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Thanks. I guess it’s all practice and getting to know the right balances etc so I think what I’ll do is fill my 30ltr bucket with 10% hot and then check the temp once the cold is added. When I add the dechorinator, does is need mixing via air stone/whisk? Sorry for all the questions!

Yep, that's exactly what I do :) I literally pour maybe 10% hot water + 90% cold in a 50L water change. I think it's better to add colder water (less than tank temp) and let it warm up in the tank, rather than add water that's too hot. In my experience that seems to stress the fish out, whereas...

2 years ago I entered the BAC 2022 and won the 3rd place in the European category with this biotope ecosystem. My submission was censored by the BAP team, so my category judge Allain Gireg received heavily modified data and was not able to judge it properly. Data in my both Biotope in nature...

Many thanks. This may be so blatantly obvious I can’t believe I never thought of it but can you use water from the hot tap mixed with some cold and let it cool to the right temp before adding to the tank?

I've got the two in a couple tanks and noticed the Quadricostatus is growing a lot better than the Tenellum Green, which seems to be slower spreading and also suffer more melt. These are reasonably new setups (fish been in for 2 months), no CO² and minimal feet at the moment. Both were...

Hi barrwarr, looking good! Your water hardness will affect what you can stock - as an example, I have very soft water and struggle to keep shrimps and snails thriving. If you have access to rainwater, you can use that instead for a softer tank - that's what @dw1305 does, but I know it's not...

Not sure if this will show the flow of the bar……. I do have a heater in the bucket with the water change water, I just thought it would take quite a bit of time to heat to the right temp.

I looked into a ground/water source heat pump to yield a x6 gain, a short while back and my conclusion was its too early to commit, as the units are still in there infancy, cost of electric is too high to run them and there output is low ATM. To make my oil fire central heating future proof I...

Show us a picture of how much surface agitation you get with just the spray bar. I would just buy a heater, and heat the water during the water change process. Speeds up the process.

I would probably leave water column dosing a few weeks then as the plants are in active growth. Just stick to size of tank gallons and dose as to instructions for Tropica Specalised at water change

If that Limnophila is growing and healthy you can soon start dialing down the water changes and I would be incredibly sparing with any additional fertiliser as it's not really required particularly given you have new substrate (a 10l bucket once a week or less is as much of a water change as my...

The tank might well flourish, it might not but that's how we learn. For example: some of the plants listed as "easy" just refuse to grow for me. I've tried a couple of times, with and without CO2, so I've come to the conclusion that my combination of tap water, substrate etc. just doesn't suit...

Quick update: I was away from home for a few days and did maintenance on the 60P when i got back yesterday. Did a water change, cleaned the glass and siphoned the sand in front(tank after the session in first picture). Diatoms are still a thing but nothing major, tiny specks of green spot algae...

Thanks Paraguay. When i do dose, how much would you recommend and when?

Thank you Bradders. Yes, the spray bar is on the left but the water in the back right where the heater is doesn’t get much movement at all. I thought the water might take a day or two to reach the right temp - I use a 30ltr tub so would this warm up within a few hours?

I usually dose weekly at water change on low tech, this is a new set up with tropica soil so water column dosing maybe not a priority just yet

I would say that adding water dechlorinator and also waiting 4 or 5 days is not necessary. To give you an example, I draw from the tap, add the right amount of dechlorinator, heat and it’s in the tank within the hour. All my chlorine testing showed that the chlorine and chlorimines were quickly...

Tetra Aquasafe is ideal for small to medium aquariums

Morning, I have posted a couple of question already regarding my nearly set up tank but have been advised to start a journal for all the other questions so that folk have a bigger/better picture. So, I set up a Ciano 60 three weeks ago. I’m using the filter that came with the tank, 2x 8W...

Thanks for this. We are with Octopus and they support the solar install process, unfortunately they won't as yet put panels on our flat roof We will probably wait until they do.

Very skittish to the point of being uninterested in food. A lot of huddling together at the bottom of the tank. I think I've seen half of them eat baby brine shrimp, everything else (multiple kinds of small sinking dry food and frozen bloodworms) has been rejected. If I spy on them I see a...

Hi Ady, Fantastic tank... definitely looks super natural, mate. I have had enough battles with bugs in my plant collections. Even on my DOOA h36 setup, I noticed white root mealybugs or scale. I hate bugs... and I would rather deal with them first and replant the top section. The fern is super...

I love the planting placeholders! I also recently got some Kali Tawa rainbow juveniles, they'd been on my list for a while. When you say they're stressed, in what way?

I was leaning that way, but I'm not sure I could make them work with the rainbows now. That said, there's something up with these rainbows that I don't like. They are stressed at a minimum and hopefully that's it, but I tend to be pessimistic about these things. I'm doing what I can to help...

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to be very cynical of 99% of the products sold by the industries that sell to the aquarium hobbyist. Reading these forums will give you a very good feel for products that are genuinely worth while because most of us will have spent far too much...

Ok. Based on the tropica website, the plants I have don’t really require CO2 injection (which I didn’t really want to have to do) - will the tank flourish without doing so? Thanks.

The co2 booster is useful for algae control but is not a substitute for co2 injection.

Awesome, thanks! These are very intimating collections, both of the orchids and broms. Don't even know where to start to find ones suitable for these open paludarium conditions. Best if I message the shops.

Mine have been off for two hours now, and it's the same as when it was on.

Thanks. Shall I stop adding the CO2 booster liquid then? Does it actually do anything beneficial? I feel scammed if not! With regards to the fertiliser, the amount is slightly confusing me. Some websites give a different dosage rate compared to the Tropica website. Also, although the tank is...

Ah I see, thanks! I did wonder why the IFC calcs weren’t matching. Thank you! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your chemicals are fine. However, that ratio is not by weight but by PPM that you add. You’ll need to use the IFC fert calculator to work out how much of each you need to add to reach your desired values.

Tropica specialised nutrition is an all round NPK fertiliser, so that’s fine, although I’d recommend TNC complete as it’s better value for money. I wouldn’t bother with the CO2 booster liquid as it doesn’t actually add any CO2. Regarding water changes, 50% weekly is fine and necessary as you’re...

This is mine currently. It's due to go off any minute. Should it maintain these readings even when off?

Hmmm. It could be swim bladder, from what I understand it’s usually a derivative of other health problems rather than a primary. Do you have a quarantine for him by any chance?

I would like to have a jungle like yours, but my shrimp is eating some of my plants. I feed them daily and put plenty of food, but they find the limnophila sessiliflora tastier. So, they eat the food and the plants. But they won’t touch the java fern and the anubias. I need to buy shrimp proof...

When you first connect it all together you will have a pressure value say you set it to 3. When you then open the valve to start dispensing the co2 into the tank, the pressure drops a little maybe to 2.9 or suchlike.

Apologies as I'm sure been asked a million times before. I've just moved over to RO. 2 reasons, first because I wanted to... second because on a recent water change I lost some fish and shrimp, after testing tap water afterwards it was way out of whack from it's usual stand point so RO gives...

Hmm, I will keep an eye on mine. The canister pressure seems stable but I'm sure the working pressure dropped. Will check again later!

The females have all fattened up nicely, two in particular are hugely fat and I hope I may soon get spawn. It seems I have four females and two males which is a stroke of luck. The only updated observation I have on these is that they really, really like live daphnia much more than I would have...

Evening, New to keeping a tank so if anyone can offer some advice, that would be much appreciated. I set up this 58ltr Ciano tank about 3 weeks ago - it’s got Tropica soil, 2x 8w leds (built into hood) and a 13.5W led (I added this as the hood lights aren’t that bright), the filter that came...

If you send me a stamped addressed padded envelope, I can gift you my leftover Snailsafe. Fire me a DM if you’re interested. I’m in Ashford, Kent if your local. Or you can order it from GARNELENHAUS Delivery to UK is about £9 so will cost £17 instead of £8.50.

What I was thinking also. I think I've had him around 1 year? Not sure of age when I purchased him.

Well, not a guru, but mine has not moved from this in 28 days.

Question for the CO2 gurus, is it normal for the working pressure on the regulator to drop during operation?

Seems like he cannot get buoyant. How old is the fish?

Concept 3

He seems to not be moving much from the bottom of the tank. He's only with ember tetra's, otto's and amano shrimp - all livestock has only ever lived in this tank, no issues with any other fish/shrimp. Attached a video :(

It’s my choice if using tap water.

Well, there is some if you look hard enough! But I have been very lucky and quite surprised that I have not had major diatom/algae breakout. I have not been busting the limits of CO2 and have been laser-focused on Dissolved Oxygen. (Thanks, @dw1305 —you hooked me onto that now!). Lights have...

Interesting idea, I'll give it a try. Thanks

Is the Seachem Prime one of the better brands to use on tap water when doing water changes? Thanks.

Can you fit bendy wood round a couple of the rocks & have branches sticking out of the side? It would create a soft s-shape in wood, anchored by the rocks. Plenty of room behind for planting & branches for epiphytes to grow along. Or am I being too arty! 🖌️

My Nerite has regularly been found on the kitchen work top, having escaped from the feeding hole on a lidded aquarium. If I forget to put the little cover on, he escapes. I;ve now moved him to a different aquarium and managed to very nearly throw him out on to the lawn during a water change...

Concept 2. Yeah or meh?

Thanks guys! I've set it up on a timer but currently still not running any light. I will be draining the tank before I plant but hopefully by testing now I can get it dialled in as you say!

Thanks for the advice wooki, that’s really helpful! The blue eye neons are absolutely gorgeous, and i think would work better for me. I am very keen on copellas, but won’t get them until i can pass my driving test and go to Runcorn. It’s a significantly longer journey on public transport! My...

I love that big boomerang bit, could you flip it so it’s like a ships hull? With the rest of your layout that could give some cool Viking ship style vibes.

Hi all, ive isolated the plant out in the hallway of my building and the isolation/ colder temps seem to have helped. Or, ive just released them outside of my flat! I will repot with fresh soil and reintroduce the Synonium back to it’s rightful place after ive fed the fish a little treat. Thanks...

Glueing it down may not be needed if you go for heavy hardscape on top. Also, a valve may be better than leaving a gap as it will reduce dirt getting in (raised off the floor) plus you could regulate how fast the water re enters. I would get some Tupperware storage boxes and have a go at a...

One thing you could try and do is move the boomerang shaped wood so that it follows the curve of the other roots/ azalea (?) pieces. Then you could get a more natural flow. Sherpa design has some good videos explaining / demonstrating this technique :) have you considered cutting the...

My RCS are pretty bullet proof, I have them in a unheated tank in cellar without a heater and maintenance/WC are infrequent ATM and they are fine

Trying to dial in the CO2 before livestock is a great idea, doing it before plants is even better IMO. As if the CO2 is dialled in correctly before the tank is planted then the plants only have to get use to the new 'stable' CO2 levels and not the fluctuating levels of CO2 you get when dialling...

I've done various renovations over the years and took a deep dive in to air source heat pumps for the last one. I quickly came to the conclusion it'd only be efficient enough to justify the initial outlay in a passive type house. As @Ehcosbie above, and underfloor heating is needed to get the...

Hi all, Not sure at all, I'd probably just harden the water up a little bit and make sure they have a good diet? I sometimes wonder about having a harder water tank for <"Theodoxus fluviatilis">, and if I did? I'd definitely keep them with Cherry Shrimps. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm not a CO2 user, but I think people tend to get their CO2 levels dialled in while they don't have any fish etc. You can play with where to put the drop checker etc., before you have any plants. Once you have plants in they will use some CO2, but at that point you are only doing...

@Bradders oh bless you thank you for asking. I’ve lost 12 green neons - I’ve got 6 left. They’ve still got some white patches on them but are schooling with the others and I just gave them a tiny bit of food and treated again with the malachite green yesterday. Really hoping they make 😞 but I’m...

Thanks everybody for v useful intell.

I’m not bothered about the Shrimps, as I made the mistake of having a couple of colours they all eventually reverted to their natural boring colour. I can now buy a single colour and start again, provided I get the water parameters correct. I should add that it’s taken a couple of years for them...

No, maintenance would be a hassle, although if it's empty (apart from water) I don't think there'll be anything you need to do inside of it. One option could be to use some kind of plastic food container with a strong lid that locks in place, and glue the lid to the bottom, that way you can...

So okay to test then? I know it's a waste of co2 but just want to make sure it all works.

Hi - I have a 30cm cube nano with just shrimps. I was going to add a few Nerite snails to help with the algae - they seem to do a good job in my main tank. My main tank is rimmed and so escape-bids are very rare. Do people find that Nerites are continually getting out of rimless tanks? I...

Hi all, Not while the light is off. cheers Darrel

Hi all, so I'm very new to co2 and have a tank setup ready to go and plants on order. I've been dark starting the tank for 3 weeks and I've just rigged up the co2 ready for the delivery of plants this weekend. Would it be okay to run the c02 on a timer as a test before I plant or will it have a...

Been spraying a few times a day, just now waiting for a couple of plants to be delivered and then I will fill 👍 that then allows me to play with the pump and start thinking about the above water section.

Currently, I’ve been thinking about @Tyko_N’s suggestion, as it doesn’t seems to have noticable pipework and also inexpensive. But I can’t seems to figured out how to do a maintenance on the box once it attached to the tank. Maybe an “air displacement box” within a sump would be quite cool.

Selfishly I hope you add a group of bolivian rams, I've always fancied a group of those and I'd love to see how they act in a group in a lovely planted tank like this. They aren't super colourful, but those faces are SO cute and clearly very intelligent!

I think 28 days should be sufficient. I'd be inclined not to fully trust the nitrite reading. Lovely looking tank and not a bit of diatom - well done!

Every water change, you can use the IFC Fert calculator to work out how much to add.

Good morning, yes I am aware that it is probably more Biotope-ish or even loosely themed than an actually Biotope. I have a spare 24 Lite tank that I have been cycling at the same time (using the same method) just in case the pair don't get on. Do you still have any Api Api? I've been searching...

I guess it’s probably worth mentioning this isn’t a strict biotope 😬👍 but they’re a lovely fish, however males and females aren’t always friends so you should think about how you can separate them when needed. It took me months to give away api api… These fish need rain water, if they’re wild...

Hi all, You are probably adding some magnesium (Mg) with your fertiliser? I'd aim to add about 5 ppm, it isn't really for the shrimps, it is much more the plants. Sorry to hear that. In my experience Cherry shrimps are absolutely fine in hard, alkaline water, it is soft water that kills them...

I have an ecodan heat pump and have had it circa ten years. The heatpump makes the most noise when it is heating the water over 40degrees. Hot water Cylinder holds the heat really well, so we programmed the hot water to only come on 06.00-07.00 and 16.00-17.00. Does my family of four fine with...

Lovely tank btw. Like a stag emerging from the forest.

Very pretty!

Decided that I would pull the trigger today and order the fish for this tank, expecting delivery in a couple of weeks

If he doesn't break the ice, in a few days he will only see dead fish under the ice. I have been wintering my medaka in my garden since 2017

@Goldie Prawn - I am slightly nervous about asking, but I thought I had better check in to see how things were progressing.

I would say it is pretty full, but not as packed as some people I have seen, as there is a large open space at the front. The plants are growing (it has been 28 days from setup to now) - especially the ones at the back, but I am still suffering from a little surface oil, and I have not trimmed...

Can’t help with heat pumps, but I have solar system on my house and our business (a factory). Both are very good and we’ve seen a massive decrease in bills during the sunnier periods. To answer your solar questions directly: Yes you only receive a fraction of the unit price when supplying...

Assuming James the planted tank guy got his calculations correct, add the 2g per 25L that he suggests, at every water change. (Based on volume of water change water, not based on tank volume.) That actually sounds like quite a lot but a large percentage of the Epsom salts is just water so it is...

I have an old solar setup (several years old now). The solar electric system often shows the house as zero energy use when the sun is out. We don’t actually get paid accurately for energy we don’t use. Instead we get paid half of what the panels generate regardless of how much I did or did...

Tank is looking great so far, well done! Currently in the planning phase of one with the exact dimensions as yours. I need to try an auction one day too.

@jameski how long have you had them? If not that long go back to the shop ,they more than likely would have same issue

You would still need a little KH though, so would suggest reducing the calcium sulphate and adding a small percentage of tap water. (to add carbonate and calcium while reducing sulphates)

I’ve been doing that already and the shrimps still died out. I could add some Epsom salts I suppose but exactly how much and how often? I’d like to get some more shrimps as they’re great at helping to keep the tank clean, but I don’t want to risk harming the Corydoras. I’m not one for using...

The only people I know with an air heat pump hate it because it is loud enough to keep them awake at night. I think they had it moved further away from the house which was better but did not completely solve the problem. (They were doing a new build and could spec the increased diameter copper...

How full of plants is the tank?

Alternatively, just use magnesium sulphate and calcium sulphate. The fabulous IFC Fert calculator can help you calculate based on the ratios and GH you wish to achieve.

14 days later and the nitrites have gone down to just a shade of very light pink, but not white. I really expected the addition of the mature sponge to greatly decrease the nirtrites quickly! But its heading in the right direction.