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I used to feed beedheart twice a day when I first got them. But since July, I decided to cut down feeding frequency to about to 5 or 6 times a week (once a day). I change 50% water twice a week.. and sometimes once a week. The use the cotton wool media as a guide. When I fed them beefheart...

Hello October!! Water change day yesterday. They are getting more comfortable with each WC. They will start nibbling my hand when I siphon the debris. They have also progress to eat papaya as part of their meals. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

For sharing. I keep 10 adult discus (4.5 to 6.5 inches) in a 495 litre tank with a sump tank (about 150 litre with more than 6kg of media). I still change water twice a week to keep it clean and organics level low (to avoid BBA). I used to feed twice a day with beef heart. I started having lots...

Could not resist a photo moment as they were in formation. for sharing please. :) Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

For sharing. :) Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Quick update. For sharing please. [emoji1] Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

May 2017 - Water Change Day! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Oh.. and try not to do/introduce too many new things/variables at the same time. Makes it difficult to assess the source of issues. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

I think you should be alright so long as you take care of the basics such as water quality. I understand your anxiety. I go through that myself whenever I introduce new fish into my tank. Patience and detailed observations are key. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

There are many reasons for sudden deaths (infections, poor genetics, poor health to begin with etc). Some would recommend not to use these all-in-one test kits (no disrespect meant to the company. I have used some of their fertilizer product lines to with positive effects) because these test...

hello!

Hi Jun Xhu, From the picture, it is difficult to assess whether is it nitrogen deficient or not. You may wish to read about this in https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-estimative-index.13/ Also you can also try googling 'nitrogen deficiency in aquarium plants' - there are lots of good...

welcome!

hi there, do you have some photos? I think that would be useful to see the conditions of your tank otherwise it would be difficult to help.

hi there, May I suggest the following for your considerations: 1. Keep up with your usual water change routine. At least 50% once a week with EI regime. 2. Maintain your CO2 input. 3. Maintain your NPK dosage but hold off your micro dosage to just once a week. I find that excess iron not...

Happy Easter! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

MarinePure blocks are commonly used as filter media in sumps for arowanas and rays tanks. The only thing to watch out for in canisters is that they do breakdown overtime. This makes it hard to do maintenance. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, I don't plants and stocks from the same region.. I just have plants and stocks that we (my family) like and are pleasing to the eye! :)

I have also experienced that in my tank and take at least three to four months to bounce back. Some never bounce back. In addition, buce do better in water below 28 degrees celsius. I have a few bunch of buce in my tank. They are not doing great. In my tank, buce grow slower than crypts and anubias.

@dw1305 Thank you Darrel! Very interesting read. @Eduard18 I did consider going Amazonian biotope. Having checked around the various setups... decided to just follow my heart and go with a planted layout instead. But that's not to say that I won't go to a black water look at some point down...

Thank you! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

They happen to contain beefheart... [emoji23] Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Can you spot the trick to get the discus all lined up in direction for the photo shoot? Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Happy April's Fool! Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thank you for sharing. I cannot imagine what you gone through. Two thumbs up and a big pat on your back!

Very impressive set up! Following!

Nice work! 'filled the gaps with filter floss and black sponge to keep the substrate from mixing with each other' - That's a great tip! Something to keep in mind the next time I do an aquascape.

It has been almost 1 month since the introduction of the 7 wild discus into the tank. As expected, I had to do some major changes to my routine and I thought it was time to update. Previously, I had 6 pieces of Buce Sp. Kishii (aka Skeleton King) - labelled Plant 1 to 6. Here's an update...

I like this plan! Not clear how old is your tank or how long have the plants been in your tank. But I have a few additional thoughts for your considerations: 1. - I don't think there will ever be 1 factor/component direct fix. It is all about balance. To achieve balance, we would have to know...

I also used both CO2 and excel. So long as you do not overdose then you should be ok. If you are worried, You could slightly underdose excel since in your context the purpose of excel is meant to kill the BBA. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Just to add, for my personal experience, i use a syringe and blast the excel directly at the BBA. I did this on alternate days for about two weeks. Some plants near the BBA zone will suffer.

You may want to google around 'half-life of Flourish Excel'. Depends on which article or post you read, most of them estimates the half-life of excel to approximately between 7 to 12 hours. So based on your dosing schedule, about half of the compound that you dosed at 6am would have diminished...

Mate, that's a proper tank! Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

I have a 500 litre tank with a sump. I run a pressurised CO2 system via an inline atomiser. My 1.5 litre CO2 cylinder lasts about 3 months (or more.. did not really keep track) at 1 bps. I do keep easy to maintain plants such as swords and java plants. I don't really think the loss of CO2...

My pride and joy. Finger cross in ensuring the balance between discus and plants.

I am feeding them beef heart. They had been handfed beef heart for the past two weeks by the seller. So I am just mimicking the same activities to help them settle in faster. I am only feeding a pinch at a time. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

One more for good measure... Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Finally got them eating from my hand in Day 2! I am still very cautious about how they would do in the tank. I still have CO2 at 1 bps. Just going to dose potassium and phosphorus. Will skip nitrate (calcium) for now. I am hoping the bioload will provide the N for the plants. Sent from my...

A quick update. Finally introduced 7 wild discus into the tank yesterday. Really excited. Let's hope they adapt well... finger cross. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

My Dad kept an assortment of fishes ranging from angel fishes to oscars to tetras when I was a kid. He kept all the fishes in bare bottom tanks. I helped out with the feeding and water changes. I had a few vivid memories that would shape my approach towards fish keeping. First memory was me...

Cool! Have you observed the same when transferring to a high-tech tank? Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

@limz_777, are you going to test this out? I would be interested to find out too. My hypothesis is that when a tuff of BBA is introduced (via driftwood or plant) into an optimally balanced tank, it will not kill off the BBA. This is because there will also be organic wastes in the tank...

Quick update - did a re-calibration of the ph meter. Looks like the probe is faulty as it could not be calibrated. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Did a quick check this morning... was surprised to see my ph meter recording 8.36. The usual was 7.3 without CO2 and it drops to 6.9-7.0 with CO2 after an hour or so. I tried to recall what I had done differently during a water change 2 days ago. The different things are: 1. I changed out the...

+1 on Amanos being aggressive. The Amanos in my tank will swim up towards the surface during feeding time. I have felt the sting of one or two Amanos on my hand when I am doing my weekly water changes. The largest one in my tank is about 5 cm excluding the feelers. I have never seen Amanos...

It has been awhile. Did some minor changes and here's the latest update to the tank. I had some BBA issue in early Dec. The BBA problem had since been resolved (https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/my-journal-for-dealing-with-bba.48003/). Have not seen any BBA growth. I have since increased...

I used the goose neck fixtures which are quite sturdy and well made. I think mine was the 18 inch. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

No wonder. I was trying to figure out why it uses the phrase '指令'. That chinese phrase is typically used in a military context or someone with authority to issue orders or instructions.

Hi Andrew, Sharing my own limited experience with LED lights. First some caveats - my previous experience in lighting with planted tanks are Aquazonic T5 which is the staple in my part of the world. I used them for years with relative success and on the occasions when I get lazy with filter...

I think the crypts and anubias will do just fine. I have my crypts and anbuias directly under shades of driftwood and swords. They still grow well. A suggestion is to monitor the situation for a few weeks before spending more money. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Fantastic job!

that's really funny! I am not sure you intended that as a pun or you really wrote that in English and use google translate and pasted inside here. Either way.... brilliant translation! :) 坦克 in chinese refers to the military tank or the armoured fighting vehicle. A fish tank in chinese is 鱼...

Would love to see the update.. but somehow the picture is not loading. Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

@bobiciupe Thank you for sharing! I think I mixed up the blue green algae (cyanobacteria) with the black beard algae. I have also looked it up on other sources. They also indicate that BBA is a form of red algae. Thank you for the correction! Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Cool! Thanks for sharing, really appreciate it. +1 for adult discus. Will take your advice on this. This is similar to the feedback that had been given to me as well!

Nice! Going to follow your journal. I have yet to pick up courage of putting discus into my tank yet. May I know how long have you had the discus in these tanks? What are your water change regime and how do you setup your filtration system? I think missing a dash of colours. A little too green...

I agree that 28°c not ideal. I did deliberately choose easy plants like ferns, nana and swords. Although I think buce may struggle but already too late. So I just have to monitor and be more vigilant during water change and cleaning of substrates. So far no more new BBA growth. Also I am going...

@bobiciupe Wow.. nice filtration setup! Good sharing. I am also a believer of over-filtration. I have a friend who also used two external ehiem canisters for his 3 feet planted tank. I have since added more airstones and one more internal filter into my sump tank (about 3 feet) to further...

@Costa You are right about the bucephalandras growing emersed in their natural habitat. I suspect that the plants are melting because I was not able to provide sufficient humidity for them to grow properly. Too painful for me to watch them wilting away while their buddies in the water are doing...

Thanks for sharing. When you mentioned that the BBA goes away after you removed the pH controller - did you also link your CO2 to the pH controller? And the pH controller was giving varied CO2 level throughout the day? I don't have a pH controller. I used a pH pen instead. The pH pen is not...

I have these plants since 26 Nov 2016. Not very long. Only about 3 weeks. But it is clear to me that I am not able to provide suitable emersed conditions for them as two of the plants had leaves that wilted away when I placed their leaves just above water. All those that had been submersed for...

Water change day. I have not seen any new BBA growth. BBA in the current locations are not growing and comes off easily. I think they were totally nuked by the excel. I feel comfortable enough to declare that this battle is won for now. Reorg Phase. Going to maintain the water change regime...

Plant 1 ( picture below) - Sadly one of the three leaves wilted and dropped. Looks like another one will wilt too. Hopefully it will pull through. Plant 4 (see picture below) - even in this current position, some of its leaves were wilting as it is exposed above water. Decided to shift it...

Thank you for your detailed sharing! Much appreciated! Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

You are my inspiration! I have been thinking really hard about discus in planted tanks. May I know what are you filteration setup for the discus tank and water change routines? Do you feed them beefheart mix or pellets? Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Airstones. I have not used glasswares for airstones before. Based on your video and pictures, I suppose part of the fun is to go shopping around for something that you like and try to fit it into your tank and budget. As for algae eaters, you can look into the different species of otocinclus...

Co2 atomiser position. I suggest that you take a week or so to observe plants' development. If the plants are growing well and spreading then probably good to leave it as it is. But if you are really bothered about the location due to asthetic reasons... then go ahead and change it! :) just be...

I went back to your older posts and compared the scape and the current picture. Looks like the soil underneath the big rocks was softening due to the water and possibly pocket of gases forming (natural.. happens in all planted tank with more than 1 inch of soil). As a result, as the big rocks...

Thanks. I agree with on difficulty of maintaining the white sand. In fact it is slowly turning grey. As for the discus, I am still thinking about them and the challenges of maintaining them in a scaped tank. I am taking my time and just enjoying the tank for the moment. I know priority will...

Thanks!! Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

Wow... so the gasket was the culprit. The picture does indicate that the gasket was damaged due to over tightening or improper fastening. Did lady go through with you the procedure of removing the solenoid from the cylinder? I hope she did not use tools to tighten it.

Sure! That's a shot of the tank on 5 Dec before I shifted the positions of the b.kishii. Thanks for viewing!

No. I did reduce lighting hours from 6 to 5hrs. But that is to control GSA. I did increase aeration in my sump tank to facilitate breakdown of organics. I am subscribed to the hypothesis that BBA is due to excess organics. To this end, I also reduced feedings. I believed overfeeding could be a...

Sorry sanj, I would love to claim that flower... but I bought the lily already with the flower bud. I chose it because I wanted the healthiest possible plant to grow in my tank. Unfortunately. .. as expected the flower bud rotted and I had to trim it during the water change. [emoji25] I am...

Was going to update in Jan 2017... but the deterioration of Plant 4 and Plant 1 leaves changed that. I decided to adjust their locations. Caption 1: Plant 1 above was in an emersed location but the tip of the tallest leaf was drying up. Caption 2: Plant 1 was shifted a few cm lower...

Hmmm.. try to apply the soap solution so that you can confirm the location of the leak. If it is really the connection between the solenoid and the cylinder... then the gasket is the likely culprit. A good solenoid will last many years. My first solenoid (ANS) lasted more than 5 years. The...

No. It will make a very small difference to stretch your CO2 a bit more... How much more? Well, that will have to depend on the amount of CO2 you need to reach the required ppm. But don't take my word for it. You can try. It does not matter whether is it half open or fully open. The solenoid...

Just did my weekly water change. I did not observe new enemy locations. Those BBA in the old locations were directly underneath the driftwood and the glare from the lights prevented me from assessing if the BBA were dead or a lush black colour. But I was able to pick them off easily using my...

Love your hardscape! I have used echinodorus tenellus before and once they start growing... they can get unruly and overtake the rest of the plants. I think echinodorus tenellus will fit will in a jungle scape.

Ah I see. You are using a CO2 atomiser. When the pressure is low (ie the reading is down to 1 or 2 bar in the yellow range), you will notice that the rate of bubbles going into your bubble counter starts to slow down. It is also possible for you not to get any bubbles even though the reading...

Are you using an inline CO2 reactor? To be honest, I have had leak before BUT the reason is because my tubing i used were old and inflexible. In addition, I was using an inline CO2 reactor which needed about 2 bar to push the co2 gas through. So as a result the leak happened at where I connected...

Hi, I have the same solenoid as yours. It is hand tightened. And yes you have done the right checks. The most common leak is from the 'No 2' location that you highlighted. The numbers on the dial is Pressure the the Co2 tank is exerting on the solenoid. It essentially measures the remaining...

After a bit more reading (especially on a blog who apparently did an interview with Peter Boyce), I decided the odds are definitely against me being successful in converting B. Kishii from emersed to submersed form. As such, I decided to grow Plant 4 as emersed instead. This is since I have...

Plant 6. Placed in the brightest spot and near water surface. Will update again in Jan 2017!

Plant 5. Placed in a location with plenty of shade. In fact the shade is partly provided by Plant 6. It is not anchored by any rocks. Just left it 'standing' above some java ferns. Seems secured enough even during water change.

Plant 4. Also planted at the substrate tied to a rock. It is partially shaded.

Plant 2 and 3. One on the left (Plant 2) has a light green leaves compared to the other 5. Both are planted at the substrate. Plant 2 is tied to a rock. Plant 3 is just stuck to the substrate with roots protruding. Plant 2 - another view

I have six bucephalandra sp. Kishii or aka Skeleton King and I have decided to document their growth (I hope... ) in my tank. Hopefully this will contribute a little bit more knowledge as to whether this particular species can be grown submersed. 1. Plant 1 - apparently it had been in my LFS...

Thank you for the tip! You could be right. I have scoured the internet about Skeleton King and many share your experiences although you are the first guy to have noted that your specimen lasted a year. I am planning to try one or two of my specimens in emersed form and maintain the remaining 4...

@moderators, thank you. I was beginning to wonder too if I should move the thread to this forum. Much appreciated!

Good luck! One of the things I am always paranoid about is when shrimps go straight into the locations where I dosed the excel.

Will give that a go in my next water change if the primary plan don't work. Thanks!

Current Status: 1. Water conditions. a. Gh - 9 b. Kh - 3 c. Ammonia - 0 ppm d. Nitrite - < 0.5 ppm e. Nitrate - 50 ppm f. Phosphate - 5ppm g. PH - 6.61 f. CO2 - about 22ppm (according the sticky on Tom Barr's website) 2. Enemy current status: Caption - Clumps of BBA underneath the...

I agree with you.

I just remembered a very important detail - I uprooted my dwarf hairgrass two weeks ago... one night AFTER my water change night. (face palm!) I think that is one of the root causes and stirred up the organics from the sand substrates.... I did put quite a lot of root fertilizer tablets in the...

Hi all, I have trawled through a fair bit of literature this hobby. Previously, when I am plague by BBA and when it overtakes my tank.. I will do a ground zero and reset the whole tank. This time... I have decided not to do that. Mostly because resetting ny current tank will be painful. So I...

Hi Paul, Base on your description and the look of your tank, I would hazard a guess that your tank is newly setup (less than a month?). Brown diatom is quite common and otos are still one of best clean up crew for it. The other consideration is your substrate. If your substrate is new, it...

Hi there, thank you. I don't think there is any secrets. I do 50% water change. During the water change, I siphon dirt/waste from the sand as thoroughly as I can. I change the filter wool in my sump regularly. I think if you are to see my tank in person, you will still see small particles...

@alto Thank you for viewing and I appreciate your pointers when introducing new fishes. Yes, I agree with you totally about trying to keep water parameters stable. I will actually take up your idea about the making water changes the next time when I have to introduce new fishes. That will come...