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Planting trees in woods is largely a waste of time, trees are quite capable of growing by themselves (they've been doing it a long time), so if conditions are right they grow by themselves, if conditions aren't right (usually too little light) planted trees won't grow either.

No idea about Brighton or Hove, but try ringing round the firms that do fire training and/or install and service fire extinguishers. They'll often swap an empty for a full one for a small "ahem" cash transaction.

There should be 2 little rubber "nipples" that fit over each end of the impeller shaft. They either weren't in the pack with the impeller, or you didn't notice them. Without them the filter will be very noisy and won't work properly. Should be relatively easy to replace. A LFS will probably have...

I remember that Crypt affinis too from 40 years ago. Really easy to grow (no ferts and no CO2), beautiful looking. I wonder where it went ?

Hi Zak My Congos are very bold, they almost pull the food from my fingers and crowd to the front of the tank any time I go near. Cheers David

I've got a shoal of Congos, one of which has exactly the same condition, otherwise it seems fine, as does the one with the bent lower jaw ! They are great fish once they colour up.

I've used Sophisticat Pink, which absolutely stinks, but it fades and doesn't harm plants. I haven't dared try fish in with it whilst it is still smelly though !

In spite of looking like Piranha, my Columbians seemed slow, dozy and not very predatory. Not at all like my Congo Tetras, cute but utterly vicious ! D

I see. Worth asking if anyone on here has some to sell then ?

Hi. I live in Cumbria (very soft water) and it always dies on me too. However, after some CO2 and flow issues, I've upped them both, so I might waste another few quid on some. Sorry I can't help D

It looks rather a lot like Honeysuckle. I have no idea whether it is safe to use or not. With a bit of luck, Darrel will be along in a minute with a better answer !

Welcome Alex. Whereabouts in Ukraine are you from ? I only ask as I had a holiday there a few years ago, it was lovely. Don't worry about your English, it is a very friendly forum and most English speakers are aware how bad we are at anyone else's language ! David

We can teach he North Koreans a thing or two about sycophantic uncritical news reporting when we really try.

Whereabouts is it ? It looks like Beech as the dominant tree, but that doesn't say much as it has been planted all over. Really nice pics BTW.

I've been running now for more than 30 years. Always off-road (it seems daft to live in Cumbria and run on the road). I used to be reasonably good at it, but now I do it because it is still enjoyable and I've always done it.

I've a similar set up, I just have 2 long spray bars running most of the length of the back of the tank. I've got an in-line diffuser feeding into the lower spray bar. Extra tubing for the bars is cheap and easy. It seems to work, but I don't grow anything too fancy and I back it up with liquid...

I've just been through the same thing. Thought the regulator needle valve was bust, turns out that the nuts on the bubble counter were cracked and that gas was escaping. This meant I could turn the needle valve to fully open without getting much gas flow. Replaced the bubble counter and...

No, none at all. It all looks perfect, it just doesn't work.

Knocked over my JBL regulator and now the ****** doesn't ****ing well work. I've tried it from fully closed to fully open and it seems to make pretty much no difference at all. Anyone any ideas ? Other than go on-line and buy a new one. Add endless list of expletives here !!! D

Always worthn ringing your local guy I'm getting a 5Kg cylinder tomorrow, £20 as a "ahem" contribution to the Christmas fund. I have to pick it up, but it is only half a mile away.

I used "Sophisticat Pink". OK, so it stinks something rotten, but a few days in a bucket outside and the smell is gone, after that it is great.

UKAPS is great, but not normally this funny !

Thanks guys, indecision could be my middle name! D

I am definitely no expert, but if you can't identify the tree I'd be very careful. Anything with the bark still on might be dodgy as it will still have the green wood underneath, which will have to go through a rot process. Safe is oak heartwood and you'll often find the dry remains of oak...

My Colombian Red Fins, whilst they have been beautiful and straightforward, are getting old and have gone from 6 down to 3, so I'm starting to think about getting something new. Favourites at the moment are Congo Tetra, but the local shops also have Rosy Tetra, Bleeding Hearts and Bentosi Tetra...

Beauty ! I can grow plants (well a bit), bit I can't 'scape.

Just a thought, but what Plecostomus type fish do you have and what are you feeding them ? Only I had something similar when I added a Peckoltia to a tank that already had Ancistrus in it. I was feeding algae wafers, but the Ancistrus kept the Peckoltia off them and so it eat the plants. The...

Garden plants are difficult to id like this, people have cross bred things, but here goes ! Bottom pic is a Hydrangea. The one above is (not sure on this) a Tradescantia. Then L to R, a Columbine (Aquilegia), An Amaryllys and an Aster of some sort. Finally, the blue and yellow is an Iris...

Just a thought, but are you sure it isn't about to flower ? The new "leaves" may slowly unfurl to produce a white flower like the Spathyfillum house plant or Cuckoo Pint hedgerow flower.

Hi Matt They shouldn't really need it. There should be a little bit where the "hairs" on the bulb stick up. This is the bit the leaves grow out of. This bit should be at or just below the surface. The rest of the bulb can be burried in the substrate.. The bulbs aren't very bouyant and putting...

I've used Sophisticat Pink for my 2 tanks. Lovely looking stuff, but perfumed so it needs a couple of days to let the smell go away. As said above, it is difficult to get carpeting plants to stay fixed in it if you are planting underwater, so dry start might be a good way to go. Cheers D

That might test my technical abilities somewhat ! I'll try taking some pics. The C. espeii is just producing its first new leaves, which look quite strange, green, small and narrow. cheers D

Hi Bill Watermarque is the name of the company. Having looked up C.usteriana, it seems fairly standard from what I can make out. C.espeii I can find no reference to anywhere. Cheers David

With me it is always duckweed ****ing duckweed !

Absolutely spot on Nature Boy !

Hi Guys Thanks for the comments, I feel reassured. I think there are 5 Otos. Originally there were six but one died. Since I hardly ever see them, it is hard to be absolutely sure ! I might buy some more, since I like them and 5 in 270 L isn't a lot. Thanks to everyone D

I ordered some plants from Watermarque, which got lost in the post. When I said this had happened, they offered to re-send it, but couldn't supply the Cryptocoryne blassii that I had ordered, so they offered me some others, so I ended up with Crypto usteriana, C crispulata, C. espeii and C...

A couple of weeks ago there was a thread on shy Corydoras. My Cory's are positively boisterous, but my Otos are very shy. When I do see them they look very healthy and fairly tubby, plus one is about 4 times the size it was when I bought it, so I don't think it is a health issue. They seem more...

The very wonderful people at Watermarque have sent me some Crypt. usteriana, C.espeii and C. wendtii "Green Goblin". Presumably C.wendtii is still C. wendtii come what may and has no special requirements, but I've never grown C. usteriana and I hadn't heard of espeii until Paul at Watermarque...

I'm no expert, but really it is mosses, Monoselenium, Microsorium, Bolbitis or Anubias. If you are injecting CO2 then Riccia can be grown attached to things. Monoselenium is really easy and prolific, covers a multitude of sins etc. Microsorium is easy. I've just acqiured a bit of Bolbitis, so we...

My guess too would be something like a Cypress, though the prominent lenticels do suggest plum or some sort of cherry. The trouble with finding things on the beach is that it could be almost anything from anywhere ! One thing for certain though, it hasn't been in the water for any length of time...

"A tank with plants in" describes my efforts too. Yours looks pretty good to me ! David

Hi, I have duckweed, duckweed is good.... but how do people stop it getting everywhere ? If I do anything at all with the tank it gets everywhere. On me, on my clothes, on the carpet, on the wall, in the sink. Then, like a murderer on CSI, you can follow me round the house by duckweed on door...

I second that emotion. It is a great resource

I've been feeding my Ottos on Cougette (30 secs in the microwave and then frozen), but was going to go in for putting pebbles in a tank on the windowsill just to grow algae for them, so we can see how we get on.

I accepted from a friend a small Peckoltia (about 2" long). I'd like to include a picture, but I never see it. Since its arrival, various plants but mostly Echinodorous seem to be being eaten away. This is in spite of my feeding Courgette and algae wafers regularly. The tank also contains...

I'm not aware of any native dragons or damsels with green larvae. The part that came off is probably part of the gills, various invertebrate larvae have tail like arrangemnts that are the gills. A picture might help with id. Sparkyweasel probably has it right tho, non-native dragon or damselfly...

Thanks guys. Very helpful !

Agreed, but having spent quite a lot of the weekend cursing swearing and spilling water everywhere whilst trying to sort out my filter, I can kind of see their point. Finally today the possibility of human error (mine) occurred to me and I put the filter head on the right way round. Problems...

Forgot to add that in dry starting the tank I accidentally introduced Riccia. Was surprised that it grows emersed and that it attaches itself quite happily to rocks, substrate etc. So far it is growing submerged and staying put, unlike my Glossostigma, which seems only too delighted to leave the...

I've added Monoselenium to my new tank, tied to wood with fishing line. Looks great, seems to be growing away nicely. Does anyone know if it is safe to keep it with Amano shrimp and Ottos, or will they eat it ? It seems a great little plant, nice contrast to mosses, I'm surprised not to have...

Is that the original position of the lumps in the upper photo ?

I'm fishless cycling at present and had a scum problem (and plenty of melting Crypts GGRRRR!!!), but an as near as possible100% water change seems to have got rid of it. David

Hi Tom Thanks for that. Its a good tip easily done. I'm a long way off putting in any livestock yet. I'll probably fill the tank next week and give it a month or so of settling (and me fiddling about with it) before I think about any livestock. Cheers David

I went into my LFS at the weekend asked for some of the beautiful moss in a tank. The very nice woman pulled out a vast amount and put it in a bag. I thought "This is going to be a bit pricey". Total cost 50p !!! I'm sorry I ordered some online now. David

Didn't know where else to post this... I'm dry starting my new tank. 8 litres of pond soil topped with 20 litres of cat litter (Sophisticat pink). Tank is 275 litres. Then I've made the schoolboy error of putting too much water in and using too much light. The too much water was only a few...

Hi I'm just getting back into this from keeping fish when young. The world has changed a bit since. I'm also coming to terms with the ultra soft water hereabouts. I currently have 1 tank up and running low tech and am dry starting another. I'd like to do great scapes, but am still working on...