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Any recommendations for an external inline pump with a decent head? The tank is 200+L and has a canister filter - I just need something to boost the circulation. I doesn't need to have a massive LPH, but it does need to maintain a decent flow when pumping up around 1.5m.

When I first did my planted tank, Adakam was very much in vogue. I'm contplating a complete reacape of my 250L tank and wondering why the current thinking is on low maintenance substrates?

I'm looking for an external circulation pump that is capable of a decent flow rate with a head of about 1.7m for a 250L tank. There seem to be 1000 options, some with astronomical price tags, so any first hand recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

Vaguely accurate assumption: Algae needs certain conditions to get established - light / nutrients / flow / etc. (Obviously physical removal, spot treatments etc are beneficial, but those notwithstanding ...) Once algae has been become established, and those conditions are then significantly...

I sure I'm way off the mark here but ... Half of my tank has significantly more surface agitation than the other half. When sat in front of the tank, I've noticed that there is a lot more internal reflection on the half with less agitation. I realise polarisation at the water surface and viewing...

Today an LFS recomended a UV filter for treating algae. I've not come across this suggestion before. I know it's not likely to be the whole solution, but is it legit?

I have been give some Trumpet snails today by my LFS. They are smaller than I expected, but may not be mature. What size should they be and how quickly do they take to a) get to full size, and b) start breeding?

I've recently seen several posts about using turkey basters as substrate cleaners. The size of my tank (2'6" deep & 250L) means an actual turkey baster isn't a great option, and as I'm going to be doing some re-plumbing, I was wondering about how to replicate the function. Your thoughts ...

I bought some Hygrophila Polysperma a couple of months ago and it's gained height well. I'd like to have more stems across a wider ares and am wondering how to propogate it. From what I've read, it can produce root fibers part way along the stem, but mine hasn't. IIRC some stem plants can just...

I keep learning new reasons why my tank is badly designed. (I designed it!) It is 110cm (w) x 75cm (h) x 30cm (d) with a cover glass about 1cm from the surface. Belatedly, I've learned this design reduces potential for gas exchange at the surface. I can see how this might reduce plant growth...

Am going to be DIYing some new pipework. (It's not my first ride on this rodeo.) I've seen some interesting designs from Aquascaper and Wild Borneo. One has a skimmer incorporated. The other has holes along its full length rather than the usual more common slots at the end. Any thoughts on...

Ovwr the last few months I've had a lot more algae than I used to get. I know there are various factors I can look at but I'm trying to consider what has changed. A significant difference is that I've moved from tap water to rain water. Our tap water is off-the-test-chart hard. Literally...

In reviewing my filtration, I keep reading about pre-filters. I don't currently use them. As I understand it, they are basically just a piece of coarse sponge over the intake of a canister filter. I've also read quite a few recommendations about cleaning pre-filters regularly, whilst cleaning...

I've found that C.Wenditi is quite good at filling in the gaps around the bottom of taller plants like Amazon Swords and Anubias Barteri. Is this typical of crypts, and are there any other (non-carpet) plats that are good for similar cover?

I timed how long it takes me to do a water change. I've got a system in place, and valves and hoses fitted to one filter to pump water in and out. Short of fitting a higher-powered pump (which is on my Xmas list) it couldn't get much more efficient. It still takes about 1h 20min to change...

Having read various recommendations on media, I had understood that course foam media should go before ceramic bio media, which could even go last? I wasn't sure whether my filter was top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top, so I RTFM'd. The instructions clearly suggest bio-media should go first. Your...

At least 6 months ago I rehomed a plec for neighbour, I never got round to identifying it before I never saw it again in my tank, and assumed it hadn't survived the move. It was about 4yrs onld and 3" long. Today I'm sure I spotted it in a cavity in a lage piece of bogwood. but there may be a...

To combat a BBA problem, I'm looking at my filtration and aiming to improve flow. Having read comments from the UKAPS gurus, I'm planning to remove the ceramic tube type bio-media from one of my external filters. (The other just has sponges.) I've read that "organics" (what ever that amorphous...

Does anyone know of a sealant you can use underwater (ie when the surfaces to be joined are NOT dry) other than Gold Lable? As far as I can see, it's only available in large tubes for about £20, and I'd only need a few ml.

Posting for "a friend" who only wishes to be identified as The Lazy Aquarist ...😅 TLA has found an unopened bottle of brine shrimp eggs at the back of their cupboard. They're only planning of feeding them to their fish maybe once or twice a week, and not with the aim.of raising fry, and...

(I'm sure the answers to this are going to get very technical very quickly :D :D :D but here goes ...) Is there any significant correlation between leaf size and how efficient a plant is at consuming nutrients in a tank?

Is there any colour light that is less prone to helping algae? Without working things out scientifically, I'm wondering about purely green light (as I think that what's reflected from green leaves... right?) As much as anything I'm hoping to extend the time I can watch my tank without it...

With the current weather, my tank is sitting at around 30°c with the heater turned off. It's not in direct sunlight. Is this likely to be a problem for the short period the British Summer lasts? (On the up side, my shrimp seem a lot more active.)

For the first couple of years of my tank, Assasin Snails would breed like rabbits. So much so I had to sell a dozen every few months. In the last few years they don't seem to breed at all. Any thoughts on what might have made the difference?

I've tried and failed to grow Dwarf Hairgrass fornthe N-th time and am finally giving up hope. My tank is low to medium light but deep and no CO2. What's the smallest (least height) plant that will root in Akadama and spread well in low tech conditions?

I've bought some Cherry Shrimp (including a berried female) and the sales assistant recommended keeping them at 28°c to breed them. I usually keep my tank around 25°c, which seems about right for Platties, Khulis, Ottos, Neons, Amanos, and a Beta. Is there a temp that'll be ok for the fish and...

Having found 6 fish and 3 shrimp in one of my canister filters, I'm planning to put sponge pre-filters on the intakes. (My pipework is DIY Acrylic.) I've always avoided these as I felt they must hold the filtrate in the tank, and reduce the amount that makes it through to the canister. Any...

Having read posts by the more knowledgable forum members about the downside of split photo-periods, my 100W T5s are on for 7hrs a day. Until I spotted early signs of a BGA outbreak last night, I was wondering about adding a moonlight so I can watch the tank morning and evening. My current...

Is this BGA in the Akadama of what had, till recently, been a near dormant tank? Having done a big rescape a couple of weeks ago, replaced nearly all the plants, and started slowly introducing new livestock (algae crew first) it'll be a massive PITA if I have to strip the tank again. I've...

I've always had Amano shrimp in my 250L tank and they some of my favourite inhabitants, so I'm wondering about getting some a colourful variety a well. After a rescape, the tank is moderately well planted: (Amazon Swords, Anubis Barteri, Wysteria, C. Balansae, Eleocharis Parvula and Java Moss...

After only a week in the tank, my wysteria is sending out roots above the substrate and well up the main stem. Are the sub surface roots lilely to grow at a similar rate? Is there any benefit (other than aesthetic) to trimming the super-surface roots?

Does glutaraldehyde have a shelf life. I found some a the bottom of a box of aquarium junk that's likely 4 or 5 years old and am wondering whether it's worth using?

Any tips for removing algae from plants? I'm doing a big tank re-vamp an most of what I'm dealing with is like gren/brown fur. It's also quite .... err ... mature ... so much of it might even be dead?

2.5ft deep tank with 2 slightly under powered canister filters (both hampered by the head of water). Pros and cons of lilly pipes vs spraybars?

My current scape has had a shelf in it all along. (Not a recent picture, and tank only half filled.) I liked the challenge of building it, it allowed me to raise some of the plants nearer to the surface for more light, and I rationalised that the space underneath would be a sanctuary for shy...

Our tap water is off-the-test-chart hard. Literally. GH>180 and KH >240 with a pH around 7.2 Our rain water is GH<40 and KH<30 with a pH of 6.3 I've never bothered with rainwater before and have no species related preference (fauna or flora), but was wondering about using rainwater in my low...

Can Akadama get too old?

I have two external filters for my tank. Filter 1 is used as a conventional filter. Filter 2 has been more of a circulation pump , albeit a slightly under-powered circulation pump. In the process of a tank revamp, I've added some filter floss to Filter 2 and, when trying connecting a gravel...

At long last I've upgraded the lights on my 2½' deep 250L tank with 2x45W T5 tubes. The planting is somewhat depleted at the moment with Crypt Balansae, Echinodorus Cordifolius and Crypt Wendtii, none of which is in a great state, and no shortage of algae that has thrived. (I'm working to clear...

A few years ago, the Fluval FX filters seemed to be regarded as the mutt's nuts. Is there anything better at the moment in the price range or equally good but cheaper?

Does anyone have an Aqua-Turn AT2525 adaptor for a Grundfos 15/50 or 15/60 central heating pump? I have another brand of central heating pump that I suspect is just a re-branded Grundfos, but other than mounting bolt spacing for the impeller housing, I can't get any measurements out of...

Does anyone have particularly good or bad experience of fish from Pets At Home? I only ask because I went in to kill 5min today and their fish prices were surprisingly low (for relatively common species).

Has anyone used a central heating timer for their lights?

In the last 18months, one of LFSs I've visited most consistently over the last 5-10yrs seems to have moved steadily cowards selling more "exotic" or "wild" fish varieties, and simultaneously the costs of even more common fish has increased. Has anyone else noticed similar trends?

Bear with me!!!!!!! This is little more than a thought experiment at the moment, and I doubt it will ever be much more for me. But I like the idea. And I'm sure there are 1000 reasons not to do it, and I'm interested in ways to theoretically make it work. So ... tuck the Don'ts and Can'ts and...

I have a spare demijohn and stumbled across this Instructable. It seems to suggest you could effectively have a viable shrimp nano in a bottle without any filtration. This is counterintuitive, based on everything I've learned about aquariums, but other than Amans in a planted fish tank, I have...

I've tried to put some images in a journal post and they're not displaying consistently. The files are hosted on MSOneDrive. When I created the original post, using the insert image button, using the sharing shortlink provided by OneDrive didn't work, (only an IMG tag was displayed) but i found...

Having decided to try culturing some live food, although Vinegar Eels sound easiest, I thought I'd have a go at Daphnia. There's no shortage of info online, so I won't go through much of the background - this is just a here's what I tried journal, and ultimaely a whether-or-not-it-worked...

Before I'm extravagant and spend a whole £3.83 on Daphnia to start a live food culture, I thought I'd have a go at harvesting some from our garden pond. I've just filled a bucket with some pond water (and a little blanket weed, duck weed and general plant detritus) and sat it in the garage. So...

Is there any good reason not to use standard plumbers copper pipe to make custom lilly pipes etc? I've read that copper is bad for fish and inverts, but AFAIK most domestic plumbing uses it, so most water in domestic aquariums has been through copper. Right?

Have just found out about the Dennerle Cleanator. "The stainless steel wool on one side removes even the most stubborn algae and residues, without scratching the glass". I'd never thought of using wire wool to clean aquariums - is there any reason not to use somethings like 000 wire wool?

I've seen bags of Java Moss sold by weight online, but can't find any info on what sort of area it will cover. I'm planning to use it as both a carpet type plant and attached to some bogwood. What sort of area might a 10g bag cover?

I have what appears to be a flower on some Anubius. Is this common?

(This is possibly more a woodwork question but, as it's DIY aquarium related, I'm hoping there may be useful experience within UKAPS.) My custom tank stand / hood is heavily varnished ply. But after a 8yrs of good service, and despite cover glass, the varnish on the inside of the hood is no...

I know there used to be someone who sold adaptor kits to run Grundfos central heating pumps as aquarium circulation pumps, but they don't seem to be available any more. Does anyone have any current knowledge of these, or know of a good (cheap) alternative?

Any opinions on iQuatics T5 controllers? And if I were to order one of their two tube kits, any advice on which of their tubes would be best for a low tech 250L tank? Aquablue 50:50 Blue Plus Purple Tropical

Are the LED tubes with T8 fittings worth the money?

I'm a lazy aquarist. Right. We've got that out of the way, now lets move on and get to the point ... I've got out of the habbit of maintaining my 250L tank, and despite an attempt to get it back up and running about a year ago, it has now been all but unattended for 18 months. That said, both...

I have an external circulation pump that has died and a Rena XP2 canister gathering dust. Is there any good reason not to remove all the filter media and baskets from the XP2 as just use it as a circulation pump?

Does anyone know where I can get a threaded end cap for 16mm hose. Something like this ... (Not sure img link is working so ... https://1drv.ms/u/s!AiSdxKZH7MXJgTxWzGObRUVJfpb6 ) I know I can get them for something around 2" hoses, but I can't find them for 16mm. Thanks

I have a corner of my tank that needs something to fill it and could do with some recommendations. The tank is a bit over 2ft deep and 250L so something tall is needed. Very low tech: low light (for the depth and size), no CO2, no ferts I have some Crypt at the other end (I can't remember...

After talking to soneone at my LFS (another customer) I am wondering about swapping my canister filter for a sump filter on my 250L tropical tank. Q1. What are the pros and cons of sump filters? Q2. Everthing I can find on sumps is for marine tanks, which usually seem to have wiers built into...

For probably 6 months my 250L tank has been neglected. I NEED to get it back up and running properly. And as quickly as possible. Reasonably well planted with Crypts and Anubis. It has had a filter running but the flow has been lower than ideal. The filter has not been cleaned for months and...

Our pond has walls of sleepers and is then dug to a total depth of about 2ft, with an area of about 3.5m². (See diagram.) We know herron visits are a significant risk in this area. There are plants in baskets that give fish cover for abouit half the pond's area. I was thinking about rinning...

IIRC it is good to have a certain amount of mulm in a pond, but is it worfth having a load of gravel, pebles or anything like that? All the plants are in baskets.

My tank is 250L and 2ft deep. For water changes it's always been "easiest" to ... pump water from the tank into a 25L canister (I have a small external pump for this) drag the canister outside and empty it fill the canister with tap water add dechlorinator etc, heat the canister to match the...

My local pharmacist has stopped stocking 9% H2O2. Any thoughts on what the best concentration is and where is most cost effective to buy it?

i picked up some live Copepods and Blood Worms from my LFS today. (Never bothered with live food before.) Having got them home it occurred to me I didn't know if I needed to "clean" them before putting them in the tank. The bags have about 100-200ml of water in them. I've now read that...

I've always thought of keeping Cichlids as a separate branch of fish keeping - you pick cold water, marine, fresh water tropical or Cichlids, and that's what you stock a tank with. (Obviously Cichlids are a sub devision of fresh water tropical a, but you get my point.) From memory, Cichlids are...

i recently had a catastrophic tank crash which may have been attributable to works done on a water main a couple of roads away. (This has been discussed at length on another thread.) I was planning to do a water change the other day an noticed there were more (unrelated) works on a water main...

I tied Taiwan Moss to bogwood with fishing line. The moss seems to be thickening up nicely, but there are areas where the fishing line will always be visible. So how long should I need to leave it tied on before I can be confident that it doesn't need the fishing line any more?

220L tank has been cycled for about a month. Diatoms came and went. I'm doing water changes once a week, dosing NPK once a week, and trying to get into the habit of liquid carbon daily. There are 8 Tetras, 6 Ottos and 6 Amano, which shouldn't be anywhere near an excessive bio load for a tank...

I recently had to replace my filter and bought one from JBL. Based on reading I did when I first started keeping fish, for years I've been aiming for a 10% - 20% water change, ideally once a week. At the same time I'd rinse all the filter media in tank water I was going to throw away, so as not...

I have my lighting set to go on for a couple of hours in the morning and about 5hrs in the evening. It's light isabout 1.3 w/gal. I'm going to start using liquid carbon, and I know this is best added around the begining of the time lights go on. If I add it when the lights go on in the evening...

Can anyone help identify these T8 clips. I thought the might have been Arcadia but I can't find them on their website.

In the short term I'm contemplating something like Liquid Carbon. I've not seen it discussed whether you need to keep an eye on GH/KH/pH in the same way you do with CO2 injection, so am I right in assuming you don't? And is it easy(ish) to get the same red colouration of plants with the such...

Any suggestions for tall (2ft+) plants for a low tech tank? I'm thinking of replacing my Vallis with something that's tolerant of liquid CO2. I know some stem plants would do well, but I've not seen any that I like.

In the wake of my recent disaster, any recommendations for hardy fish? (Nothing excessively hardy as I need some degree of Canay-in-a-coal-mine, but something that isn't going to croak in10 min.)

Today I added some fresh water to my tank, and within a couple of hours, all my livestock was dead. (Fish, snails and shrimp.) Existing 220L tank that's been recently re-commssioned. Moderate number of plants that have been in for either about a month, or about a fortnight. New filtration, and...

I tried raising Killifish (Aphyosemion) a couple of years ago and having seen adults at extortionate prices at my LFS, would like to try again. My memory is that the biggest PITA was raising / harvesting singled cell critters and then a Brine Shrimp / Naulpli. I know I can buy bags (I guess...

Having recently moved house I drained my tank, cleaned (almost) everything hard / inorganic and am starting again (mostly) from scratch. The filtration is all new, so after replanting, the tank is getting "fishless cycled". So far the tank has been left entirely unsupervised while I was away...

Any tips on removing algae from tank sealant? The tank has been dry for a couple of weeks, I've tried H2O2, Milton, and Scotchbrite. Nothing is shifting it and I don't want to risk damaging the sealant.

Before I moved house stripped my main tank down I had more algae than I'm happy with, so am considering using Milton to kill off the algae on everything hard (pipes, pumps, glass, hardscaping etc.) and then recycling the tank. The substrate is Adakama and has stayed just covered in water as...

Can anyone tell me how litres of (Sodastream) CO2 equates with kg (for fire extinguishers)?

We're about to move house. The old house has a pond but the new owners don't want to keep it. The new house doesn't have a pond, but I'm going to install one. I'll be taking the pump, filter, fish and plants with us, but the new onwer has agreed it's ok to leave the fish and plants for a week...

Is there a way to quickly and reliably kill off algae from a large quantity of Crypt Wenditi if the health of the rest of the tank isn't of concern? (I'll be stripping the tank and offering the plants cheap / swap / free if there is, or throwing them away if there isn't.)

Is there anything a similar size and shape as Vallis (ie will grow to 2ft tall) that is ok with liquid carbon?

What's the best way to move a well planted tank? Obviously my fish and shrimp will need catching and transporting in bags in insulate boxes, the filters need to stay wet, and it all needs to be done as quickly as possible, but without stripping the plants out a couple of days before and "letting...

My 240L tank's been going for several years. Where I used to have Valis, Crypt Wenditi and Amazon Swords (all pretty healthy), the swords have disappeared, a lot of the Valis has gone and the crypts have pretty much taken over. I improved the flow a few months ago by adding a power head, and...

Does Adakama ever need replacing, or ... or something? Ion exchange filters need "recharging" and as I understand it Adakama works as a substrate based on ion exchange, so I wondered. (The answer may well be in the sticky post on Adakama, and I'm very sorry if it is, but there are 234 replies...

250L tank. Some Vallis. Lots of Crypt Wenditi (more than I want.) Lots of algae of various types, on most of the plants and all the hardscaping. I'd rather not have to do a complete strip down and replant with new. I have another (smaller) tank I can move all the fish & inverts into on a...

To combat algae I've recently increased the flow in my tank by adding a Hydor external pump, plumbed in to a second spray bar. In the diagram, my EX1200 feeds the red spary bar and the Hydor pump feeds the blue one. (NB Not to scale: the tank is about 2'6" deep, 1' back to front, and 3'6"...

For some time now my filter has acumulated some sort of grey/brown sludge. It's most obvious in the corners and on the bio-balls where the flow is obviously slowest, and where it's hardest to clean out. What is it, is it harmful, and if so, how can I get rid of it?

Much of my Valis Americana and Crypt Wenditi is heavily blighted with algae. I'm working on a remedy for the algae growth this weekend, but if I get rid of all the leaves that are covered on algae, there won't be much left. I can't aford to replant at the moment so I was wondering how harsh...

It's probable we will be moving house in the next 6 months and there's a good chance whoever buys our house will rip out our pond. (It's a long story. Don't ask.) It pains me to think it will be destroyed and the fauna displaced. At the least, we would expect to take the fish with us and create...

I have an EX1200 which I guess is about 3yrs old. I can't be sure, but I'm pretty sure the flow rate it produces has dropped significantly since it was installed. (It is a little hamstrung as it has to pump to a height of about 5ft, but that has always been the case.) All the pipe work has...

I'm adding an external circulation pump to my 2'6" deep 220L tank and need to make some custom pipes for it. I currently have an EX1200 with an inlet at the bottom back corner or the tank and a spray bar across the back or the tank. What sort of positioning should I look at for the in/out-lets...

Every year I stress about pond leaks and completely rebuilt our waterfall last summer. How much evaporation should I expect? It's about 40 sq ft and no more than 2'6" deep with a waterfall. Any thoughts on what we should expect?

Can anyone recommend a lubricant that's not oil based and is safe for aquarium use?

I have about a dozen young Killis (6 months old) that I've raised in a 25L tank and it's time to move them to my 250L community tank. The only fish that are likely to be a threat to them are a pair of Dwarf Gouramis, and as they don't hassle my Rasboras or the smaller of my Neons, and the...