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I agree with mort in post #10. Sunlight causes algae only when CO2 and nutrition are inadequate. In fact your risk of algal blooms will have more to do with your Chihiros wrgb than with sunlight penetrating your background. Choose the background that is the most pleasing and forget about window...

Actually, the major factor in heaters failures is their repetitive ON/OFF cycling. That happens when the heater is over-powered for the tank. It's better to have a lower powered heater that stays on for a longer period and which experiences fewer cycles. Cheers,

Hello, Really, there will not be any discernable difference between half-a-teaspoon and just less than half-a-teaspoon. Trace element concentrations just have to be non-zero. I don't understand why hobbyists get into the habit of micro-managing nutrients. Just grab your teaspoon, dig...

Hello, Most people do nothing, as chilling a planted freshwater tank is completely unnecessary unless there is some special requirement. Having a desire to keep the tank at 24 degrees seems an arbitrary decision unless it is required for a breeding program or some such objective. As...

Or, one could just use bleach, which is readily available from the supermarket - or maybe even under your sink... Cheers,

Yes, you're right mate. I missed the bit about the alarm. It might be better to monitor the pump circuit as you mentioned. Lots of sturdy and reliable equipment available for that. Cheers,

Yes, get a bucket of known volume and see how long it takes to fill it from your filter outlet. Then do the arithmetic to determine flow rate. Cheers,

Hi Tiago, You're very welcome! I hope you have friends in the Mathematics Department at Universidade de Lisboa. You'll need to buy them a few drinks and maybe even dinner so they will agree to help you with the maths. :nailbiting: Cheers,

OK, here's the link, but you have to join (free) and purchase the article. http://www.actahort.org/books/1170/1170_125.htm Again, it doesn't help if you don't have the camera's sensor response curve. Cheers,

Hi tmiravent, I'll have to search for the link on one of my other computers. It doesn't really matter whether you are measuring reflected versus incident. Again, you have to calculate the transfer function to make the correction. If Apogee have measured some LEDs then that...

Hi Ian, There really is nothing all that special about the optics in terms of plant response. The lens or lenses have some filtration, but the specialization is more about geometry than anything else, so that for example the light from various angles will hit the sensor properly...

Unfortunately it is not a matter of simply filtering out IR and UV. The response characteristics of the chlorophyll has specific characteristics at each wavelength from 400-700 nanometers wavelength. Any light meter can be used, as long as you have a correction factor at each wavelength to match...

Hi Zeus, Using PAR data in air still provides good data. Reflections from stones, substrate, neighboring plants and even from the underside of the water's surface do have an effect but some are additive while others subtractive. I would not really worry too much. The numbers won't...

Hello, Kindly refrain from double posting. The offending thread has been removed. Cheers,

Well any of the popular brands will do, but to get that flow rate you'll pay similar prices. Like foxfish mentions, just try different combinations to get what you need. It doesn't have to be ideal, it just has to work. The combination of the 1600 plus the single outflow pipe is a good idea too...

Hi Mike, There are a few different combinations to supplement flow. You can use two or more of the nano 900s or just use one of the larger 900s. Again, when you look at the prices new for these you ought to compare it to what that fleabay used FX5 will cost you. If you can get...

Sorry you went through all the trouble mate. Check ebay for a used Fluval FX5. Legendary pumping power, and since it' has such high flow you might even use a reducer in the line to use your existing spraybar and still have plenty of flow, or use 25mm PVC to match the hose and just load the...

No. Cheers,

Hi Gilles, I'm really not sure about your hose calculation. Is 25mm the outer diameter or is it the inner diameter? The area we're talking about is the area that the water flows through and does not include the tube's wall thickness. I'm not sure why there's a need to guess. Just...

Hi Mike, No I wouldn't have said that. Any reduction of the original cross sectional area of the filter outlet tubing causes a reduction in flow. What I would have said was that the sum of the total area of the holes should equal the cross sectional are of the filter outlet tube. No...

Hi Mike, It's probably a good idea to make sample bars using PVC first since it easier and cheaper to work with. Internal burrs can also affect the exit angles so if there is a way to clean the up via reaming the tube with sandpaper or stiff brush to catch the pieces along the...

Yeah, it's basically bleach, which is on sale at Tesco for a comparative pittance (might be even cheaper at Aldi though, 5p/100ml) Lets keep it real people. Cheers,

Unknown algae - please help? | UK Aquatic Plant Society Cheers,

Why not just siphon it from the substrate directly out the window as well? Just hook a hose up to a filter inlet grill, stick it in the sediment and siphon away. I suppose if you're using sand or other fine grain this won't work though... Yep. Can also trigger algal blooms. Cheers,

It's not a good idea to return the water to the tank. Very bad idea actually... Cheers,

This will be fine. The voltages are the same. Cheers,

There is little evidence that nutrient uptake in plants is easier in soft water than in hard water. That has to be the product of someones dream. If anything, the nutrient uptake rate typically increases with increasing hardness. There are two basic mechanisms of nutrient uptake in aquatic...

Also, many of the top scapers think that nutrients cause algae. Many top scapere believe their test kit results, and, many top scapers suffer algal blooms. Finally, many top scapers use tap water. Therefore one cannot easily correlate RO with success, but it is a tool that can be used for...

99.99% of all living things on the planet grow more when given phosphate. PO4 is extremely important because it is the active ingredient in an enzyme that produces energy for living cells. Because of it's high energy, PO4 is also used in critical locations of the DNA molecule. The fundamental...

You are making a huge mistake. Phosphate doe not cause algae, and using RO water will not save you from getting algae. The more phosphate you have the less likely you will get algae. Also, the pH is completely irrelevant within this context and you will cause more problems than you will sole...

Hello, Normally the edges are supported to allow the glass on the bottom of the tank space to deform due to the weight of the water. You don't need to put anything there and if you do you might cause the bottom glass to crack. Cheers,

Hi, These are fine in a planted tank but the flow requirements of UV sterilization is at odds with the flow requirements of a CO2 injected tank. UV sterilization requires a high dwell time, so this means low flow rate. A CO2 injected tank typically requires high flow rates, so if you do use a...

I would laugh if it were not so tragic. Glosso carpets do not require incredibly bright light. They require incredibly high CO2. You do not have enough CO2/flow or distribution. I never use a skimmer and I never have surface scum. Skimming your surface will only mask the problem and weeks or...

From poor plant health, typically due to poor implementation of CO2, flow and nutrition, often combined with overzealous mega-lighting . Cheers,

Hi mate, Yes it takes a while for the gas to saturate evenly throughout the tank once you turn the gas on. You want to ensure that you have high and stable CO2 when the lights go on because that's the most critical time for the plants. That's when they need good CO2 the most. By...

Hi Stitch, That surface movement looks perfect to me. There is no splashing or gurgling or bubbling. Those are the motions that are responsible for accelerating the off-gassing of the CO2. If you find that you don't like the action of the water movement, then you have to reduce the...

Hi mate, Yeah that looks good. Theoretically you only need to use the 16mm ID as your reference (can't recall what I told you before) because that is the smaller of the cross sectional area and that will be the limiter of the flow anyway. But that doesn't really matter all that...

OK, well it's only the real measurements that counts. Like I mentioned, you can just run hot water over the end of the Eheim tube to soften it and then slip it over the end of the 1/2 inch PVC. Worst case, if the OD is still too big then just use some sandpaper to reduce it a bit. If the steel...

Hi mate, A 14mm diameter tube has a cross sectional area of 154 square mm, whereas an 11mm tube has a cross sectional area of 95 square mm. Mass flow rate in a tube is directly proportional to the cross sectional area, so that's a 38% drop in the flow rate. The frictional losses due...

Hi, You really don't need to worry too much as long as the tube OD is large enough to have a good friction fit against the filter hose. I'm not sure if the 2260 comes with 16/22mm hoses, but whatever size hosing you are using, just get PVC pipes with a slightly larger (1mm) OD then the ID of...

Hello, There is little benefit to the use barbecue charcoal. Although it may be the same material in some cases, it is not activated. The activation of charcoal is what generates the extremely high surface area which allows the high adsorption efficiencies. Activation is...

Hi, You have several options. It is possible to run two pumps in series but the specifications of the pumps ought to be considered. Normally, you want the second pump to be the much stronger pump so that the filter pump acts only as a "feed" pump and the second stronger pump is the "boost"...

So add more or find a better way of distributing the CO2. PO4 does not cause algae and PO4 test kits cannot tell you any indication no matter how much one might wish it so. You have already fallen of the wagon and are headed to the dark side. Hair algae has nothing to do with PO4. Cheers,

:lol: That's cheating mate! Cheers,

Hi mate, Yeah that's a really sweet rig you've got there mate. Well done that. :clap: I've got some hanging cable assemblies like that. It should allow your to move the rig up and down, I think. I agree, there doesn't seem to be an elegant way to terminate the excess cable ends. If...

Click here for Search results using "substrate heater" as a search parameter=> search.php?keywords=%22substrate+heater%22&terms=all&author=&attr_id=0&sc=1&sf=all&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search Cheers,

Hello, The thread has been moved from Technical/Help, which is only meant for difficulties associated with IT/software, and placed in Hardware/DIY, since this is an issue with your hardware. Cheers,

Hi, They disappeared because they were marketed as being better for plant growth due to generating water currents at the roots, which was never verified. They were expensive, especially for large tanks. The same could be said of the heating cables in which plant roots often would get...

Hi Luis, Ironically, this is the only valuable use for pH Down. Do not use it for anything else. Cheers,

Any acid will dissolve calcium carbonate. The stronger the acid, the faster it will dissolve. Vinegar (ascetic acid) or lemon/lime/orange juice (citric acid) are weak, non-toxic acids that will do the trick. Strong acids such as pool acid (typically Muriatic AKA hydrochloric acid) or pH Down...

Fluids in motion have a lower pressure than fluids at rest. So the water exiting the mouth of the funnel lowers the pressure just below the water's surface and therefore induces motion from the surface. This is nothing special and this vortex concept is brandished about by marketing departments...

Err...yeah, they create a £40 vortex that sucks the money right out of your wallet. :wave: The Matrix isn't real foxfish! Cheers,

Yeah, I'm totally with sanj on this one. What's the big deal? I do 90% water changes simply by attaching a long hose to a submersible pump and porting the effluent to the garden or a drain. Fill your bathtub with water at the desired temperature and then put the pump in the tub while porting the...

Hi mate, Yes, if you want to use one then just check the instructions on the UV unit which should tell you what flow rate range is required for that unit, then just find a filter or pump to match. There are no special media requirements. I just find that to be an added complication...

Hi, There is no evidence that any of this is true. UV is useful for killing green water algae but that is the only type that is susceptible to the UV radiation as they are free floating. There is no evidence that UV is detrimental to a tanks nitrifying bacteria generally since their exposure...

Hi Colin, The 10X rule already takes into account the 50% factor. Therefore a 200L tank needs 2000 LPH of filter rating. The OP doesn't need to worry about anything else because these values already reflect the issues of friction, head loss and so forth. Cheers,

Hi, The output of each pump will tend to back-pressure the output of the others, so although the check valves will prevent reverse flow, there will be a resistance in the manifold which will reduce the output of each pump. The only way to minimize this effect is to increase the manifold...

Wow, sheer genius mate. I think even I could do that, and I've got 10 thumbs. Thanks for sharing! :thumbup: Cheers,

OK, so they add a chelating agent to bind the metals. Fair enough then. Thanks for clearing that up Darrel! :thumbup: Cheers,

Hmm, could be something to the claims, or it could be total hogwash (which is more typical of The Matrix). Most of the dechlor agents, the ones that don't bind the ammonia from chloramines, use Sodium Thiosulphate (Na2S2O3), but I'm not sure if the thiosulphate by itself can precipitate the...

Hi Gareth, Well of course the best way is to use RO, because that removes just about everything, and the next best way is to use the multi-stage HMA similar to that shown in the link in the first post and that described by Darrel. I'm not aware of any commercial additives that...

Yeah, as Dan the Man said, just add the dechlor exactly as you're doing now. This has been standard operating procedure for years. Why would you want to make your life any more complicated than it already is? Just add a few drops and get on with it. Dechlorination ought to be among the least of...

Hi, There is a huge difference between a simple activated carbon filter and a heavy metal axe type filter. Carbon doesn't do a good job at all of removing heavy metals such as lead, iron, copper, chrome, mercury, zinc and so forth. In order to accomplish that you need special resins that...

It's not clear exactly what reagent or combination of reagents are being used in any particular test kit. One thing is for sure though - just because your dropchecker is at optimum colour it does not guarantee that your CO2 is optimal. It's not that simple. Use the dropchecker as a guide and...

Hi, Bromothymol blue is only blue under alkaline conditions. Otherwise it's a yellow substance. Any pH test kit or any source of the substance can be used. Under acidic conditions it turns yellow. If you want to test your Bromothymol blue then it's not a good idea to depend on your CO2...

Err..mate either you have a misplaced decimal point or you need a bigger pump. It takes 10 seconds to move a measly quarter of a litre? That's only 90 LPH (23 GPH). I like the idea of using multiple buckets instead of one big one. Easier to clean and to fit into awkward spaces and so forth but...

Re: 14 foot Planted Tank ................ is it possible ?? Yes, that is correct. However again, my point is that the designer must be aware of the issues/limitation involved with the tank being used for plants and must therefore incorporate solutions to these issues as a set of basic...

Re: 14 foot Planted Tank ................ is it possible ?? Hi, My point was that most sumps aren't designed with the minimization of splashing in mind, just the opposite because splashing sumps increases the O2 exchange and so this is a good thing in non-planted tanks. For a planted CO2...

OK, thanks for clarifying. So this is basically a 20USG tank right? So a 30W T8 is on the lower side but is sufficient to grow just about any plant. Adding more light just makes them grow faster, and will require more of everything, especially more CO2. If I were you, I'd stick with the 30W T8...

Hi, Welcome to the forum. :D Are these dimensions in cm or in inches? Also it's not clear to me what relationship a surface skimmer has with light production. Could you clarify? Manically attempting to throw more light at your tank without considering flow/distribution and CO2 is a...

Hi, Welcome to the forum. :mrgreen: I'm assuming these dimensions are in inches and if so then this is more or less a 170USG tank? It's not clear what size sump you have, or how it's configured. Using a sump in general is fine, however the plastic bioballs are not a particularly good media...

Hi, No, you won't be mocked for buying one to heat your tank. This will be fine. Mocking only happens when the user thinks he/she is optimizing plant health by using them. They don't harm the plants but for years vendors sold the illusion that they did something more beneficial than simple...

Hi, I didn't do anything fancy when I collected large quantities of RO. Just get a couple of the large plastic rubbish bins and shut off the tap manually. The fill rate is slow and it will become predictable, so just keep an eye on it. I used to keep the bin in the stall of a spare bathroom...

Or, perhaps they were simply overpriced? Kind of like football T-shirts made in a Guangzhou China sweatshop for 20p and then sold to the British for £200? :shock: Cheers,

Hey, what a deal Paul :!: I've been saying for a year now that those things are so nice they'd be cheap at half the price! Now they are. Definitely, as Rambo says, GO FOR IT! Cheers,

Yeah, I always advocate monster filters, whose return on investment becomes more apparent as tank size increases. It's as much a practical decision as well as an aesthetic one because I can dictate and control the flow more precisely with the spraybars. Yes, regrettably you do need two inlets...

I vote for the cheesy JBL jobbie. Your eye muscles will thank you... Yes! As the Cal Aqua rep indicated (after graciously enduring my verbal abuse) the 17mm external diffuser solves that problem. It's still irritatingly difficult to clean but is a bit sturdier thanks to thicker glass and is...

No, as Steve indicated the reasons are more profound, although a £15 savings buys several pints at the local pub, so this is nothing to sneeze at either. :mrgreen: Double dropchecker fosters a sense of false security so that when problems occur one is less likely to reassess one's CO2...

I would not spend money for a double dropchecker, that's for sure... :shock: Cheers,

Hi, It's not that "plant keepers" eschew the use of sumps. Instead it's necessary that they understand what the disadvantages of sumps are, and to address the weaknesses. Specifically, sumps tend to drive off CO2 because typically they are open to atmosphere and typically there is a lot of...

Hi, sorry but this conclusion is incorrect. As mentioned in the preceding posts tap water actually works better for plants than RO. Unless your tap water is high in herbicides there is no reason why it cannot grow spectacular plants. OK, well, first of all the readings on your test kit are...

OK, well if everything is stock then there should be plenty of energy for two joined bars with unmodified holes. The 2080 has a flow control lever. Are you certain this lever is not set to the low flow position or to an intermediate position? Are you certain that the end cap on the far tube is...

Umm...no, forget about that. Lets not give these Eheim people more credit than they deserve. The main problem is that the total area of your holes are too large. The 2080 has decent flow rate, even while filled to the brim with media. I've had 2080 connected to 2.5 feet of ganged Eheim spraybars...

Hi Paul, Good or bad depends on whether you are able to get flow down to the substrate and whether you have achieved a nice circular current. Do the majority of the plants gently wave in the current? Can you see flow across the carpet plants? Have you positioned the spray pattern as I...

Re: 21inch spraybar in a 24inch tank Actually I've found that the flow reduction for similarly sized inlet reduction is more or less the same regardless of the type of reactor. In other words, a Cal inline reactor which has a 13mm spud will reduce the flow about as much as say an Aquamedic...

Oh, OK, yeah for 4dKH you definitely need to be super accurate. Sorry, never mind what I said then. :roll: Cheers,

I agree with Maciek. Why do you need to be accurate to .01 gram when you are dosing and Estimative Index? You can be accurate to within .0001% and still get algae depending on your tank conditions. You can dose over the top by 300% and never see algae. Accuracy is another illusion because there...

Re: Lily Pipes V Sprinkle Bar Well, the higher the velocity the better the conservation of energy. Not sure why you'd have to by Eheim piping when any PVC will do (and will be cheaper - and won't be green :evil: ) but experiment starting with the stock hole sizes. More holes also reduce the...

Re: Lily Pipes V Sprinkle Bar Hi Paul, Although Lily pipes are much more chic and can be effective, my preference is for spraybars, especially as the tank size increases. Check a couple of threads in the archive: Water flow in the planted aquarium? Difference in drop checker...

Yeah, I guess I'm not so sure because I haven't figured out a meaningful way to drop the pH to that level while maintaining the other water parameters such as KH that this type of fish needs. How can one be sure otherwise? Fundamentally the fishes system is designed around salt management. Have...

Hi, Well, yes mate, if you think it looks better then that's the bottom line, definitely go for it. Your question was why others don't use the box method and why you haven't seen anyone else using it. That's the query I was addressing. CO2 affects the pH of the tank radically. Of this there...

Hi, In a freshwater planted tank surface skimming is much less relevant than basic surface agitation. Furthermore, pH is completely irrelevant. If the skimming does have an effect on pH it is more likely that this is because it is removing CO2 from the water column, which is a cardinal sin...

Paulo, Barr suggests using a hospital Intravenous Unit (IV) using a liquid fert mix. This is such an obvious and brilliant solution. No timers, no electricity.. Drip feed, so you only have to resolve the drip rate. The only problem is coming up with a plan to liberate an oppressed IV...

Well I guess anything can malfunction, but you also have the problem of humidity which makes some powders clog up, but in a pinch they work such as when you have to go away on holiday. :idea: Worth trying if they are cheap enough and have well sealed chambers... Cheers,

A UV is extremely effective in combating green water algae, so it's always good to have one lying around because it works better than blackouts and water changes. They are relatively cheap too. Unfortunately their effectiveness depends on having a slow flow through the unit for maximum contact...

Hi PM, Why add more junk inside the aquarium? These are just essentially power heads and you are paying hard earned cash for some Hollywood timer to turn the pumps on and off? Why not just get a bigger (or second) filter if cabinet space allows? If no space is available then ordinary...

Hi, Check this basic tank setup guide first:=> viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1275 Then read the guides in that Tutorial section. Cheers,

Hi James, A less aesthetic, but more effective alternative is to just run the 12/16 mm tubing straight to the spraybar. Bin the boxy contraption. :D Yes, I know, that's the lazy man's solution - but laziness is the mother of invention. :roll: Cheers,

That looks fine to me. Dual stage regulator with needle valve is as almost as complete as it gets. You'll have to decide if you want to add a solenoid but otherwise it should be OK. Cheers,