Search results for query: *

I'd say once fully established with a high plant mass it should be totally fine with a few key caveats (increased maintainance), and it might need more of a bedding in time than usual before I'd be comfortable introducing live stock As @Wookii said above you'd have to be on top of regular...

Exactly as @Wookii has said, change as little as possible. If your tank is running well, then any changes will mess about with what your tank is used to and that is when there's more chance of algae. Stability is key. Personally i'd feed less than usual during this time as well

Have used Riverwood multiple times in the past and they're one of my 3 go to retailers, great company and good to see them onboard

That's what it's all about @Ady34, sometimes the simpler it is, the more it engages you (in life as well!) NA will always have a place in aquascaping, while other styles will come and go

It sounds like you've went all in with getting great equipment and done your research so it can be even more disheartening when it's not working out as expected but stick with it. It's a process and learning curve and as hard as it can be try and enjoy the journey and not just the end product...

These are the wall supports I added, one at either end so they are opposing each other and both fixed into studs, without this I wouldn't chance much at all on it as it had far too much side to side movement which was the biggest danger, now it's solid but definitely need to be careful with...

I've got a 60P and 45P on a kallax unit and it can handle it fine but with one caveat. I would not feel safe doing so without a proper fixing into the wall. Plenty of well built sideboards out there which would do the job

Amazing scape, what background plants and light screen are you using?

Stick with it @FrozenShivers, it's all just a learning curve for you to find what works for you. Remember to enjoy the process as well as the 'end' result :thumbup: Presoaking the wood is always a good idea no matter whether its glued or not as it'll give you a chance to scrub it down and get...

Thanks @CooKieS, yeh the liberty's are good solid trustworthy HOB's, very simple in design which I like I've had all 3 (70, 130 and 200) and I'd say the 200 has a noticeably louder drone when on full, but it is quiet when turned down to 50% or below. Both the 70 and 130 are quiet. I have the...

Thanks Darrel, I found sponge filter foam fits perfectly over the inlet so a perfect way to prefilter as well as make it fully shrimp safe. Nice and easy to rinse out at each WC now

Will depend if you are co2 or not but that's probably a lot of light either way @Gee For reference I've just started a non co2 tank 60x36x30cm with a Vivid mini (no white channel) and these are the settings I've ran for the first 2 weeks, best starting off lower and working up

Day 14 - we seem to be turning a corner with the initial ugly transition phase with the wood fluff starting to subside and the plants starting to show growth, MC is doing well with old dying off and replaced with a lot of new healthy growth, fingers crossed but the buce is doing well with no...

This is not good for my bank balance, now i want one :rolleyes::lol: Looks amazing mate

I doubt you need to worry too much either way tbh EDIT: sorry that was a bit blunt and to the point :lol: the main time your lights are on at the higher intensity will have much more of a bearing on your plants rather than the ramp up and down times so just do what suits you, personally i've...

it's your tank and vision mate stick with what you have in your head as there's always the next rescape to try something different! But just in case you do want to: No need to cap with sand behind the hardscape as you won't see the substrate so best leaving it soil only (it will only mix anyway...

Day 8, cloudy haze (possible bloom) is noticeably less after today's water change Some melt on the MC but also some nice new growth, a slight bit of crypt melt but not as much as I was expecting and some nice fuzz on the wood Unfortunately the riccardia chamedryfolia didn't arrive in the...

looks great mate! if you need extra stone you know where i am you've got co2 so 100% go for stems to take advantage of this in my opinion

Or just add some ferts and enjoy your tank ;)

loving this @Ady34, fitting you've went for more of a nature style in the full ADA setup even though the hardscape is quite aggressive, the way you've planted it should turn it into a nice calming scape to view, looking forward to seeing it grow in :thumbup:

2nd water change and clearing up

Photos are going to be hard with this tank as it looks a lot duller than in real life due to a south facing window directly across from it

Day 2 after planting, still cloudy but easing up after 1 water change so far Happy with the plant choices in the foreground and epiphytyes on wood, but still need to decide what will work best in the background, torn between easy stems or pack it full of crypts... Leaning towards crypts and...

Nothing is ever striaght forward @FrozenShivers but at least you're a massive step forward even if it doesn't feel like it right now! I've always used black electrical tape between the mounting bracket and glass just to ensure I don't scratch the glass even if unlikely You can get perspex cut...

I'll find out and let you know :lol: it's the first time I'll be bothered about and keeping an eye on pH (other than lowering via co2) but from what I've heard and read up about others using amazonia for caridina setups is it lasts between 1-2 years before it starts to break down and lose its...

Finally getting round to filling A murky start (also found that the HOB is the perfect place to sit the PH probe) I'm happy with the hardscape in general but unsure about the top left piece, just not sure if it fits with the rest of the scape or not but I do want a bit of height in that...

Great to see you getting the time and space to get this set up @Ady34 Scape looks amazing, very impactful :clap: Will be good to see this one progress and how you plan on planting it

The ugly side of creating a hardscape...

Yeh should be totally fine, because of the 3 uprights it's actually pretty rigid and supports a fair amount of weight even though its not solid wood, it's also fixed to the wall which is crucial The load capacity is stated as 13kg per shelf and 25kg on top when used in the upright orientation...

Manzanita sorted into sizes and dumped in the tanks Now just to come up with 2 hardscapes... Also, not sure about the colour of this new bottle of tropica specialised... :what:

As I was putting it together I felt it was a fairly standard list of low tech plants, and then realised its actually a list of most of my favourites (apart from rotala) Yeh the bad thing about loyalty points is it gives you an idea of how much you've spent.... And I've redeemed A LOT of loyalty...

Well they used to at least... These points have been sat in my account for well over a year. Get checking your account if you have one!

Plant order placed to force me to make time to get these up and running...

That's 10x pots worth of MC?! Wow doesn't go as far as I'd have thought :eek:

some really nice stones and layout, just remember that 1-2cm will be lost with your carpet so plan how the stone will look once grown in (you might want to sit them a bit higher to keep the impact and drama of the stones)

Always good to have someone in a similar boat along for the journey @aec34 :thumbup:

Have been waiting on a few things arriving before I can kick this off so it's been slow progress New unit set up, new foam (from eFoam) added to bottom of tanks, Amazonia pre-soaking to reduce the initial ammonia spike, 1 light ordered and one still to decide on...

It's a shame this isn't lasting as it's looking great @Ady34 , but if it's not giving you what you want from it then it's like trying to flog a dead horse, looking forward to seeing what comes next... ;) The light screen works perfectly here, like you said the depth it gives is unrivalled...

some amazing pieces of manzanita there and it's looking good, i think the look and position of the 2 upright branches are being dictated more by the look of the emerged part of them than the submersed part, so just make sure you get what from it both inside and outside of the tank (maybe cover...

A few years worth of accumulation which I definitely won't be letting the Mrs know how much I've spent on "just branches and twigs" as she puts it The problem will be finding small enough pieces for the 2 tanks as I can't bring myself to breaking up the larger ones...

Thought it was a fitting journal title since this is me getting back into setting up a couple of small tanks since moving home and more importantly welcoming our new son into the world (who is now 3 months old). This will just be a bit of a fun Caridina (possibly taiwan bee) breeding project...

Lava rock in net bags has always worked well for me in the past when I've wanted to create background height No benefit other than its cheap and stable to build on, saves using silly amounts of expensive soils and it can be washed and reused

There's definitely 2 sides to it, aesthetics and functionality The ADA aquariums & lighting are simply aesthetic driven, they look great, are high quality and like any Gucci brand are priced higher (but not in comparison to some of their other products (which is scary in itself) The...

It's funny how you don't realise how much you've missed something until you're reminded of it :lol: your post finding memory never fails to amaze Darrel :thumbup:

The confusing world of ADA substrates... ADA have never been the clearest with their marketing, and now there are old/new and different varieties i'm just trying to get my head round what is what. After searching the ADA journals, youtube, google and many other reviews i'm finding a bit of...

Much appreciated buddy :thumbup: i'll certainly be back in the hobby at some point once life allows Haha yeh not many of us up here north of the border mate, will let you know the prices of the stuff we talked about :thumbup: This is very true Tim, when time allows i'll try and pop my head...

Evening all, I've been posted missing for the best part of a year now with my main tank still ticking over but knowing that it's got a shelf life due to an impending house move, we are finally due to move out at the start of Feb and will be in a rental for 7 months and then moving into a new...

nice use of the wood to make up a 'trunk/root', I'll throw a curve ball rather than going down the traditional epiphyte route (which would still look amazing in this scape) i think this would look brilliant as a black water scape, leaf litter, pods, tannins, floaters, etc....

looking good @Dorey and really like the look of the new DOOA range is this like a where's wally but trying to find Bruce....:bookworm:

As @GHNelson mentioned it looks like a macro deficiency since it's the old growth that are affected, new growth looks good which points to your micro dosing being fine

the 60psi still showing is a strange one and not sure the below will help but worth a try: There is a grub screw on the bottom of the housing (under the main black dial) which i've found helps set working pressure range, just be careful and not unwind it too much though as it will come out and...

This is where we summon the magic UKAPS genie that is @dw1305.... Simply put, floating plants aren't co2 or light limited (in majority of cases) so those factors can usually be ruled out, this mean the only factor for them not doing well is ferts. They serve as a good way to get a rough idea of...

majority looks good and healthy, just hoover up anything you can while doing a water change. You're just going through a diatom phase which is totally normal on a new tank so don't worry ;) use your frogbit to judge your ferts

Main signs I've noticed with fish struggling due to co2 are: Sitting at the surface and gasping for air If really bad they will struggle to swim and rest somewhere Generally lethargic Some may panic but I've tended to notice the opposite and they don't have the energy due to lack of oxygen...

Great colours on the rotala :clap: it's always nice when a scape turns a corner and starts to deliver on what you've had in your head

Exactly what I do as well, I've got a drawer full in the garage that I reuse from previous purchases, my Mrs hates that I keep all that stuff :lol:

Cheers @Gill i had noticed about VAT but didn't check the postage! That looks a bit better than the ones I posted @Wookii cheers @Raws69 I usually wrap in damp paper towel and put them in a zip loc bag, this will then be put in the box Cheers @GHNelson will take a look!

Thought it might be useful to have a few of the large letter boxes lying around for when i'm sending plants to other members so was just wondering where everyone is getting theirs from? Found this place so far - Royal Mail Large Letter Boxes | Globe Packaging Quality doesn't need to be high...

guessing it is a non-co2 tank? what is your current fert regime? some of the things you list will work but ruin the experience and whole point of having a tank IMO, i've done the whole covering one side of the tank with cardboard during the day (tank being near a south facing window) but in the...

my water is around double the values of yours at approx 15mg/l calcium and 3 degrees clarke hardness but still regarded as soft but i have no issues and have had a stable RCS population for years, i do have an occasional few die when moving tank or rescaping but i think that just happens with...

Yeh 100% up with the reason for the drain and planning to do the same myself in a future sump, like you say it has a duel purpose of being a failsafe for flooding and also water changes What I'm questioning is the position of the drain, I'm certainly not speaking from experience here and more...

With the drain in the return chamber then you'll be draining a good amount of 'clean' water from your auto water change system, would it make more sense to drain 'dirty' water before the return chamber? Plus I'm guessing co2 will be added to the sump so this would be in the same category of...

Thanks for the share on the UKAPS Instagram page @LondonDragon Not been on in a few weeks so only just noticed My account on there is ka_aquascaper ;)

Was really confused by this as well when I seen it the other day I've had an a401 in the past and it was white like the a301 on the left but with clear 'diffuser' but as said their description makes it should like the frosted diffuser is on the new version but the leds described are shown on...

some really nice varieties in your stocking list and a great tank to house them in as well, but sometimes you can have too much variety (lets be serious we've all been there wanting to just have it all in one tank and i've done it in the past and still need to reign myself in now) While there's...

but to keep the thread on track @LondonDragon, because your tank is pretty tall and the pygmies will stay low in the tank i think you've went with a good stocking level so far but i's leave it there in terms of fish, only thing i'd consider personally would be some shrimp (because you have long...

Nobody will ever convince me otherwise that 5L is suitable for any livestock, even Shrimp Just because you can shouldn't always mean you should

Morning, your best bet will be more than likely facebook these days. Either one of the betta groups or just the general marketplace local to yourself The betta trios looks quite nice on paper but they do suffer from flow issues between the sections, not sure what your project is but if it's for...

no apology ever needed @aeneas that's what the forum is for, i'm in the very very early stages of planning a 500L+ tank after i move house so find threads like this extremely useful and have been keeping an eye on it while doing my own research

Hey @EA James thanks for the kind words :thumbup: Been taking a couple of pics as I go but you're right I'm slacking on the updates so will get one done tomorrow :lol: Tank ran completely algae free for the first 4 weeks with not even diatoms in sight, lights have been at 30% but since scaling...

show off.....

i've only tried to keep amanos once so far and they lasted around 3 months before all 4 had passed, have kept cherries for a few years now and have done fine with 70% water changes 1-2 times a week but i also do occasionally see a couple which appear to be 'dead' during or after water change...

Where are you keeping the male and female after they breed? Are you separating them? They can show a lot of aggression (especially the female) so 17L is not enough even for experienced breeders, with that setup you would need to have a plan to deal with them longer term

I've got the vivid on my 75P and it's perfect for this size with good light spread right into the corners

I got excited thinking this was a journal with a twist, very disappointed

DIY EI as per UKAPS @ceg4048 now using the extremely useful calculator that has the blood sweat and tears of @Zeus. And @Hanuman It allows me to understand what's going in and a base line after w/c without worry. Then if your wants and needs change you can tweak from there and learn from the...

My nitrates were still high and it was new ADA Amazonia so it would have still been nutrient dense as well, I have no doubt in my mind and others have shown these are far more than up to the job and stronger lighting for reds than you could ever need on a tank this size, but I get the feeling of...

As @dw1305 stated trust what you are dosing and not what the test results show as they might not be accurate, IF you are certain you are following full EI dosing then you are 30ppm nitrate at full and 15ppm at half dose, brining it under 10 and even under 5ppm as @Libba mentions above is where...

Forgot a couple of things... What is your starting nitrate levels if using tap water? What substrate and is it new or old?

To cut to the chase and get it out the way, the vivid is more than powerful enough to tease out reds Would be worth noting a few specifics to help: What nitrate levels did you restrict to for a weekly dosing? You're only using the light at 37% of its max, have you tried turning it up? Have...

This is mine which i've been running for a while, works a treat (have tried a couple of other variants and had the same issues as other but this works well) Occasionally get the odd shrimp stuck on it but if you run it on a timer so it goes off for 15min every hour that should let them get off...

personally i wouldn't risk flexible tubing even if certified for c02, last thing you want is a kink in the hose on anything pressurised

pearling is always a nice sign but i'd stick the co2 to come on 3-4 hours before lights come on, you want the co2 levels to be as stable as possible during the photoperiod i wouldn't judge tropica 1-2 grow on a bad retailer experience, as @alto says it should never have been sent and when...

If you're not bothered by the look and solely just want some ambient lighting then how about a really low wattage lamp or even plug in kids night light in the room on a timer so the room is never in total darkness? doesn't even need to be right next to the tank but just enough to maybe stop them...

5ml per 200L is all that's needed 0.3ml for a 12L bucket or 3ml when I do a w/c on my 130L

As I use a python these days and can't use straight tank water I always wash filter media in a 12l bucket of tap water with prime For the sake of 0.3ml of prime its not worth the risk (even if low) of ruining a stable filter and bacteria for a couple of minutes saved by running under the tap

Translation below (from google) Hi guys, lm from Turkey My tank 60x45x35h 90lt Silica sand base only diy Smd led lighting 40wt, 9 hours day 24 hours co2 Sunsun 603b filter fertilizer; kno3, mpk, k2so4 and seachem develop and iron My problem is that algae grows only cracked moss and parvula...

really nice scape and glad it's all coming together and looking really healthy, you certainly have an eye for it with the rock layout as well as the new wood :thumbup:

theres various other ways you could approach it but that's half the fun, everyone could be given identical hardscape and all come up with something different :thumbup:

stone work is much better @Paul Kettless, but it hink you have a set position or part of the wood you like that is dictating the layout of it and it's a bit unnatural and too vertical this is just my quick 2p and it's all down to what you like but the stone i have crossed on the left does...

thanks buddy it's good to be back on :thumbup: brilliant that helps a lot with planning on where to plant when things arrive, you and me both, i've had mini needle leaf before and it's probaby my favourite along with mini cherry and mini coin (trend forming with the mini varieties here...) on a...

Buce is looking good :thumbup: where did you get the red mini if you don't mind me asking?

Few pics from a local walk earlier today

just for you @Jayefc1

Sorry mate not intentional.... got sidetracked when a pizza got delivered just after I finished and lights were ramping down by the time I came to after my food coma @alto you're going to make me fall out with the guys at AG because I'm going to end up pestering them to change one of the pots...

Day 13 - What else is there to do on a friday night these days other than plant some buce... Should have used something for size comparison but the largest one of these is smaller than a 1p coin

another for Eheim Liberty but not as easy to get a hold of these days ran the 75 on a 16L and the 130 on a 32L and worked a charm

outstanding work gents :clap: bravo i've got my own backyard calculator which i've been using for a couple of years but that will be gladly archived for this work of geek art

The anubias was bombproof in the previous tanks which as mention and describe this situation perfectly, were also neglected towards the end (tds of around 400 where i usually keep mine around 120 after water change rising to 160 before the next WC). I transferred them to a holding tank with a...

Why thank you @alto :p and I did indeed, all the manzanita I have is from the main man TB himself, still have a box worth in the garage and was been speaking to him about getting another but covid hit and priorities changed I used novae-zealandiae in my very first tank and I loved it, I've...