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Just to throw in another perspective. I've used 3 different pH controllers over the years, if I think about all the money I've spent on them and extra probes etc it's probably close to £1000. I have stopped using them because I've come to the conclusion that they offer very little benefit...

Sorry about that, uploaded them to a different site so should be visible now.

Apologies for the alarmist title, but I learned a lesson which I think all TMC signature tank owners (and perhaps other branded tanks) can also learn from. Long story short, if your cabinet starts to exhibit any of the symptoms described and pictured below, beware that this can cause enough...

In my experience, pearling only occurs under high light conditions. I have a carpet of HC, only the section directly underneath the lights pearls, the other parts of the carpet not so much.

Well, like you, I struggled to find the balance for a very long time. I bought these lights and started out at 50% - I saw algae, so I figured I needed to turn the lights down. How wrong I was. I spent the next year killing hundreds of pounds worth of plants. Finally, I'd decided to whack them...

I feel bad for not seeing this post originally. I could have told you it was the lights. TMC LED's might look bright, but turns out their total trash in my opinion.

Don't know, but they may not be fertilised so don't pay too much mind to them.

Sounds like that bottle will do everything frequent water changes will do. I'm no scientist, but it really does sound too good to be true. I imagine there is some truth to what he says, but I've never used or needed a product like this to maintain a tank.

They'll be fine, just rinse them with fresh water and don't let them dry out else they'll become un-waterlogged (for want of a better word). Usually with wood, I've found that after the first week or 2, I'll start to see a white slime appear all over the wood. This will disappear on it's own...

There isn't much hardscape so either configuration would have little advantage over the other. I'd really recommend stainless steel over glass. You will break them, no matter how careful you are.

My attitude is that anyone who runs a single stage reg, with live stock in the tank, should assume that it will EOTD and not just hope for the best. Otherwise you're pretty reckless in my opinion.

Haven't used it before so can't comment on the quality, but it's a single stage regulator which means when the bottle starts to run out, depending how low the CO2 gets, you will experience an 'end of tank dump' - read up about this, lots of info available. Needless to say, you don't want this...

Light.

Absolute rubbish. The bubbles may build up, but they will never build up strong enough to pop the lilly pipes off - they'll escape through the pipe long before this ever happens.

Probably the PSU, but if you have the tile on a controller it could be that as well - my tiles start to do the same if I set them above 96%.

What you've done there is completely correct. That's a 'push on' connector, to get the tube off again you just lift up the top most ring but it can be a little stiff. I'd advise you to turn your CO2 diffuser around, looks like it's upside down. You want the CO2 tube going in from the top. The...

You'll be fine. I had zero algae growth (or plant growth for that matter) with them set at 40% for 8 hours a day. I doubt 1-5% for 14+ hours will have any affect.

Fish do not care about pH.

Sounds like too much light, may need to raise them or lower the intensity if you can. Also, it won't hurt to have your CO2 on 2 hours before lights on/off instead of 1.

Probably 3, but you need more hardscape to work with if you want to make anything really impressive. I know the struggle though, it's hard to find and it's expensive AF.

So my tank is doing much better with the extra light, I almost have a complete carpet of HC but it's looking a bit dark in places. I think this is attributed to the same thing that's affecting some leaves on my Staurogyne. Can anyone help identify what it is? I don't know if it's algae or a...

I'd start at 50% then work forwards from there. I have lots of experience killing plants due to not enough light. If they start to go pale, then eventually transparent, you don't have enough light. I now run my 3 TMC LED 400's without a controller (100%) about 5 inches from the surface and...

Does the tank get hit by any other light? Is it next to a window?

You know what would be really cool, if you could incorporate the tablet display to run across the front panel of your tank. There's got to be clear, LCD displays out there, right?

More HC, less stauro, bigger rocks.

Just keep doing water changes, I think the problem will resolve it's self eventually. I'm not an expert with T5's but 4 sounds like a lot.

Just another update, things have definitely improved since adding the extra light. I'm now running all 3 tiles at 100%, previously the middle tile was only at 50% but I figured I'd increase it and see what happens. The HC is looking much better than what it was previously. It's still a bit...

Plug the solenoid in so it's open then open the needle valve all the way, if you don't get any CO2 bubbles then the bottle is definitely empty. However, a small amount of pressure may remain, but nothing that's going to do any damage. Unplug the solenoid, and unscrew the regulator slowly, you...

Because your test kit is lying to you.

- how long is it safe to leave the filter unplugged during maintenance? I think you're good for at least 8 hours. - what's the best way to refill the tank after a water change and with what equipment? I use a bucket and a pump attached to a bit of hose pipe which has a spray bar on the end. I...

Is there anything that fish keepers can buy to test for Chloramine, like strips etc?

I'd advise you to get the gel kind also. Be aware that when it sets, it will turn white. There is a brand that does a black coloured gel which is a much better option.

If you start out with your lights set too high, you get algae, too low and your plants die. Speaking as someone who spent over a year killing plants because of not enough light, I'd suggest you start out at maximum then work your way backwards if your plants start to show signs of ill health...

Doesn't mean it can't be dimmed by some other means...

Nice find. Do you know if there's a way to dim these?

That's perfectly fine, just keep it wet and you're good.

One thing I'd say is that the plants died pretty quickly, it's either from too much light or not enough. I don't see any algae (which you would expect with too much light) so I would assume you do not have enough.

I love this scape, it looks very natural and your attention to detail with the smaller rocks is very impressive. In my opinion, the wood looks like it's just been dropped in there a looks out of place. I think the scape would benefit if it were removed. It's a nice piece though and I can see why...

I used to have this reactor. I wouldn't call it noisy, but you can hear a slight water trickling sound, it's quite minimal though. It's large so you'll need to make sure your filter is powerful enough as it will reduce flow quite significantly. I'd say it requires a filter rated for at least a...

I'll never buy an apple product as long as I live. From a support perspective, they are the most frustrating hardware to work with. It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't so over priced.

Speak to Paypal first of all. What's the name of the company? You do them no favours by protecting them. Have a rant about it on twitter, see how quickly they respond after that.

Monte Carlo is an easy growing carpet plant, I only speak from what I've read. HC/Glosso/Grass, in my experience will require lots of light. It will survive in low light, but it won't grow very noticeably.

Everyone breaks their first diffuser, or any glassware for that matter. You have to be so delicate with the stuff.

I do application support for a living. While I think what you've done is great and easy to use, it will still look scary to some people. Might be an idea to have a 'simple' mode that shows people how to make their own EI solution. They enter the size of their tank, what size bottle they have...

Use thicker bleach. Watering it down only makes it take longer.

If the valve is placed before the pump head, the pump head sucks the liquid through, this will possibly cause the tube walls to collapse due to the pressure and thus you're more likely to get air inside the tube. If the valve is placed after the pump head, the pump is pushing the liquid...

I don't think there's any thing wrong with your choice of plants, but you've got so much space in the tank you could utilise with more hardscape. If it were me, I'd go for big rocks all along the back, with wood creeping in between the gaps, sloping downwards towards the front. Might not look...

Welcome. Best piece of advice I could give you is you can never have too much hard scape. Big tanks with only a tiny centre piece just don't look right.

1. I think they mean closer to where the tube hangs over the tank, which actually makes a lot of sense. I might have to move mine now! 2. Try youtube, I'm sure you'll find one. 3. This will probably be covered by point 2 also, sorry I can't help more.

Better to get your CO2 sorted as soon as you put the plants in, definitely don't leave it. Strongly advise you to invest in a pH pen, I've had success with the cheap yellow ones from eBay that are £5-£10. Put the CO2 on 2 hours before lights on and aim for 1.0 pH drop by lights on. Your pH will...

Did you manage to cure the BBA? I'm starting to get a little on the substrate and know it will only get worse. I'm dosing liquid carbon and EI, and I'm pretty sure my CO2 is spot on. I'm not really sure what to change apart from lowering the light. I know I can spot treat it with the carbon...

Nice to hear someone having the same problems! Did you get any issues with algae?

Been thinking about getting some shrimp, they are next on my list actually. I've got 3 ottos and some assassin snails but I could definitely use some more.

Though it was about time I posted an update. I figured out that my problems all along were not having enough light, so I set the 2 tiles to 100% and left it for a about 4 weeks. Although the plants were surviving, they weren't really growing so I've added a 3rd tile running at 50% about 2 weeks...

It's a sound idea. as long as each plant gets enough exposure, there's no problem with spreading the light this way.

I've been doing water changes straight from the tap for years, fish have never been bothered by it.

I think for the plant to die off that quickly, it would be from not enough light/not enough CO2 or a combination. How are the other plants doing?

If you keep to the same routine, the carbon is always available, it doesn't matter when you dose.

My tank is roughly the same dimensions, and I have 2 of the same LED tiles. Let me save you over a years worth of struggle. I know you've read that most people set them quite low, to about 30% or so, but trust me, set them to 100% (you won't need a controller), suspend them about 15cm from the...

Best way I've found to get rid of snails, is to add more snails! Assassin snails.

It will be fine, but I'd try and rinse it as best you can and do some big water changes after it's in the new tank.

I've been trying to grow this plant for over a year. If it turned dark green, then eventually transparent, you didn't have enough light - or your lights aren't close enough to the substrate.

No worries, glad it will be of use! I've actually perfected the design with the mark 2 version so that the clamps no longer poke out of the top. Instead, I made a loop at the end of the cable, secured the loop using the clamps, then threaded a piece of coat hanger into the end of the clothing...

Try this! http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-project-low-cost-ikea-luminaire-for-tmc-led-tiles.33217/

They do make a hissing noise, but it's quite faint. Depends how clean the ceramic is.

I think that this hobby will only evolve once hard scape materials become more widely available. People, including my self, are limited to the type of scape they can create because of what they have access to. You'll never get away from the 'nature aquarium' though, the whole reason people are...

Had the same issues with the same plant, gave up in the end. Something I remember that helped a lot was to let the plants float for a couple of weeks until the roots started to grow, planting them after doing this seemed to help a lot.

Looks good, just hope you remembered to die down the wood, it will float for sure.

5-10 litres, what planet do you live on, Mercury? My tank is 100L (open top) and I probably lose about 1 Litre a day. What's your water temperature at? Can't offer much advise with regards to overstocking, I'm not sure if there is a general rule that applies. Post a video of your tank here...

Looks good, very natural and suits the shape of the tank.

It is definitely possible. My experience with HC/Glosso is that you need lots of light or it will turn transparent and die. Just be sure to plant in small clumps, as larger ones are more buoyant and will float to the surface. Make sure flow is getting to them also.

The plants are alive, they might not be growing very much but they aren't dead! This is definitely the longest I've managed to keep these plants alive for, so I know the extra light is helping. I switched to a different flow output, it basically pointed at the substrate and uprooted all of the...

Have you made any adjustments to your surface agitation? If you've lowered it then the amount of CO2 in your water will increase.

I do it the same way, turn my filter off, once tank is full, add dechlor and switch filter back on.

2 Mini 400's over a TMC signature 60x45x30cm (80L). Not sure about exact distance from substrate but its roughly 50cm. One of the lights is at 70% (directly above the plants) the other is at 30% as there aren't many plants underneath it. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

So far so good. The plants have only been in for a week so its a bit early to tell. I think there's been some growth though. I had to buy the adaptors that convert the usb power supply cables into the male pointy type for the controller. They may have even come with the light units, can't...

Just want to second what's already been said about these lights. I've been struggling to grow plants for about a year, all of my problems pointed towards not enough CO2, but long story short its because of not enough light. Currently at 70% and things are looking better. Sent from my Nexus 6...

Thanks guys. I've just bought the set that was mentioned earlier on in the thread. Now that I've tried to build them my self, I don't feel like so much of a mug for paying £30 for some pipes with some holes in it! Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Well, bad news. I managed to bend the pipe but it was way too rigid. Even though I packed it with sand (used a hammer and a piece of wood to compact it), as soon as I bent it 90 degrees, the pipe started to kink. I think the wall thickness of the pipe was too thick (1.5mm). If it was thinner...

I've upped mine from 10% to 60%..! Hasn't been a week yet but the plants are looking good.

If you're going to plant it heavily, you don't need to worry about cycling, the plants will absorb the bad stuff. Just make sure you use dechlorinator and you're good to go.

Macro - 10ml per 50L 8 tsp Potassium Nitrate 2 tsp Potassium Phosphate 12 tsp Magnesium Sulphate 1000ml boiled water (cooled) Micro - 10ml per 50L 2 tsp Trace 1000ml boiled water (cooled) Halve those values for 500ml container, but still dose the 10ml per 50L

As Ian stated, if you mix it with water, you might kill your self. Concentration (ppm) Symptoms/Effects 0.00011-0.00033 Typical background concentrations 0.01-1.5 Odor threshold (when rotten egg smell is first noticeable to some). Odor becomes more offensive at 3-5 ppm. Above 30 ppm, odor...

I pity the fool who purchases magnesium sulphide..! Please tell me this stuff is not easy to buy?

Check the ingredients label, it will say 'perfume' or something.

You don't have to mix the bleach with water, all the water does is increase the amount of time it takes to clean.

New plants are in, lights at 60%. Fingers crossed. I'm going to make my own lilly pipe out of Stainless Steel so threw together an Eheim/Fluval hybrid outflow to use in the meantime. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Over the years I've used just about every type of filter intake/spraybar/lilly pipe out there, most of which are ugly AF, and I've come to the conclusion that while glass ones look the best, they're too hard to maintain and very easy to break (or at least when your as clumsy as I am). Not...

I'm no expert when it comes to red plants but I think they turn green due to a lack of Iron. The plants will still be healthy, they just won't be red. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Splice the pipes and put in a tap to reduce the flow?

Some LED units let you set a minimum value, instead of having them turned completely off. I used to run my TMC LED's like this but I was struggling with my tank at the time and decided against it. It does look really good though. I don't think there are any drawbacks as long as you keep the...

A really good first attempt, it's clear that you've spent a lot of time thinking about how you want this tank to look. My only advice would be to lower the DC as the CO2 levels will be much higher at the top and may be totally different at the bottom, which is where most of the plants are. If...

Thanks for the replies guys. You've given me a lot to think about. I'm going to order some new plants and up the lights. My idea is to try planting the HC at the top of the hill, that way there should be more CO2 available, then over time it will grow down as far as it can. I'm also going to...

Same results as last time unfortunately, all the plants in that picture are well and truly dead. However, I think I've made some progress, I've had some HC in my tank for about a month and a half now and it hasn't died.. Yet! I think the last time I tested my kH it was about 12, but will have...

Sounds like its stuck. The bubbles should stop after a minute or two.

I'm sure it would benefit plants on some level if you were to use another layer, but If you're dosing ferts into the water column, the plants will feed off this so a soil substrate is not necessary. If you do decide to add a bottom layer, keep in mind that it will eventually mix with the sand...

If you're having inconsistent pressure levels, it sounds like the gas is escaping somewhere. Could be the type of tube you are using? check all joints, especially check valves if you have any. Cheap plastic check valves are crap for anything but air.

If you use the recommended dose, you won't have to worry about anything. If you decide to use less, you may see problems with your plants.

If you intend on adding fish, it would be best to add them first before you try and tweak your CO2, as ultimately they will determine how much CO2 you can add. You could end up adding your fish and having too much CO2 (even if you follow the 1 point pH drop). A 1 point pH drop is a general...

An external CO2 reactor connects directly to your filter pipes, it acts like a chamber which fills with CO2 that the water in your filter passes through and is then dissolved. They can impact flow, but if you have the appropriate filter they are much better at getting CO2 into the water than...