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Hi At 350l I would seriously consider mixing your own by buying the dry salts. You will save yourself a fortune. It works out around £2 to make 500ml of your own 'All In One'. Compare that to 500ml of any commercial brand :wink:

Hi John PS I just looked up the two products you mentioned. I would definitely use the Waterlife Tropiflora as your plant food, but you can safely drop the Waterlife Bacterlife. Once your plants are healthy they will break down most, if not all, of the Ammonia in your tank. Think of it as...

Hi John I think as long as you feed your plants you will be OK, it just might take a bit longer to get rid of the BGA. Siphon out what BGA you can along with your water changes, and once you get the dosing right, it won't come back. Don't be afraid to overdose the fertiliser either, as you will...

Hi johnfw I had an outbreak of this when I first ran a low tech/low light setup. It transpired that I had low nitrate in the tank and BGA is usually caused by low nitrates :( . I dropped in two teaspoons of KNO3 and it was gone in 4 days :D . You do not mention adding any fertiliser for your...

Hi bigmel I haven't seen any difference in performance between the two. They both seem to do the same job :D

Hi all You will probably find the larger tank easier to keep everything more stable in the bigger volume of water. When small tanks go wrong, they go wrong very quickly. Good luck with your new project.

Hi jazjac I'm not saying your asking for trouble but your CO2, flow, ferts and maintenance needs to be spot on, as you've already found out. Me, I've gone to the other extreme now. I am currently experimenting with 6W of LED's on the 180L :lol: . Obviously, the tank looks dimmer, but...

Hi jazjac As Alastair says, you do not have to have a solenoid on your CO2 system. It just works out cheaper on the gas if you do. Providing the CO2 is at max, at lights on (the most critical phase), you will be OK. This usually means turning the gas on 2 hours before lights on and turning it...

Hi all Or the kitchen drawer :lol:

Hi all Mike I would up your KNO3 dose. I had an outbreak of BGA when I set up a 95L low tech tank a few years ago. I was dosing James' All In One at the rate recommended by Tropica (5ml per 50l per week). This I found was miles too low for the plant density that I had. I thought I'd get radical...

Hi all This is incorrect. There is no valid reason to underdose a tank...........ever. We are trying to grow aquatic plants here and aquatic plants need nutrients, and always will. It's when you underdose you get all your associated algae problems. rehman73 You will never have algae issues...

Hi rehman73 I always dose mine from day 1. I just can't see the point in risking any shortages when you want to get your plants off to the best possible start, although with your expensive substrate you would be able to reduce dosing if you wanted to. I've never had any problems dosing full...

Hi all If you keep the solution acidic the iron will not precipitate. Perhaps you should study this. James' All in One How do you think companies like Tropica keep iron in solution in their own brand of 'all in one'. Excel Yes............'All in One' Never

Hi all Off the electrics for a minute :roll: So you already have most of the ingredients to make your own "all in one", if that's what you want to do. Where did that come from? :shock: You will have to go some to kill any aquatic plant by overdosing, that's for sure :D That figures. If...

Hi Jason. Nice looking background plants. Not sure about the flowerpots though, but that's only me. Either reduce the volume of EI solution that you dose daily, or weaken the mixture by putting less teaspoons of the powders in the mix. Works either way.

Sorry Natahniel, missed your post :roll:

Hi Jason. This is a misconception of the highest order. You can dose EI at any lighting level you like, although you can reduce the dosage as the light levels get lower. Light drives everything in a planted tank including demand for CO2 and ferts. Lower the light and you can lower everything...

Hi AAB Definitely faulty. Most JBL stuff is good quality but I have had a defective non return valve straight out of the box :(

Hi mracejay Unfortunately, staghorn feeds on the very same stuff that your plants do. Now you've started EI, you are now feeding it very well :( No No No Physical removal of infected leaves plus additional water changes. Staghorn is usually related to poor CO2 distribution, so check the...

Hi Jason. Yes it is one or the other, not both :thumbup:

Re: Dosing a low tech 70L (more like 50L with hardscape) hel Hi Emyr An excess of ferts will never lead to an algae bloom on it's own (that's the Matrix talking). There needs to be a trigger of some sort, like too much light, ammonia spike, dirty tank or filters etc. I have first hand...

Re: Dosing a low tech 70L (more like 50L with hardscape) hel Hi all You will find too much is never a problem if you're not keeping sensitive fish. What indicated I wasn't dosing enough was an outbreak of BGA :( . I think you'll find this is incorrect, check here, (first two sentences below...

Hi Emyr There's the start of your problem. Anubias, although slow growing, still need feeding. You can see in pic 2 & 3 that the leaves are clearly failing. Also, these new style 'high output' LED's do put out a fair amount of light for their given wattage. Probably too much for a low tech...

Hi all These steps will all help you in your battle, but you are correct in assuming Oto's won't eat the hair algae, they are generally used for diatoms in a new set up. I had heard Amano's might eat the stuff, so I stuck 6 in a shrimp/moss tank I'm running, where I get one or two strands...

Hi all With all the different EI dosing schemes I have tried (and I tried a few :roll: ), this is the only one that didn't work too well, but the effects are not immediate. Took my plants about 4 or 5 weeks before they started looking a bit rough. So I resumed the generally accepted EI...

Re: Fairly urgent help needed.. Co2 Regulator (m001) Problem Hi whitey89 I thought he said "because of the gas" :? You really shouldn't need the O ring, but if it gives you peace of mind, go ahead and use it. It won't do no harm. A lot of the better products on the market branded as...

Re: Fairly urgent help needed.. Co2 Regulator (m001) Problem Hi all This is highly unlikely. PTFE tape is virtually bullet proof as far as chemical attack is concerned. It is highly unlikely that CO2 will disintegrate it. I have used the stuff on Hydrochloric, Sulphuric and even Nitric acid...

Re: Dosing a low tech 70L (more like 50L with hardscape) hel Hi Emyr If you're going to keep the light low and not adding CO2, I would dose your Tropica stuff once a week. This will be ample for a planting scheme like you suggest in your journal. Tropica's recommended dose is 5ml per 50l per...

Hi Jaap There will be plenty of ferts left in the 50% of the water you left behind, unless you run supersonic levels of lighting. We normally dose Macros (NPK) on Day 1. Plants need way more of this than they do Micros (Trace) :D .

Hi all Darrel, you never cease to amaze me with your calculations :D I found that 5ml per 50l a week was way too low for my heavily planted low tech. Had a tank full of BGA in no time. After dealing with that, I upped the dosing and it never came back. Not sure what a hi tech tank would...

Hi all I have double dosed EI before now and my cherry shrimp were unaffected. Didn't have crystals at the time. These commercial ferts are nowhere near as concentrated so your shrimp should be OK overdosing a bit.

Hi Jaap Not sure about this but I think the original concept was possibly to prevent the Iron in the Trace reacting with the Phosphates in the Macro mix, although I have found this not to be the case in the volumes of water we are dealing with. However, you should find that the strength of the...

Hi all This can be caused by unhealthy plants. I'd run it like this for a few weeks and monitor the situation.

Re: Fire extinguisher lifespan Hi doobiw55 The gas itself will not expire but the life of the cylinder will. You will find that when you go to get it refilled, no one will refill it if the cylinder is older than 10 years, unless you have certification to prove that it has been pressure tested.

Hi Tim With T5's and CO2 you will definitely need to dose. Your cheapest option is dry salts and dosing the EI method found here EI tutorial. Have a read (more than one is recommended :lol: ) and digest. For my 180l I use 6 tsp KNO3 2 tsp KH2PO4 in one bottle with 600ml water. Dose 50ml on...

Hi mpc I agree with spyder, but I would also turn your gas on 2 hours before lights on, so you have the highest gas levels at lights on. Unfortunately, once you've got any algae, increasing the gas will not get rid of it. Algae is the most basic form of plant life and it feeds on the very same...

Hi Tim Ideally you should dose the water column. It will depend on what you mean by "aquatic compost". Most of the expensive gear has nutrients in it, so in the early days of the tank you may get away without dosing, but they will eventually run out. However, the key to any dosing strategy is...

Hi all Thanks all I'll try not to leave it so long for the next update :lol: Next time you're in town, you're more than welcome. I agree, the thought had crossed my mind to dabble with it but I've resisted so far. Also, I'm not sure what will be released into the water after such a long...

Hi all Today is this tanks 2nd anniversary so I thought I'd better do an update :oops: A few changes since the last time. Hope you enjoy. Some general randomness :D Still growing in :D Till the next time :thumbup:

Hi rolexbene I have found South London to be a PITA for this. So now I save up my bottles and make a trip over to Heathrow (Mr Fizz) once a year to get them refilled. I take 8-10 bottles at a time. The best bit is it is only £5 for a 2kg refill. Can't get that sort of bargain in South London...

Hi all Fairly low tech yes, but you're still adding carbon, which puts in the next bracket up from low tech. Thanks Morgan Freeman, this is exactly my point. The higher the lighting, the faster the plants grow so they produce more waste :D With higher light comes all the usual problems of...

Hi all You will see this junk in most planted tanks that do not have surface agitation (or very little). It comes from a variety of sources mentioned above but it also comes from the plants themselves (proteins etc.), even more so when you have failing plants, because we are growing these...

Hi all Nice to put some faces to some names :thumbup:

Hi all This is one of the good things about this stuff, it's anti algae properties. However, you have now added carbon to what was a low tech tank so it has now effectively become a low light hi tech tank. Just be warned that if you stop your dosing of excel suddenly, you may get all sorts of...

Hi gbuckingham89 Welcome to the forum :text-welcomewave: I am currently using the JBL regulator and also one of these Lunapet regulator only 58 Euros, plus postage. I know you said keep it in the UK, but I've had respectable delivery times on all the stuff I've bought from them. After sales...

Hi Lee Unfortunately, the algae won't go away on it's own. Once it's triggered it feeds on the same stuff as your plants, so it will keep on growing :( However all is not lost. Here are some options that I would try before disturbing the hardscape. 1. Manual removal with a toothbrush followed...

Hi whitey89 I don't have any experience of ADA ferts, but I think they are weaker than the solution I use, (James' DIY TPN+3), and my CRS have been fine for a long time now :D

Hi all This is what the Ascorbic acid prevents when using the all in one :wink: I don't have any experience of the exact recipe you are using, but I do have lots of experience using James' DIY TPN+ (3) recipe (1 tank running for 3 years and 1 tank running for 2 years) and have never had any...

Hi Antipofish You can twist a toothbrush around it if there is a lot, or for odd strands here and there, I have used my planting tweezers to just pull it off in the past :roll:

Hi Antipofish I'm afraid it is. Holes in leaves and hair algae are two tell tale signs that all is not well on the CO2 front. Unfortunately it won't go away on it's own when your CO2 stabilises. As it is a form of plant life, once started, it will feed on the very same stuff that you feed your...

Hi whinnie Ebay. Anything between £3 on a good day :D to £15 on a bad day :( . for a 2Kg. I always try and find someone selling local so I can go and pick them up, as most of them charge about £10 for postage due to the weight. There are some crazy prices for the new ones (>£100 for 2kg...

Hi RONY11 :text-welcomewave: to the forum I agree with sWozzAres. Save your money and put it towards some nice plants (or beer :lol: ). A pH controller is not an essential requirement. CO2 stability is our goal and you don't get that with a pH controller :wink: You are better off...

Hi Iain I know what you mean. I have often thought about automated dosing then I just couldn't be bothered with all the hassle of finding reliable peristaltic pumps, agitation etc. I got into the habit of chucking it in before I go to work. I've been running like this for 3 years and never got...

Hi easerthegeezer No reason why not. The only precaution you would have to take is that you will have to add Ascorbic acid to the mix to stop the Iron in the Trace reacting with the Phosphate. It won't be consistent. Think Winter - Summer evaporation rates. They vary immensely. It depends how...

Hi skeletonw00t They are only "a bit of a stress" when things go wrong and you don't have the answers. Once you know the answers for your tank, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about :D .

Hi malawistu After reading up on this you will not need to dose anything else. This contains everything you need. The general consensus is to dose little and often, so a daily dose would be absolutely fine. Someone once said, think of it like this:- If the average man needs 2000 calories a day...

Hi all Not if they're the Juwel 45W T5's with the oddball length. :crazy: £15-£20 a pop. :shock: :shock: :shock: I'll just keep using mine till they cease to function :lol: (3 years so far :D ) Then I'll rip them out and fit an el cheapo T5 ballast from lamp specs. It means moving the...

Hi Bill Hoggies advice is sound :D . The fish are not bothered by the lack of light. It's people that worry about the light. My tanks go for many days without the lights on if I ever run out of CO2 :oops: Even without lights on in your tank the fish probably have more light than they ever...

Hi Harry The 180l. But it looks nothing like that now :lol: , it's been rescaped twice since then. But I was still dosing like that when that tank was running.

Hi Harry. Any time that suits you. Mine get dosed at 6am and the lights don't come on till 5pm :roll: . The tank has been running like this for the last 3 years :D

Hi skeltonw00t If you are already using this mix and your plants are doing good then all is well. I'm using James' C's All in one mix (DIY TPN+ 3) for 2 of my tanks and the only things that look a bit light is the KNO3 and MgSO4. (James' Recipes here James recipes) James recommends 48g KNO3 in...

Hi Harry This is your Trace elements (It's an American thing :lol: ) Measuring spoons can be bought at any supermarket. Asda sell a set for 99p :D There is a 1 tsp, 3/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp , 1/4 tsp & 1/8th tsp in the set. Now you'll be able to get any measurement you wish with a combination of...

Hi all It certainly is :D . In fact you can dose whenever you like. I dose 11 hours before my lights come on :crazy:

Hi all Sorry for my misunderstanding :oops: Apologies to Stuart. I've only ever used the Flourish Excel :oops: Dose whenever it suits you. It won't make any difference. I chuck mine in before I go to work at 6am and my lights don't come on till 5pm. Been running like this for the last 3...

Hi all Thread/hair algae is usually related to poor CO2. Think about it for a minute, where does your Glosso live, at the bottom of the tank, which is the hardest place to get CO2 efficiently, as it always wants to go upwards and escape to atmosphere. Although this shouldn't be a problem in a...

Hi Stuart The product(s) you refer to are one and the same. It is called Flourish Excel. There is another one called Easycarbo which is similar stuff. Lifted this from one of our sponsors sites. For Easycarbo Tanks with minimal plants - 1ml per 100 litres Tanks with fair amount of plants - 1ml...

Hi all I must say I've never heard of that one Viktor :? I've definitely had this issue in the past. 2 x 24w T5's on 175l shouldn't present you with any problems. I'm running 2 x 45w T5's on a 180l and don't have any issues. I have started a few tanks without fish in the past, and seriously...

Hi Chris That's right :D All 3 of the types of algae you mention are CO2/distribution related. It does :D You're heading in the right direction :thumbup:

Hi skankypup I would use the normal dose for the tank size and not worry about overdosing. You will run into more problems if you underdose (failing plants = algae on the leaves etc.) I started a low tech about three years ago using James C's recipe and didn't dose enough. I got BGA all over...

Hi sussex-cichlids Yes it is :D With regards to Magnesium Sulphate, if you are not sure that your tap water contains enough, start your dosing regime using the MgSO4 and gradually reduce it over a couple of months. If you do not see any deficiencies in the plants then your tap water...

Hi Christor We normally spread it around the bottom of the tank before the substrate goes in, and it acts as a slow release nutrient. If you have an established tank you can freeze it with some water in the form of ice cubes and push them into the substrate. I do this about once every 6-9...

Hi Mick The Anubias will need feeding with all the usual suspects, but you are correct to assume they will not need anywhere near EI levels. If you want to keep your life simple, use this All In One I have been using the DIY TPN+ (3) recipe for the last 3 years on a 1wpg, no CO2 tank. I dose...

Hi all Absolutely. You're never going to save them :D

Hi all The bulk of it yes. However, it can't deal with localised Ammonia production, produced by failing plant leaves. If it could, you wouldn't get algae on your plants :D .

Hi all Missed this bit. :roll: This is not quite the case. It's not about out competing the algae. Algae need far less nutrients to survive than our higher order plants, so the plants will never out compete the algae for nutrients. The problem is the trigger. Once algae has been triggered, it...

Hi all I agree with all of the above, however there is one very important ommission. Ammonia. Ammonia + Light = Algae...........guaranteed every time :(

Hi maanse When I got BGA a few year ago in a low tech tank, I discovered it was because I was under dosing by some considerable margin. Once the penny dropped, I carried out a massive water change, added 2 teaspoons of KNO3 (100l tank), then upped the dosing and kept it there. BGA was gone in 4...

Re: New Tank - Brown Algae/Green Spot Algae/Thread Algae Hi Jaap It sounds like you have enough flow, if the manufacturers numbers are to be believed. Unfortunately they are not. Some filters output drop by as much as 50% when media is added. Circulation or the amount of CO2 appears to be the...

Hi kizkiz You've done well to keep your plants growing if you're not feeding them. Maybe your fish waste is doing the job :D . There are limits to how much powder can be mixed with water. (You didn't state what quantity you were mixing up). The limits can be found here Solubility in water at...

Re: New Tank - Brown Algae/Green Spot Algae/Thread Algae Hi Jaap You need to get yourself a drop checker. See here Drop Checker Guide

Re: 90x45x45 under the river scape Hi mitchelllawson This is a good start. Can't wait to see it planted. Might I add that you can do yourself a favour and put all your 'clear' fertilisers (KNO3, KH2PO4 and MgSO4) into one bottle. Just keep the Trace away from the Phosphate, then you'll only...

Re: New Tank - Brown Algae/Green Spot Algae/Thread Algae Hi Jaap This will most definitely help until the tank is established. If you have no livestock, you can crank the CO2 as high as you wish. This will get the plants off to a good start. Just remember to wind it back when you start...

Hi all As Alastair says, they will be fine :D To put your mind at rest, I have run a tank using double the recommended EI values for 9 months, to see what would happen :shock: . Apart from mental plant growth rate (CO2 had to be ramped up too :roll: ), the fish and shrimp were fine. In fact...

Hi all Made me smile :D I believe that first and foremost it's all about keeping the tank clean and removing all the junk that the plants produce in a high energy tank. Which is why it pays to swish your hand through the plants on water change day to loosen it all. The 'resetting' of...

Hi all Not sure I agree with that statement :( The only excesses you need to worry yourself about are Light and CO2. Too much light and you have no margin for error and need a super strict maintenance regime. Too much CO2, you gas your fish. Excess of everything else mentioned does not cause...

Hi Matty1983 I get all mine off ebay. You can pay anything between £3 and £15, but postage is a bit steep. I always try to make sure the seller is local and go and pick them up.

MOD ALERT Is the site under attack again? There is also a similar post in the journals section

Hi all I remember that, we never did work out why it didn't work for you :? As you saw with your own eyes, the lawn in the 180l journal in my signature was grown with it, so I couldn't fathom out why it didn't work for you, and your tanks blow mine out the water any day of the week :(

Hi Kieren Not a good idea :( During a blackout you need total darkness for the whole period. No peeking :lol: . You will be surprised at just how little light algae needs to survive. Just do a huge water change when blackout is finished.

It has been known for one or two of us to have the odd screw loose :lol: but it works for me :D That's exactly what I did, and it does increase the flow :D

Hi Kieren It doesn't per se. What it does do is keep your plants in tip top health, and a healthy plant will never be attacked by algae :D Unfortunately once you've got any type of algae, it feeds off the very same stuff that you are feeding the plants e.g. CO2 and ferts, which just...

Hi Kieran It would, but you can also use 600ml and dose 50ml per dose :D We seem to have deviated from the original algae problem (although they're all related), so any more ferts questions would be best placed in the fert section :wink: . It's just that if someone searches in the algae...

Hi k-hult You are indeed correct :D KNO3 contain Nitrate (N) and Potassium (K) KH2PO4 contains Potassium (K) and Phosphate (PO4) and your Trace elements is a blend of sorts and contains Iron amongst a few other goodies. I would mix up one months worth at a time. The KNO3 and KH2PO4 can be...

Hi all Just to put a spanner in the works :lol: . I run mine without any media in it, have done for the last 2 years at least. Don't have any problems when connected to a 1200lph filter. A gas pocket becomes visible at the top of the reactor by the end of the gas period but my gas goes off 2...

Hi chrisjj I have first hand experience of the JBL m602 CO2 system. I've been running one for 3 years now and still performing perfectly :D , however the initial outlay is a bit steep :( As Alastair suggests, if you decide to go down the route of purchasing separate bits and pieces, it cannot...

Hi k-hult You will need these KNO3 KH2PO4 Trace Elements That should be all you need except that if you are in a soft water area you will need Epsom Salts for the MgSO4 99p a kilo on ebay :wink: You will use more of the KNO3 than the KH2PO4 by an approximate ratio of 3:1. The Trace elements...

Hi TetraUK I would be inclined to dose for the whole tanks volume. You just need to make sure that it contains everything the plants need. If it has the contents on the bottle look out for N, P & K (although the fish waste will provide some of these) and Trace elements. You won't need to...

Hi Jen I use this on a non CO2, heavily planted tank, and use 50ml per week on a 100l tank. The Tropica recommended dose of 5ml per 50l per week (as mentioned on James' page) is way too low. I had BGA everywhere when dosing at this rate. BGA is no more since upping the dosing rate. Tank is now...

Hi Matty1983 FYI. I add one and a half teaspoons to 240ml water and dose 30ml twice a week on 180l heavily planted tank. This works well. This is a good sign :D . Trace is what it says on the tin. The plants do not need very much of this. I would be inclined to leave your Trace dosing as it...

Hi all Perhaps I shouldn't have made such a blanket statement :oops:, and sensitive species will not fare well with this approach. I only keep 'off the shelf' fish like harlequins, danios, guppies, neons, rummynose and cherry shrimp and none of these showed any adverse effects.