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I agree with Darrel. This is really not anything to worry about. I suggest that you just carry on and forget about the holes. Cheers,

Just use tap water. It will make your life a LOT easier and the plants will not really care. Cheers,

Hi, According to the website this is just an iron supplement priced at (gulp) 22 Euros per liter?! Seeing as how this is about 90% water I find it shocking. Yes you'll need to add NPK, although if your tank is low tech then there is no panic. If your tank is CO2 injected then yes, time to...

Hello, It's not really clear what your question is. You can scape your tank with anything you want. If you want an all moss tank then just get some super glue and glue the moss to whatever surface you desire. If you want a moss carpet then simply follow the guide in the Tutorial...

Hi marzayyad, I'm relieved to hear that the distribution appears to be reaching a good proportion of the leaves and that the pH drop is in the right amount. I know that it's tempting to move forward with the lighting but really, until new leaves grow in and are producing, I...

Hi marzayyad, OK, it looks like you're close and lights ON coincides with the lowest pH more or less. Yes that's true as far as the injection technique goes. The important thing is that you grasp the idea of what you are trying to accomplish. You can always play with the...

When the DC turns yellow (or whatever is the target color) that's really the beginning of the gas/light interaction so do not turn the gas off. You'll need another 5 hours of gas and then it can be turned off. The best thing to do is to measure the pH at 1/2 hour or 1 hour intervals until the...

Hello, My first advice is to stop thinking about plants in terms of how much light they need. There are no plants that "need" high light. More light simply causes plants to grow faster, but that also means that algae can grow faster. On the other hand, there are plants that do not like...

Hi, As is constantly being argued, there are different paths to success and there are many factors and variables. This guide that you referenced suggests to add fauna on the third day, which for an experienced hobbyist, can work, but for a beginner is a terrible idea. The author also makes...

Hello, My policy is to avoid adding any fauna to the tank for 4-6 weeks. As you mention, 3 days into a new setup there are still quite a bit of chemical instability. This gives you time also, to sort out plant problems and to get CO2 figured out without having to worry about the fauna...

Listen to Sacha.

Moved to the Aquascaping section.

Yeah, you can just dry them out if they fit in your oven and remove the bark. If it's much cheaper than what you would pay in a boutique then it's worth the extra hassle. Typically, the wood for aquarium is harvested from dead and dried branches lying around so that any toxins in the sap won't...

Manzanita is acceptable and is quite popular in USA. Cheers,

I don't see why you need to be ashamed. Aren't people running around in a hysteria because they think they need more Iron in the plants diet? There is no reason whatsoever to ban Iron containing rocks from your tank. Iron is a commodity. Cheers,

Yeah, that's the one. It's tough to get started though. If you can find it already submersed on the wanted section I'd try that first. Check the thread Limnophila aromatica - The Rice Paddy Herb | UK Aquatic Plant Society Sorry, I meant the ones on the right. Something like this=>...

Hi mate, That looks a lot better. The anubias looks out of place though. I would have put them all as a group either on top of that piece of wood or on the left side of the the wood which is in front of the crypts. Also, your powerhead on the right looks too close to the edge of the...

No worries mate. You do need to anchor them to something otherwise they just drift around aimlessly, especially if flow is good. You can tie them to the crypt I suppose. Try it and see what works for you. Cheers,

Yeah mate, that sounds like a pretty good idea to me. If you wanted to be even more exotic you could elevate the focal area by placing some cut up egg crates and building a retaining wall with stones or wood, then gluing the anubias or moss (fissidens maybe) to the stones. That way, you get a...

Hi mate, Yes you should rescape because for no other reason it will give you practice at scaping. Just look at George Farmers sticky subjects at the top of this section. He has a three part series on Aquscaping basics. Part two is especially good because hetalks about the overall shapes of...

Treat it with respect. They are heavy, and sharp... Cheers,

Hello, Really, you need to stick to your journal thread because in the first place the Journal Forum section is very much more popular than the Aquascaping section, and secondly, the people who read the thread in this section would have also more than likely be reading the journal...

Yeah , no kidding. Competition tanks have nothing to do with nature or with fish. Our tanks are ornaments and are for our viewing pleasure. In fact no tanks have anything to do with nature. So I think you might be missing the big picture. "New" water that flows into these rivers and streams...

It is a silly mistake to worry about tannins in the water. The fish that you most likely will put in the tank originate from tannin stained rivers and streams. The tannic acids contribute to cleaning the water, keeping the fish healthy and in controling the population of pathogens. Cheers,

Hello, Assuming this is confirmed to be typical aquarium driftwood, and not some unknown wood from the nearest forest, the tea color has no health concerns for the tank. It is merely a nuisance aesthetically. The only preparation necessary to avoid the other nuisance, i.e. that of the...

Well, I mean, yes, of course it will, but then what? First of all your dad would have to dose and get the CO2 right during that period that you are trying to get more plant mass and then you would have to transition from CO2 to non-CO2 and that's a lot easier said than done. That's like an...

Hi Gilles, You should decide whether you are going low tech or high tech. Don't sit on the fence, especially with a big tank. If this were a small tank you could easily start the tank out with liquid carbon and then slowly withdraw it, but with this size it could get expensive. It doesn't...

Well, do you really think that this is a fair comment? All you've done so far is to show pictures of a piece of wood and some rocks on the floor. Why not assemble them dry in the tank and arrange a design so that folks can see what's in your mind. This is standard procedure. Based on your...

Hi jciotti, Thanks for your kind words and I'm glad that you find the data useful. Although I do enjoy a good barroom brawl, the flame wars do get a bit tedious. I agree that most credit should go to adamt4050 as well as to the UKAPS membership in general for putting up with this...

Hi, The number 1 suggestion is to select a more imaginative or descriptive title, such as; "Help with improving my aquascape". That way, folks weary from browsing endless threads and who only view threads of interest might click on your thread to see what's going on. Apart from that bit of...

Hello, Welcome to the forum! If you're in the Aquascaping forum why don't you click on the sticky links such as George Farmers "Aquascaping Basics" parts 1, 2 and 3. Cheers,

Mulm is the detritus that you can find at the bottom of the filter or even in the sediment. The mulm contains all kinds of goodies such as bacteria which helps virgin filter media and virgin sediment get going more quickly. Cheers,

Yes, that's a great point. You are not compelled to use CO2 enrichment. You can use the non-CO2 approach which has the advantage of low maintenance/low growth. However, if you go this route you have to ensure that you don't exceed the lighting requirements as I mentioned before. Please see the...

Hi, Liquid Carbon would be exceedingly expensive on this size tank. If you are handy then building a pair of external reactors should be a doddle. Ed Seeley has a thread on how to do this in the CO2 section. You can also have a look at Akadama which has the rounded shape. Look at the sticky...

Hi, Welcome to the forum! :D A key point I think is important to consider: Here is your first mistake and it will prove to be the biggest. You have selected style over substance. CO2 grows plants and it's critical in a tank lit by high wattage T5. The Knott substrate is very expensive, yet...

Marco, There's something uneven with the lighting. Seems to be all in the centre making it very gloomy at the sides. Was it you who mentioned on another thread that you wanted to change the bulb colour as well. That would be a good idea. It's too yellow. Almost looks like an incandescent...

OK, in that case I've moved the thread to the aquascaping forum then. Cheers,

Well, sure. I mean, there's no "try" involved. Chuck them in the tank and just add water. Is there a story behind this question? Has someone said it can't be done? Or has this more to with aquascaping? Blyxa is a foreground/midground and most crypts are background, or specimen type...

Sweet one George. Nice touch mate. :D Cheers,

Yeah, but if you use the larger apertures on the 50mm you'll just blow out those scrumptious midtones - which are perfect right now. Go and harass Bob for those lights... :P Cheers,

Hi, welcome to the forum. Oxygen is produced and released into the environment as a direct result of photosynthesis but this can only be done in large quantity if there is sufficient CO2. Bubbles tend to drive off CO2 which the plants need to produce oxygen therefore it's counterproductive...

Gorgeous as usual Dave. :D I love the wraparound or crossover at the top! Cheers,

Actually, there is: Harlequins Haven Cheers,

Wow, nice clean lines. Well done Mark. :D Gotta mow the lawn regularly though, just ask Paulo! Cheers,

Hi Ray, All good ideas. :D I like 3b the most. Cheers,

See this thread for some insight=> viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1582&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=0 Cheers,

Man, I love the dynamic angles in that center :D but I'm finding the Crinium(?) just a tad distracting. I guess it'll fill in as well. We need to get to the bottom of the Blyxa riddle... :roll: Cheers,

George, simply spectacular mate! Cheers,

Yep, that ought to work fine. Study this tutorial viewtopic.php?f=34&t=297 Cheers,

OK, just as long as you know. If you're having a slope have you thought about how you will keep the slope stable? If you just pile gravel up it will slowly un-slope. Riccia is too messy for me but many have done tremendous things with it. I would opt for HC or Glosso on the slope but have a...

lstratton, L. aromatic isn't red (at least mine isn't) I assume you just used that color crayon to distinguish between the different plants right? Is that a mound or an incline on the far right corner? That would be a brilliant idea. :idea: Cheers,

Hi lstratton, Looks like a pretty nice start so far. :D You know now how to keep BGA away. Remember also that as the plant mass increases you may need to tweak nutrient/CO2. Two groves of Limnophilia aromatica, one in each of the aft corners would do well in that environment...

Sweet one Dave. Definitely leave the fish out and blast away with the gas. It may be coincidence but my UG started failing when I became sloppy with the Excel application. Are those the same rocks as used in the Welsh Mountains? Cool dude. 8) Cheers,

Hi George, Very nice. I love the framing using the Vals. P. Helferi is becoming my favorite foreground plant as well. :D Any special reason you put the sand underneath by the way? Cheers,

Hi Dave, Check The Luminous Landscape. There are some links for the Camera Raw plugin for v7: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/revie ... -raw.shtml v8 and above come with the Raw plugin and a slick Raw interface so you may want to think about upgrading. On the other hand, I've...

Nice work Dave. Love the colors in the hardscape. Cheers,

Hello, I'd like to clarify a couple of fundamental issues after which you might be better able to assess the direction you may want to take with your tank: Firstly, in my opinion, the very last thing on your upgrade list should be lighting. Until you are able to confidently and...

Wow George those are spectacular. I love the "Mother Microsorium"! The photography is first rate as well. I guess Mr. Gomez didn't like the crinum being on the left side but I wonder if it would do any good moved to the rear right corner to address Mr. Tootell's comment. Cheers,

Hi Andy, There are many things about plant husbandry that are counterintuitive. I suppose that's why there are so many disagreements. Sometimes the truth appears incongruous. Remember when most people on the planet believed that nutrients cause algae? It seemed obvious and when...

Yes, remember it contains that chemical in the same family as formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde? That kills the algae that is there, but the part of the glutaraldehyde what makes the plants grow better is the carbon part (C5H8O2). I'm guessing that somehow the carbon is stripped by the plants and the...

Hi Matt, I've seen this movie before (he he he). In The Matrix Morpheus says to Neo; I can only lead you to the door. You must walk through. Think about this for a second; why does dosing Excel make so much of a difference? If the plants were assimilating 30 ppm CO2 prior to it's...

OK Andy, whatever you say. I never rule out anything except for the fact that one tuft of BBA is more accurate that any drop checker known to man.... Cheers,

Hi Andy, Sorry, no, I wasn't accusing you of promoting PPS over EI, I was just responding to beeky's post about PPS and PPS Pro and all that. I seemed to have really upset zig who seems completely flummoxed. Maybe it's because the thread has been hijacked? Sorry zig. It wasn't my...

beeky, This is another one of my pet peeves. Although the hobby has advanced tremendously over the past decade the fundamentals of plant husbandry continues to get buried under a deluge of market/branding rhetoric. From what I can see, some hobbyist with a specific tank configuration...

Hi Ed, I agree with CJ. BBA almost always should be translated as "I need more Carbon". Flourish Excel would be a good option albeit an expensive one. I'm not a DIY CO2 fan but if you fix that you will probably also fix the BBA. Trim, scrub change water and use Excel at least in...

ulster, Another thing you can do, depending on aesthetic appeal, would be to add a lot more substrate to the tank to mitigate the distance between the substrate and the top of the tank. That way you wouldn't have to reach so far down during maintenance. Having a lot of substrate might...

Wow, what provocative symbology. Apparently heavily influenced by Roman and/or ancient Greek frescos. I can only hope this was discreetly and tastefully covered when the plants were added, otherwise PFK readers may draw the conclusion that this design was created by Ron...