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I use mesh bags with John Innes Number 3 / old substrate (aquasoil / sand). I sometimes add fertiliser tabs.I initially bought bags with plastic zips from ebay more recently I use the mesh fruit bags that lidl sell. I cap them with enough sand to plant in. It works wonderfully. Plants root into...

Many thanks for the advice. It is very much appreciated. This is a picture of one of the fish. It is about three years old. I have five of them that stick together. I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert a fish identification) but this doesn't look like a black neon.

Does anyone know of any useful sites, videos or books on breeding tetras? I have a few fish which look similar to a black neon and were sold as such but aren't (they have olive green in the body are larger). I was down at T A Aquaculture last week and mentioned this to them and was told that...

2 million litres of water in a year ... @George Farmer recommended one % water change a week in the first month to avoid algae...not 100% once a day ...:eek:o_O😄

I wouldn't worry email them and you will be reassured. I have bought three tanks from them and the customer service as well as the build quality is second to none.

I am looking for a new external filter which is reasonably powerful (for my 360 litre aquarium), spares are available and above all is silent. I had thought about a Eheim until I heard the Eheim Professional 4 + 600 on MD Fishtanks latest video (the hum of the filter was clearly audible). I will...

I would be tempted to provide a base layer of gravel then place the aquasoil within the net bags and finally the layer of sand. In this way the soil is readily acessible to the plants but is separated from the sand and gravel allowing both to be reused. A gravel base layer also makes more sense...

@MichaelJ and @BRJP1 . I don't want to "get all semantic on you", however... I know that gin is particularly fashionable at the moment, particularly with botanicals. Hogarth (the killjoy) destroyed any positive connotations linked to gin in the 1750s. Gin Clear water isn't something to aspire...

Well I thought I should call this journal something positive. Other titles that occurred to me were "#### my paludarium died and this is what I salvaged"...but moving forward... So it's an @Aquariums4life custom 60cm by 70cm by 50 cm high. Perfect silicone other than in the corner which got...

Oh I share your approach...definitely a fellow traveller...

So after a painful day (navigating the myriad politics of my workplace) I decided to relax with a glass of red, listen to Steve Reich (Electric Counterpoint), while watching the ebb and flow of the aquarium and generally 'decompressing'. And then, I had the 'brilliant' idea of taking a...

Plants: A motley assortment of Bucephalandra including: Bucephalandra Deep Purple Bucephalandra ' Green Pear ' Bucephalandra ' Lamandau Rain ' Bucephalandra ' Diamond ' Bucephalandra ' Blue Sea ' Bucephalandra Sintang Bucephalandra Theia Red Bucephalandra...

It's a two week old set-up. IRL it is quite clear. The glass needs a clean and I really need a new camera! Any cloudiness comes from a collection of 5 plecs who have created caves under the wood and stone and my collection of corydorus digging in the sand. The filter has the standard Aquael...

I have to be honest and I really struggled with pure gravel and dosing. When I used this of approach what worked for me were the Tropica 'easy' stems or epiphytic plants on rock or wood. I would go for a Dutch Style of Aquascape with fast growing stems throwing in colour and contrasting...

Could I ask if you are using fertilisation and how much maintenance time you can give to the scape?

The USP for this filter is that when working as intended it is silent and is highly effective. My understanding is that other filers do create some vibration or noise. It is such a shame that older versions seem to be so problematic.

I thought I would start a journal for my new 120. The details are: 120 x 50x 60 Aquariums4life Aquael 2000 Ultramax Filter Online CO2 and heater (CO2 isn't being injected yet) John Inness Number 3 in net bags (generic supermarket fine bags for fruit) Osmscote (produced by the Scott's...

It's running but the flow isn't great. In the end I siphoned water through until all the air was removed (this involved a great deal of shaking and tilting) and replaced the gaskets. When I have time I will check out if the impeller is broken and perhaps remove some filter floss.. Thank you for...

@Ibz10 I use a sand mix which covers fine net bags of John Innes Number 3. I liberally scatter osmscote under the sand in areas where I want to place 'hungry' plants. The sand is a mix of three different ADA sands (bought on the forum) and some much cheaper generic aquarium sand. The ADA sands...

@BRJP1 Yep it's my lousy camera skills while using my mobile making it look milky and generally a bit washed out. It was a quick snap after feeding the fish. In retospect, both photos look awful 😱 I need to take another decent one ASAP with a better camera and brush up on my skills ... @_Maq_...

I am experiencing massively reduced flow and very significant problems restarting the filter after cleaning. It's a v1 Ultramax 2000. I wondered if anyone found any solutions to these problems?

I used Another World TerrariaI tutorials to build my boxes. I think the addition of micro fauna helped as did a very coarse substrate. I found it really difficult to balance the environment for buce.

I am going to disagree with Darrel (first and last time) I promise. I have a long and inglorious history of killing of buce in my early days of running a planted tank. To the extent that when I called @Aquarium Gardens they tended to sigh when I asked for yet more buce. I think they thought...

To mulm or not to mulm. That is the question. I have a largish patch of mulm, moss and debris in my 120cm ( I need to confess). This wasn't the plan for this particular medium energy tank. However, its now shrimp heaven, bits of buce and anubias are now developing in it and the smaller fish...

I seem to remember that flowering in Buce can be a stress response to a difficult environment. Perhaps it is linked to the difficult position. Not cognition but an automatic response to reproduce. I know you see this in terrestrial plants (garden shrubs) that produce a superb display one year...

I had hoped so, however, the reality of the excess and the increased cost of insurance meant that a claim wasn't viable. But how I wish it was...

After my 120 tank 'explosion', paludarium tank leak and deconstruction (into separate pieces of optiwhite glass), 3 weeks of plants and fish in trugs, lights and equipment being damaged in the flood caused by the tank explosion, death of plants and fish, despair as I looked at my newly I...

I would 'haunt' ebay and Facebook marketplace. There are lots of 'full' systems for sale secondhand at your price range atm. I have seen some high end systems that are 12 months old or in somecases never used at particularly low prices.

My experience has been my 'higher energy' tanks need high flow. In these tanks I have focused on building the biomass quickly then dialing it down (Co2 and flow). Fish are only really introduced after I have started dualing down. In my medium energy or low energy tanks flow in terms of velocity...

Hmm I agree but a discussion with my other half suggests that she doesn't quite understand this. She and I have very different views of the use value of rock and a vastly different view on the exchange value.

Thanks for posting this. The dragon stone they sell also seems really cheap at 3 pounds 20p per kilo.

I couldn't find a D D and given my lack of time and buget I went for double skinning the inside of my existing one with 18mm structural ply. I looked for furniture but most if the suitable second hand stuff was only 40 wide. I have glued and screwed two painted pieces to the inside of the...

Aquariums4life saved the day and are delivering a 120cm x 60 wide by 50 high tomorrow. Optiwhite. Christmas came early!

If I can locate a tank quickly I may need a 120 x 60cm cabinet before Christmas (hopefully). Given the price of timber atm both the king of DiY's approach (a frame made from 2x4) and the ADA style18/ 22mm MDF approach to building a stand seem quie expensive. I wonder what people thought was...

OK to add insult to injury my 'Paludarium' started weeping (not literally) but through the silicone. A very, very helpful company offered to resilicone it. On the way out of the house it was knocked, the glass chipped and had to be dismantled. If anyone would like some optiwhite 12mm panels...

Possibly...I spent some time with a spirit level and days on the scape...then splosh 300 litres of water flooding out...

It was a second hand one. Perfect silicone (no bubbles).

My Evolution Aqua 120 cracked last night dumping the 300 odd litres of water onto my 2 day old engineered wood floor. Luckily the fish were in a holding bucket. I need to replace the tank with a new budget friendly version. I would go for an Aquariums for Life tank, however, the price is...

I would go for a 'dirted' tank capped with sand. I started using this approach two years ago and saw a significant positive impact on algae and better plant growth. It is so much cheaper. I am sure you have seen the guide but here is the link just in case you haven't Dirted Tank Guide

Thank you for sharing these.

No he came from Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto Portugal) and posted many of his videos from his home there. Its fairly standard for Europeans to speak at least two languages fluently.

A sad loss.

Oddly enough I just had this conversation with our joiner who is replacing a floor. The floor beams were installed pre building regs and they need strengthening and bracing for normal use. Even after that work is completed we will need to strip out our hearth as it is too heavy. His view was...

Thanks everyone for the really helpful suggestions. It's in Evolution Aqua Aquascaper 120 with a Chihiros WRGB 60cm light (4500 lumens) hanging about 5 cm above it. The tank is heavily planted with a sand and gravel cap underneath which are bags of John Innes. Its got co2 fitted, however, the...

I have had a Pygmaea Helvola (Dwarf water lily) in one of my aquariums since about 2019. It's fed (capsules, liquid feed etc) has ample light and it's leaves are a deep green. It's not, however, been able to build a tubor and I cannot think of a way of giving it a dormancy period. It has about...

I am using a IKEA Vaxer LED Grow Light E27 800 Lumen to Grow plants up and around my paludarium. I am trying out Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Jiaogulan) both in soil and as a cutting on the paludarium wall. It seems to be responding well and with the Vaxer bulb the greens really 'pop'. I bought...

My two Aquael Ultramax 2000s run silently.

@Wookii many thanks...that's the one. Sorry for my rather dodgy sense of location. I will drop in on my way back to Yorkshire...

A year or so ago I had a short visit to a shop in Birmingham (not Maidenhead Aquatics, Shirley Aquatics or T A Aquaculture) with a really extensive selection of fish. Latter on I realised that it was a bit of a fish keeping 'mecca'. I am in Birmingham again this week and cannot for the life of...

I wondered if anyone could help identify this fish. It was an 'one off' at my local fish shop sold as green line neon tetra. I don't think this is accurate. While it stares some similarities with a black neon it isn't a black neon. It's a beautiful iridescent colour, with bold and lively...

Many thanks for the advice! I will take a look to see if I can pick up the plants online. Mort the lily is Nymphaea Pygmaea Helvola. It is a hardy dwarf water lily but seems to grow well in a tropical environment. It doesn't have a dormant period, hasn't (so far) flowered, and really just...

They were sold to me as D.Filamentosus, however, have darker markings than @PremierFantasy88 's female! I have three, two of which seem to stick together as a pair. Does anyone else have a view?

It's starting to grow in and look a bit more 'jungly'. Has anyone got any suggestions for additional plants or ways in which this can be developed,? I have run out of inspiration!!

This is the link for the Repashy distributor in the Netherlands. You can buy direct from the UK distributor so I assume you should be able to do the same in the Netherlands. The website is, however, down for maintenance atm! Hope this helps

I think your consumer rights are stronger in Denmark than the UK. Just take / send it back for a full refund.

I think he was showing him an algae free tank close up with amazing growth while muttering "that's what @omina1 wanted for Christmas last year". Glad you caught him.

Merry Christmas to everyone on the forum.

I have a few in a tank with splash tetra, dwarf corydorus and ottos. They seem to get on fine. I have also kept them with Dwarf pencilfish. They are fast moving, active and always hungry swimming mid water and at the surface. While generally very peaceful I wouldn't put Chilli Rasbora or any...

I wanted to share this picture of a fern which is just unfolding. It's an unamed small fern picked up from the bargain section of my local garden centre. It's base leaves are green, however, the new leaves are red. I assume the red colour is a response to too much light, however, it looks...

I remember a story about a US company that sent a team over to Japan to understand a chip manufacturer's use of Just in Time Manufacturing (decades ago). They asked about the error rate/ defective products within the batch just completed. The Japanese managers said it was 0.5% and handed the...

Sorry to hear about your dog. I hope the situation improves.

Pm sent with the details I have.

@you are right we have touched on this before. I tbh completely forgot! Sorry a year of long covid brain fog has really impacted on my memory. On re-reading the threads I don't think, however, it was fully bottomed out nor has a guide to taking this approach been provided. I also wondered if...

Fantastic, lush looking 'jumble'!

I understand that mycrorrhizal fungi are now seen as essential to plant health. A Guardian article today pointed to further research on mapping networks of mycorrhizal fungi and there seems to be an upsurge interest in their significance (see for example the Netflix programme Fantastic Fungi)...

Thanks for all the responses. I will source one of the recommended generators ASAP. Given that (hopefully) I will only use it for a few days each year I think I will try for the Impax when it gets back in stock (I think everyone who lost power had the same idea)! @pat1cp I am so sorry you lost...

Thanks for all the rapid responses. I am based in the UK. I need power to (as a minimum) run our water pump, charge two latops and run three filters on my aquaria. This doesn't need to be constant power. The latest storm knocked power out for two days and we have just had another power cut...

We have just had a powercut again. This means we cannot work, no water and more importantly my aquaria are in jepody! I wondered if anyone on the forum could provide advice in which generator to buy or could direct me to any information on how they work etc. I need something in large text...

Superb tank. Could you share some additional photos?

I was able to source three juvenile Lyretail Checkerboard Cichlids. They are currently residing in a small isolation tank with 10 green neons bought at the same time. Given their diminutive size I think I will leave them there for a few months to grow on. @MichaelJ I have attached a photo below...

I had the same problem last year when I moved house. I reused the substrate with a bit of Osmocote and a cap of new material. I treated it like a new tank (as @Angus said it will spike) and kept the fish in a large plastic tub until the tank was ready for them. In the past I have dried...

I hope your fish get through this. I am in tge same boat, no power and a heavy snowfall.

Thanks for the advice and help. The tank is just next to my desk so the noise is really distracting. The filter is second hand and no more than two years old. It looks to be in very good condition. I have just replaced the impeller and spindle and removed the media (alfragrog) and replaced it...

Yes.

I have been using Osmocote in a dirted tank (John Innes Number 3 in plastic permeable bags capped with sand/gravel) for a few years now. I scatter a few over the 'dirt' before capping. Plant growth is good although probably not as fast as EI and column dosing. I haven't had any major issues...

I wondered if anyone else was enjoying the YouTube channel Crime pays but botany doesn't? While it is intentionally crass, it is also a highly informative and endlessly entertaining set of videos on all things botanical! Joey Santore (the content creator) explains here why he uses an alter...

I have acquired a Fluval 406 and wondered if the background noise it generates is a feature or a bug? The pump can be heard even when the cabinet doors are closed. The noise seems to be generated both by vibration and by movement of water in the filter. I have replaced the impeller and cleaned...

I have just acquired a Fluval 406...which is really, really noisy. I have just replaced the impeller (38 pounds) ...which hasn't helped. I feel your pain!

@Conort2 they will go into a 240 litre tank which will losely based on a Brazilian biotope ( Rio Jufaris). Other fish will be green neons and, if I can locate a few, Copella nattereri (spotted tetra). @MichaelJ I will post a few pics if I can locate any!

I am considering keeping a pair of these in my new planted tank (very acidic soft water) and wondered if anyone on the forum had any experience of keeping these or knew of any UK breeders? They seem to be quite rare, however, spectacularly beautiful.

Rachel O'Leary as a useful Video on how to use tea to stain tankwater. I would, however, go for a more natural approach using botanicals. The podcast and blog the Tint has lots of useful information on the additional benefits of this approach.

Darrel is absolutely correct. I would suggest focusing on the right food for your fish in the correct amounts. I use the following on addition to live food (bought from ebay): TA Aquaculture provide a good range of foods which are tailored for particular types of fish. The owners (Tim and...

While I agree that science does not progress in isolation I would argue that many of the paradigmatic shifts in scientific knowledge were (in their very nature) built in opposition to orthodox scientific knowledge. As another of my heros stated: Progress isn't achieved by preachers or...

Welcome to the UKAPS. We have all been where you are at some time in our scaping journey...you are not alone! I would syphon out all soil on the surface of your sand as @Hufsa suggests to get a clean sandy area. Then drain down your tank and separate your sand area from your soil area with...

The Aquael Ultra range runs just about silently. I have two Aquael Ultra 2000s. If you are considering these do buy from a reputable UK supplier as support and spares if you buy from a European seller can be problematic.

I asked the manager of my LFS if they had any Green Neon Tetra's in stock and was met with a baffled look. Sort of simultaneously peering over her glasses, raising her eyebrows and sucking her teeth. I now understand that these fish are as now 'rare as bloody unicorns' . I understand that...

Fascinating discussion. Given, the paucity of research on the topic of planted aquaria we tend to look outside academia to ourselves as hobbyist to produce knowledge. The conundrum that we are left with is who do we trust to generate knowledge, the digital mob unrestrained and without...

@idris This question was raised by fellow members of the forum in this thread. 😱😱😱😱🤣🤣 @Corbie sorry for the OT response.

I had the same experience I thought they had perished. Although the research suggests they are diurnal mine are definitely nocturnal. They hide during the day, however, if I shine a torch in the tank at night they are out and about. This might be something you want to try? If there is a lot...

You asked: What plants could help in reducing the existence of BGA My response would be to add floating plants...lots of them. They will suck up any excess nutrients, help balance the tank and reduce the intensity of your light. With easy access to co2 they will grow faster than stems. Allied...

I put some brief notes on Otocinclus together in this thread. My contribution reflects most of the peer reviewed published material. What is, however, illuminating is that the members of the forum had far more practical information (based on experience and observation) than the experts.

Mark's Aquatics has an interesting video on breeding Otocinclus here. It seems that you can breed them, however, it's not easy!

Thank you. The variety that I bought from @SRP3006 seemed to romp away. In terms of fish, I have two siamese algae eaters (which have grown very rapidly and show no signs of slowing down), Xray, Flame and Beacon Tetras to go with some Kerry tetra's (super blue). I also have a group of salt and...

I haven't updated this for a while. .. Ok ...so the element in the tank that worked is the emergent growth on top of the wooden arch. I have seen lots of arches with moss or HC, however, not so many fully planted arches. I wasn't, therefore, quite sure this would work out. The Hydrocotyle...

Thank you all for the advice. Given both tanks have significant amounts of emergent plants it sounds like I need to learn to live with it. Darrel, it sounds like there could be a use for a hairy arm duckweed removal index as a corollary to your duckweed index?

I have infestations of Lemna minuta in my three tanks. The smallest I can strip down, bleach and then restart, however, the larger tank and the paludarium are just starting to develop as more balanced ecosystems. Even if I wanted to since I am not physically up to stripping these two down atm...

Yes, read up about that and with the grass being so dense wild flowers wouldn't have much of a chance unfortunately. The work New Pereniaal Movement provide ways of adding in flowers to the grasses and suggest ways of planting to manage modest flooding. In a UK context, the work of academics at...

Thank you for the helpful advice. These are the old WRGB lights. They failed at different times and I have tried a new Bluetooth controller and transformer. I am not quite sure how to factory reset the lights @Wookii ..any advice would be welcome! I will contact Chichiros and see if they can...

I wondered if anyone could help? My two 60cm Chichiros WGRB lights have developed a glitch whereby the white light is significantly reduced and the colour balance is awful. I can run with green or red, but not both on at the same time. It's still enough light to keep the plants growing (just)...

They have had a few deliveries this week and were able to post out some of the plants I pre ordered. I would suggest calling them to see what they had in stock or expect in. Dave was very helpful and was able to guide me to plants which they had in or expected in as alternatives to the plants...