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Hi everyone, long time no see. I'm setting up my ADA 60f again for my dwarf puffers, this time it will be a blackwater with some easy plants and no CO2. I was wondering how dim I should have my Twinstar 600e, I'm looking to grow Vallisneria nana, Cryptocoryne wendtii and Helanthium tenellum...

Hi everyone, it's been a while It's a very nice surprise to see my scape featured on the UKAPS facebook, thank you @LondonDragon ! Unfortunately during lockdown I ended up shutting down the tank as it was becoming too much to deal with. A disappointing end but I would say that it was...

I've found it's quite common, once you clean it out and then put the drop checker back in the tank it doesn't tend to show up again. Seems to often only show up on new pieces of equipment.

I have added some Microdevario Kubotai however I have had a couple of jumpers so I will likely rehome them. Any ideas for more suitable fish? The flow in the tank is quite high for CO2 distribution.

Tropical soil is designed to remove KH, as are all active soils. This is useful for crystal shrimp keepers. You should start using salty shrimp GH+ with an active substrate as there is no point in adding unnecessary KH because it will just be removed. Oscar

Active substrates usually buffer the pH to around 6. They are usually aimed at crystal shrimp tanks which require soft water.

Yes, you should probably switch to the Salty Shrimp GH+ All the buffering substrate wants to do is remove KH, so there is no point in adding it. This way you will have more stable parameters. I use active soil without adding any KH and it works really well.

I'm only running it at around 60% (I think). 7 hours on the timer

Tank is looking quite good now, there is still a bit of cyanobacteria on the Gratiola however I've been treating it with hydrogen peroxide which has seemed to help. Full FTS taken on the nice camera: Still needs some fish though...

I don't use any slime coat supplements but I'm aware most macro solutions contain EDTA? Possibly that's what's causing the problem. Oscar

I'm not sure about Ferrous Gluconate causing the surface scum, however from what I have read I understand it involves biochemical oxygen demand.

Just tried to recharge my bag of purigen for the first time, left it in half bleach half water for 36 hours. Should the purigen become white again? I haven't seen much of a colour change since I put it in there even though I have been stirring it occasionally. Cheers Oscar

I tend not to use the capsule style ones because I always find the fertiliser pellets or the capsule eventually gets above the substrate.

Usually if I leave my tank more than a week then I just stop dosing after the week. Maybe if I'm leaving it for two weeks I might dose half the amount in the second week. It's pretty flexible so just do the water change whenever you can.

Time for an update on this tank! It's been a while, I made the mistake of planting the tank shortly before my GCSEs so I did let it slip a bit. I have been battling a small cyanobacteria issue but I think I have it under control. It seems to mostly cling to the Gratiola viscidula. I'm...

Do you guys have any tips on how I can reduce the vibrations transmitted by my filters through wooden floorboards? Cheers

Music :)

I think tensol 12 would work fine for that. Since it is low viscosity, it would be pulled into the crack through capillary action. Oscar :)

I'd say you can only get it to a strong pink under the best lighting, most people who have the really red H'ra are doing nitrate limiting. Have a look at this article: https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/plant-guide-rotala_rotundifolia.html Oscar :)

I use small pieces of correx (corrugated plastic board) to act as baffles in the substrate. TGM used to sell this as 'substrate supports' but correx works the same. I also use lava stones beneath the substrate to give some height. Oscar :)

I don't even add any KH to my remineralised RO, because the soil (ADA) removes it all anyway. Supposedly the soil controls the pH.

I find they are usually quite hard to read. Even if it is yellow, there's probably no need to reduce CO2 unless the fish are stressed. Oscar :)

Welcome to UKAPS :) Nice to see another user from Bristol

Do you think it would grow HC and marsilea species?

Can anyone suggest an appropriate light bulb for a small/medium Wabi Kusa? It's about 20cm in diameter. I was thinking more like a generic light bulb rather than an aquarium/wabi kusa specific one. Could something like a 13w fluorescent work? Cheers

Are you gonna be doing a journal of your 60p? :)

The tank was planted the other week, this shot was taken after a few days of it running. Final background plant I chose was Gratiola Viscidula, along with Rotala H'ra as an accent. Some of the HC melted unfortunately, one of the pots had gone bad. There looks to be a little bit of new growth...

Haven't been there in a while, but you might want to look at University of Bristol Botanical Garden :)

Blyxa Japonica is fully aquatic :)

Cost difference is massive but for a smaller tank isn't too bad. Profito contains more micronutrients than TNC or APF and it uses multiple chelators so works in all types of water. Oscar :)

I would recommend a commercial micro such as Flourish or Profito in place of the aquariumplantfoodUK trace. Have a look at https://rotalabutterfly.com/nutrient-calculator.php for an easy way to calculate dosages. Any other questions feel free to ask Oscar :)

Not really something specific that I read, just knowledge I have acquired through browsing forums. Oscar :)

From what I've read, using CO2 tablets isn't recommended because it isn't very consistent or accurate so could lead to algae. Oscar :)

Quick update, tank is now fully cycled and planting will come soon :)

Welcome to UKAPS :)

I'd suggest a JBL e1502 or an Oase Biomaster 350. With the Oase you can add a built in heater to get that out of the tank. You could go with smaller filters if you are doing low tech but for high tech you want higher turnover. Oscar :)

I think it needs much more height, using larger rocks which have more detail and are less blocky Oscar :)

Both will work fine, but the 2ml dose might be easier to measure using a pipette as they only go up to 3ml.

I'll be doing a 50% water change about every 3 or 4 days with half RO and half tap until it's cycled. This gives me GH 7 and KH 6, enough KH to keep the pH up a bit for the bacteria. Once it's cycled, I'll plant it and switch to using fully RO with Salty Shrimp GH+ as I won't need any more KH...

I flooded the tank last week, hopefully it should cycle quickly as I have added some mature media. I'll add some purigen once it has cycled :)

I'd say look into EI dosing with dry salts. Maybe use a commercial product for micros

You should be able to fill the basket with loose media without problems. You don't need any foam or bags with it Oscar

I think an RO system is the best option, I've just bought one because my water is very hard too. Mine cost me around £80 and it works well Oscar

What is your room temperature and tank temperature? I like the look of the 50w version but it says that the tank cannot be more than 5C above room temp

Bump, any other suggestions for background planting anyone?

I'm looking for a nano style heater for my Mini M, something that is low profile and won't distract from the scape. I was using an Eheim Jager but it's so obtrusive. I have tried both the Fluval Edge heater and Newa Therm Mini 20p but both can't seem to get the tank water over 20C. They both...

Lovely Scape mate

There are benefits to both options, a reactor is much more efficient and can dissolve all/most of the CO2 into the water. This means you go through it much slower. This isn't necessarily the best option for plants, because there is some evidence to suggest that physical CO2 bubbles touching the...

I believe APF UK's trace mix is Solufeed B. I've used it but prefer something chelated with DTPA. It would work well with softer water but the iron becomes unavailable with my high pH. I've switched to using Easy Life's Profito because it uses multiple chelating agents. Oscar :)

I'd say a Wabi Kusa would work well in that space, a tank there will be a nightmare to maintain and you won't be able to do a syphon with it because of the tank level :) Maybe a very large, flat Wabi Kusa filling most of the space? Much lower maintenance too Oscar

I had a bit of a mess around on photoshop as a kind of planting plan, still unsure of what to use in the background though! - Rotala H'ra (as an accent) - Pogostemon Erectus - Pogostemon Sellatus - Hemianthus Micranthemoides - Something else (any suggestions?) I think I will likely use the...

Looks decent, nice to see Fe chelated by DTPA rather than the usual EDTA.

Welcome :)

Are you talking about spray bars or jet style outlets? Many of us on here like the glass lily pipes for their minimal visual impact on the tank :) Oscar

I've had success with plain sand and root tabs :)

I use small wooden shims under my stands, since our house is victorian and nowhere near level :)

JBL e1501 or Oase Biomaster as the others have said. Can't go wrong with either :)

I have used it, as other said it is very light. Mine also exhausted it's buffering capacity within 6 months, although my tap water is very hard. I haven't had any problems with it turning to mud but overall I think there are better products available like tropica soil and ADA aquasoil. Hope...

I've used Easy Life Blue Exit with success, it's not erythromycin but uses salicylic acid. I believe the salicylic acid may boost plant growth to combat the Cyano. I could be totally wrong so hopefully someone will be able to give some more info :)

I've messed around with the scape and have lowered the substrate, I'll probably do some more this week. I'm still happy with how it looks although it is kind of symmetrical. I also bought a JBL CristalProfi e901 which is overkill but I can reduce the flow :) New Cal Aqua inflows look great...

I'll probably go down to my LFS this week to see what's on offer, maybe I'll find something else worth looking at :) I saw some Glowlight Carplets down there the other week which looked quite interesting. I'm not sure how much H'ra I will use but I was thinking about it maybe just being a red...

Thanks :) I definitely need to make the right decision in terms of stocking. I was thinking possibly Chilli Rasbora, Kubotai Rasbora, Norman's Lampeye or Ember Tetra. Most of those are somewhat prone to jump especially the Chilli Rasboras. I'll probably have some CRS in there too. Any suggestions?

Thanks for the feedback guys, I will probably lower the substrate in the front but I'd like to keep it high in the back so that the rocks will be partially out of the water. This way I can grow emersed mosses :)

The first update! I spent quite a while scaping the tank and here is the result so far: I'm going for a continuous rock layout, so I wouldn't call it an Iwagumi. My main inspiration is The Green Machine's Continuity. I'm quite pleased with it but I'm totally open to any suggestions. I...

Thanks :) I chose the ADA soil because from what I read, it is slightly better. Not too much of a price difference either. Cheers

The manzanita looks great in there :)

For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive an ADA 60f and the kit to go along with it. I'll be putting a lot of my savings into this project too. I've been waiting quite a while to set this up, but I had to get my trial exams out the way before I could get going. I made a visit to Aquarium...

I have used the JBL proscan, and I think it is quite unreliable. Because the KH measurement on the strip is inaccurate, the calculation for CO2 is also inaccurate. Also any acidifying factors from other sources will show up as a false CO2 reading. I think the 0 nitrates is also most likely...

Looks great, I remember when you guys first started mocking up this scape before christmas. Did you end up using all of the ADA substrate additives? Oscar

Honestly, I think both will be fine in 7.6 pH. My LFS keeps them both in that pH (tap water). It's often best to keep parameters stable instead of constantly changing them to get an "ideal" pH. There aren't many ways to safely lower pH in a stable and consistent way, except remineralising RO...

I think aquarium gardens have just got some 10mm lily pipes in. Other styles like poppy are available too.

I love shallow tanks like this, perfect for emersed hardscape. I don't think you should choose killifish unless you're planning on having a lid, however that defeats the purpose of the shallow dimensions. Cheers

Yes, as long as it doesn't have anything else along with it. Don't be confused if you can only find MgSO4.7H2O, It's the same as what APF sells.

The CO2 supermarket ones are ok, I've had some major problems with the needle valve on their single stage reg. If you're gonna get one, buy a better needle valve and put it inline.

I've got a Twinstar 300e coming up for sale this week. I'll be shutting the tank down that it's on in the next few days, let me know if you're interested. Oscar :)

Currently I'm adding 0.75tsp DTPA and 0.5tsp trace mix (APFuk trace) to 250ml RO water. I also add 10ml vinegar to keep the pH down. This is dosed at 4ml per 25L tank water. I'd say a dose of 1ppm iron DTPA on top of the TNC would be fine. You could use rotalabutterfly to calculate it. Oscar

Yeah that's it :)

Hey Steve I think the only all in one trace with DTPA is Easy Life Profito (as far as I know). I'm yet to find a trace powder with DTPA either. What I've been doing is adding DTPA iron into my trace mix. I bought it off eBay as a 50g bag. Oscar

I don't think it would be necessary, since there would already be plenty of iron available from the Profito. Presumably they use all the same chelating agents.

@Nigel95 Just got this email back from Easy Life :)

Darrel what do you use for micros? :) Oscar

I suppose if you are concerned about nitrates and phosphates lacking, you might as well just use the AS plant food completely. I wouldn't say there's any harm in higher nitrates and phosphates. I've run 80ppm Nitrate and 10ppm Phosphate in the past without problems. Lower levels of these will...

I'm thinking the same too. I've just emailed Easy Life asking about the iron in their Profito. I think Profito is potentially even better than Flourish.

Are you dosing flourish to EI levels?

I'm interested to know your chosen trace fertiliser. I'm considering switching as I don't like the one I am currently using (APFuk trace mix). I'd assume most of you are dosing EI levels? Tropica, ProFito, Flourish? Chelated trace powders? Oscar

Looks like standard crypt melt, it happens to me when any parameters change really. Especially water hardness. You can't really do anything to stop it so just trim off the affected growth.

Basically anything that can fit a shrimp in its mouth will eat them. Amanos and adult cherries will probably be ok. Some juveniles will probably get eaten if they are out in the open.

As @tiger15 said, there is some benefit to having CO2 mist coming into contact with leaves. This video might be helpful: You could also look into building your own Cerges or Griggs reactor. The qanvee inline diffusers also look pretty sturdy.

It's definitely possible, just requires more care. Take a look at Dennis Wong's tanks. He grows Bucephalandra and mosses under very high light, right near the surface. https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/bucephalandra.html

I add about 2.4ppm 3x per week (adjusted EI dosing)

I dose about 7ppm weekly

Welcome to UKAPS :)

I should have been clearer. When I say "fully saturated", I mean the peak saturation of CO2 you get from your diffusion setup (varies from tank to tank), NOT the maximum amount of CO2 your water can hold. Depending on CO2 timers ect, some will reach this at the start of the photoperiod, others...

Measuring pH drop is basically the pH change between degassed and fully saturated. (nothing to do with the JBL test kit) This way, we don't have to estimate using KH values, which gives inaccurate results because of other acids. Instead, we just measure the tank's pH before the CO2 turns on...

Yeah, I used it once and it's been sat in my cabinet ever since. It is very difficult to read, and I find measuring pH drop manually gives much more accurate results. I don't think that it takes into account other acidifying compounds such as tannins so it gives an inaccurate reading.

I think you could do with some more rocks, especially around the base of the wood. Try to find ones with interesting texture and make sure all the rocks in the aquarium are similar. A deeper substrate at the back would give a sense of depth.

Looks pretty good already, but the middle stone is too large. I think some finer textures like small rocks and branches would help with the sense of scale in a small tank like that.

From what I've read, Malaya and Africana do not release any ammonia (at least very minimal).

Welcome to UKAPS :)

I think you'd be better looking online for them, most shops aren't gonna have much in terms of rimless tanks (at least from my experience). Dennerle makes the Nano cube and Scapers tank which is decent value (has the curved glass on the edges). If your budget is a bit larger, EA aquascaper and...