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I didn't appreciate their needs in terms of gh and kh fully and didn't test/dose for it. In my shrimp tanks now I just use ro and tantori liquid gh buffer. 1litre of ro and 6 drops of buffer and they thrive.

I learnt a lesson here. All those shrimp died. :( I now have two dedicated shrimp tanks. One with bees that are breeding like mad and one with super crystal blacks.

So this tank is long gone now. This is what's in its place! It's going pretty well so far. Levels all stable. Dosing kh, ca and mg with a Kamoer wifi doser. Coral is a mix of Sps and Lps.

No, that's one thing that I didnt try. From what I read it wasn't advised. It's one of the reasons I switched to the Kessil with a controller.

I ran mine for ages just with the standard plug adapter. I didnt use the transformer, it's completely unneeded. My light is still for sale if anyone wants it! I switched to a Kessil.

Annoyingly, I've broken the nubbin from my lily pipe that the sucker fits to. At over £100 I don't want to replace it! So, does anyone know where I can get some suction clips to hold it? Jbl and Eheim do them, but only in black. I want clear ones if possible. Thanks

What are the fish in the top few pictures?

What do you want to know? I bought the osmotics one and it's fine. Plumbing it in to a y pipe in my washing machine feed was easy enough too.

Coxwell had a few different types, but not much of any of it so not much choice. Generally smaller stuff too. Online from TGM or aqua essentials it is then.

Going to try and go into coxwell this afternoon. Generally they are good for fish etc. Never really paid attention to hardscape stock though! I remember them having quite a lot of redmoor wood. Just can't remember what they keep in the way of rock.

MK is just too much of a trip for me on the off chance :( It's times like this the 5 hour round trip to TGM is annoying!

That's one that I didn't try today! Will give them a call in the morning to see. I can't remember what the Goldfish Bowl in Oxford has in the way of rocks either.

I'm after some particularly sized large pieces of rock so want to try and pick them out rather than buy mail order. Tried 3 different MA stores today and they were all pathetic. Can anyone suggest a shop in the Reading/Oxford area?

Looks good! Quite apt too, I am in the process of breaking down my 45cm cube that had a similar layout to yours and going for something rock based as you have done! It's not easy with a cube imo but I like that. I'm going to see what I can do with the blue stone I have before buying anything...

Sorry, what I meant was have you used anything in the substrate to prevent it sliding down once full of water?

I really like this. Have you used much in the way of substrate supports?

This. Lack of blue spots in the patch is the best indication.

Also, seriyu can raise hardness levels. Not ideal with bees.

Nice. What shrimp are you planning?

If I read the above right, are you dosing macro and micro on the same day? I thought that was to be avoided?

Relative newbie here too, short answer is no! Liquid carbon isn't an alternative, it's not really the same thing, nor does it give you the co2 levels plants need to thrive. Your tank would be described as low tech, I'd have a read up on low tech tanks and what will work well. Iwagumi tends to...

FWIW, I paid just under £100 for my e1501. Can dig out where from if you want. Flow will drop a fair bit. I had an Eheim Pro3 250 that I replaced as it just wasn't big enough.

That's 900l/h with no media in ;) I use one of these: http://www.urmstonaquatics.com/tmc-aquaray-control.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-7GxBRCL_Kq6mZSHvdsBEiQA7r8VhMuyru0petOlmCby_q4eamCF5AGI0T0TGF9dhAvXYNwaArOn8P8HAQ Can set on/off, ramp up/down and % of power.

Looks a great toy. Sweepstake on the cost? lol!

Also, I used the TMC controller on a mini tile and found it really good. A bit pricey, but good.

A mini 400 on full is quite a lot of light! You might have issues with the spread of light though as I guess it will sit close to the water surface? The bigger 1500 tile might help there. Also, I'd suggest the e1501 instead. I've got one on a 45cm cube and it's just right.

Thanks for that alto. So... something like this? http://www.hannainstruments.co.uk/pocket-phep5-water-resistant-ph-tester.html Then these buffer solutions to check calibration? http://www.hannainstruments.co.uk/ph-7-01-buffer-solution.html...

Looking for something reliable that will hold it's calibration for at least a few months before needing to be checked. Suggestions?

Is that a common approach? I tend to drip acclimatise anything over a few hours with my co2 on and that seems ok so far?

I don't profess to be an expert on this but I had similar issues. I'll list what I changed to address them. - Run co2 24/7, yes it may waste gas. But it meant I could get a stable level. - Move to a "good" in tank diffuser. I tried some cheaper ones, still had co2 deficiency symptoms. Am now...

Just received and planted my third order from you now and I'm really impressed. Quality plants. Good packaging and delivery. Significantly cheaper than other retailers! Thanks again!

I'll have to get some pictures now! Current count is, a Bernese Mountain dog, 2 cats, 6 hens and a cockerel.

Quite similar to me. I'm dosing Step 1, K and ECA at the moment. Some comments, - I've found powder is very keen to shift with water movement. Be wary and use LOTS of substrate supports. - Give up on the sodastream bottles and get a FE. I started with them but got tired of replacing them...

FWIW, I use the ferts and dosing instructions too. I used Power Sand special, but not all of the additives. I'm intending to run it for 12 months and see how it goes. I know I'm paying more for things I could mix myself. My time is at a premium though so I'm happy to just grab a bottle and add...

See, I've not done this. I know it won't be popular on here, but I've made the decision to follow the ADA (money making!) "system" pretty much to the letter. I was just curious to see if it worked for me. I'm probably tempting fate, but I'm several weeks into the tank now with no algae issues...

I'm using an Aquasky 451 over a 45C. I run with 6 hours of light and CO2 on 24/7. This seems to be going fine so far. One thing that can make life easier in the early weeks is to run the tank without plants, co2 or light for the first 3 weeks. This reduces the need for water changes to one...

Sorry, I can't really help, but your tank looks great!

Cheers Andy. What sort of ferts do you use?

Ive set my old 45l cube up for my son (well, I'll look after it and teach him about it all!) but I want some verification on my approach please... Trying to keep it very simple - internal filter with foam and siporax - internal heater - Amazonia - TMC mini tile on 30% for 6 hours (tank gets...

Plants are much more expensive from what I've found too. I spent quite a lot with them for my current tank, but all of the plants came from elsewhere.

Nice. I saved quite a chunk last time they did a sale. Might top up on some ferts and things like that.

Not a bad idea! Worth a try at least. I've got to do a diy store trip this weekend so may buy a propagator. I've done it before with some of the JBL glue, seems to work ok!

Keen to see how this goes!

WC and some maintenance planned for tomorrow AM. Got my RO unit running at the moment and the water is measuring 0tds. I'm going to remineralise aiming for 5GH and 130-140TDS. I'll then keep an eye on how it changes during the week as I dose ferts. Going to trim the rotala very hard and see...

I put a NewJet pump into the tank and pump it out into empty 25l plastic jerry cans. I tend to fill 1 and then another to 2/3. I then use a large bucket and put the pump into that. I'll fill the bucket with RO and let the pump lift it back to the tank. Ideally, I'd like a smaller pump that...

Ah, also plumbed in my Osmotics RO unit and have it filling drums at the moment!

Going to see how the rotala fills out when I cut it this weekend. Not feeling it though so may buy some l. Hippourides to try again.

Thanks! Just added some Black Neons, Xray tetras, Panda Corys and Ottos that I already had. Yes, all the microsorum came pretty well grown, I was surprised (and ended up with 3 left over!)

Growth seems good so far, fingers crossed no algae either! Tempted to remove the Microsorum petite at the front and put something smaller in.

£99 delivered here: http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/filters_pumps/canister_filters/jbl/210139 FWIW, I have one on my 45C, I've got a tray of Siporax, a bag of BioRio, a bag of Purigen and the top basket with half the foam in. Flow is fine for me after 4 weeks with no cleaning.

Fwiw, I've been looking at some small 20-30l tanks for shrimp. Best option I've seen is the Dennerle nano cubes. All in for around £70-80.

Need to read through this properly! Quick question though, I'm after a creeping moss to grow emersed on some wood that goes above the water line. I have Christmas, flame, Java, fisidens and weeping. Any of those? Something else?

Great build. Just skim read it but want to read through in detail to understand how the sump setup works.

You've got similar issues to what I had in my last tank. No idea exactly what the problem was but I can only offer up some thoughts. - What substrate are you using? - Co2 as everyone says, I tried an inline diffuser and a gush glass in tank diffuser. Had issues with both. Using an ADA one...

I'm using ADA Brighty K and Step 1 at the moment. Measured tank today and it has gone up 30ppm since Friday. I'm going to WC tomorrow and then measure daily over the week. Bought a jbl proscan test kit to try too. Not a big fan of testing, but I liked the concept.

Hi Iain, Thanks for the tips. Not sure I understand what you mean about the TDS level? Cheers

I bought TGM blue stone for this purpose. Nice colour without affecting chemistry. Cheap too!

Another wc tonight and now down to a sensible 120. Panic over for now! I've also started adding ferts now. 4 pumps of ADA Step 1 and 4 pumps of Brighty K.

Spot on. Thanks Andy. Wish I'd ordered a few more ball valves now though!

Same here. I'm no expert, but I think I suffered from iron deficiency when using TNC though. I didn't use the Tropica for long enough to comment.

Update... Bit of a nightmare over the past 24 hours! Tds pen arrived, measured tank... 280ppm when it's supposed to be RO! First thing was to was give in and order my own RO filter. Bought an Osmotic 4 stage filter that should arrive tomorrow. Called the shop I got the water from this...

Reading on the Osmotics site, it seems like the washing machine feed Y adapter might be the easiest for me. The Cupboard I want to use is next to the washing machine so would be ideal? Y adapter: http://www.osmotics.co.uk/products/Washing-Machine-Y%252dPiece-3%7B47%7D4%22-BSP.html Thread...

Thanks, I'd assumed the kit it came with would be sufficient? Are the pierce fittings a bad idea then? I'll take a look at the pipework under the sink tonight and try to work out what I need.

Spoke with the shop who have offered more today. They will stay open late to help too. Said its measuring 6 today!

Just ordered the same. Cheers.

I know! I'm pretty annoyed by this and will voice that tomorrow. I guess it's one of a few things... - Full on piss take and sold me tap water - Their RO unit is screwed - The containers were dirty/contaminated? Andy, could you check how tall your unit is? I'm looking at the 36 gal version. but...

I'm going to phone them first thing tomorrow! Despite it being free refills, I still paid £10 a go for the 25 litre containers! Will read up on those links now.

Need some help! I'd bought RO in from my lfs, but having had a tds pen arrive today I'm measuring it in the containers between 230-280!! I've put quite a few shrimp in now so want to sort this before they die. Only option I can see is to buy myself a filter. If I change 50% a week then I...

Go to one of the larger stores. You want the basics brand bleach. It's about 50p for 2-3 litres!

All seems to be going well. Although I've just lost a shrimp to the ADA inlet pipe :( I'm still running CO2 24/7 and the Aquasky 451 for 6 hours. No issues yet but it's still early days. A few points: - need to shore up the substrate a bit more as its spilling out between the rocks still -...

I get mine from sainsburys.

Glad to see things going well! How are your hippourides doing? I though about using them again in my 45C but bottles it!

Re: cycling with no plants, I've just done this! Tank was set up with Amazonia, rocks and redmoor. I then ran it for 3 weeks before planting and was doing a 60-75% w/c once a week. You may have to add some ammonia to kick things off if you are using sand though?

As a relative newbie I'll offer my thoughts too... I rushed back into "fish keeping" and then started to read up more and more. I had seen beautiful Iwagumi tank photos and wanted to do something similar. Obviously, without knowing what I was doing this was a disaster! I found both the PFK...

It's just the picture! It's maybe 6-7 months old tops. Still working as it changed fine when I set the tank up and the Amazonia was bedding in. Pleased with the shrimp too. I've put around 60 crs/cbs in, 5 pinto, 5 tatitibee and 8 bees.

Weve gained a few more residents today!

Will do it tomorrow before I drip acclimatise the shrimp ;)

With clear water today, still annoyed the aquasoil shifted! I may move the rocks around and keep the soil in the centre. If not I'll syphon it out.

Just finished planting! The tank has now been filled with RO and is ready for me to add the 40odd crs/cbs I'm collecting on Saturday. The water is still quite cloudy and I've had some aqua soil shift over the sand as I filled the tank. I'll remove this when I do a wc at the weekend...

Just finished planting! I've got a few Microsorum left over as I bought way too many! Will put pictures (cloudy ones!) in my journal thread.

Where are you Andy? I'm just north of Reading. I'll see if I can get a pass from SWMBO.

Lots of mould on the wood so should be fine! Some plants arrived today and I've just placed them in the tank for now. The microsorum narrow is much bigger than I expected and I've bought way too many too. Will see how that goes. I'm going to clip some of the wood away to keep it off the...

Tried removing some media from the 250, it's still not enough. So, e1501 plumbed in tonight and that's much more like it! It's a big beast though. Need to tidy the cabinet a lot! I've also ordered: - switched 6 gang extension lead - a shed load of cable ties and clips - a pir sensor cabinet...

Superb cabinet work lol! You'd cry if you saw mine.

I've got plants coming from two different places this week, one lot arriving tomorrow, the other Thursday. I want to plant the tank all at once so what's best for the plants that arrive tomorrow? The tank is setup and has co2 going in, can I just float them in the tank? Can I leave them...

Could you share where you got the shelves for inside the doors?

I'm going to be planting Montecarlo in the tank, if this would work then I can use a few bits here too.

My new layout has some redmoor that breaks the surface. I'm after some suggestions on what can be used plant or moss wise to grow on these sections?

Will give that a go then. I'll take out the blue and white foam and put some in the first basket. Typical that I got impatient and ordered the e1501 last night though! (Zooplus have them for £99!)

Will give it a try, thanks. I'm reluctant to put any foam around the inlet though. I've spent a fortune on glass work and don't really want to cover it in a big lump of foam! When you say plastic pot scrubbers, you mean the yellow foam sponges or the ones that look like wire wool? (but...

The 250 has a book rate of around 900l/h, with media it will obviously be less and thus way less than 10 x per hour. With the actual rate of the e1501 being 8-900l/h it's much closer to the 10x turn over.

It's just not turning water fast enough for the size of the tank Imo. I've only got it half full of media too. A bag of bio rio in the middle, half a tray of siporax in the bottom and some mesh in the top. Factor in the lily pipes and it's not enough to circulate the water well enough...

Decided I'm giving up with the Eheim and have just ordered a JBL e1501.

Images don't show for me?

Quick iPhone picture... No fish or plants as its a new setup that I'm running for a few weeks before planting!

I've just set up a 45cm TMC Signature stand with an ADA 45C and its fine.

Two weeks in now and second water change due tomorrow. All kit is in the tank now, twinstar, co2 etc. I'm concerned that the Eheim Pro3 250 won't be strong enough. I'm going to judge plant movement once they are in and may just buy a JBL e1501 to replace it with. I'm also going to add more...

Frustrating. I'm looking at clown killifish for my new tank and am seeing reports of them jumping too :(

Fwiw, I've bought one to use in my new tank. With nothing conclusive online and some saying works, some saying it doesn't, I thought I'd give it a go!

Exactly that! PM me and I'll dig out his details.