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  1. Dave Spencer

    home made water purifier

    OK, I have some tar bubbling away nicely. Anybody got the feathers? Dave.
  2. Dave Spencer

    4DKH Referance solution DIY

    Sorry, I can`t off the top of my head. Not necessarily. I make mine because I have access to very pure water, extremely accurate scales and a lab. Having said that, 4dKH doesn`t need to be overly accurate, as it is still just a general indication at the end of the day. The orange stuff is not...
  3. Dave Spencer

    4DKH Referance solution DIY

    Exactly. You need Bromo blue. For the orange indicator to work, you will need a reference solution at a different dKH. Dave.
  4. Dave Spencer

    Recharging Purigen

    I have done this several times, now. What I have found is that it takes considerably longer than 24 hours to recharge it. Dave.
  5. Dave Spencer

    Difffused backgrounds

    Re: TGM backgrounds Lovely looking tank Stu. How come you changed the lights in the first pic for the tacky looking one in the second? I expect you couldn`t afford a decent replacement. :wink: Dave.
  6. Dave Spencer

    purigen

    Definitely not in my experience. As of yet, I haven`t come across any substantiated evidence of ammonia leaching back in to the water column. Zeolite and Purigen do different jobs, and I always use both in my tanks these days. Dave.
  7. Dave Spencer

    purigen

    Both can be recharged. Zeolite will absorb(?) ammonia, which is a very helpful feature in an immature tank. Rather than recharge, I leave mine in as filter media once it is exhausted. Removing it for recharge could result in the removal of a fair proportion of your filter bacteria. People...
  8. Dave Spencer

    An accurate thermometer?

    When I do water changes the temperature drops from 25C to 19C in winter when I use a hose. On a particularly cold day I add a little warm water with a jug to prevent the temperature going much lower, but my fish cope with this kind of a temperature change in a thirty minute period no problem...
  9. Dave Spencer

    Marine to Planted

    It may be sufficient in terms of filtration, but having one return point back in to the tank may not be enough for delivery of nutrients to the four corners, especially if it is going to be a fairly complex scape of plants and hardscape. You may need to use Koralia powerheads or the like to keep...
  10. Dave Spencer

    21inch spraybar in a 24inch tank(updated)

    Re: 21inch spraybar in a 24inch tank I use the Cal Aqua inline diffuser on my 60cm, and am happy with it. It will reduce flow, but probably not as much as an inline reactor would. I try to make the run of pipework after the diffuser as long as possible so that only a minimal amount of CO2...
  11. Dave Spencer

    Argos tank stands

    This cabinet was from Argos and it fits my 60cm x 30cm perfectly. It is not particularly sturdy, so I added a chrome bar in the centre to brace it a little. It has given me two years of srvice. Dave.
  12. Dave Spencer

    broke my heater :( will fish be ok in the meantime?

    Stu, I`ll bring a 300W Hydor to the camera club tonight. You can use until you buy one. Dave.
  13. Dave Spencer

    Mini Glass Lily

    Those lily pipes look a lot like PM Glass, but at half the price. I reckon I`ll buy some for spare, and should be able to compare them to the PM Glass I already have. Thank God for cheap skates trawling the internet. :wink: Dave.
  14. Dave Spencer

    Lily pipes, worth the money?

    Aesthetics are important to me. Sufficiently important, in fact, that I spend a lot of money going for the glass/minimalist look. Water movement and distribution seems adequate to me. Accept no crappy looking plastic substitutes. :lol: Dave.
  15. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    Sorry Steve. I could have sworn I replied to your question. I have added some wood to my tank, that turned the bucket water to tea ,while it was soaking. The tank water has stayed crystal clear, but I dare say the Purigen will become exhausted in double quick time. Dave.
  16. Dave Spencer

    Juwel Rio 180

    I agree with George. For me, from now on, it is going to be rimless, braceless and with the only hardware in the tank being glassware, all sat atop a minimalist cabinet. And, all at a huge expense. :lol: I hope to get a chance to visit Aquariums Ltd soon, when they open up their showroom, so...
  17. Dave Spencer

    Cleaning glassware

    This Eheim flexible brush, item 40005551 is the business on my Cal Aqua glass. http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalo ... rushes.asp Both pipes are open ended, which makes pulling the brush through a doddle. I now have some PM glass as well, but the inlet has a closed end, so I don`t know how...
  18. Dave Spencer

    rimless tank sourse

    Try these, Garuf: http://www.aquariums.ltd.uk/index.asp I have spoken to them recently, and they say they will be setting up a show room in Liverpool soon. They sound like the kind of company UKAPS could deal with. They should be able to make you the size you want, and in opti white high...
  19. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    Yep! According to Seachem you can use Excel alongside Purigen. Dave.
  20. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    I have just changed a 100ml bag of Purigen out of my 120l tank filter this morning and would estimate that it was 50% exhausted after three months. My 60l may get a change after six months, bearing this in mind. As for the 26l, I will probably change it when the tank comes up for a rescape. Dave.
  21. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    On my 120l I changed it after a month, but only found the outer beads to be brown. The latest lot has been in for three months now, so I may take a look this week. This tank is lightly stocked as well. Dave.
  22. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    The reason I don`t bother building up a large bacteria colony during a cycle is because I know it will reduce later on as the plant mass increases. I have had no problems adding Otos and Amano shrimp within days of starting up a tank. At the end of the day, it is about peace of mind, I guess...
  23. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    In my next tank I am going to run Purigen and Zeolite from the word go. I don`t cycle my tanks, I just let the plants carry out the purification, and let the bacteria colony catch up at a later date. Hopefully, I will be minimising any early algae issues. This applies to a high tech tank...
  24. Dave Spencer

    Opti White High Clarity V Float Glass.

    I bought a cheap cabinet from Argos for a 60cm tank. It is a bit rickety, so I added a bracing bar inside. Graeme, the cabinet is 40cm deep and the tank is 45cm, so I would have to have the tank custom built. It still looks very promising, though. Dave.
  25. Dave Spencer

    Opti White High Clarity V Float Glass.

    Cheers, Graeme. You are making it too easy for me to spend my money. I remember going through the Ikea catalogue and website the other week without finding anything suitable. Any idea where it is? I`m guessing you got yours from Warrington. I would be a little nervous about the 5cm overhang at...
  26. Dave Spencer

    Opti White High Clarity V Float Glass.

    Cheers, Graeme. I think I agree with you, but the fact that it is thicker glass may make the extra cost more justifiable for larger tanks. I might ask Richard over at AE. This project is a way off yet, and the main stumbling block will be finding a decent ADA style tank stand at non ADA...
  27. Dave Spencer

    Opti White High Clarity V Float Glass.

    I am toying with the idea of retiring my 120l for now, and setting up a 120cm rimless, braceless tank :roll: , and was wondering about the additional cost of going for higher clarity glass. I already have a second hand (therefore, cheap) opti white high clarity 60cm which is a quality item...
  28. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    I have just changed 100ml of Purigen on a 120l tank that had been in there for two months. When I looked at the state of the Purigen, it was only 30% exhausted, so I shall be changing mine a lot less often. Dave.
  29. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    That is a good question Pete. Seachem have just replied to my question, and they say it is fine to dose Excel when using Purigen. Dave.
  30. Dave Spencer

    Cleaning Glass Lily pipes.

    This is the one I got, item 4004570. http://www.aquatics-online.co.uk/catalo ... rushes.asp Dave
  31. Dave Spencer

    Cleaning Glass Lily pipes.

    What brush have you got Andy? I have the Eheim that is a small, universally jointed brushon the end of a long piece of thin, bendy plastic. I can get round the bend on my Cal Aqua glass. It`s a bit awkward on the inlet pipe, but it can be done.
  32. Dave Spencer

    Easy water changing...

    Re: Hot Water My Otos and Corys know where I add the water during a change, and they sit there waiting for the stream of coldwater. I think they would be pretty upset if the water I added was the same as the tank. No spawning yet, though. :cry: Dave.
  33. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    James, I use API pH 6.5 which is pretty close to the pH of my tanks. Obviously, without buffering the Purigen after the bleaching, it will have a very high pH and could have quite an effect. Purigen is a bit of faffing around, but it is most definitely worth the effort in my Iwagumi. Not so...
  34. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    This certainly turned in to an interesting thread. I am still working my way through Tom`s articles, but the nitrogen one will have to be next on my list. Thanks for the quote ceg4048, but it does leave me wondering why high tech tanks with heavy planting do not cycle, if ammonia is not the...
  35. Dave Spencer

    My new gadget - a surface skimmer

    I occassionally get surface scum on my Iwagumi , which goes just as easily as it comes, for reasons I can`t fathom. The one thing I find is that it traps the O2 bubbles from pearling at the water`s surface, making it look frothy. Dave.
  36. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    Nothing wrong with being inquisitive Andrew. When I read about the cocktails some people on other forums add to their tanks to raise this or lower that, I really have to despair. Hopefully, this forum will become the first stop for any plantheads with inquisitive minds. Dave.
  37. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    All my tanks have fish in them. I place the Purigen as the last stage of filtration, so the water has passed through the bacteria before it reaches the Purigen. All it is doing is giving a final polish to the water by removing organics that would be discharged by the filter. Personally, I...
  38. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    Fishgeek, Ammonia and nitrite are not welcome in my tanks. As for my plants fixing N, well they do that from the KNO3 that I dose. Dave.
  39. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    What we add is ferts in their mineral form. Purigen does not impact on these, but it will remove the causes of discolouration such as tanins and humic acid. Dave.
  40. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    It doesn`t take any ferts away from the plants that we dose. What it does do is remove organic nitrogenous waste. Unlike carbon, it is more specific in what it targets. I recharge mine in ordinary household bleach, but make sure you use unscented as opposed to pine etc. This leaves you with...
  41. Dave Spencer

    Purigen

    Does anybody else out there use this stuff? I am using it on two of my tanks now (I find it difficult to fit in to my nano tank filter) and am mightily impressed with the water clarity it gives. All my tanks had what I presumed to be crystal clear water, but Purigen takes the clarity a notch...
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