Search results for query: *

A few weeks back, 1 of my red nose tetra drank liquid carbo after i had put in a cap or 2 near a bba infected leaf. This was during a WC. So water level was low. Poor chap died overnight. So bad things do happen in "ei" tanks, but its not ei.... Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Just add bio balls or ceramic... This way the bubbles remain trapped in. Dissolving smaller bubbles is easier than larger ones. niru Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Apart from many above and more, when I get frustrated with my tank failures, i come here to get inspired... and not loose hope. Rekindle that old love affair. :rolleyes: niru

As Clive said, periodically clean filters. Next WC you do, hoover the substrate and physically remove the BGA by scrapping.. Apart from NO3 issues, BGA thrieves in dirtier substrates full of organic gunk. Lack of oxygen is also a reason for BGA. In worst cases try blackout method. But basic...

I have simply tucked in enough coarse sponges on all entry exits of the internal. Cut them to requirement. No need to glue or tie. The internal pump sucks water from the tube inside the Juwel (if you know what i mean). So its not only gravity seeping. The coarse sponges act as prefilter meshes...

Hi Just check for any impurities in your EI powders... ask the supplier.. Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Hi Darrel I have seen this 1/distance^2 explaination many times in the hobby. The above diagram is true and valid for a point source only. In our tanks we all have tubes or led panels, never point sources. As a physicst I know that for such cases the intensity falls as 1/distance, i.e inverse...

I always increase WC to 80% with 2 - 3 changes in the week. Hack all fast growers to reduce EI demands. If possible add more root tabs. And just before go add loads of micro and macro though not at same time.. Clean filters and reduce light co2 times. Never had issues even upto 4 weeks...

Thats true only ideally. With friction drag the inner area of the pipe surface ratio to the volume rate of water flow is imp. This ratio is radius dependent.. Most of our pumps are pressure head limited in the sense that the magnetic propeller can throw only a mam weight of water. Per unit time...

Hi I use a Dupla reactor similar to aquamedic one. Also tried other ways but realised reactors are best mixers. The decrease in flow is actually advantageous since it ensures a complete dissolution of gas (even air gets totally dissolved in mine). Either you have a very high turnover filter...

My Diplis diandra hated it like venom.... It always does.. Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

... just saw another post with reducer T CO2 injection.. Might have to try that as well. I usually turn ON the internal pump when plant mass increases potentially causing flow obstruction. cheers

I dont think shrimps are affected by CO2 at the level we dose in tanks. I have RCS with CO2 running at more than 40 ppm and they all are doing fine, even reproducing like crazy... Usual tank hygiene and good tank-keeping is all that matters.

Hi should be ok, though check this Buyer BeAware: SeaChem Excel take it with a pinch of salt (eating variety though :) ). I know a lot of plants suffer with high concentrations, and could imagine bacteria/fish/inverts also getting adversely affected, though dont have any concrete...

Hi check the pictures below (sorry for okay quality phone snaps..) The Juwel internal has been converted to a prefilter powered by 3 pumps: Internal pump (600 lph), Tetratec 1200 lph, and another 2400 lph pump which also powers a Dupla Big CO2 reactor. The internal Juwel pump output puts...

Hi I was also having co2 distribution issues. I have Juwel 180 with externals following 10X rule and spraybar fixed on backside aided with Koralia. 5 kg CO2 was mixing in reactor at 6+ bps. Now I have changed to a smaller sideway spraybar aided with small pump. The water intake to the...

I too use the Juwel internal box as prefilter with loads of various sponges. The juwel 600 pump is used more as a suction device driving this prefilter. The actual filtrr is Tetra 1200 which takes the prefiltered water. Prefilter is cleaned (hose sucked actually) each week at WC and sponges...

Thanks everybody :) Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks! Does it need to be tied to stone/wood, or should be tucked in the substrate? Does it have rhizome issues like Anubias? Yes I gathered that much.. How big/small the leaves and stems go?? I use Stauro as a FG to MG plant. Many thanks indeed.

Hello Everyone I got hold of the following from a new lfs. All plants are from Italian company Anubias, and are invitro cultures except one. Has anyone tried/have these, and what are their recomendations regarding growing and aquascaping... 1. Bucephalandra Motteyana sp. Sintang (very...

If you are going to be at home, then simply clean the filters giving the bacteria some fresh air, reduce muck in filters, squeeze sponges, all while keeping them wet. I wont be worried too much about the fish and plants. But you can manually change water at slow pace to keep good O2 levels and...

nice! Looking forward...

I guess plants are: Anubias H., Java fern, and some Ludiwigia (repens??) or hygrophilia variety, rather than L. aromatica. Indeed it would be difficult for me to assume that L. aromatica is doing well but your Java fern is having problems. If my guess is correct, then you have platns that can...

Hi you dont need to measure PAR, only that sunlight is way stronger than tubes. So I would suggest you start with CO2 way early so that theres enough in the tank by 8:00 am.

Hi your observation is true, plants dont have preferences of one source over other. Whichever light is shone, they move to start the photosynthesis. Guess its the energy trigger that causes this. If it gets too bright, you might want to shade/cover the tank glass. BGA on the front substrate...

Hi can you list your plants and the light and ferts you use? I see that the substrate is not inert and you put trace ferts. Perhaps your plants (from the pic) are good enough for low tech tank? Jave fern grows well in non-co2 tanks as well.. and being a fern, it does get black spots with...

Hi you could also try ergia densa, bacopa, cabomba caroliniana..

Hi Darrel some of that was a total new info to me.. Many many thanks for sharing. Our tanks are typically only half a meter or so deep, and we are told that its the CO2 and not the light that matters the most in keeping the stems as good leafed stems all the way down to the bottom. The...

Hi Darrel as always, thanks for your insight! I have a question: how do plants with high CO2 needs grow in natural systems? Where do they get their CO2 from? We already know that sunlight almost always delivers much higher PAR values than even our highest lighted tanks, so the CO2 needs for...

Ok, Clive has already posted....

Why would you want to boil tea in a tds reduced water? It will ayway increase the tanins!! ;) The secret to a great tasting tea is using the real tap water with all its impurities. :p Boiling water will anyway remove most dissolved gases, and the water company wouldnt let you drink tap water...

Hi All maybe this question has already been answered before... I have TetraTex 1200 and a 1000 lph pump that feeds a CO2 reactor, currently separated in the tank. There is a pre-filter doing mechanical filteration & then this water is drawn into TT 1200 cannister & the pump. Can/How should I...

Hey guys I too have a 5 kg CO2 FE with a nice ON-OFF valve fitted by a reputed company that deals with industrial gases & fillings. I had to buy the cylinder, and before each refill, those guys check & reconfirm if things are well & correct. Good thing is that there is an insurance coverage...

I too believe that Juwel internal does the job nicely. At some point you might want to change to a 1000 lph pump. Check your filter connections. Perhaps the intake that goes via the sponges etc is blocked and water is sucked in from the other loeer sideway window... so flow output is strong but...

Hi All just saw these fantastic looking BIG shrimps in LFS. They look very tempting, particularly since they are supposed to be shy, water filters (catching micro foods from water), and harmless to other tank inhabitants. Have any of you tried these? Whats your feedback and what are their...

Thanks! I just needed reassurance from someone responsible. :happy:

Why Clive, why?? :joyful:

Hi Paulo I dont need "extra" lights, just want to change to open top as frequent trimming would be easier & more accessible.. Dont have money to replace Juwel by ADA style "nicer" tank at the moment. Any suggestions for which would be a good combination/brand for doing this?

Hi All whats the best way to replace Juwel tank closed light hood with a better stand alone lighting stand? I have a 180 litre tank and would like to get a better lighting system (height and intensity controllable). Any and every suggestions are welcome... cheers

take it to a local biology school with good microscope. If its something living, they will tell you. perhaps they can even culture it? (or you can try this?) But to me it does look like gunk either from filter, or open tank getting it from the room or even some stuff leaking from hardscape. you...

Hi guess can you increase CO2 even more that DC is yellowish at the start of light ON? C isnt exactly a good measure due to delayed response etc, but leaves getting mushy is surely a CO2 issue. Also check if you have enough N in your macro fert.

Thats why I am hooked to the site during work hours so that I am inspired by the time I get back to the tank in the evening.. :)

Hi All I too agree that journals are great way to see, learn and appreciate. Not just for the readers but also a steep learning curve for the guys maintaining them. Learning from each others' mistakes and successes is a very satisfying way to advance the hobby for oneself and others. However...

Looking at the graphs above, the lights dont seem to degrade much. I have T5 running 4+ years now without any noticable decrease in my plant growth. I know this because I count time needed for a stem to grow. Its rough estimate, but works. I have full EI, CO2 dosing, and about 9 hrs lights ON...

Hello Moderators: the previous post (one above mine) by "enjoydiablo3" is a SPAM!! Please check if this is a robot poster??

It would if the pump/filter is ON. So switch it off, then spot dose (say during water change routine), and let it be so for some time. only then switch on the pumps. this way the spots get higher concentrations for some time, and then the algecide circulates in the tank. Plus it can be used by...

Re: Anyone used ANS Aqua Nature System Regulator with Soleno Thanks Wazuck! Am seriously contemplating replacing my existing reg with this one.. cheers

Re: Particular reason for Regulator-Solenoid-Needle ordering Thanks Guys! I have 2 reg+solenoid combos: Papillon make (2nd hand) & ANS Aqua Nature Systems (brand new). I plugged in the Papillon one (with the above mentioned config), and have seen that the output pressure fluctuates between 1...

Re: Particular reason for Regulator-Solenoid-Needle ordering Hi Clive thanks & cheers! I too thought this, but almost all forums have it the way i descibed, hence the question. Plus i was thinking that for stuff where needle valve either floats or is unstable in the output, my reasoning was...

Hi All is there any particular technical reason that the solenoid is placed right after the regulator, before the needle valve? i.e. Regulator --> Solenoid --> Needle Valve. I have my solenoid placed after the needle valve: Regulator --> Needle Valve --> Solenoid--> Check Valve --> Bubble...

Re: Anyone used ANS Aqua Nature System Regulator with Soleno Thanks Wazuck! The bar numbers on both gauges are good enough for FE bottles. And its a single stage regulator, with 2 gauges (for cylinder & output pressure sensors); hence the EOTD concern. I cant find *any* info about this maker...

Hi Willard and welcome! If you arent into CO2 at the moment, pogostemon looks ambitious to me. Try Anubias, Amazon Swords, Ergia Densa, Valisneria, Cabomba & Bacopa varieties. M Hirsuta might work as well, but depends on the strain to my knowledge. With low light & importantly no CO2, you can...

Hi Guys recently got the above regulator while on a trip to Asia. Its a single stage, 2 gauge regulator with Solenoid and needle valve attached. I plan to use it on a 5 kg FE cylinder. Anyone has any idea about this piece of equipment & issues etc?? Worried about end of tank dump, needle...

Thanks Clive!! My mistake... I jumbled on this.. Used it once for micro ferts, and then got Easy life N & K ferts (which they sell separately). Mixed up on my reply.. cheers niru

Hello Rolymo your journal is an absolute gem for any novice and not-so-novice alike! I love the vivid, descriptive and frank observations, actions and remarks you have jotted down. Its absolue pleasure to see how you have been initiated and a progressing in this newish hobby of yours. Plus the...

+1 on Aquadreams suggestion. Profito is a NPK fert. Dose appropriately for your tank. But with 240 litres and your plant choice, its gonna be expensive in long run. Another suggestion is to make EI doses, and add profito to supplement this until you settle on proper EI regime and dont feel...

Being scientifically minded, I like geting biased by facts. So I have to verify & check this with my plants... Never bothered asking them about their dietary cuisine preferences.. :angel: Heck no, Clive!! Thats because theres a divine conspiracy that taller grass hides the poo from you. You...

How about "hemianthus micranthemoides"? This is a easy plant that when prunned & planted carefully can make a foreground carpet... -niru

Hi the idea is that the plants should have adequate ferts & co2 available to them when the lights are switched ON. So that the plant can start doing photosynthesis without having to worry about any missing ingredients that stall the process & invite algae. Hence put your ferts at the begining...

Hi I too had this algae sometime back, on the hardscape as well as on leaves. Its powdery, in the sense that you can brush it off at this stage.. Just do it, and decrease light period in your case.. Remove affected leaves.. If left on its own, pretty soon it starts turning black (soot-like). I...

Hi tovtm :) . This one grows fast enough, but in a good EI, CO2 regime, mine was rotting and uprooting quite a bit. Plus its so easy to break and makes mess. I finally got rid of it, though I guess this one has a good scaping potential. But its a weed for sure!

I think its a Water Sprite (Ceratopteris) species. I had this in my tank. The stems are quite brittle and break easily. Its also difficult to hold in the substrate as it easily uproots.

Hi I use distilled water for both micro & macro mix. Then add Easycarbo to remove potential mold buildup. However I have an automated dosing for both, and funnily my Macro solution gets moldy not the micro... I havent tried citric or ascorbic or any acid to get away with this issue though...

Thats a real nice one! Great job mate!

Since Swissland is NOT in EU, everytime I buy something from Ebay, i pay a surcharge that blows away any savings originally intended..

Just come to Switzerland.. A Fluval nano cube with filter/light costs USD 300, Easycarbo is USD 50 for 1 litre bottle.. FE cylinders are "un"available for lay public, and 2 kilo refill is USD 50, bottle itself is USD 100 deposit. Urea, KNO3, and most chemicals arent available (regulations) or...

After learning a few expensive experiences, I now do more of DIY when possible. Swap plants, fauna, equipment... Check threads on DIYing external filters, substrates, CO2, lights etc, AND most importantly, share your methods & ideas for others to benefit. Lack of money has to be made up with...

Hi All as I understand, there are 3 filtering mechanisms at work: mechanical, chemical and biological. I get what each means and does.. What I dont get is all this talk about the need for different specialised media for each kind of filtering, as if they are mutually exclusive. e.g. mechanical...

Re: Outdoor Planted Tank. Possible? Hi Clive I guess the above is not exactly true per say. Added flow causes turbulent mixing which happens over larger length scales while the ionic/osmotic diffusion occurs on molecular lengthscales. As a standard example, perfume in one corner of the room...

Hi check out these sites for identification: http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm viewtopic.php?f=19&t=905 -niru

It does look like fungi. I would try to remove it, though wouldn't bother taking drastic actions. It's usually harmless to fauna, and should go away soon. niru

Melts/Algae on U Graminifolia.. now with tank picture Ok Clive! Advice taken. Will remove the reflectors.. Since the tank is Juwel, lights cant be lifted up.. will try some floating plants.. but thats tricky as the full force of spray bar jets wont allow them to stay put.. Or even put some...

Hi check out the post viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1275 , particularly about the flow setup... (assuming you havent already done so), and also ignoring your non-ignorance about flow-y matters :) -niru

Re: Melts/Algae on U Graminifolia.. salvaging a carpet in ma Cheers Clive! thats what i did over the weekend, increase CO2 further.. Light is abt 3 yrs old, and the tubes are not exactly spot clean.. :) so i guess PAR is small enough though I dont have a meter for this.. I noticed that the UG...

Why dont you ask the manufacturer if they sell the pump or the lid-unit alone? explain your situation.. -niru

Hi I didnt get the post!? The "internals placed at bottom" part. Internals are usually fixed (as in Juwel tanks) or movable that are attached to the glass using suckers. Perhaps you are confusing the intake tubes of cannisters (external filters) with this? The main idea is to increase the...

Re: Melts/Algae on U Graminifolia.. salvaging a carpet in ma Hi below is a pic from my tank. The UG on left is newly added, while the one on right shows algae takeover and a bit of melting. I cant/dont want to change the kH of my water as I never have had any issues with other plants growing...

Hi all My tap kH is 16+, pH is 8. This is fairly stable, though I have ceased using kits for tank. The DC is line and placed at diagonal corner from CO2 spraybar, behind Rotala bush. So it's a good amount. I don't want to reduce it as other plants will suffer. Tubes are around 3 yrs old...

Re: Melts/Algae on U Graminifolia.. salvaging a carpet in ma Hey Clive! yes. I had read that UG doesnt like carbo.. so didnt try it initially. But then algae was taking over.. so tried this as last resort. Hasnt helped though. Now I have stopped it. The UG sits under the full force of water...

Hi All I am having trouble getting UG to take hold in my tank. Its a 180 litre, 90W T5HO (2+ yrs old) tubes, EI, > 10X filteration flow with spray bars, and heavy CO2 (>7bps) that comes 3+ hrs before lights and goes out 2 hrs before light off. The tank is heavily planted with rotalas...

When I buy eating salt for cooking, sometimes it comes from sea, some other times from deep Alpine mines. But so long as it has same proportion of NaCl by weight in it, it tastes equally salty. I tried it over Asian, Indian, Italian, Moroccan, Spanish cuisines, and they all tasted equally...

... so you are still dosing K+ from various sources other than KNO3, plus Tobi's Special N + traces etc.. The difference with EI being that K & NO3 are being tagged to different ions than K-NO3. With your method you are actually dosing extra Cl, SO4, and CO3 (which will disintegrate pretty...

Re: Tom's 60P - 4th failure in a row now. Hi Tom how old was your TPN & TPN+? I am sure that differing enviornmental conditions can deteriorate the chelation and induce bad things into the liquids; contamination perhaps? Maybe that lead to your shrimp death, and also induced baddies in the...

I guess some of this dirt is some sort of algae (BBA??) trying to settle slowly. It looks like black, dark brownish dust that doesnt go away. Plus of course your true dust due to whatever reasons. Check your co2 and flow. As an experiment, try a 3 day blackout.. if its a real algae it will show...

Mr. Anderson at his usual best :)

Hi these are *real* hardy fish. I give 2 personal examples: In my tank, once I had tetras: black, cardnials, neon. For some reason, neons caught fungus of the usual type (Saprolegnia??). Cardinals too caught it but the black tetras didnt. Later on the anti-fungal medication helped.. Recently...

What we all seem to forget is that professional quality pictures in books and elsewhere are NOT the result of 1 single click and the end of photo session. Patience is a key to many good snaps. The artist takes 10s, or literally 100s of snaps, and then chooses prudently the picture that shows...

Hi I too had a similar experience with A coffeefolia few months back. BTW, I have 4 different Anubias all habitating nicely in my tank: nana, barteri, augustifolia, and caladiifolia. Had coffeefolia as well, but it rotted quite suddenly and all leaves were floating.. similar to the OP...

I think in a planted tank, theres no need for one. In non-planted tank, having an airstone is much cheaper.. air has enough oxygen ... unless you need to specifically put only O2 for some purpose in your tank, get air. The gadget is essentially a (slow & controlled ??) release of O2 from H2O2...

Hi nice start indeed. Clean and clear. Re UG, why do you think it failed? Many people have it even with Hard water.. I am wondering because I too plan to put in UG in my tank & I too have hard water. Does increasing CO2 &/or playing with ferts help with this? I read that it should be planted...

Hi with most regs, there is always a way to tamper the pressure using some screwdrivers.... though its (rightly) not advisable. But if you know what you are doing, this should be fine. (I aint taking any responsibilities here..) Else, simply make a reactor for CO2 yourself (or pay for it)...

Hi this is usual issue with atomizer... try increasing the pressure to near 2ish bar... or make a DIY reactor... thats pretty good and much better dissolution. cheers niru

Maybe putting a Koralia exclusively for squirting the dirt from the crevasses might help. Run it occasionally over all plants to remove the dust..

You could also "convert" the air pump and some sponge into a workable filter. Theres some info either here or on web about doing this... needs only a few rubber bands and some straws/airline tubes... I would also cover the media by a sponge, and run a powerhead or pump through it so as to keep...

Hi Looking at the tank, I think the big stones are messing with the flow as well.. Before the co2 rich water can go from below the plants (as Ceg mentioned), the stones are lifting it up towards the no-plant volume of the tank. 1 or 2 such rounds and the co2 is gone. So my hunch is that even if...

How long to entirely re-scape the tank ? [Substrate Issues] Hi All cheap "active" substrate choice is less here.. I can find Elos Terra medium, Oliver Knott Nature soil, JBL aquasoil plus, and Tropica soil... Ammazonia AS isnt available. Akadama is also via net shopping (& postage is pretty...

Hi thanks Darrel, as always you put things in clear, scientific perspective... Another question: How long can this be kept, and since it get "concentrated" with time (water evaporation etc) does it increase its benefits when added under a new substrate? Viv: Everytime I clean the filters, I...

Will try this weekend or so!

Thats a great read :D Darrel! Many thanks.. Do you think air stones are needed, or occasional (daily once) stirring vigorously would suffice? Will keep the bucket in light for sometime.. Also, wont other nasties like fungus, or something alike pest this mulm slurry in the open? -niru

Thats what I thought.. ammonia aided by airstone..... But havent read anyone do this .. hence the original question. I plan to do 2 or more dumpings of the mulm and get a "concentrated" slurry that I can use in the new rescape substrate at the bottom layer, topped by some good...