - and I quite like them :) The arch of the shephards crook is perhaps a bit tight, but they certainly generate alot of flow across the top of the tank. I have them angle slightly...

Thanks guys. Heres a few more pics of the tank at 8 days old. 35% water changes everyday so far, but I'm away for the next 4 days so its being left to its own devices o_O Theres no algae at all so far, and the plants are growing or throwing out runners at a rate already ! Testament to the...

Yep, all naming rights go to you Ian from now on;) Thanks mate. Thanks Sam - that is Triassic Hollow, its still going strong too. The shop sounds exciting - I look forward to seeing the scapes you do for it. Thanks flygja - I'll try to keep them coming ! Double thanks Tourney :) Yep...

Hi and thanks Sam, great to see you back on here :) I've marked the ranunculus in this pic ... Thanks alot Ady :) Tony

This is a new scape I've just done to replace "Horatios Cave" which has now been stripped down. The scape is sponsored by Tropica, who kindly supplied the plants. For some time I've wanted to do a scape with Seiryu Stone and Manzanita Wood, with a sand foreground and centre section, so this...

I'm pleased to say that this tank got world ranking #175 in the 2013 IAPLC competition - very surprising as you had to enter a full front shot of the tank which is not its best angle ! Heres the entry pic. Tony

This was my entry. It came #175th which was an very nice, if unexpected surprise :)

Congrats to all the uk entrants - great to see 21 scapes entered from the UK this year. Big congratulations to Stu and Ed on their Top 100 rankings too - thats some achievement :) Tony

Hi Iain, the 100 is hardscaped now - nothing particularly groundbreaking, but something I've wanted to do for a while now. Its not a million miles from Asian Dreams actually ! I lost three altums a while back for no apparent reason, and then had fighting between the remaining four so have...

Dont be daft Ian - that one is still dry ! It was just the 45P with the monster hair grass that I did yesterday. Plants are due this week for the 100cm though, so that'll be three up and running again :) Tony

Thanks Darren, the "natural look' is down to the tank being 3 years old now, and plants have adapted and found their places, whilst new ones have filled the gaps. This tank is a relatively simple setup, with CO2 on 24/7 which has really helped stability, and Tropica ferts added once a week. I...

I also meant to say, that the 8 x GroBeam 1000's have been swapped to the new GroBeam 1500 Ultimas. This was courtesy of TMC, as I discovered there were failed LED's on each of the original units, so TMC replaced them all with the new versions under warranty - great service ! The plants are...

A rare update !!! The tank is still running - its been over 3 years since i did the hardscape, but the planting keeps evolving for one reason or another. I've been trying to get some reds going in there for the past few months, and they are starting to come through now. The Barclaya in the...

Hopefully Ian, though its also on the tanks journal - or at least it will for a few more minutes .... ;)

Count me in - I've just entered :) Not sure if it will get through though as its been seen on web a fair bit ( at the top of this page :lol: ) Good luck to everyone, I think this year should have the best UK entry :clap: Tony

Nice Andy - its a good day when a box of wood arrives :) Look forward to see what you make with it Tony

I'd rather think of them as supporters, as they are doing it voluntarily for the good of the leading forum of the hobby they love :)

This is why 'subscriptions' is the wrong term. It is simply an idea for a voluntary donation that folks can choose to make regularly if they want to - just as is available now by clicking the Donate button below, but giving the option to have it automatically happen on a regular basis for those...

Hi Martin, you'll be fine with the 1-2 grow stuff. I planted some 1-2grow eleocharis sp mini yesterday that I've had in their pots on the windowsill for 4 weeks ! Tony

I think it would be a very good option to have available to members, though I'd question using the term "subscription" which implies you are subscribing to something, rather than simply making a regular donation. I'd agree that leaving the amount open to each members choice, with a minimum of...

Hi Iain. I'm doing a similar thing in my nano that was planted a couple of weeks ago. I have it in my big tank and in there its attached to the rocks, sending runners out and growing compact ( low light tank ) so i took some cuttings from there for the nano. I can tell you that it does NOT...

From a wholesaler I have used in the past - had to hit a minimum order so I'm fully stocked now :)

THanks for the tips guys, I got a shoal of 16 in today :) There awesome little fellas, I believe they are the Sphaerichthys Selatanensis variety, commonly known as Crossbands, or Cherry Chocolate Gourami. Pics once they've settled Tony

That moss is a sight to behold ! Its a shame we didn't get to talk with you DC - we had a pretty tight schedule over the two days, but I hope when we come back we can meet with more of you and chat. Tony

Hi Ian - this is beautiful. The sense of scale is brilliant - it looks like a much bigger tank in the pic above :clap: Those venezuelan corys are a very nice addition too, attracting the viewers attention without taking anything away from the scape. Tony

Thanks guys, I'll give The Fish Hut a try. Ian, is the shop in Wheatcroft an MA ? If so I might be able to get the guys at my MA to order some from their supplier. I'll let you know how I get on. Tony

Resurrecting an old thread ... I've been looking out for Chocolate Gouramis for a few weeks now, with no success. Has anyone seen any for sale anywhere recently ? Even my wholesale supplier cant get them :( Thanks Tony

Good stuff Ady :)

Re the monitors, you use a MiniDisplayport to Displayport cable ( or MiniDisplayPort to HDMI cable depending on your monitor ) out of the thunderbolt port on the mac, or a connected peripheral. I believe you can run up to two external monitors in addition to the iMac screen, but I only run one...

Should you ever need more screen space the Imac can run a couple of extra monitors too ;) Apples word processing software is called "Pages" and their spreadsheet software is "Numbers" - you can download both from the App Store (which will already be installed in the mac) for £13.99 each...

Hi Ady Yes, their refurb store has a 21.5" Imac in there right now. Its not the very latest, most slender model but is still a great spec. Only £100 cheaer than a new one though, and the warranty is shorter. I've had several of their refurbs and never had an issue : Refurbished iMac...

Hi Ady. I'm a Mac user, with a couple of their 'toys'. The Imac is a great machine in either 21.5 or 27" spec, but the only negative I have for it ( in terms of day to day computing ) is that they only come with the high gloss screen, so if you are going to use it in a room with daylight, it...

Sure is Iain :) After AL I removed alot of the older, leggy plants, and added new stuff so its looking nice but a it immature right now. I'd like to reshape it over Christmas but the altums are pretty settled in there, so I may replant around the existing hardscape, rather than a full tear...

Nice Mark - very nice :) I'm loving the slightly overgrown look, maybe just let it run wild for a few weeks after your final pics ;) Tony

Hi Piotr The crypt in my nano is Cryptocoryne Tropica, and the stemmed plants in the foreground are indeed Staurogyne Repens ( green) and Alternanthera Reineckii 'Mini' (pink) - well done :) I'll get Dan to confirm re his tank today. I look forward to seeing the videos. Tony

Here are the 10 great scapes from the AquaScaping competition, these were all scaped on Saturday, and then judged on Sunday morning by Heiko Bleher, Dan Crawford, James Starr Marshall, Mark Evans, Chris Lukhap and Lars Green from Tropica. Reigning champion Stu Worrall...

(Just thought I'd post these comments in the main AL thread ;) ) Great to meet up with everyone at Aquatics Live 2012 this weekend, the show was pretty good overall, but I think the planted tanks of the ukaps, freshwatershrimp, and Aquajardin stands stood out above the rest ! This was the...

Re: Aquatics Live pics Here are the 10 great scapes from the AquaScaping competition, these were all scaped on Saturday, and then judged on Sunday morning by Heiko Bleher, Dan Crawford, James Starr Marshall, Mark Evans, Chris Lukhap and Lars Green from Tropica. Reigning...

Great to meet up with everyone at Aquatics Live 2012 this weekend, the show was pretty good overall, but I think the planted tanks of the ukaps, freshwatershrimp, and Aquajardin stands stood out above the rest ! This was the ukaps stand. Huge thanks and congrats must go to Dan Crawford for all...

Looking forward to it too - last year was great fun :)

Hiya Ady, thanks a lot. I think your right - if the hardscape is OK then theres an infinite number of planting possibilities to be had. I'm quite happy to try different planting of the same hardscape. I was wondering when someone would pick up on the little red plant :) Its an Alternanthera...

Thanks Whitey, I was trying to keep it even more minimal but am happy with how its worked out. Re the sp Japan, I wouldnt say its "merely a weed", but once established it is a weed - this stuff needs trimming at least once a week :) Thanks Ian, good to be back - I hope to be around alot more...

Stunning as ever Mark - look forward to the flash lit shots. The colour combinations in the foreground work particularly nicely. Gonna give you a call to catch up this week too :) Tony

Hi, Ive been meaning to start a journal of this tank for some time, but life has been awfully busy for the past few months - hence my general absence from the forum :( Anyhows, this tank is the 200L optiwhite that was previously Peacocks Crypt Tonys 'Peacocks Crypt' - The End | UK Aquatic...

Hi Wazuck, nice project with the regs. Could you let me know where you've ordered the Parker MV's please - I've been trying to get accurate flow meters for a while, and that seems a very good price, thanks.

Congrats on another great tank and journal mate - your best yet in my opinion. Your photo & video skills seem to just get better and better with every scape too - amazing stuff :) Be sad to see it go, but as always look forward to the next one. Tony

The overflow is in the back top right of the tank, and the RO is pumped in to the front bottom left, i.e. as far away from the overflow as possible. It takes 5 mins for the 70L to pump in, so undoubtedly as the water mixes in the tank, a percentage of the fresh water goes down the drain, but the...

Yep you're right Ady, its going to be done :) Thanks a lot Steve, and great to see you back on the forum again :) I use pure RO water, and auto-top-up with 70litres of it twice a day, so its more or less a continuous feed of fresh water, which expels the same amount through the overflow as...

Nice work Mark, and glad to hear you had a good trip. I look forward to seeing some pics of it planted up when they get released. Wish I could have joined you there. Tony

I called in at ADC yesterday, and took a couple of pics of the tank ... It's looking pretty good and generally healthy, though the stems could do with a prune. George will be bugged again by the diffuser, but interestingly there's a Riccia clump which has formed a "parachute" over the...

Well said Iain, the inspiration and information that abounds on ukaps is second to none, and a real credit to all those involved both behind the scenes, and "out front" . I certainly wouldn't have got into aquascaping as much as I have, were it not for this community, and all the help I've...

Thanks guys. I've just been sitting studying the tank, and have a plan to reveal more of the hardscape again - its all a bit hidden with the present growth ! Plus the tank doesn't have much depth to it visually, and it should with its dimensions. Might change the background too :) I can't...

Re: Where,When+Why Should i use backlighting on an Aquascape I'd agree with Mark with this one -its about the aesthetic of the tank in the room its in, as well as how it looks on a picture on the 'net. I have a T5 mounted to the top of the back panel of the cabinet, shining up on the wall...

Thanks Rik, come on over - I've an FE waiting for you :) Hi Andy, and thanks for that. Yep the altums are doing great now, thoroughly settled. I need to catch the remaining 6 black neons and move them to the 200l, but its no easy task with so many places to hide ! I've watched the albums...

Thanks Dave and Fandango - they certainly do get the day off to a good start, though its the evening when the tank looks its best :) Heres a few update pics from last night. The albums are doing great, feeding from my hand 3 times a day. The tank had a big foreground trim, after the pics last...

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 Ripple testing That's exactly right George, Nikon are going after the medium format pro market, and Canon will do the same with the next 5d too. Of course the medium format manufacturers are pushing things way beyond this - I'm working on shots at the minute shot on the...

Most deserved for the most prolific scaper, creating scapes at the highest level with top-level photography and videography too. Amongst the worlds best.

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 Ripple testing Ordered mine today George :) Back to the world of Nikonians for me ! Anyone want to buy my Canon / Zeiss kit !!

Re: Stu's 90x45x45 Dragon Stone Scape (Video Page 7) Hi Stu - looking great :) Re the flickering, you need to match the shutter speed to the mhz of the power supply which changes around the world, so in the UK, shutter speed of 1/50th should stop it :) Tony

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 The Plan! Great scissor work Mark ! The new growth will look great I'm sure :) Just keep it going for a while please ;) Tony

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 getting close to the end. Feedback on ste Apologies on marks behalf for the lack of daily updates, but he can't get onto the forum tonight for some reason, and is suffering withdrawal symptoms :wink: :D

Great news - and the date is better too as not my wedding anniversary ! If I can just get someone responsible to look after the dogs, I'll be there throughout this time ;) :) Tony

My pleasure Mike - happy to see them going to good use :) Tony

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 Thats it until 2012 Count me in pal - I'll bring me lights ;)

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 now with 300w of metal halide Superb vid Mark - the combination of the 5dmk2, the uber-crystal clear water, and the hyper-healthy plants is sparkling :) Tony

I'm looking forward to getting it going :) It will be non-CO2, with Tropica substrate, and ferts, and should be pretty low maintenance - I've got enough going on it the other two tanks for now :wink: Tony

Hi Mike You were first to PM, so I'll send them out to you today - the donation sounds great too :) By the way I cant respond to your PM, as you have "reply receipts" turned off. Cheers Tony

Thanks ! I love the ranunculus, and find it really versatile - once it gets going it spreads like wildfire though ! The mini-m will be replaced with a 30cm cube today, with a TMC LED tile over the top. Thanks John :) :shock: Right, I'm stripping this tank today so if a member wants ALL the...

Happy Christmas folks, and best wishes for 2012 - may your flora flourish and be algae free :) Tony

Re: Andyh's ADA 60P Cube Garden UPDATED 08-12 Good stuff Andy, just keep everything clean and healthy otherwise algae may be attracted to the cut stems of the hairgrass :shock: Tony

No problem Chris - I've just replied to your email too. Tony

My Hydors don't click either, though theres a pretty fast flow through them too. As an aside, its worth using some tape on the temperature dial of Hydors, to stop it being accidentally rotated. There have been quite a few stories on here and elsewhere of folks finding their fish dead having...

Thanks Mark, its a start ! And yep, with an extension ring too for the HC close ups. The FTS is on the 85mm. Thanks Westy :)

Haha, theres plenty in there, and a pair of eheims to keep it sparkly :) Its a bit of a number Mike, but well worth it. We had builders in, so they did it for me in a few hours, with a steel across the top. If I was to do it again I'd leave a bigger opening in the wall above the tank, as...

Some of you may have seen this tank at Aquatics Live, where to be honest it didn't look great - it hadn't recovered well from a trim, and didn't travel particularly well either, with the vallis in particular suffering. I was planning to rip it down straight after the show, but decided to let it...

Re: Tonys Mini-M - 65 days & going strong ! A bit late i know, but ... Thanks Andy, hows the ranunculus doing ? Unfortunately the didn't last too long in here as a couple of them jumped, so i moved them to another tank. Thanks Gary :) Thanks a lot Viktor - I do like the ranunculus a...

Re: 120 x 55 x 55 Why you should syphon! vid added Hey mark, tanks looking awesome as ever ! Nice tip and vid on the syphoning too :) Can you PM me a copy of the link you used to embed the vid please - i can suss it out :( Cheers Tony

Re: Tonys 'Triassic Hollow' 420L - Altums in residence Thanks for all the nice comments - much appreciated :) I'm going to be pulling a load of the crypt wendtii brown and green up this week, and doing a replant of quite a bit of it to get it back towards how I now envisage it ! I've shot a...

Happy Birthday Dan :D Have a good one. Tony

Welcome and good luck ! Tony