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It's possible the driftwood has already spent some time in water and as such has already begun to deteriorate much as it will do once again when submerged in your tank. I would just soak it and then pressure wash it, it's up to you if you want dig out the soft bits manually.

Hey, Thanks for your answers ! So, if I understand, the 1 pH drop is totally achievable even with aquasoil. Whats strange and bothering me is that even with pretty high injection (5 bps Proflora Inline integrated counter, that seems MASSIVE for only 30 gallons) I never reach the 1 pH drop...

Hiya! Thank you for the kind words, I'm actually flattered. Not sure why I stopped updating my thread on TPT I should probably do so soon. To answer your questions: The Anubias nana petites and Bucephalandra are for the most part tied to small lava rocks. I bought all the Anubias nana petites...

Hum. I don't mind common names if they would stick ;) Btw the kleiner prinz is the plant the fish is looking at in the first picture (it was purchased as little bear). I had one years ago but could never find it again not knowing they changed the name. With co2 it produced the most wonderful...

This thread has become way off track from the original topic, therefore I've removed some of the comments!

Why don't you soak the plant in room temperature water for a few hours. Wouldn't kill it. As in completely submerge it. they are probably hiding in the soil and waiting to come back like a swarm of zombies

A pressure washer would be a good bet. Just don't get too close with the jet and you won't damage any good wood.

If growing a carpet was your main priority you might see a benefit from an outlet near the substrate.

I rather like the comment made about flow and the mental health benefits (for all) of engaging with aquascaping. This resonates with me. I think aquarists are a mixed bunch of neurological and neurodiverse individuals. The key word here being individuals. I cannot see a preponderance of either...

Yes, just translations of the names I am afraid. (Prinz Kleiner would be Little Prince, for example.) Technically, cultivar names should not be translated but it happens all the time in all different branches of plant growing, causing heaps of confusion when comparing plants grown in different...

You are getting help, right?

That part is the easiest to clean. Just remove the manifold from the Biomaster as you would during maintenance, then separate the double taps. There is a trick I saw online for cleaning the manifold and any attached hoses.

I agree with @nijat11. It's always difficult to diagnose online. If in doubt treat with the broadest spectrum medication possible. Check out eSHa for more details. Meanwhile... Someone clearly offered the wrong advice at some point in history... Mars Turning Down the Chance to be in 'E.T.'...

Haha… it’s always the places like this… before long we will have the secrets of the universe

No such thing as bad advice. Thank you.

Hello Nijat11. Nice to see other Dutchman over here. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I have 10 of them. They swim fast and eat a lot.

This is probably gonna be bad advise, but when I see something on fishes (did not happen already for a long time). I just start Esha 2000 + Esha Exit treatment and in most cases it helps.

So I guess the off gassing goes slower than the re circulation. Then I can save the effort of making a lower outflow point.

It is only soft in some areas. Is it wise to use a high pressure (water) cleaner? Our would this damage the wood? I was afraid it was sort of iron deposits. Is this possible?

Always very comforting to know the most pressing and important matters in the universe will always find at home at UKAPS

There’s even a picture. Now, I wouldn’t attempt to put an fx6 inside the tank, especially not if there’s water in the tank. :lol:

Is all the wood soft, or just some areas? If not, I’d be tempted to clean it with a wire brush to get rid of the soft bits and then wash it to get rid of any loose bits and dust.

I don’t think it matters as long as you ensure good circulation of the CO2 enriched water exiting the outflow.

I have her book but it sounds like the names have changed - i was familiar with prinz kleiner and kleiner bar but it sounds like from waht you said someone simply renamed them little bear and big bear. Hum... pity they aren't natural but they sure do grow well.

Exactly. Let’s not put people into boxes because of some behavioural aspects (whether as a result of personality or neurodiversity) and treat people as individuals and in their own merits.

Hello from The Hague :). I inject through reactor in sump, my outflow quite close to top, and I get 1 pH drop and keep during the day quite easly. The benefit of reactor that it provide 100% CO2 disolve in the water, so I dont know if there any difference where is outflow.

Hi all, I am planning to use an external CO2 reactor with its own separate circulation pump. So a CO2 enriched water flow will come back into the tank. I was wondering if it would be beneficial if I would let this outflow come out close to substrate level. Often the CO2 is combined with the...

Hi to all, I bought two pieces of wood, they called it driftwood in the store. It is heavy wood, it sinks by itself. Arrived at home I had a better look at them. Now I see that there is on some places a rusty color and the wood looks very soft. See video. I am not sure if this wood coming of or...

Thanks Gill - I'm OCD when it comes to cross contaminating just in case. I am sorry to hear about the Cory attacking you - Not very nice! Hope you are OK!

I see what you mean Bradders thank you for highlighting it. I am thinking that due to having lost two of the fish before they even entered the tank that something was a miss at the shop. If my tank had the bacteria then there wouldn't have been any dead on arrival I assume. Thanks again...

What about the bit between the double tap and the Oase?

Have a look at Pets@Home reductions on at the moment, maybe a cabinet suitable?

I also use double taps on my Biomaster for ease of removal when hose cleaning time rolls around.

Thank you @X3NiTH - Really appreciated. I am going to turn the water over more this week and keep a very close eye.

The growths appear to be protruding from beneath the scales so good chance it’s Lymphocystis. You just have to keep an eye on the fish, it may resolve itself with time or the fish may be able to survive it, depends on how good the fishes immune system is at fighting it.

To me, that is not a reddish hue but a loss of fish 'skin'. Have a look at the blow-up, even though it is of bad quality. Its bacterial.

Lost another 20 odd today - Resigned to the fact that they will all likely go. I’m noticing a pinkish hue to there belly’s - This one was still alive (only just) when I fished it out. Shrimps and baby shrimps are very happy. Thank you so much to all who have offered input and advice. Means a...

Thank you @X3NiTH I was thinking the same for initial diagnosis - but I wanted broader input. The bit by the gill is certainly raised and lumpy. No other fish are displaying symptoms of anything, making me feel it's isolated. Better pic?

Hi Mark Thanks for those experiences 👍. Think l’ll knock it on the head, my tank is open top, and it’s staying that way…… I can just imagine a shoal of Colombians becoming sushi for our Norwegian Forest Cat as they hop out one after the next…..

Thank you for your generous offer. I will PM you.

Not the clearest of pics but the problem areas look fuzzy and undefined in shape so could possibly be Lymphocystis. If you can get a clearer look to see if the growths look lumpy and bumpy like a cauliflower then it’s Lymphocystis. Not really much you can do to treat, if the fish passes don’t...

Maidenhead Aquatics in Iver. I've come across them a few times within that branch.

Hi @Superpuma1. I've kept Columbian Tetra. I had a shoal of maybe ten or twelve in a 300 litre tank. I love them, but I wouldn't personally get them again. They were quite aggressive with one another and would constantly quarrel despite being in a large and densely planted tank. Most of them...

Sorry this happened to you. Had something similar happen a long time ago. And it transpired that the assistant had just been on lunch and had styled his hair while on break with hair gel. And hadn't washed his hands enough not to contaminate the water. So as soon as the glolights were in my...

The Male is Still shifting the sand around and adding More empty snail shells. Never seen this behaviour with a Convict Species. The Eyes n the Dorsal are most definitely the females. She has gone very very dark black/green and the eyes on the dorsal are extremely bright.

Cool little tank :D

Tank mate wise I can’t see there being any issues, however it’s not the largest of tanks and you seem to have quite a few decent sized fish in there already.

Hi All - struggling with this one, guys. Picture below, Phantom Tetra, what "spots" but not uniform, definitely stick out from the skin (not Ick), the only fish to have it after several days. Feeding, moving and acting normal. Any help to pin-point this?

Hi Maf 2500 i didn’t know about the inlet/outlet port, so it can be removed and the water will be shut off so no leaks brilliant, yes that would do. i will use the hose that comes with the Oase 👍

Hi Tank is 75x57x42cm, so around 170 liters. They’ll be in with a shoal of Tiger Barbs, Pakistani Botia, a pair of Krib’s and a few catfish.

I have never considered a ‘wired differently’ aspect. What is ‘wired differently’ @greenbliss ? My middle child who has all the things you talk about has absolutely no interest in fish or planted aquariums. But he does love to code. My life observations are that people may have something you...

Just a further comment to again thank you all for your input on this. I've been using my new AIO mix and remineralisation dosing for a few months now and the tank is definitely the most stable and healthy it has ever been. Despite changing to a new (more powerful) light, I have considerably less...

What size tank are you planning on putting them in and what tank mates will they have? They get to a decent size and are on the boisterous side.

Im in East Finchley. would you like some crypts and moss? I am doing a trim this weekend :)

Itching to buy some Colombian Tetra, think they look awesome with their red finnage. I’m reading that they’re jumpers, but this can be reduced by having greater numbers, say 10 and above….. Any opinions or experiences?

Ah, I binge watch his videos but haven't actually done anything with my tank 😳. I definitely would like to aquascape it though.

I know mate - its just horrible when this happens. OK, if it was me, this is what I would do. Carry on with water changes, increased aeration and don't clean any biomedia (unless flow is too low). Accept the situation, and ride it out for now. i.e. do what you can but don't make any new...

I've been watching this tank's progress for , I guess , 4 maybe 5 years now . Both here and previously on TPT. Probably one of my favorite builds . But I've got a couple of questions : How are your plants stuck to the rocks ; glued , tied ? How do you deal with the spaces between the rocks ...

They seemed happy Bradders both the Chilli & Galaxy Rasboras were in the same tank. In hindsight I exposed myself to a large risk buying such a number. Think I will do purchases of around 15/20 next time. Not sure if I will buy Galaxy Rasboras again just due to the cost of I have to go to...

If you can get hold of Spixi snails. they will eat them. No planria works on them aswell, Panacur is a cheaper option you can buy online. Onuy needs a tiny dosage.

Both hybrids from Germany bred by the Hoechstetter nursery, also known as 'Großer Bär' and 'Kleiner Bär'. The suggestion in Christine Kesselmann's book is that several species and hybrids were involved in the parentage during hybridization experiments at the nursery in the 1990's. She lists the...

Afternoon, I have just spotted dozens of Hydra on the glass and substrate under my internal filter. I’ve read these may take very small fish fry and/or baby shrimp but usually pose no problem. My tank is only a month old but is well planted with just a variety of snails. I don’t add any food...

I have several of these "big bear" as well as "little bear". Here is one aquarium showing how fast it grows without co2 or fertilizer - take into account the aquarium has an ec of 21 and ph below 5: Aquarium when setup: The third picture shows you just how fast this plant (the two...

They used to sell the tanks separately. Shame. In the uk you can buy a Allpondsolutions.co.uk optiwhite tank of almost the same dimensions. Might be an option if you don't want the light etc.

I had this 'problem' as well. Tap water was pH7.6, aquarium water with Tropica Aquasoil was pH7. So where is the 1pH drop? In the end I done two things: Took the average between the aquarium water and the tap water. (pH 7.3, so aimed for pH6.3 for 1 pH drop method). Used my Dropchecker to...

Hi in regards to the above does the fx6 canister fit inside the fluval roma 240 l tank?

I've read through most of this site about a year ago, I thought it was a pretty interesting read, but then I found many opinions online if people saying that some of it was actually not actually correct and/or very scientific, I've no idea either way as I am not a scientist, much of it is also...

Aquasoil (AS) with its Cation exchange capacity (CEC) buffers the tanks nutrients and pH, there can be a decrease in pH with some AS and this is normal. This drop in pH can be beneficial esp when your tap water is on the hard side as the decrease can improve the Fe availability to the plants...

Me too out of my depth

Hello, First of all I really love this forum and it helped me a lot in my aquascaping journey. However, i'm struggling to have a clear answer on a point : I read many times that the sweet spot of CO2 injection is a 1 pH drop. But, is that really achievable when using an aquasoil that buffer...

Basically, everything runs and grow's a lot faster when you run CO2. Therefore maintenance requirements increase as a result.

Hauling water is never pleasant, but is easier if you buy more of the 10L drums than less of the 25. You can carry and manouver 2 x 10 much more easily than a 1 x 25.

Aquarists, whether fish keepers, planted tank hobbyists,or just house plant, or gardeners are worldwide, so it's a great opportunity for us to help. I agree how this is is done is the dilemma. As example you dont want a captive breeding or growing programme for someone who may not be...

Given the title of the thread, I thought this was going to go the other way! Great little view that

I'm remembering now my reoccurring dream of leaving the tank lid open and all the fish just swimming up into the air and off down the street.. Seems to be less frequent now I have an open top tank 😀

As I as on this topic, it reminded me of this (very long) read. Covers aspects of oxygen, substrate (deep sand beds) and hydrogen sulfide. I found it quite interesting, albeit above my degree grade! https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/14-2-4-1-anaerobic-science/

You do know that Darrel is an advanced AI BOT right? Here is one of our members meeting @dw1305 for the first time. (For clarity, Darrel is the huggee, not the hugger).

It very much sounds like what you had came home with you - whether bacterial, transportation stress creating an outbreak or they were already on the way out and you got unlucky. Were they all happy and fine in the store? Had they been there for a while when you asked before purchase? It...

I’d suggest using RO or rainwater for that.

Unfortunately I think you are right. I am really torn on this topic. Cheers, Michael

Me too... Last time I went to my LFS I pointed it out to the owner and he said he just can't get good stock anymore... And I know he is trying to use good water - low TDS for soft water stock etc. and feed good live food from a controlled sources - Its really sad :( Darrel is one rare and...

Yeah light from Superfish not good as chihiros, but MD fishtanks has a lot of succeafull aquariums with that light. Filter goes directly to trash

I think the hobby has done a lot more harm than good for various endemic species from sensitive habitats. There are species that have practically disappeared from the wild due to the demand from the ornamental fish trade die to highly lucrative business for 'collectors' from the wild.

The only thing I would have done differently is wait till after the No Planaria treatment was finished and water-changed out before introducing new livestock. I don't know if it would have made a difference to the outcome but it would have ruled out a possible factor and an element of doubt, no...

The right mix of plants and fish will thrive in hard water. Don't expect to keep wild Discus or Apistos and fish from those kinds of habitats though. And plants like Toninas, Eriocaulons and Syngonanthus are definitely out of bounds, lol. Most 'non sensitive' fish will be ok once...

This is what I’m thinking, thanks. I think the other problem I have, and which is probably why I get algae, is less and less frequent water changes. I’ll be doing 50% weekly while the tank beds in (using old filters so fish-in cycling) so that should mean maybe 100L of RO a week will be ok, and...

Noted. Thanks.

Thank you so much! 🙏😊

Thank you very much indeed Michael. Two fish were dead when we got them home (9 miles from the LFS) They we’re quite nippy when being caught and the chap said he thought he might of crushed one so I assumed two were hurt during being caught for bagging. Noticed one dying on Sunday but there...

Hello, :wave: welcome to UKaps. 😀

To chime in on the question stated in the title: My only reservation with sand, fine sand especially, is lack of (or at least limited) flow throughout the substrate which indeed could cause buildup of toxic gasses if the tank is not well maintained. Cheers, Michael

Crypts and Vals tend to do well in hard water.

You've come to the right place! Dig in on our journals! Its a treasure trove of information and inspiration on aquascaping. Welcome to UKAPS! :) Cheers, Michael

Welcome to UKAPS! :) Cheers, Michael

I would go 60% RO/spotless and 40% tap and perhaps short a bit on the WC frequency / amount, but since you're running a CO2 tank - with a high metabolic rate - that may not be an ideal choice. Either way, make sure you don't burn out on the maintenance. Hauling 70 - 85 liters of water for your...

There should be no need to override anything, just entering the tank and dosing details it will hit your tanks target ppm. If the max target ppm isn't high enough it can be adjusted in 'Core settings' - although I wouldn't advise increasing it.

I often have dreams about tanks cracking or exploding. Not very fun!

Spotless water site not far from me… might be worth 50%tap, 50% spotless. Thanks, never heard of them!