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Simply having an interest or activity in your life that you are totally passionate about that might also engender a 'flow' state is a pretty good place to be. Works for all.

What does everyone think of the UV addition this these lights? Its stated to help plant growth and also bring out fish colour. Anyone had any experience of a UV light?

My neighbours fish house had Discus with every colour of the rainbow,they looked so good,but nothing was better than his huge Wild Discus tank, guessing it was 5 or 6 feet with the natural subdued colouration

Think however niche a hobby we are perceived as l think the aquarists have a lot to offer as long as it's done properly. I think it was MD Fish Tanks who visited a chap who had a vast amount of natural aquariums with many fish breeding that are really scarce and at risk in the wild,that's got...

You just missed it 😉 we added many a trace element Most of the CSM-B are very similar in composition so little differences between them all If you go into 'DIYtraceCalculator' you can compare the trace side of all the AIO ferts and CSM-B traces, With the dry trace salts we compared them by...

I bought it myself via Ali express, because it was cheaper. Indeed no guarantee, but I took that chanche Week Aqua has a separate website for sales and there you do have to pay for extra guarantee. And you also have to pay shipping costs: WEEK AQUA INTERNATIONAL

I'm not so sure about that, there are plenty of threatened species swimming around in our tanks. White clouds and red-tailed black sharks are pretty much extinct in the wild, then there are plenty of endangered blue-eyes, goodeids, rainbowfish (including boesmani), and of course numerous...

Aquarium keepers will barely be a factor in that equation - we are simply too scarce. We can certainly raise awareness and promote preservation for sure, and we should. 😇 No idea what the Law is in the UK, but its worth keeping in mind that in some countries, such as the US, its against the...

Welcome, I would initially set some goals, try and define what you want to achieve, talk about it and the people here will help. Me I keep goldfish, and have dreams LOL There is lots of good information within this site, lots of late nights reading.. , but you need to ask, then clever folk will...

I've been wondering why more people don't make tanks like this. More original than CO2 and mass bred fish that are delicate and inbred and die quickly. This is the sort of thing that inspires me to keep fish. Biotope tanks can lend themselves to endangered species and learning more about...

Welcome! :)

Hi all, I'm trying to make a 'clone' of APT/Zero for lean dosing. My tank is mostly epiphytes (ferns, anubias, crypts*), while my other tank is Monte Carlo, with various rotalas (macarandra, h'ra, wallichi. I am running CO2 in all tanks along with the ADA Amazonia substrate (except for my 180l...

Ticking along

Back to this again. MTS has well and truly kicked in. The irony being this thread started with 2 small cubes 3 months ago.... My Superfish Scaper 90 has grown in nicely, and looks good thanks to the sterling efforts of my CUC, the Amanos are tireless and the often overlooked Nerites would have...

Many scientists call useful projects ‘fun hobbies’ because they don’t make money or get funding. So the question is. Should hobbyists play a big part in preserving nature?

Wonderful info guys. You have confirmed that what I was initially doing was right - ample aeration & surface agitation. I have recently read a load of rather confusing stuff and so had recently been questioning my original decisions. Its good to now get it straighter in my head. Over the...

I like the detail and thought that goes into the info on Home - Shrimp and Snail Breeder

I don’t know if you can find much it’s an uncommon plant. But nice if more people had it. I genuinely don’t think it’s one you can buy anymore these days

@JMorgan interesting. How did they measure the time differences between ‘mental’ vs ‘emotional’ processing? (Deliberately in quotes as they are both arguably mental processes). Interestingly, other research that I’m aware of shows that emotional responses are far quicker and use less energy than...

Thank you so much, seeing how there are quite a few amazing tanks on here that's very high praise indeed. I'm more than willing to give it a go if you'd like, although I would want to do a little reading on it first if you don't mind? And yes the weather has certainly been a bit chillier...

Hello and welcome :)

Hello 👋, welcome to UKaps.

Where did you order it from mate? I can see it on the week aqua website and aliexpress only. Just have a fear of Ali express and about having to ship back if I have any problems etc. They are the a really nice looking light

I would be up for this. Could become a fun experiment.

Right... Looking at shallow natural slow flowing water ways the temperature can vary quite a bit just between banks - depending on whether the water is exposed to sun vs. shade, speed of flow etc. being worried about a +/- ~2 C degree flux is unnecessary - of course in nature the fish can more...

I'm not talking about 'rare' species that are considered 'fancy' but rather actually endangered plants. What if people would start growing more of these and sharing them around as a method of conservation...? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrovanda_vesiculosa Just one example. But an...

Hi we just bought a biomaster thermo 250 29/10/24 and it was the old type didn’t know there was a newer model coming but i just bought the upgrade parts to fit myself hopefully it all goes well

I use hot water from the tap to bring my rainwater (stored outside) up to a closer temp (and add some gh), no issues. I dose with prime for the tap chloramine. I only change a bucket full though so pre-mix in a bucket. Mines a combi boiler though, some people will have hot water storage tanks...

This is my favourite tank on UKAPS. Would you want to try growing a rare Lagenandra species? I can send you some Lagenandra nairii but I'm not sure how confident I am sending tropical rare plants this time of year... I've always been interested to know whether they grow under water but my...

So got me a little Tank Janitors delivery from @dw1305. Of course the kids are up and about and wanting annoying things like food and attention when I want beer and to play with my tank. so have literally thrown the box in the tank as it is for now to sort later.

Keep in mind that you can get after market riser kits.

I have the previous model on my tank on my 35 liter scapers tank, and it's indeed overkill. (Z200 PRO RGB+UVA - 5850 lumens) But you can adjust the intensity to the desired level you need. Another advantage with so much power is that you can make any kind of scape you want: low-light til...

I had Aquael Leddy lights on my 35 scaper - 2 I think at times. Plants grew a treat :) Love this tank - I am still very sad that I cracked it (tip: don’t do water changes with an old ceramic jug…)

Welcome to the UKaps! :thumbup:

Hello all I’m new to the forum. I have kept reef tanks for 10 plus years now but I am selling up and going to be buying a freshwater setup in the new year. Im wanting a 4 ft planted tank and any advice will be appreciated as I have never had a planted tank or freshwater fish before. Thanks

This does make me wonder how life will change in the next 50-100 years or so. Will we go back partially to the old ways while still retaining modern technology? seems to me thats the only answer I agree about the nature thing. I personally want to go back to farming but my family is telling me...

Keeping water temperature lower will sequester more CO2 as well... ... why the warming of the oceans is a double whammy when it comes to atmospheric CO2 levels. Cheers, Michael

Main problems is when it comes to drinking water standards in the US, is that some (predominantly low-income) communities, totally lack regular testing and enforcement. Right. If you have elevated levels you really only can get rid of it safely with an RO system or similar. Yes, an alternative...

Hi all, after light ideas for my dennerle scapers tank which is 40cm wide. I’d normally go for a standard LED with legs that sit on the rim of the tank however my hardscape protrudes a fair amount so won’t work. I’ve looked at onf flat nano+ and my only worry is if the light will come foward...

I read an interesting book many years ago called Time Shifting by Stephan Rechtschaffen where he talks about the difference in how we process thoughts vs feelings over time. Mental processes being incredibly fast compared to emotional processes. Feelings take time to well up, to be felt and...

One advantage of using the stuff you are already using is that it will already be populated by beneficial bacteria.

Indeed, I agree (when looking at my water report at least) that heavy metals are very much not present.

Hi all, So a water conditioner that contained EDTA could potentially complex lead (Pb++), zinc (Zn++) and copper (Cu++) ions <"Sodium calcium edetate - Wikipedia">. Whether it actually does, or not, will depend on all <"sorts of factors"> &...

Thank you. I have changed to an AIO tank, but this will definitely be of use when I use the HOB again.

Hi all, Certainly it was the <"food element in my case">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You can use either, it honestly doesn't <"make a whole amount of difference"> - <"Is expensive bio media worth it?"> & <"HELX-13/K1 verse Foam in Canister Filters">. cheers Darrel

Hi also is the HELX-13 plastic media a good choice or should i use the (cant remember the name) stuff were using at the moment its like a gravel

Welcome. Very cool frogs!

Hello and welcome.

Not sure your thoughts on paying but Mark Peggy of 'Marksshrimptanks' on youtube recently released an e-book i believe, could be worth checking out. Conversely, I find trawling through threads and youtube videos are a really good source, especially Mark's channel

Hard to pin down at the moment, as the new models are sporadically available in the UK but in Euros in like for like at Green Aqua.

Hi i paid £224.95 how much is the upgraded model i can get the new type tube and cover plate for £23

Hi all, Perfect. cheers Darrel

Is there a comprehensive online source of information on aquarium shrimp anyone would like to share?

My concern isn't the mixed temperature, I usually use a jug for top up and pour it through a sponge so it doesn't disturb the substrate later. Initally pouring it in you can see the denser cold water sink to the bottom and hitting some fish and shrimp, was worried incase it could cause...

I’m currently carving the bark off a piece of Prunus spinosa that is definitely dead wood (and it sinks) so I’m hoping it fits and looks good once in!

It depends how much you paid for it. If it’s priced to reflect it’s the old model then that’s fine. I saw the new model in my LFS the other day and it seemed expensive.

Hi all. We have just bought a Oase bioMaster Thermo 250 and have had a look and it’s the “old” type so should i take it back and get a new upgraded one? what do you think 🤔 many thanks 🙏

There was an article in The Times this morning about personality type and career. For example, they found estate agents to be more disagreeable. Problem was their sample size was only 268 per career. They also had massively overlapping distribution curves (not reported in The Times, but...

I do know that. Something can be both statistically true and a stereotype. Sometimes those are the worse stereotypes because people use science to justify themselves (good old lies, damned lies, and statistics). I would certainly encourage you to reference your sources, but they won't stop...

Hi all, You still need to <"let it grow in">, personally I'd suggest at least another month, but that maybe too cautious*. I'm pretty sure it isn't right. This why I prefer plant growth as a <"measure of the nutrient content">, simply put the <"plants can't lie">. *"Too long" is never as...

Hi all, <"Flint water crisis - Wikipedia"> It is because they have <"no effective environmental legislation in USA">, meaning that it is more <"cost effective"> to supply water full of faecal coliforms and heavy metals, rather than <"wasting money"> by actually making the water safe to drink...

There are some conflicting schools of thought about this, so I'll just give my current thinking. If you have a substrate with organic material (aquasoil, soil), CO2 from bacterial respiration decomposing the organic matter can greatly surpass atmospheric CO2. This decomposition requires oxygen...

Hi all, I usually just leave bits of wood with bark outside until it falls off. This also ensures that <"any sap"> has <"also gone">. I think a lot of the <"spider wood"> etc. imported from SE Asia is fresh wood that has had its bark stripped and it is the sap that causes the bloom of fungi...

Hi all, Edit: What @Andy Pierce says in the <"previous post">. Other way around. If you are low tech the larger the gas exchange surface area is the more gas exchange you will have. More surface agitation means that more CO2 will diffuse into the tank water along the concentration gradient...

Combi boiler for the win. I do exactly the same thing - no issues. I suspect even with a hot water tank the fears are outdated/overblown.

In a low tech tank KH has no effect on dissolved CO2. Surface agitation and aeration do the same thing: they speed up how long it takes for CO2 levels (and oxygen levels as well) to stabilise with respect to atmosphere - aeration is much more effective at this than surface agitation. Unless...

The piece is quite gnarled so it might be tricky to get all the bark off? Would boiling it help at all?

Interesting . Don't think l have ever had an issue , one address had lead water pipes, think the advice was to run the cold water for 5 minutes. The other houses have and present one the blue "plastic" mains ones, l have always added warm tap water to get desired temperature. I think the...

Hi all, Ideally you want it without bark, but yes you can just scrub the lichen off. cheers Darrel

Hello there!

Just to add my input, I have had two API Master Test kits and noticed that the Nitrate tests are the first to 'go off' and give very high readings - and this was in an established tank where the math did not make sense. Two seperate test kits (one was NTLabs and cannot remember another one)...

That is interesting. I found explanations like the one below, but I assume this is not true? Water conditioners chelate (bind) heavy metals, making them biologically inactive and non-toxic to fish. These bound metals remain in the water but in a form that's not harmful to aquatic life. The...

Hi, I believe aeration and KH can both affect availability of CO2 to plants in low tech tanks and have read a number of threads and sources about it. However, I am still trying to fit it all together into a "coherant whole" in my head. Surely there must be a simple explanation. So, to maximise...

I’m just going to play safe and use a wood I definitely know is hard and suitable! I’ve been out this morning and got some nice Cherry pieces so I’ll prob use these and maybe a piece of Ash I got. The Cherry has lichen on it, I’m assuming this will come off once it’s soaked and I give it a scrub?

I’ll also test my Tap water as it’s a new house but same area so although hard water should be ok

API Master Freshwatet Test Kit… I agree those levels seem off. I’m going to let things settle anyway and I want plants to root in and get some growth. I did the dark start method to avoid massive amounts of water changes but I’ll prob do 2x 50% over these 2 weeks to be sure.

Something isn’t right there, it’s a new setup, how can you have nitrate so high? Unless you have high nitrate in your tap water…… You surely have a dodgy test set or high nitrate in your tap water, which is to me unlikely.

In some very populous US States lead piping is still quite common in older houses - an estimated 9 million households rely on lead service lines. Its improving, but slowly. Cheers, Michael

Interesting that that link still refers to lead. Is lead still in common use for plumbing in the US, or are they referring to legacy/old houses lacking updated plumbing?

If I understand this correctly, you said you just changed 90% of the water and measure 100 ppm (!) of Nitrate (NO3) ? That sounds way off... What sort of level do you see straight out of the tap / water source ? and what test kit are you using? Yes, nice scape! Cheers, Michael

@Matthias Great tank! Cheers, Michael

Agreed. The EPA clearly discourage people from using the water from the hot water tap for drinking or cooking as the hot water supply may contain unhealthy sediments such as heavy metals. A dechlorinator or water conditioner will not remove heavy metals - only an RO system or similar will be...

Um... short answer: Nope! Long answer: I have known aquarists of all walks of life for the past +40 years and never seen a correlation with said diagnosis. My guess is that they (we) are just as diverse as any other group of people dedicated to a somewhat challenging hobby that takes patience...

This is all my personal experience in life and observations but also from reading the science I think its important to talk about these things as I felt the mainstream solutions didn't provide a full answer to these problems although it did help a bit You know scientists have literally...

You quite literally and repeatedly are. Stereotype: a generalized belief about a particular category of people. So far you've said that people with 'ADHD / Autism, learning disabilities and so on' have: less social skills a sense of creativity are less healthy are more sensitive to bad health...

But is it much to do with nerdiness... People with ADHD are usually athletic

You hear a lot of talk about the mental health benefits of gardening, yet it’s seen as something that benefits everyone, neurodivergent or not (that is assuming you actually enjoy it). Mental health is a work in progress, in the same way that an active lifestyle supports your physical health...

Welcome to UKAPS

The Band - Whispering Pines

Yeah, maybe the softer more decayed wood is in the large pore space parts of the ring. Might be a good candidate for a jetwasher to blast out the softy stuff and see what you are left with?

Makes you wonder what will happen with the assassination attempts... Year isn't over yet..

Yes, I am sure a certain American politician whose name rhymes with dump considers himself to be sane.

One thing comes to mind is that someone on another thread said we consider the wrong people disabled in our society. Some of the worst politicians and so on will never get help, or even think there is anything wrong with them... Yet they do more harm. But instead we focus on neurodiversity...

Hi all, Elm is <"ring porous">, meaning it has an obvious ring of larger pores in each growth ring. Cheers Darrel

Welcome to the forum :) Fluctuating CO2 levels are one of the things often listed as a cause of BBA.

Do you trust your test kit? the scape looks great 👍

Not sure I’d trust these measurements.

I'm interested in this too

Here’s the piece I cut off the bottom. I have just scraped off a bit of the outer with my nail and the inner wood also seems soft. Maybe the actual ring part maybe hard (the outer growth looks spongy?)? Elm is possible - it appears to have the historic larval feeding signs of the elm bark...