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Hi, I find in bright light they also tend to get some algae on them, as their slow growing!! Mostly!

Hi, Please can you help identify these plants, sure their very common, perhaps a Rotalia? Rotundiflora (Round leaves?) the other is a small crypt, brought one long ago, but which I don't recall. As you can see I've just split it up and replanted.... Any help much appreceiated. Mel.

Hi Miranda, Do you know which that Crypt is at the front, with the light rusty leaves in the centre. That I do like!! Mel.

Hi, I have a few Crypts. not running a tank with CO2 at present, but I had some good crypts then. I think there seems to be lots of confusion and perhaps some natural hybreds. But I can't recall buying them from reliable suppliers. C.wendtii seems to have lots of variation in colour and...

Hi, For the last 2 years or so I have been fighting a battle with BBA! I've tried bleach and H202 to no avail. Yesterday I tried again, soaked my rocks in a bleach-water mix, pulled my plants to bits, getting rid of all those ugly black leaves, cleaned the filter, etc. Gave up on Co2, but hope...

Hi, For the last 2 years or so I have been fighting a battle with BBA! I've tried bleach and H202 to no avail. Yesterday I tried again, soaked my rocks in a bleach-water mix, pulled my plants to bits, getting rid of all those ugly black leaves, cleaned the filter, etc. Gave up on Co2, but...

Hi All, Am I mistaken or did this site/forum have a very good plant guide giving temps, water perams, light needs, growth rate, etc and a few pictures of the plant.... If not could we? start one.... Regards Mel.

go to this website and you might get one for free! : https://www.essentracomponents.com/en-gb/cable-management Regards Mel.

Hi, I didn't find COB LEDS that good, in fact some individual leds failed to work after a time. The 1W leds seem to be doing the job, with good coverage better then COBS, are these from China? and quite cheap or not? Mel.

Hi All, (Again) I did use co2 and IE ferts, I had Crypts 30cm+ tall and most plants grew well, but I never got around to lawn or carpet plants which come next. As we know Watts is a rating of power, not light output, so higher Watts may not be more light, or quality/quantity of light, the RIo...

Hi, All I can say is Hooray! I'm getting rid of my Aqua-vogue, always been a pain in the !! But my LED lighting was rated at 54 Watts I beleive. My new Juwel Rio 180 as two LED lamps (like thin T4? tubes) each rated at 23W and 5290 Lumen, so how do you convert that to PAR?? Regards to...

Hi, Does not using a spray bar expel co2 from the water? just tring to sort this out spray bar or NOT! perhaps pointing it at the glass and not the water would help co2 levels. Regards Mel.

So DW do you have a massive tank (by the yard), or just small pants?

HI, UV and IR can be filtered out, or find a sensor that don't react to them.... Vishay are OK! https://www.vishay.com/photo-detectors/ambient-light-sensor/ I still think there's something worth trying?? Even if you only got relative reading from different tank vertical sizes. Some...

Hi, Is not a PAR meter just a fancy light meter? Perhaps not, perhaps it light quality and not quanty! Making a waterproof meter would be failry simple (or you could measure the 3 primary colours). You could then at least make comparative readings from the bottom of the tank/s. Sorry my...

Hi All, Well my inline heater arrived today from China! Looks good, with adaptors for different sized piping. Can I wait till tomorrow to get a metre of 12/16 pipe or will I nick some off my old Eheim 2213 classic?? But in the meantime here's a few pictures. I'll get back once it fixed in...

Hi, I've just ordered one of these: https://www.banggood.com/220V-240V-300W-Adjustable-Submersible-External-Heater-For-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-p-1132604.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN From Bang-Good in China, their stuff don't seem so bad!! Steveno when I saw the Maplin link, I thought...

Hi Kadoxu, Super work, if I can ever get anything like this I'll be very happy. While I like planted tanks "Aquascaping" seems to be something else. I have a greenhouse full of Cacti, perhaps in the spring I can propergate something watery. Regards Mel.

Hi, I didn't think that Plusnet did the TV thing, they never seems to mention it in th AD's. It's only the TV thing that keeps us from changing? Mel.

Thanks Darrel, That's cleared that little matter up, next time I'll know. Regards Mel.

Hi All, It still seems like I can't edit a thread, once I've left it and come back! There is NO edit option, just report and bookmark, can this be right!! Anyway here's my modified post.. Hi All, I keep saying I'll make my own PLC using an Arduino, simple...

Tim, I'm in Leicester too, with BT and I don't think much of them either, slow.... even the so called Infinty. I have been thinking of moving to virgin, as a friend it Derby seems to got the best speed and no probles. But one site showed me what connection speeds local (our Street)...

Hi, I too am thinking about an inline heater, what about this one: https://www.banggood.com/220V-240V-300W-Adjustable-Submersible-External-Heater-For-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-p-1132604.html?rmmds=mywishlist It's 300W and I only need 200W on my 170L tank! So it might not be constantly switching...

Hi All, I keep saying I'll make my own PLC using an Arduino, simple programming. I've used the arduino for other things like my seed propagator, where the temp is controlled by what light is available, anyone interested!! especially if around the Leicester area. Regards Mel.

Hi konsa, I didn't think it was the Otto, I think I read about his tiny teeth. It does look like the holes have been punched out and not eaten as you say, but I have clowns in another tank and can't say I've ever seen simular damage. I'll just have to keep an eye on it. Regards...

I've just noticed that something seems to be eating my plants, the holes have well defind boarders. A couple of weeks ago I added one Otto and 2 stripped loaches ( Botia striata), which did their job of eating all the snails, and I've see the Otto taking algae off the leaves. Here's some pics...

Hi, Sorry I know why we do it, but I never do, when I get water in a tank, 3 days later and I need fish!! I have never done a fishless cycle, just seems a waste of time. Get a few hardy fish in there for a couple of weeks, and you're ready to go. My Red crystal shrimps went in to a tank...

Hi Zeus, Yes your so right, I was perhaps looking more on the fitting side of things (i'm bit of aa grrek).they have been in other threads, but here's a couple. Not my best photography, but gives an idea of illumination. Regards Mel.

Sorry I just don't see the point, especially at the price they charge. It might be transparent and clear when new, but it's going to get algae on it, in it. That one is a bummer!!! perhaps they should have a spiral vortex moulded in to them, that could be useful. What about air!! and bubbles...

HI, A week ago I put 2 Striped loaches (Botia striata) in my Rio125 and all snails are now gone! The fish themselves are good to look at and belong to the Clown loach family, these only grow to 4" max so are ideal for the smaller tank. Here's a link to pictures and info...

Sorry Angela, here's a couple of photos of my simple LED lights, both run on a 12V 1A+ mains adaptor. Mel.

Last weekend I brought 6 x Rummy nose tetras (Fair size), to add to the 2 I already had, today I can only count 4? The same thing happend a while back with some Harliquins, after seeing the angels go for them I rescued the remainder and moved them to another tank, but they were really small. Mel.

Hi Angela, And welcome, we have lots of useful people on here to help. I don't know your new tank you have or your old one, but moving filters, heaters, usually is not a problem. Lighting can be a problem, especially if going down a size, the old fitting might just be too BIG...

Here's the 60L lighting... You can buy these on ebay, in strings of 20 modules (I used a few elsewhere) on ebay, just use a 12v 1Amp+ mains adaptor.

Hi Rob, Thanks for you reply, I don't at the moment have any fancy lighting, my Aqua-1 170L has the LED lighting it came with, and CO2 and my Rio125 has 2 x T5 (28w) tubes. I can sure grow BBA! without any trouble?? At the menment I just want to grow good plants, which I seem...

Hi All, As someone who spent most of hos working life around cameras and such, I used to struggle to get exposures right, before the days of film and so much automation. My trick was a sheet of glass across tha top of the tank, small electronic flast pointing down in to the tank, a...

Hi, Cherry shrimp arn't that fussy about water are they? I keep crystals they do need soft acid water, so I use RO but add the minerals back using Bee shrimp G+ this adds GH but not KH or JBL AquaDur as I use for Dwarf Chiclids.

Hi, Just give it a rinse in tank water (in the tank, might go a bit murky, but will clear), not under the tap or in tap water as the chlorine will kill the bacteria. Regards Mel.

Hi, My first good external was an Eheim 2213 and it still works today, but it just get used when I need a tank clearing, and in an emergency..... I got it when they were giving the taps away with it FREE. What a bargain.

Hi, I think the API kit is one of the better ones, Plants, fish and Shrimps... What kind of shrimp? some can be very fussy on water parms! No I don't check my water that much, but I'd like it to be right when I do, and what do Amazon know about it all anyway.....

Hi, Here's Oscar the Amelanistic (he's part albino and has no "Black" colouring) Corn snake, Purchased by my son, within a week (of being purchased) he escaped his Vivarium and vanished, so 2 weeks later my son brought himself another. Two months later goes in to the kitchen and finds this...

Hi Dean, As a keen grower of Cacti and Succulents I can tell you it's kalanchoe blossfeldiana, lots of sun, in the Summer lots of water, now sunny window but FROST free, and a dring now and again. Many of my Succulents and all my cacti sit in the greenhouse all winter bone dry...

Hi jp303, Which Aqua tank do you have? mines an Aqua-1 170L it's beed nothing but trouble, the light controller never worked right, it would switch the lights on or off as it wished, this was replaced but still had similar problems, the heater failed within the 12 months, LFS...

Hi, I use APF EI ferts, buy them dry and mix yourself very ecconomical? (liquid ferts are 90% water?) Macro ferts one day, Micro ferts the next, Sunday no ferts but a water change, and I only do about 10%. Yes my Anubius got covered in Algae becase it's a slow grower and needed shading from...

Hi Guys, I was told long ago that the brown spots are normal, and have something to do with spores and reproduction?? I can only say that the best Java ferns I had, that really grew, had them. Hope it helps, Regards. Mel.

Hi All, I just brought 10Kg of Lava rock on eBay, it arrived today, it was only in 3 pieces one very large, but it was fairly easy to break up, it looked very gray and dusty, but a quick squib with an hose-pipe brought it to life and now I can see the colouring, etc. Going to have fun...

Hi Flecth, Welcome, I'm new here too. Nice coloured plants and no algae that I can see, well done.

Hi Phillip, I'm fairly new too. Show us what you've got!! in the wat of tank and plants, and sure we'd like to see your fish too. Regards Mel.

Hi Bones, I am on my second Rio the first gave up after 12 years!! but towards the end I did remove the filter and use an external, in the early days the filter was not fixed, you did it yourself! I still like the Rio and I am just trying to get into Aquascaping, even in that...

Hi, I like the old Growlux tubes, but not used them in a long time. Just done some simple LED lighting on my small shrimp tank, but my old Juwel 60L is next, but this will need a constant current controller which I have. Take a look here...

Hi, Thanks for the info. I found a few treads that suggest it's not as easy as it sounds.. And I sure don't want it all over the place. Might give a little bit a try the other can go in my bowl or wild garden puddle. I am sure some of the mosses would be easier and I have had a bit of...

Hi All, Just getting in to Aquascaping, well what I mean is I want to give it a try. Just ordered a few plants, nothing special as all my tanks are planted anyway. But got some Riccia fluitans which I understand is a floating plant, but I am sure I saw somwwhere that you can tie it to...

Hi Moose, I set up a Rio 125 early this year, but just a standard planted set up, but I'm just getting to try a bit of Aqauscaping, your wood looks good and has structure. You plants sound good. I have just discovered that all the rock I have in my tank is I think so called...

Hi Coys, Let's hope so! I have just changed my CO2 and lighting times too, only time will tell.

Hi Rad, Yes looks good, I would be very interested in you DIY LED lighting. I need to get some hight in my tank.... And the Yoghert meathod I was going to ask about, but see nigel put a link in, seems OK for a new set up but not for me. Unless at a later date I try it. My...

Hi trim..., That is a super project and well done. My LED lighting is much simpler, well it's only a 20L shrimp tank, and good lighting for plants is perhaps not that important!! I just used 6x 1Watt bead leds, and driven from a standard 9v main adpator. I did buy a proper...

Hi, I have 2 cheap PH pen type meters, they seem fine with new batteries and calibrated, but seem to lose it, as the batteries go down, which really means you need 2 big pots of calibration solution, and recalibration too often. The TDS meter also shown seems fine, indicating 0-1 with my RO...

Hi All, Ostracods, so that's what they are!! I had these in my 20L shrimp tank, never noticed any plant damage tho! but they just seem to have died out, so what did I do that was right?? it's a mystery but I'll know next tiem.

Hi Coys. So did your fish get any food during you holidays? Or perhaps not feed so well, with perhaps not any laying around the tank, smoldering away. I have just got a few Ottos for 2 of my tanks which have/had a BBA problem. Having said that I did just teat it with Hydrgen...

HI Ian, Very intresting as my other hobby is electronics and I use the Arduino for various projects, to date the most useful as been a seed propagator that controls the heat according to how much light is available, this controls via a relay (OK should be a triac) a metre length of...

Hi All, My other interest include some electronics, micro-controller programming, etc. So here's my simple 6 x (1W) Led hood on my 20L shrimp tank. I also cut an hole and stuck my lcd thermometer in there too. A sheet on clear (self-adhesive) book cover plastic keeps it all water...

Hi Edvet, See what your saying, in fact just as in Humans, the common over use of antibiotics.

Hi Mic, It looks like we're both new here, so here's what Hydrogen Perocide (shorter=H2O2) did for me. https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/algae-issue-from-empty-co2-bottle.50909/#post-501642

Hi Tim, Thanks those 2 links are very useful and informative! Yes I still have algae problems, but seem to have sorted most of it now!! https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/algae-issue-from-empty-co2-bottle.50909/#post-501642

HI Collin, I find Hydrogen Peroxide very hard to purchase locally! You do know that you can make bombs or explosives with it! So for security reasons lots of places don't keep it (Even my local Boots, in Leicester). I have only been able to get it on eBay, the last stuff I got...

Hi, take a look here: https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/algae-issue-from-empty-co2-bottle.50909/#post-501642 It might help. Regards Mel.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/algae-issue-from-empty-co2-bottle.50909/#post-501642

Hi Ross, Just today added Ottos to my tanks. I can't quite understand why you say you can't count the bubbles of CO2, or did you? It seems your feeding lots of Ferts, but have nothing to complete the cycle? I use the same EI Ferts with 25ml in the 170L and only 5ml the Rio125...

Hi, I've had a BBA problem for most of this year, an early try with Hydrogen Peroxide or H2O2 failed. But a couple of weeks ago I got myself 2x bottles of 9% HP, throw 100ml into my Aqua-1 170L tank (Led lighting and CO2), this unfortunately killed a few Tetras (4) and a Blue Ram, But it...

Hi Hoggie, Yes that sounds familular Wenditii it is mostly red/brown, was'nt sure it grow that tall? Mel.

Hi All, Thanks for your welcome and comments. So here's a few pics of my newly set up Shrimp tank and my Rio 125 which I got back in Febuary, and if you REALLY want to see my models and Cacti! them too, but you can see more on my website at www.melsaunders.co.uk You will also see...

Hi Andy, Just want to add my "WOW" too, wish I could manage something like that! Mel.

Hi All, I'm from the LE4 area of Leicester. on and off been keeping fish for some years. But do lots of other things too, 300+ Cacti to look after, Photography's been with me since I was 17, I'm now 70. Model building and electrobics, Meccano. I'm just a frustrated scientist and...