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I think it’s oxygen related but I’ve only ever had it once, in my inert sand tank. I use them also, they do help oxygenate the substrate with their burrowing :)

MTS is your solution.

love these, they’ve got great colour already for juveniles. Rainbows normally take a long time to colour up so these should look amazing once they’re full grown. I was tempted to get some but went for their bigger cousins Melonataenia Mairasi. Rainbowfish are very underrated, it’s a shame that...

I am also very happy with this seller. Multiple good experiences.

Download the app Band and have a look on there. I’ve bought some really nice shrimp from a seller on Band. I think a few others on this forum have bought shrimp on there too.

I put tropica sand ontop of tropica soil at the front of my aquarium, as I planted a carpet and thought that it would grip the small plants better. I now have cyanobacteria in that area. I understand that cyanobacteria can start in the substrate when there is a lack of oxygen (happy to be...

Re-checked my pH just before CO2 turns off and I'm at around 6.4. Not as low as i thought to be fair.

Agree on this.

If it helps here is the seller I bought from. Prices are about 10% cheaper if you buy via messaging on Facebook but I found eBay to be safer for a first time purchase...

Just want to say I’m in complete awe about your rockpool tank 😍 my family’s favourite thing to do is exploring rock pools when we go to Bamburgh, Northumberland. Even a teacup size pool holds so much life! Your tank and pictures are amazing.

I've used bestaquariumshrimps and discount.aquatics.bolton both were fine. If you want very red then go for bloodymary as @Spartacus and @Little suggest

Hi all, Iron (Fe) is definitely a <"two-edged sword">, and you just need to have a <"Goldilocks zone"> amount. One issue is that, if you have a large excess of iron ions in solution <"you can start to precipitate out"> phosphate (PO4---) etc. This is the<" mode of action"> of Phosban etc. The...

With iron, unless you actually have a deficiency more is not necessarily better. I had what I thought was perfectly good plant growth in both high-tech and low-tech set-ups including with floating plants in the low-tech - in my case Salvinia minima What is the “Duckweed Index” all about? - and...

I agree. The fact that they say things like "you should throw away cheap biomedia such as foam, and replace with BIOMAX" speaks volumes.

I love Green Aqua's content, but remember that they are also a store and it's in their interest to push premium goods, I'll let you make up your own mind. I am using JBL volcano mineral for crushed lava.

Thanks @megwattscreative , for sure!

I bought 20 Bloody Mary from a seller on eBay and couldn’t have been happier. One unfortunately passed away in transit. Seller had sent a total of 24 to cover any potential losses. They are very red and worked out about 30% cheaper than local walk in shops. Happy to advise of which seller but...

Righty-ho, I’ll get myself some Chempack then 👍

Hi all, No, not at the levels we use it at. Iron (Fe) availability is the difference between "some" and "none", but "some" can be a very small number (~ 0.2 ppm). It is iron (ferrous) gluconate, so it really depends on how <"hard and alkaline your water is">, but normally it is a lot less...

Will do. This may be a silly question but the Chempack Iron you mention says it is harmful to aquatic life - I assume that’s not strictly true if I’m able to add it to my tank? I have seen the Seachem Flourish Iron isn’t a chelate, is that no good?

I`m not sure, but according to some Green Aqua tutorisal, it is really good to have base layer fertilization substrate. Which brand crushed lava are you using?

There’s so many different variations too, all different colours ranging from vivid red, orange or green. Beautiful species

This is gorgeous, Courtney!! Could I share some photos on the ukaps ig? :)

I use a small pestle & mortar to crush up my fish food, but I'm sure there's more efficient ways that use less manpower :D

I will soon be doing the substrate for a 120x50x50cm tank, I'm going to be using small layer of Tropica Substrate on the bottom (since I have a spare bag), then main layer of Tropica Soil, then a thin layer of Tropica Sand on the top (same as soil but just smaller particles), I may add some...

Hi all, I received some dart frog tadpoles at the end of August, thought it might be of interest to document their progress as I strive to raise them to adulthood. This is my first time raising tadpoles, so it's been a continual learning process, but so far so good. The basic premise is growing...

I'd suggest at least 10 in that size of tank if you are happy with costs, some places overcharge on shrimp quite dramatically. If you want to encourage breeding, i've always found neocaridina to do better in harder water with higher tds, certainly compared to caridina.

To kind, The IFC makes it all possible, which I happen to start the ball moving on, but many helped esp @Hanuman and it was building on the foundations of what other had already done and the wealth of free information on the net. I do tend to say it as I see it - which does get me into trouble...

Would love an update on your buce experiment if you have any to share!

Hi all, We're trying to revive the ukaps Instagram & Facebook. I wanted to ask if anyone would like to share their tanks/photos & their Instagram handles so I can share and credit you on Instagram :) Note: we are purely promoting aquascaping, our journals and encouraging people to go to the...

Both the grit and the rocks contain calcium carbonate, which would slowly dissolve in the soft rain water and raise GH and KH in tandem, until an equilibrium point is reached. I don't know a great deal about Axolotls but I believe they favour a medium to high pH and medium to hard water (medium...

You can look for “bloody mary” shrimp. They are Neocaridina so have a preference for harder water. Mine are quite deep red.

Hi all, Thanks @Zeus. I know you are "the man that can" in these situations - <"TNC Complete Aquarium Plant Food & Nutrients 500ml">. That is the real problem, sorting out <"the wheat from the chaff">, particularly when there are lots of <"magic bullet vendors">, who are just after your money...

Its a bit like painting skirting boards 'which I happen to be doing ATM', bits of dust/imperfections here and there and getting a perfect straight line to the wall is a PITA. Once finished and the next day standing from a distance it looks great as your not focused on the detail. We dont worry...

I have CO2 injected tank with RO water. To ensure that snails are healthy I reminiralize water to 4dgh. I have ramsorns, mts, nerite, nerite horn. I think i have around 500 snails in 800 liter tank and I should say this guys are amazing and keeping my tank clean and healthy.

Tank is looking great. I bet you enjoy every moment looking 😉

Hello! Yes it is upgrade. Actually I did not had much success with my 180 (it was my first one) I need to do a lot of adjusments, especially with root tabs. So now I would like to avoid mistakes as much as possible. But for this size tanks it gonna cost money :D So I dont want to do something...

Perfect, that’s great. I’m very slowly getting a bit more clued up with how to do things!

That's what l do l just increase, as plants show active growth, in one aquarium l use houseplants emmersed so l guess l can put more in. Finding l only dose once a week at water change works better for me than daily

No, it doesn't tint the water at all.

Well your low tech ATM so I would use the standard dose and see how it goes, you can always dose a bit more if unsure. As long as the ferts are in abundance your fine, just watch the plants.

Someone more knowledgeable can answer, but thinking just like remineralising a soft water aquarium ,won't alter too much

Thank you @Zeus. , my tank is only 58l and low tech so doesn’t seem viable to do diy. So, I think based on this, I’ll get some TNC but I’m not entirely sure how much I would need to dose. Although I’ve read the EI section, I’m not really sure how much and how often?

Hi Guys, I’ve finished my new scape and I am looking to add one type of cherry shrimp. I want something super red but most of the local fish shops have low grade cherry shrimp. Where would you recommend I look to buy from? I have some amanos already and they will be with Danios, Neon Tetras...

Thanks for replying, the GH & KH, would this work out ok from adding oyster / limestone to rainwater ?

And You can also resuse a salt/pepper grinder to crush the pellets up. I do thios with the Left oVer Hikari Massivore/Carnivore and Cichlid Gold pellets

The difference between TSN and TNC isn't much in real terms, and both are suitable for low tech tanks short answer to which is best TNC works out cheaper Long Answer - I have used a 100litre tank for this, bigger the tank the more it costs or bigger saving going DIY. a TSN clone A TNC Clone...

Does it tint the water at all?

This is beautiful, can see why it is your favourite

Ok, that’s great, thanks. I’ve seen so many different ones, be that ones that contain various things to ones for just iron etc…hopefully @Zeus. will be able to provide some much needed help!

If I recall correctly this is you upgrading from the 180cm tank? You like your nano tanks 😄 Any reason to not just use the same substrate system as your previous tank if it worked well for you? Edit - Only active substrate I have experience with is Tropical Soil, which I've had good experience...

I've pretty much left the tank to "do it's thing" in regards to algae. So in the tank there is my main rock island, this has mostly been used to baffle the direct flow of my return so there are patches of rather "unsightly" algae that I actually quite like, I've seen the trio feeding around this...

Hello dear members. Soon I will setup a new aquarium with size 250x70x80(70 water level). It will be heavly planted high tech aquarium. I need advice regarding the substrate.My plant is: 3cm high Dennerle Denponix Mix 10 in 1 as base layer. The base will capped with aquasoil around 5cm high and...

Hadnt thought about that, good idea!

Ah maybe there is some hope then! I try to be very careful with over feeding so I also thought that starvation could be another cause. I put in some blanched spinach leaves in and my shrimps swarmed it but the snails seem uninterested so far.

A pill-crusher would be a good way to grind down granules to a smaller size: https://amzn.eu/d/77j1LWe

I have a tub, plant storage and a shrimp breeding, that has a ph of around 5.5 to 6 and is full of ramshorn snails. It's so full of snails that it's spotless, no algea whatsoever, and incidentally probably not ideal for shrimp breeding. Never mind. It was a happy accident, I introduced them...

I can't be 100% on this because it's very hard to tell from a photo, however, because they don't describe their foam as polyether, it's fairly safe to assume it isn't. This is simply because it does tend to cost a bit more so those who are selling it make a point of justifying the price hike, by...

Thank you!

My CO2 turned off about 3 hours ago and currently my pH is 7.0 - 6.8. I don't have a KH test kit currently but my GH is 10. my current shrimp seem to be doing fine and i've had them in for almost 3months now.

Thanks! Yesss, the hobby needs more coldwater marines 💪 I’ll look forward to seeing it

The fish colours are really good, perfect conditions for them

Looks great, planning on doing something similar next year 😊

Yes, shrimps. However, what is your pH, GH and KH?

Hi All, I purchased some ramshorn snails for the high tech CO2 injected tank and all seemed fine and they've even had a bunch of offspring but then the big ones started to die and I couldnt figure out why. My shrimps were fine and breeding and my fish seem to be fine, nitrogen levels are in...

Hi all, You can buy an "all in one" fertiliser and dose it as recommended. @Zeus. Will be able to advise you of which one is the best value for money. Cheers Darrel

I noticed that they seem very popular in sim setups! Very cool. After the stress of doing the measuring myself, the building part was enjoyable, as you said it’s like Lego/Meccano.

Lovely tank, lovely fish, and lovely photography 🙂

I haven't really had them long enough to answer your questions accurately. As for maximum size, mine have not got that far, but from all reports its around the same as Neos. As for temperament, they are certainly more active than the Neos in the same tank, but not greedy for food like amanos...

What kind of size are the Green Babaultis @hamfist? They look larger than most neos or caridina. Since they're okay in warmer waters im interested to try some. Would you say they have a similar boisterous temperament as amanos?

Heres a nice shot of some of my favourite anemones in the tank, would really love to add to this little Actinia Garden. I used small chunks of alfagrog around the base of the rocks to add some details to the scape, luckily they seemed to blend in flawlessly to the main aged chalk rocks! You...

The good news is that you're not doing the test wrong; the bad news is that a lot of people think those strips are not great.

Without wanting to sound like an advert I’ve always used Pond, Aquarium And Fish Tank Filters | Finest-Filters Free postage on any order and a good range. Normally takes about 2 days. Now if you excuse me I need to ban myself for spamming advertising 🤣

I agree, I'd go with actual leaves if I was going to buy something. Shrimp in particular will enjoy them in the tank, so you might as well have all the benefits that go with it.

Photo dump from yesterday's cleanup. I also managed to get a (slightly blurry) picture of the juvenile Rainbowfish. You can see all the different colours as they flash, and even the female is brightly coloured.

I run all my tanks with a temperature controller, usually easy to hide the probe behind plants or pipework. Also allows you to have more control over your heater, things like how many degree's the water temperature can fall until the heater kicks in so you can have say, a 3 degree window of...

Not recieved it yet, but recently made an order from here: QUICK DRY RETICULATED FOAM AVAILABLE AT THE FOAM SHOP - The Foam Shop [removed]scohi[removed] Only place I could input dimensions and get cut to exact size.

I've got some, I add a little in each tank after a water change. No idea if it's doing anything or not so I'll probably not purchase it again....doesn't really help you much either way but it wasn't expensive so figured I'd try it.

Add few drops of vinegar and if you see bubbles it means it’s limestone 😊

Sounds right to me.

Ok, thanks. I’ll be completely honest, I’m not the most savvy when it comes to all this chemistry etc. All I’m wanting is to provide everything my plants are going to need to ensure they are healthy and look good. I know it’s a very broad question but is there an ‘all-round’ combination of...

Some gratuitous close ups

When I bought my batch (around a decade ago) I sadly knew nothing about their dietary needs. All but one died. My one male adapted to eating "normal" fish food, pellets etc and has apparently just thrived on it. I am ashamed to say that the rest just starved to death I think. What are you...

Oooh this is good info - is that certain? It was on the South coast if that helps.

Hi all, Yes, Stephan Tanner is Swiss and was already very much a Poret foam fan before he went to the USA. Words after my own heart. Personally I've got a lot of time for Dr Tanner <"Aquarium Biofiltration - SWISSTROPICALS">, he is a high powered research scientist by day, so <"Swiss...

Hi Darrel - it's a bit circuitous but I meant the branding was American as a marketing ploy to make it somehow automagically different from every other polyether foam under the sun. That's the line Swiss Tropicals takes in marketing it to our American friends. I'm being excessively nit-picky...

Hi all, You can't effectively test for plant available iron (Fe). <"Unscrupulous vendors"> will sell you a kit, but they are just after your money, not your (or your plants) well being. The plants are a really sensitive indicator of whether you have plant available iron, this is because iron...

Well then. It turns out that some of the stone in my tank is limestone/seiryu. I've had it since around 2010 when I set up my first tank. I've just tested a bit that's not being used and it fizzes under white vinegar. So that's the Ca+ sorted then,! If I wanted to add 5mg/l Mg+, that would be...

thank you sir for the advice, I will implement it. I will buy a pot or two of limnophila and add it as floating plants. Did some testing: KH 5 GH 8 Mg 6 ppm Fe 0,05 ppm PO4 0,1ppm NO3 1ppm K >15ppm Seems like the NO3 and PO4 are pretty low, so I am going to increase the weekly EI dosage by...

Hi all, Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, two "changing clocks" news items on the same day Close, but no cigar. "Churchill Time" apparently -<"Clocks go back but Bedfordshire MP urges longer daylight saving">. Unfortunately it looks like the "forces of darkness" are also spoiling for...

Thanks yet again Darrel. I’ll read up on Iron - should I test for this down the line or just look for physical signs on the plants? I have seen the link to the Iron supplement (Chempack) in your quoted post - would you recommend getting some for when the time comes? I have made a few changes to...

I think it's worth getting an additional temperature controller to plug the heater into. All heaters fail eventually and bimetallic strip heaters are more prone to failure by design. I set the heater a few degrees above what I want, set the temp controller to what I want with the target, min and...

It's aliiiiiive!! Just spotted a tiny whitecloud darting out of the limnophila sessiliflora at feeding time. Must be no more than 1cm long, but lovely colours and very active chasing the food as it settles down through the water and then darting back into cover. Can't believe it - one...

Hi all, You are likely to see issues with iron (Fe) availability first, as the <"cation exchange capacity"> of the substrate begins to become exhausted. This is because iron forms a <"lot of insoluble compounds"> in harder, more alkaline water. Have a look at <"What is the “Duckweed Index” all...

Very true FrozenShivers - I will just get my nano fish first then get other fish in due course. I have ordered some No Planaria powder which should be here in a few days. I see no planaria kills some types of snails but I THINK Ramshorn snails are OK with no planaria 😊

That was a VERY helpful video. Thanks for the link. I have around 20 mixed rasboras in this shoal - mostly harlequin but a few lambchops and a few glow lights. They are all roughly 3 years old and the number has shrunk over time. Seems like a good idea to build it back up.

Thanks!

Plus for those wishing to blend their own fert regimes or clone a commercial fert, Solufeed 2:1:4 and others can be used on the IFC calculator alongside other salts So there is no excuse to not use Solufeed 2:1:4

Yes, I have used Tropica soil. With regards to how my plants will fare over time once the soil exhausts - as I have all ‘easy’ care plants, will they be badly affected? In time, will I need to add root tablets alongside dosing the Tropica premium nutrition? There is just so much to learn!

Ive used these guys in the past with great service.