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Happy Christmas everybody. Hope that everybody has a great day!

I had the same trouble with mine. It was actually really easy to fix though: I put the pipes and the valve bit into the tank to fill with water, then attached it to the filter. It was driving me nuts before I realised!

Mine went back to normal the next day!

Hoggie, Stu is right about the newer STM's. You certainly don't need one of those! Mine's on a 600D, I use it for my insect photography. Another option, if you want to get a bit of a close-up is to use close-up adapters. They are filters that are placed in front of your lens. Much less...

Hoggie, I've used the 18-55mm (kit lens). Perfectly acceptable, and inexpensive! On the odd occasion that I want to get in really close, I use my 100mm F2.8L macro...

Hi folks I noticed this stream of bubbles coming from an Anubias that is about to flower. It has been a steady stream for about ten hours! Oxygen?

Hi. Welcome to UKAPS. You'll find some really good information in the 'Tutorials' section. Start there with Troi's guide. Also, if you want to step up a gear, have a look at the guides to CO2 with a fire extinguisher, and Clive's guide to dosing with salts (the 'Ei') Hope this helps as a start!

Shop refunded money. There were no more Lampeyes, so I got some more Puntius pentazona barbs to go with some existing. Lights and CO2 off, aeration on all night, looking good!

Good suggestions folks. It's the first time that I've had this problem. The shop are being very good about it, and I'm going back later today. I shall let you know what happens.

Hi folks. When adding new stock, is it a good idea to turn off CO2 for a few days? I added 6 Lampeye Tetras to Hobgoblin's Cave last week. 4 are already dead, 1 doesn't look too good. All existing stock is OK. Any thoughts?

Excellent Hoggie. I was going to PM you about this! I'll get one!

Hi Folks. I have a Roma 240L hobgoblins-cave. I've made improvements over the past months and am trying to make life a bit easier for myself. I've been dosing Glutaraldehyde, but, as I'm a bit shaky sometimes due to my illness, have been trying to figure out a way of making it easier. My...

I 've got a three-stage HMA. Easy to plumb in, and you could even have it as de-mountable directly from your sink tap.

Hi folks. I haven't updated you all for a while as I've been rather busy and also struggling with the illness a bit unfortunately. My long spray bar seems to be working perfectly. The short bar will hopefully be replaced this week with another long bar. I added an air pump to run for a few...

I've had three die in about 8 months. They are lovely little fish!

I was going to see about putting a lot more plants that are available into the sheet. I was also going to try and simplify it down to low/high for both light and CO2. I'm surprised that there isn't a sticky with this basic information already really. Tropica and others have great information...

Ok. So the biggest problem is which collection of on-line information to go with. This could get VERY messy! Would it be better/simpler/easier to understand if it were sorted along these lines: Plant name // Light (easy/difficult) // CO2 (not needed/essential) // Notes

OK chaps. I might start assembling an Excel page. I think just name, light & CO2 requirements would be useful as a starting guide (it would certainly have helped me!) I shall keep you posted!

If I were to work on a spreadsheet of details for plants to post as a sticky, what suggestions would there be for content?

Thanks both. I'd looked at the Tropica site, but of course, (R. macrandra) is hidden away in their 1-2-grow section. Foolish Moose...

I know that the buyer should beware, but becoming aware is costly! My tank is medium light (2xT8), and has recently been set up for CO2 injection. I've bought plants over the past six months that really were unsuitable, and bought them on the say-so of the shops. My latest was (Rotala...

CO2 just happens to weigh 1Kg per Litre.

Thanks both. I'll monitor my Embers, and expect one to die!

Thanks Tim

Thanks Ender Can anybody suggest a ferts regime for me please?

Hi, a little while ago, one of my little Ember Tetras seemed rather unwell. It had turned blue! Next day, he was fine. All were accounted for, so he hadn't snuffed it. Any suggestions as to what he might have been suffering from?

I recently got the load of Anubias and Microsorum from John S (thanks John!) At the moment, I've just got them floating in the tank on the landing (a-south-american-on-the-landing), but they need a bit of work. Is it just a case of snipping off any obviously dead, diseased or dying bits and...

How did you stagger the days and program in a rest day?

How about trying to fit a sheet of 'obscured' plastic above the tank/below the light? I'm talking about the sort of stuff that you'd use for a bathroom window. Or maybe a corrugated 'drip' tray? Might work to reduce the intensity, coupled with floaters...

Yes, (Hisonotus leucofrenatus). I have 2, a male and the female pictured. They were sold to me as 'Black Otos'. The drop checker had recently popped off the glass, so I hadn't refiled it!

Two pics of mine

OK. I have a new plan! I intend to use the tank to make a paludarium. I'll be using some basket thingies from the pound shop (they have suckers) and will also wire a hanging bracket on to them. Hardscape will comprise a cork background above the water line and probably some rock from the...

I got my CO2 reg from CO2 Supermarket and got it all running. It took a bit of adjustment, but seems to be running OK. The Echinodorus tenellus that I got from Ryan all started to melt, so I had to sort the spray bars out quick . I bought a 2m length of PVC tube off a local company...

Apparently (I was told by a Fluval employee) Fluval are in the process of making LED tubes for their tanks.

Thanks Darrel. I'm really thinking about setting up a terrarium in my 40L. As Selaginella martensii is so lovely, It looks like I might have to get on the case a bit sooner than anticipated!

Thanks all. I was assured that it was fully aquatic, even though I suspected otherwise. I bought it because it looked rather lovely, and was told it would be easy to care for! Having made a point of asking the correct questions I shall be returning to the shop and giving them 'What for!' I...

Bought at Swallow Aquatics near Rayleigh

I know some people do very high doses of EI. Won't that mean that Calcium levels would be high, preventing uptake of Phosphates? Or is it a sliding scale thing, with improper balance between the two being the problem? I'm way out of my depth here with the chemistry, so it is just my off-the-wall...

Hi scooby. I've found everyone here to be really helpful, so you're in the right place!

I'm sure that I could squeeze that in under the sink somehow...

Me too!

After having a few PM's with people on the forum (thanks George and Andy in particular) and direct contact with Martin at CO2 Supermarket (who was very helpful) I've established what the problem is: The TMC reg operates at around 2 bar, which is not powerful enough for the in-line diffuser...

This science malarky is great, when somebody that knows what they are doing explains it! :)

Well, I've now noticed that the rate is about 1bpm, but I still don't seem able to adjust the flow. I'll report back when I have any further observations.

That's a really informative article Darrel. Thanks for sharing it with us. I've tried feeding courgette and also peppers to my Otos (I have two of the Hisonotus notatus) they don't seem to go for it though. I use Fish Science mini algae wafers; they like those. The 5 Desmopuntius pentazona...

12g NaHCO3 in 1litre of RO water (I made 6g in 500ml) Just found the details in my stash of notes. Hope this helps!

Somewhere on the site are the instructions for making 4 dkh solution. You ned a 500ml bottle and Sodium Bicarbonate I think. Can't remember the details, but its here somewhere!

Thanks Andy It looks like I'll be getting CO2 on my other tank then :happy: So. I need to get a more modern reg to go with the inline diffuser, and a 'simple' diffuser to go with the existing reg (which I can then use on the landing tank)?

Mmm. So either get a different reg with a higher pressure, or a newer diffuser that operates on lower pressure. Is that right? Does this mean that: The reg is old, and operates on low pressure? The diffuser came the other day from CO2 Supermarket.

Got my CO2 installed today. The flow rate is incredibly low though, and I can't seem to adjust it to go faster. Any suggestions folks?

I got some moss from them in December. Excellent deal!

Violin-playing electrical testers. I hope he charged extra! :D

My missus has decided that I won't be having a tank of tea-stained water :( It makes sense really, it would need a lot of wood to look really good, and that would be expensive (not good as I can't work at the moment). So it looks like I'll just have to settle for a generic sort of set-up. Of...

I'm having a bit of a struggle deciding what sort of wood to put in the tank. What authentic wood is available? I was thinking of using vine wood, but apparently it rots after a while. Bogwood is mostly African. Sumatran driftwood is from, well... Sumatra! If I use Sumatran, I could put leaf...

I'm going to use a piece of pipe and fit a push-fit stop-end on it. Then I'll drill some holes in the pipe and shove that into the piece of hosepipe that I use to fill the tank with when I do my WC. It will be just like a spray bar really. The flow of the water will be diffused through the many...

It needs to be a decent diameter Rob! I tried it some time ago with a bit of half-inch pipe. As I lifted it clear of the tank, all the sand unclogged and spewed out all over the place... My next bit of DIY problem solving is going to be a diffuser for the WC pipe so that the incoming water...

Using the tube to add sand after removing gravel.I tried this before with a thinner tube, but it just clogged up. Using the 40mm tube works really well. After replacing almost all the visible gravel and moving some plants about: I also moved the Interpet PF1 to the RHS. I'm keeping this...

The Fluval adapter thingy arrived today. As MedicMan said, it was easy peasy to fit. Of course, you have to remember to keep the hose (which is full of water) above the level of the tank as you fit it. I eventually located the bubble counter that I'd bought. After pulling loads of stuff out of...

Doh! I was trying to get the pipe (which has a 15mm internal/19mm external) in to the rubber extension joint that came with the spray bar... which is 12/15!!! No wonder it wouldn't fit. A trip to our LFS yielded no result, so I've ordered from ebay. Should be here for Tuesday. Well reminded...

Good point Rob. Perhaps I'll get some shrimp for the 27L and then use ANOTHER little tank for emergency use... My missus will have to be kept in the dark of course... ;)

Sorry to hear about the Neon Green Tetra problem.I'm going to have to set up a proper isolation tank. I've got a 27L (7US gallons) tank with a hood and light that I'm going to stick in the cupboard under my 240L. I'll keep a nit of bogwood with a bit of Java fern and an Anubias sp. on it. I'd...

I'm hoping eventually to keep Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi (Black Neon Tetra), Otocinclus vittatus, a Corydora species, and maybe something else. Plants will be South American species. I've already got some floaters (thanks Darrel) and have a few ideas, but suggestions are welcome. I've...

Hi folks I'm starting another tank... On the landing... ...It's going to be a sort of South American biotope. Hence the name! It's a second-hand Hagen Tropiquarium 88. About 80cm long, and comes in at about 110L. I've painted the back and RHS in matt black and prepared the cabinet to...

Today, my plans went south big time! I was going to do the CO2 etc. I couldn't get the Fluval ribbed pipe to attach to the inline diffuser properly. I'll have to buy some 16/22mm pipe and re-plumb the filter on the LHS. Time to start my other thread!

Thanks Rob. I'm addressing it now with the solution from http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm I'll be doing a big WC, some maintenance, installing the CO2 and dosing EI. I'll also be twirling my bottle brush about a bit more!

My attempt at using a bit of Caloglossa cf. beccarii was a disaster. I'm sure that it has contributed to rampant hair growth (of the algae kind) in my tank. Also, it went from being a nice dark purple in the supplied bag to a naff slimey brown colour when put in the tank!

A couple of pictures of hair algae that has been causing some problems I've used a small bottle brush to get rid of as much as I can, but I've had to remove what was left of the Eleocharis aciculata 'Mini', as it was just smothered.

Just recently I've found that plants have been melting/dying. Lots of the Blyxa has had it, most of the Rotala, the P. stellata, E. sp. 'Mini', Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' as well. I'm starting with Ei salts today, which I shall mix with water and dose daily. I've invested in CO2 kit and...

I bought some tea/tisane bags from Chinabay. Instead of using the drawstrings to secure them, I used cable ties.

I think that the really amazing thing is that they all fell (almost) simultaneously!

My 240L, medium light (apparently) well-filtered, good-flow. quite-well-planted tank has started getting BBA. No CO2, but 6ml of Glute and 3ml of Profito each day. What should I do PLEASE??? (Borrowed from the interweb)

Today I doubled the number of 3mm holes in the spray bars. Every time I turned the power up on the two filters it caused massive substrate disturbance. Now I am able to run both at full power without disturbing the sand at the front. I've noticed new growth sprouting here and there. Soon I...

Hi folks. To stop the whistling I had to turn the power right down. After a while, I was able to turn it up to about 60% without the whistling. Perhaps it was caused by trapped air in the pipes? The biggest problem has been not being able to turn the power up to 100% for maximum circulation...

I like the look of those!

Hi Bill I'm from Basildon, so am another neighbour. Where are you from? Colin

Tidied up a bit. The PF1 filter is just a temporary guest- I'm keeping it running until I start my 120L tank project. Planted some (Murdannia keisak) behind the tree/cave. I rather like it. Also, some (Hydrocotyle verticillata) in the middle rear, (Heteranthera zosterifolia) in front of the...

Good point Rahms. I think I'll wait for a while and see what happens.

Hum, Filter 306 #1 has a longer pipe run as it is on the left-hand side. I removed the extra noodles that I'd put in tray 2 and put them in with the similar amount in tray 2 of 306 #2. I then was able to crank both up a bit. I also noticed that over time the whistling dropped substantially...

Hi folks Phil, as you say, there are two areas of activity, left-hand side and right. The filter inlets are both at the rear right, and are fixed because they are holes in the tank bottom. I put the heater next to the inlets in the belief that the water would be heated as it passes into the...

Err... this is it! I actually have a 40L that I started in October 2014 (my 'birthday' tank) which I had some plants in, but that doesn't really count. This is my very steep learning curve!

I bought a three-stage HMA filter. The two-stage filters will remove a small amount of chloramine in addition to sediment, heavy metals and chlorine. The three-stage unit has a supa-dupa chlorplus filter (the sort used in the medical industry) that removes chloramines as well. Bought off ebay.

Luke, you could run the outlet into a bucket and work out what your flow is before doing anything else. That way you will be able to see how much water is being moved by the 306.

That's a good suggestion (I actually came up with the same idea last night) and I'll give it a go. I was considering putting extra noodles in to reduce the flow a bit and then turning up the power. As long as I get good flow, I don't mind.

Mmm. Thanks for that hum. I chopped the rubbery bit off, as it stuck out like a sore thumb. Each of the filters has only one of the two supplied bars. I'll try a couple of Ian's suggestions and also look at the angle of the supply hose, as you suggest. I'll do the hole in the end thing and...

Thanks Ian, will try some of these solutions!

Thanks Ender. Makes sense, as I'm running thgem at about half power at present because of the noise.

I actually put it in to one of those large 'Really Useful' boxes and wetted it up, then left it for two months. This was only because the missus wanted to decorate, and all aquatic activity got put on hold. It seems fine. The only problems were of my own making- DO NOT, UNDER ANY...

I used B&Q Aquatic Compost/ Pond soil. Dirt (excuse the pun) cheap!

My two Fluval 306 filters each feed a Fluval spray bar. There is one joint in each of the pipes leading to each bar (in preparation for CO2 in-line diffusers, if it ever happens!) Ends of the spray bars had to be super-glued, as they kept shooting off. Each 306 is cranked down to approx...

An update. Progress is slow! Fitted the two spray bars when I installed the second Fluval 306. Note: I had to superglue the end caps as they kept shooting off the spray bar. The 306's are at about half power, but circulation seems good. I cut the ugly light grey rubber fittings off the end of...

I can see that measuring with fish is going to cause a lot of discrepancies. I like little fish- Ember Tetras and so on; does this put me at a disadvantage when comparing my pH with someone who likes big fish, such as Clowns? :hilarious:

Big Clown, please clarify WHICH fish you use to measure your pH, and how you calibrate them...:cool:

Mantis, I'm not sure if you can trigger the Yongnuo with the in-built 700d flash trigger. Have a look in the manual. If not, try as per Phil's post above. Alternatively, save for a wireless flash trigger.

I'm a great fan of black fishnets myself... but then, I'm old-fashioned! :facepalm:

Thanks Phil. I get it now!

Where is that table from Phil? No metion of wattage?

I really like this. The Sturisoma festivum is beautiful. Giving me some ideas for my next tank :)

Very nice!

Looks like it might be one of these: http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/addinfo/fluvalaquariumsets.html

That's deffo NOT a Roma.