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128 days (47 days after flooding) This is FINALLY starting to work. I had minor problems with traces of BGA which I am combatting with 50% water changes every 2 days. Hint: you can easily suck it off moss with an airline syphon. I’ve added 11 jelly blue Neocardina Davidi and they are all...

Day 95 (14 days since flooding) A long hiatus posting because since I flooded 2 weeks ago it's been challenging and I got pretty disenchanted with the whole thing. The bad: Flooding was a nightmare - moss detached from stone, chunks of Marsilea and Eriocaulon had very short roots and floated...

Oh boy, oh boy, what have I done? What have I done! :facepalm: Well, the fact you see that you need Tim Harrison to beat Tim Harrison tells me all I need to know - I do like you because we've got so much in common - you're a Tim Harrison fanboy too! ;)

Day 73 Update: The good: - I may be the first person in a dry start to need to cut the stems before flooding! - Lots of Eriocaulon flowers. - Moss is going crazy and looks good. The bad : - Marsilea never really got going. It’s not died but neither has it prospered. It is also very hard to...

Looking very good! So it seems to be good hygiene basically - regular water changes and vacuuming up mulm and debris?

@mrhoyo just checking on you - how goes the war against the BGA?

Based on this comment in another thread it looks like the Ultralife BGSSR did the job? @Ruskie - please can you confirm that's the case?

Thanks for invoking me Josh :). It's 30 years since I sat in a classroom and looked at the ADP - ATP cycle (for A level biology) so I hadn't twigged that that was what the plants needed phosphate for - so thanks for that realisation! As far as I can tell you are correct. The Amano advice to...

Yes. Green Machine talk about it in thier book - they do the hardscape, let it run a month without lights so the tank can cycle, then plant. If you don't have enough mature filter media to seed the new filter, it could be worth running a fishless cycle while you wait.

Going to run a dark cycle while you finish the decorating?

I reccomend doing this for high tech, as it does save a lot of messing about, especially in larger tanks, but my experience of doing this in low tech is that you end up with bonsi crypts that take months to recover and contribute almost nothing to the plant biomas in the meantime. The ones...

Its worth noting that @Ruskie, @mrhoyo and myself are all currently struggling with BGA in low tech tanks. I’ve a feeling this is because the plants have more trouble out competing the BGA without CO2 and hence I’ve now gone big on stems to see if that will tip the balance. I’m dosing Tropica...

How interesting! I was thinking “that’s very clever to use 2 different dKH for more accuracy across the scale” but it seems actually this a case study for just how useless drop checkers are then? Most of us never had 2 running so don’t know this...

Is that one 2dKH and one 4dKH drop checker so you can better gauge your CO2?

Looking good! Nice scape and nice kit. I see you have in line CO2 (watch that kink in the tube there) but where is the drop checker?

I don’t know, so I’m watching this thread carefully because I’ve got some background BGA in my low tech Betta tank too, which is a similar age to your tank. I don’t think the BGA will retreat faced by Blue Exit but it might stop spreading allowing you to remove what there is - what are you...

For low tech what it says on the bottle is normally fine.

I would - in theory it should help seed the new substrate with bacteria and if you have it you might as well give it a shot. Filter is probably OK for 4 hours.

Any old filter for oxygenation if it's just a few hours, a mature one if you're going to take longer. If you can move your canister over that's best (it needs to be kept running really anyhow) but I've also kept a sponge from a sponge filter in my canister filter for a few weeks to mature it...

Since this is the active dosing thread right now, can I be so rude as to ask, is there a really tiny doser folks know that can be concealed close to a nano tank and just dose say 1ml of liquid carbon/day?

Thanks for sharing :) . If it helps you feel better every time I attempt some kind of rescape like this I end up finishing at 1:30am, exhausted, humbled and wiser... Catching the fish can be problematic & time consuming, but the upside is once done they are totally fine for days in a food safe...

I'd like to do that too if possible please.

That photo gives me the screaming heebie jeebies! If I can get PTSD from BGA then that photo triggers it!

Looking great, really come on A LOT in a short space of time - a credit to your perseverance. Loving the Pogostemon Stellata (?) centre right, beautiful. So you’re keeping BGA down with Phyton Git Sol and running nitrates at an EI level?

Sorry to be dumb, but I need this spelling out more clearly. Is the S2 Pro just a TC-420 in a different case? And how does that explain what I'm seeing?

Agree that Nitrate is too low. @jaypeecee - hi Jay, what's your target ppm for phosphate & nitrogen to give the BBA a headache? Seem to recall in another thread you were hypothesising that the ratio of the two was in some way important?

Ugh. Does that Brush or siphon off? Are your Ottos eating it? I’d be wary of not feeding too long because if your plants get into ill health it gets worse... We should start by looking at flow and lighting: How much flow do you have in the tank - is the water slowly rolling around? Also is...

OK so I downloaded an iPhone PAR meter app called “Korona”. I’m not sure if it and/or the iPhone are any good for this but it should give us an idea. Results taken 3 inches directly below the light at the water surface: 1% = 47 PAR 2% = 143 3% = 205 4% = 300 5% = 358 6% = 445 7% = 490 8% = 569...

Oooo thank you! So it's going to be hard to establish what part is my psychology vs what part is the light. Tonight I'll play with one of the low cost light meter Apps for iPhone and report back.

I've got the ONF Flat Nano, not the plus, the basic one with no app control - only a 4 stage dimmer (100%, 75%, 50% and 25%). I've added one of the 3rd party Chinese made dimmers, the S2 Pro model reviewed by both Jurijs Jutjajevs and Filipe Oliveira in YouTube videos. It works but the ONF...

I must say, as someone else doing a planted low tech Betta tank I am finding it tough compared to my last low tech (a 45cm with a HOB filter blasting right down it). I think the Betta considerations obliging higher temperatures and lower flow makes getting to a balanced system significantly...

Most likely C. Balansae, possibly C. Crispatulata

Nice one! Thanks for confirming my assertion made somewhere on here the other day that plants can totally load up on nutrients overnight. If your Pogo doesn’t like it maybe you can keep switching to and fro between the two states!? [emoji6]

Wow - this adds new depths to my coffee break phone posts! Do you offer a LinkedIn endorsements service too?! Thinking about this some more a stem will also be adapting along it’s entire length as it grows up and the PAR value increases closer to the surface... That could be 30 PAR at the...

If you get the spare parts kit you can extend the spray bar too. Flow gets everywhere and is OK for my Betta. I got the module that let’s me use bio media.

Since florescent lightbulb output declines over time the new bulbs will put out more light than the old ones, so if your plan is to "go slow" for a few months, I would not replace them unless as @jaypeecee says, with dimmable LED ones. I am not sure if LED replacements for T5s are dimmable or not.

I can’t even begin to compete here so I’m changing the rules: if you can’t find 50 different species growing on your lawn, you’re doing it wrong! [emoji41]

You just described my childhood 30 years ago! [emoji4] Loving what you did with the hard scape, subscribed.

Is that... is that real grass? It looks, erm... ...perfect!?

Cryptocoryne Balansae or Crispatulata should do the trick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So because I am in nano land I got the ADA size M (21cm) tweezers and the spring scissors. Wow! Everything I plant just goes in exactly where I want it and stays there. With the scissors I can snip one single leaf without effort. Verdict: expensive but recommended.

Dark start is a good alternative to dry start for avoiding teething troubles and massive water changes. Your tank will start to cycle and with no light on, no algae, no need for daily changes.

I think it’s Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20. So spot on! Looks like your tank is cycled and could think about adding something living and see how it goes!

If I look back and compare your first photo with the latest one, it seems you’ve had some decent growth from all except the Anubias in the first month?

They do not disclose. The dose is 1 drop daily per 20 l of aquarium water to prevent diseases. In case of blue-green algae infestation, apply 1ml directly to the affected areas - so a 50ml bottle will go a long way! Some people...

Possibly Phyton Git? https://www.aquasabi.com/ADA-Phyton-Git-Plus

I like what you did. Are you planning to use CO2? The Tropica website is your friend: No CO2 = easy category Using CO2 = easy or medium mix They give pictures and sizes and the “Inspiration” section gives lots of ideas.

Good write up on the process explaining how different heights are good for different types of plant on Aqua Journal here.

Fascinating. Thank you! So do you drill the tanks and let them drain straight into a sump or run a powerhead on the uplift? Since you mention uplift pump, I guess the 2nd?

Off topic but you are using under gravel filtration and successfully growing plants in gravel!? I used UGF for many years as a kid, but couldn’t grow plants for long and never quite figured out if that was due to lack of nutrients (e.g. Elodea would go crazy for a while and then stall), because...

Eriocaulon flower, so I guess that answers my “not sure what they are doing” question. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I need want to order some ADA tweezers and scissors, so in for a penny in for a pound, thinking to get one of these too! Is it the S (16cm high) or the M (23cm high?) and is that the 15x15 or the 20x20 glass air? Also, what is a good source to figure out what I can grow on it - apart from...

[emoji846] The plants, even of the same species, adapt to the conditions they are in. Since light and flow (which affects access to nutrients including CO2) are not uniform everywhere each stem will be running a slightly different configuration. So a stem that has worse flow but more light...

You’re not going to like the answer: every single plant has different requirements for CO2, light and each and every nutrient (within certain limits at least). And yes, they can store stuff up to a certain extent and the ability to do that will vary too :)

So ADA tweezer owners: what size should I get for nano tank work? Do I just get L or XL (27 or 30cm) so I can reach anywhere in the tank without getting my hand wet, or will I find I have more finesse with the S or M (16 or 21cm)? Also has anyone got both ADA and Tropica/Dennerle tweezers and...

It’s like magic! I wonder how many more you will have... How is it so much easier to breed fish in a 150l outdoor tub than it is in a 150l tank - apart from the free infusoria and midge larvae, of course!?

Day 28 update: Vesicularia dubyana (Xmas moss) - going crazy, I keep having to pull strands out to keep it off the Marsilea. Pogostemon erectus - growing nicely with good deep roots. I love this plant - it even grows in my low tech betta tank! Eriocaulon cinereum - limited growth so far and...

So long as it's the Guy Richie movie version I'm happy to be either! Damn - I would never have guessed! I was unsure about the thickness but was 100% sure it was 45x45x?? and you've included at least 75cm of length so 80x45x45? Chapeau for supporting a local craftsman & looking forward to...

I love all the data he gives too - it was my one disappointment with the Green Machine book that they don't give that plus the latin names of the plants in each tank. I find it interesting Amano always quotes dissolved Oxygen too. We know this is super important for bacteria (and other...

The 25cm Fire Aqua cube has 5mm glass. So I think the other tank must be 12mm but could even be 15mm! My guess is it's a 120cm!?

If you mist with too strong a Nutrient solution you can cause nitrogen burn on leaves - unfortunately I did this in my dry start, maybe because Marsilea Crenata leaves collect droplets easily which may have made it worse. I’d just misting distilled water now. However, some do successfully do...

Tank looks nice and the crypts are doing well. That drop checker is still blue green - you really want to get to a mid or better still lime green. The key is a stable and consistent green throughout the light cycle. How many bps, how it is diffused and how soon CO2 needs to come on to achieve...

😄 It should clear - brown diatoms occur early on but stop once the tank matures and balances. The algae on the wood is most likely feeding off sugars released from the wood, same as the mould some folks get. So keep dosing and cleaning and steady as she goes.

Just wait until you find out the character arc we’ve got planned for you! [emoji6]

Nice rockwork! Thanks for sharing and please do keep us posted - I'd like to see how this one grows out. In the meantime a few questions if you don't mind: - What's the submerged focal point going to be? - Am I right in thinking that's the mister head discretely protruding top right of the...

The brown algae on your S. Repens (first photo) looks like brown diatoms to me, if so I'd just brush them off with your fingers or something where you can. That's quite normal and all part of your tank stabilising. As Daryl mentions, some kinds of snails will snack on that. The hair algae on...

The English translation of her 2019 German version is now available for €69.95 here. Apparently she had to self publish the English version, which is a shame. If you would like a copy the process seems to be you email her your address, she sends you an invoice which you pay (PayPal or bank...

The pathways for nutrient absorption are not the same as those used for photosynthesis. Plants respire 24/7, they grow overnight, a wilted plant watered in the evening will perk up overnight - so my understanding is yes they can do that using stored ATP manufactured during the last light cycle...

The melting was most likely too much light/not enough CO2 unless your tissue cultures got abused in transit (maybe too hot?). 25 watts on a 60l isn’t crazy but it is high light. I’d back down on the light slightly - maybe try 50 or 60% (you can slowly sneak it up again once all is well)...

Looking good [emoji846]. So is the Bolbitis growing OK without CO2? I thought I heard it was a CO2 junkie (so is Blaxia Japonica, but you mentioned that is struggling)...

I think you have to dose so your plants don't get unwell or other problems will come. I'd dose after lights off so the plants have overnight to wick it up before the algae gets a look in. Back in the day there was a school of thought that mega dosing nitrates would hammer BGA. I'm not sure...

That’s a nice looking upgrade on your old Juwel Trigon which I still remember [emoji4][emoji112]

Pairing those barbs with green neons is an act of genius. It’s a stunning combination - even better than the usual tried and tested combo with rummies. I like how in spite of being so shiny the Wuppa does look very discreet and unobtrusive.

Thanks 👍 Maybe Potassium Permanganate

Best way I ever heard that explained on here @Witcher

Subscribed. It’s nice to see a 45H journal, and a lovely bio type designed for one fish, as there are not so many about... How hard would it be to get good flow in it and run a high tech tank in it? What do you think is the root cause of the BGA - Is just new tank issues from the melting...

In my experience it can also work like a reset button on a computer - restores a stable known state in favour of the plants. This does have to be combined with root cause removal and a massive clean up, of course. Re siphoning: I think if you calculate how much Blue Exit you dosed per litre...

First they melted then they came off (or some were helped off with a siphon and tweezers at the last water change) - previously this was a mass of green:

I am not sure. You certainly can’t buy it over the counter in a pet store like you can In the US. I do not condone or recommend what I did and in hindsight it was perhaps ill advised. It seems some of us were cowboys back then: https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/erythromycin.4699/ Today, I...

I think once you have substrate and other wood/rocks around it it will be diminished plus if you have a small cave or overhang it’s not a problem. Could even be a focal point. Some fish actually like that, and you can have some shade loving plants like Anubias peaking out of it or Fissidens or...

I finally got rid of my BGA with a blackout and antibiotics I picked up in a trip to the US. This was a last resort for me after a complete nightmare that this thread is bringing back vividly. I think blackout and blue exit treatment could be effective too. I’ll quote what Clive advised me when...

What do folks think about combining treatment with a 3 day blackout?

It's lovely and for no CO2 that's amazing! Please could you post our plant list, well - identify the stems - I'm guessing the carpet is MC and Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis? Are you dosing liquid carbon? Also how big is the tank, watts of light and flow please?

It seems to be very sensitive to changes. I had a thicket of S. Repens going crazy along the front of my 25cm. I decided to turn my light up from 25% to 50% and 3 days later all the leaves melted. Complete disaster. I went to remove, but as in your case the stalks have put down impressive roots...

No you've not misunderstood, but I've a feeling it will be too much without CO2 for some plants. @buttons has a nice low tech journal where he runs his 33w Twinstar 600e at 50%. You've got the more powerful version... I'm not the person to ask for CO2 as I am not in the UK. The ideal is a...

Oh you’ve got Manchester water! It’s pretty good actually, kept fish in it for over 10 years as a kid. No pesky calc stains and there are tons of SE Asian and South American fish that positively prefer it. If you really need to it’s easy enough to remineralise (easier than getting it minerals...

Curiously @JoshP12 just recently posted about this too https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/curbing-diurnal-behavior.61250/ but I do not know the answer.

Looking good. Based on the graph, looks like you are where we would expect for 7 days 🙂 The ammonia value is so low because of all those water changes you did, else it would be higher. Test again in 7 days and you should have some nitrites instead of ammonia. I am surprised you have no nitrates...

No matter how bright, 8 hours light is good, but most people start out with 6 hours at first. Some people do a sunset/sunrise period at just 10% to extend the lighting period. Re. the “right amount of light” my understanding is it works like this: Now each plant needs different PAR values to...

Wow. Awesome videos. This just gets more and more surreal. You can seriously use operant conditioning to train an anenome to stay put just like I taught my cat to high five!? If it were free, where would it go and what would it do!? I’ve been thinking for a long time “it would be nice to...

OK, two weeks is good - keep us posted. I’ve ordered a 3rd party dimmer (I’ve not got the version with an app that you have) so I can slowly increase my light and find out what the ceiling is. Maybe if I go up 5%/week I can get up to full... With filtration and heating a betta is possible...

Planting sounds sensible to me and the choice of fish is very nice. For lighting I’m pretty sure 44 watts LED on a 60cm tank without CO2 is too much unless you dim. For reference I’m running a 15w light on a 25cm tank at 25% power. Would your Mrs allow a soda siphon in the house? You could...

Hi Nick and Selamat Datang [emoji846] That looks like leaf melt to me, not a disease. If so it’s induced by sudden changes of conditions or insufficient CO2 available for the lighting. For example I recently caused this on S. Repens in my low tech Betta tank by turning light up from 25% to...

Thanks for sharing. I have to take the bait - why is your sea anemone in a prison!? Am I really understanding correctly this means “aquatic shrimp are coming out of the live rock at night while my fish are asleep and eating my corals so I need a nocturnal predator to eat them”? #marine tank...

For submerged plants we normally do 8 hours/day. More just encourages algae. I’ve got a 17l 25cm cube with a Betta (so low flow, which is a factor) and I’m running the same light at 25%. I turned it up to 50% and my S. Repens melted - presumably too much light. Buce and Annubias in same tank...

Is that a ONF Flat Nano on a low tech tank? If so what power are you running on?

That would be really nice for an office desk. Do you keep a lid on it normally? What about light?

That photo makes me want to keep marine- looks like something from a SciFi movie! I think UKAPS could reasonably have a marine section in the plants area for people to talk about seaweed & such?

Welcome. I’m recently back too and I’m loving some developments: - Affordable, dimmable, attractive LED lighting. - Tissue culture plants. - Affordable and effective substrates. - Some of the guys who posted here 10 years ago are YouTube celebrities now.

So something like this? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk