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One of the five gourami has been more timid than the rest, keeping apart, reluctant to feed and distinctly smaller than the others. Just this minute found it dead at the bottom of the tank. I'm surprised how sad it feels to lose a little fish, even though I knew it wasn't thriving.

Yup. After much agonising, about six weeks ago I introduced five pearl gourami to the aquarium. Lovely fish, definitely the right thing to do (and no further additions for sure!) About four weeks ago I lost one of the red phantom tetra, found dead at the bottom of the tank. No idea what did...

So I've not re-done the Ph readings, primarily because it's such a pain to do. The staghorn continues, I've raised the luminaire a little more, and I'm focusing on propagating healthy new growth, with assertive pruning, rather than preserving existing growth, which is a fool's errand. Just...

I think that either the 1300 or the 1330 reading is wrong. I'm going to do it all again (not today, I need an early night!) and see what I get. Thanks again, Clive.

The probe and buffer sachets turned up yesterday, so I took some half-hourly readings. I finished a 50% water change at noon, using my (pH7) tap water. pH readings as follows: 1300 - 7. 0 1330 - 6.7 (co2 injection begins) 1400 - 6.7 1430 - 6.7 1500 - 6.5 1530 - 6.4 1600 - 6.3 1630 - 6.3 1630 -...

I've ordered ten sachets of ph7 solution, as it seems to be a one-point calibration process. Hopefully that'll do me for a couple of daily half-hour sets of data? Or do I literally need to recalibrate for each and every one of those half-hourly measurements?

Thanks for that, @alto - I've discovered that, infuriatingly, the pen doesn't come with any calibration/buffer solutions, and Sterner don't even nudge you in that direction when you order it! So I've now ordered some sachets separately. I'm guessing calibration is only needed from time to...

Too late, a Milwaukee has been bought. What model of Hanna should I have got?

Looks like Milwaukee is a respected brand. Their ph600 pen is available for £15 - £25. As I'd presumably only be using this for a few days, to get a handle on injection timing and rate, that would do it I reckon.

Thanks Clive. [Retires to research pH probes].

I've now introduced a shoal of red phantom tetra. They seem absolutely fine - no sign of distress while co2 levels are elevated. And thinking about what @ceg4048 said about staghorn and co2, it occurs to me that, while I had sufficient co2 in the tank in the early stages of healthy growth, it...

Hi Clive, I have misrepresented what the calculator says about 30ppm calcium. It's not a target, but a limit: "Here you increase the upper (maximum) limit the calculator should use when designing your fertilizer. Beyond these values the calculators will refuse to calculate. Note that the...

... and I've been doing 50% water changes like a maniac - aiming for a daily water change and never skipping more than one day.

I've been removing staghorn algae from the aquarium for a couple of weeks now. I was hoping it would start to subside, but it's proving persistent. It does seem to have migrated from being mainly on the plants to being mainly on the hardscape, which I hope means the plants are getting stronger...

Thanks Darrel, that's great - really helpful, as always!

I make up my own EI all-in-one, using the excellent IFC Calculator. After Clive suggested I review my NO3 dosing, I went back to the calculator to check. And found I have been guilty of "garbage in, garbage out". NO3 was fine - but MGSO4 wasn't. I've been dosing twice as much as I should. Turns...

Um, yes, I do seem to have a bit of GSA too, don't I? I'll get onto it. I have tweaked up the CO2 just a fraction already, but I'm sure lack of flow was the primary issue, not the CO2 level itself. I'm reasonably happy with my dosing levels (full EI) and I think the pale colouration is just in...

Since the new plants went in I've had a few minor issues. A greasy film appeared on the surface. Not very much at all, but as @ceg4048 tells us, it's a sure sign plants are in distress. There are a couple of possible causes. I had much reduced filter flow for a couple of days, down from 75% to...

After reading an article about flipping photos of aquascapes to identify design shortcomings (in the latest issue of PFK), I thought I'd try it on my aquarium. Original: and reversed : I think (modestly!) it looks pretty good both ways around. The major shortcoming is the big rock on the left...

OK, current plants: Foreground Micranthemum tweediei Monte Carlo Hygrophila lancea Araguaia Staurogyne repens Rotala bonsai Pogostemon helferi Hydrocotyle tripartita Midground Lagenandra meeboldii red Crinum calamistratum Background Hygrophila Siamensis 53b Hygrophila polysperma rosanervig...

Aquarium doing fine with the last wisps of hair algae now gone. Just a little bit of staghorn algae on the Crinum calamistratum, which I've removed manually. I've just had some choice replacement plants for the few I lost to the algae from those lovely people at @Horizon Aquatics -...

That's interesting, Alto. Once I'd replaced the lamp I raised the luminaire from about 200mm to about 300mm above the aquarium for that very reason. It's noticeably brighter than the old one - unsurprisingly, looking at the state of it. And reverting to inline reactor was definitely the right...

That's perfect, Paulo, thank you so much!

Ah, that's very clever, but not what I meant. Here is a link to a thread I started on suitable fish for this aquarium. https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/taller-bodied-fish.63740/ I've tried making it appear with just the little square UKAPS logo and the thread title, but it just won't...

The amount of cursing I've done trying to prime this thing, and now it's a breeze. I remember when I realised these connectors would not only make it so much easier to clean the inlets and outlet, but also facilitate priming, I couldn't quite believe they don't come as standard with the big...

Just fitted three of these Eheim double tap connectors, and what a difference they've made to maintenance! The Eheim 2180 thermofilter (now called the 1200XLT) has always been a pig to prime. It has two inlets, so getting a syphon going is very tricky - even on one inlet. Getting the second...

Covers are off and it's lovely and clean - a few bits of algae around (can't tell if it's alive or dead), but certainly a massive improvement. In the end it was wrapped up for about 90 hours.

This is looking great - well done!

Thanks both. Although I was hoping to see the algae off just with determined removal and daily water changes, the variability of light and Co2 I've been using meant that wasn't going to happen, I reckon. So I'm interested to see the impact of a blackout. I cleaned out the pipework and filter...

OK, so I managed to dislodge the plug for the solenoid during a cabinet reorganisation, resulting in no co2 for a whole evening. I've also noted that the new online diffuser, while producing lots of pretty microbubbles, isn't as efficient as the old Aquamedic 1000 reactor, so I've swapped back...

Continuing to attack the algae daily, and daily (sometimes double) water changes. Here you can see regrowth in the centres of pogostemon helferi. This was a key diagnostic for me: when this started growing the crisp, cos-lettuce type rosettes in their centres, it was an obvious sign the plants...

Thanks for those tips. I'm going to wait and see how the plants respond to the increased co2 before (possibly) doing a blackout. And I'm not going to put any livestock in while the aquarium is a mess - not even algae eaters.

I can't tell you how good it is to read that!

Hi @Tim Harrison - if I keep on removing the Rhizoclonium and doing big daily water changes, will it go of its own accord, without a blackout?

Thierry, have you got any pictures of the blackout underway? How did the aquarium look once the covers came off?

Had a closer look at the journal by @CooKieS (Lazarus) and it's reassuring to see the exact same thing in someone else's aquarium. And feel for them too, if course!

Thanks Thierry. I'm seriously considering doing a blackout. But first I want to see how the plants respond to the increased co2.

One month old. Lots of algae in there, but plants are responding well again, now I've got the co2 back on track.

OK. I've been doing some serious observation, reading, thinking. For the first three weeks everything was fine, plants growing rapidly. Only then did the algae start. I've just checked the filter, and that was fine. No issues with flow - I use a spraybar with a 1700lph (rated) filter, so tons...

Thanks for this, Darrel. Not gritty at all, so I guess it's Rhizoclonium. I'll check my filter to ensure flow is good (although it certainly seems to be fine) and continue with physical removal and big daily water changes. Lights are on for six hours, so I'll stick with that. I might get some...

The stems on the right (mainly Hygrophila Corymbosa "Siamensis 53b") are mainly just placeholders, building up plant mass until the setup stabilises and I can add choicer specimens there.

I'll try to take some pictures later, once the lights come on. I wish it was just diatoms. No, hair algae of some sort.

The algae continues, and more plants are being lost. I remember this from last time around, ten years ago. The sense of rising panic as algae takes hold and plants suffer. The temptation to furiously adjust everything in an attempt to 'fix' a problem that (as I understand it) is just down to it...

Three weeks in. The Monte Carlo carpet has been trimmed, and the astonishingly quick-growing limnophila sessiliflora has been cut back repeatedly. After a solid start some plants are falling apart and getting removed - some of the staurogyne reopens and now bucephelandra is melting away a bit...

I had that on my frogbit too when I started my scape a couple of weeks ago. They're now settled in and are producing unmarked foliage. My best guess is that the marked 'new' leaves were actually already there as tiny embryo leaves when I got the plants, and the brown markings are due to them...

Second time around I've been much, much bolder than my first attempt a decade ago. Looking at my notes I see that back then I only switched on the MH after two weeks, for just 15 minutes to begin with. This time I've had all the lights on from the start, fluorescents for 6 hours and MH for 4...

C. 200l Optiwhite, 100x45x55 tall Eheim 2180 thermofilter Arcadia Series 4 luminaire, 1x150w MH, 2x24w fluorescent Aquamedic AM1000 co2 reactor CO2Art PRO-SE dual stage regulator ADA Amazonia version 2 substrate EI dosing, homemade all-in-one mix from dry salts (using the IFC Aquarium Fertiliser...

Ten years ago I set up a planted aquarium ("Punishment of Luxury" - it's on here somewhere) with moderate success. After a few months I took it down, and the aquarium has been standing empty, reproachfully, in the corner of our dining room ever since. With plenty of time on my hands (we all...

After a MUCH longer break than expected, I'm now starting to resurrect this tank. First job - fill it up with water and check all the systems work. Second job - re-read my own journal and try to work out a schedule to turn a rather smelly dormant tank into something beautiful again! I'll take...

Hi Tony Real life has intervened rather over the last few months. I eventually stripped out all the plants, then decided it wasn't worth replanting as we're off to Oz for several weeks in December/Jan (I know many of you would have easily managed a complete rescape in that time, but there you...

Clive, I'm once again totally gobsmacked by the amount of time and effort you are prepared to spend helping people like me with the hobby. After reflecting on your post, I was stunned by how accurately you diagnosed the errors I made that led to the current soggy mess I'm in. I'm certain you're...

Clive! Please, please jump in! You can't offend me (I'm the newbie with bugger-all experience), and if it's Graeme you'll be taking issue with, I''m sure he can cope with a (cough) 'difference of opinion'. :wink: Cheers for the sound advice Graeme. I'll be following it - unless anyone else...

Thanks for your concern, Tony - good to hear from someone who's 'been there, done that'! I have thought about trying to resurrect this - but have a look at these pictures to see the extent of my problems: As you can see, I've got a major problem, and I'm worried the only way to try...

My glosso is recovering nicely after I pulled it all out and replanted individual pair of leaves properly. But I realised I had neglected to prune the rest of the tank in good time, and it was all very overgrown. So I gave it a very serious going over, and discovered a fair bit of decay in...

Re: My First Ever Fish Tank/Planted Tank Nice one, Celestial, let's see those piccies! I planted up my first ever tank in November - at the age of 50! - so it's never to late (or too early) to start.

I can't help with the technical side, but this looks absolutely superb! You must be well-chuffed.

Aah - thanks Tyro! But there's another problem - none of the old images show the tank with the equipment removed. I know that doesn't bar me from entering them, but I'm not sure I can face entering images with such an obvious shortcoming - it may be a step too far. I'll try out the open...

All old photos are with a 3-meg camera - images need to be 4-meg minimum for IAPLC. But I hadn't thought of having an open foreground - good idea, Nelson! :thumbup:

I've got a bit of a problem. I had a closer look at the glosso today, and realised it was about to lift off completely. So I decided to hack it right back - if you're of a nervous disposition look away now... Sorry about that. I've kept a fair bit of the healthy shoots and...

Hi Verchap - you're very kind! Hi Andy, thanks for the nudge. I've been waiting for my new camera and lens - it turned up yesterday and I'm stunned by the capability of it. Quality glass is definitely worth the investment - I can't quite believe how well it takes low light shots without...

Aah George - what a shame! Do you not have any pictures of it you can use for IAPLC? I guess not, knowing the amount of prep you'd probably do before taking competition pics. What a brilliant set-up though - for me, seeing 'big' fish looking so lovely in a planted set-up was/is a real eye-opener.

Yesterday added ten assassin snails (thanks Jur4ik :thumbup: ) to deal with my population of physis. I've got one or two tiny ramshorns too, which I rather like, but I guess they're going to be slurped up too. My missus calls the assassins 'terminator snails', which seems a better name to me...

The obvious, if rather harsh solution is - get some bigger rocks! Assuming that's not possible, you might be able to exaggerate the height of one rock by burying all the others more. You could also do this to answer Flygja's criticism about the two biggest stones self-cancelling - if one stone...

You're all very kind indeed! And thanks Nelson for the suggestion of more hols - perhaps you could have a word with my boss? I'm really very pleased with this, and it does feel like I'm really starting to get the hang of how adjusting inputs affects the tank. That's not to say it won't go...

Well I've been back from skiing a week now, so I'm a bit overdue reporting on my first-ever time away from my scape! As I guessed, UKAPS advice was spot-on as always. I turned lights and CO2 down, left the fish unfed, and came back to this: Although this shows it after a post holiday...

Nice one, George - I'll be watching this with interest, as I've been thinking of getting a one of these nanos for our new offices (the landlord in our old place had an 'orrible great tank full of cichlids, so I should be able to get a sweet little nano past the boss). Why Sanzonia - does it...

Thanks so much for all the kind comments, chaps! This is part of what makes UKAPS great - you're all sooo supportive! :angel: Thanks Nelson. But where's the successor to jungle plain? In it's last rendition that was looking lush, with some lovely fishies!! I hope your doing something good...

OK - first, sincere apologies for promising more pics and not delivering. Here's the glosso, a few days after planting Here's the new Eheim 2180 head. The cream coloured bit in the middle is soft and rubbery - on my original it was hard grey plastic. Dunno whether that's a crucial...

Re: My venture into my new 760 ltr aquariam. I've ALWAYS fancied a WW1 era RC plane like that - no wonder you're Always Broke! :thumbup:

OK, so I failed to post those promised pics, but with good reason. My filter (Eheim 2180 Thermo) started leaking again- badly last weekend. After much flapping (and a lot of water on the carpet), I got it working again, sat in a big bucket. The problem seemed to be the hose connector leaking...

Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking? How about some stilts?

Re: 570l tank - what was I thinking? What WERE you thinking indeed! :lol: Sounds like an amazing set-up, and that's impressive wood - I can picture the stump sprouting out above the water. Keep those pictures coming!

Fine, fine, ta very much! I split it into tiny clumps and seeded the desired area last weekend - it all seems fine and there's some initial growth evident. I'll post up a picture in a while. I've one remaining clump of HC in the left hand corner of the tank, the one place it seemed to be...

Have you seen this thrread on the TMC Aqua Gro CO2 system? viewtopic.php?f=37&t=9690

Re: My venture into my new 760 ltr aquariam. Hi Simon This is an incredible set-up - hats off to you for your vision! You say in the first year or two you will concentrate on growing plants well, only subsequently working on their presentation. My guess is you'll be quickly very frustrated...

Ooh, the pot of glosso looks lovely, Andy! (Thanks for the PM). I've been clearing out some of my tragic HC in preparation - but take your time posting it, as the longer it's with you, the longer it'll flourish! :lol:

This is looking terrific, Andy. I don't think the 50:50 split is worth worrying about. The Rule of Thirds is misnamed - it's a guideline, not a strict rule. If you'd put a main focal point smack bang in the centre (as if you would!), that'd be different, but this is merely a transition. With...

I change 50% every week. I still reckon my CO2 is high enough - the fish tend to congregate in the vallis at peak times, presumably because that's giving out most oxygen. My biggest problem is lack of general fishkeeping experience. It means, for example, that I don't know whether I'm...

It's really interesting. I ran out of ferts this morning - I've been dosing 75ml of homebrewed all-in-one daily - today I only had 50ml to put in. Came home this evening to evidence of plants starting to complain - limnophila looking decidedly unhappy and a telltale oily scum with bubbles on...

I don't think so, Steve. I've got a whopping great Eheim and a spraybar along the back wall, as recommended by Clive, and the HC (or what's left of it...) sways gently in the flow. But thanks for the suggestion - I'm stumped!

Ooh! Yes please! I'll PM you.

Cor, your glosso carpet looks ace, Paulo. I think I'll give it a go. TBH, I'm losing patience with the HC - and my middle name's patience! Some bits have grown strongly only to die off, then other bits have done the same. The only thing bugging me is not knowing why it won't grow properly...

OK, here's some Week Thirteen pictures: Here you can see how the HC still struggles: Here you can see how I've placed the Anubias Bonsai in nooks and crevices to imitate how vegetation takes advantage of drainage channels in rock: Here's the Limnophila looking healthy and vigorous...

Yup, That's the reg, Paul. And no Stu - I'm not at home so I don't know the exact timings, but I have 48w of T5 on from about 5pm to 10.30pm with the 150w MH starting at 6pm and going off at 10pm - roughly. Like you, I'm hooked on the light quality and shimmer the MH gives out.

I raised the luminaire to try to slow down the algal growth - the HC had already stalled a bit, so I knew it wasn't suffering from lack of light beforehand. I've got 198 watts over this. It's now raised to 40cms above the water surface, making it 85cms from luminaire to the HC itself. Oily...

Yes, I have been, haven't I? :wink: I'm still plugging away at this. I've taken out a fair bit of the hairgrass, and added some Anubias nana 'Bonsai'. The original clumps of hairgrass I planted were badly algaed, and didn't show any signs of recovery. When I pulled them out, of course a...

Hi Aaron Just a comment about plants in containers. As a terrestrial gardener with a big roof terrace, one of the best parts of gardening for me was moving the pots around constantly, looking for different plant associations and pleasing arrangements, as the plants changed through the seasons...

"Back on track"? I hope so, Paulo, but I'm sure I'll have a few lurches in the wrong direction before this is all properly grown in. But I learn more from stuff going wrong and having to correct it, rather than things going fine.

Thanks Paul - that's really, really helpful. And fairly obvious when I think about those furiously bubbling airstones in shops! My conscience got the better of me and I tweaked down the CO2 shortly after that last post - I knew if I was asking the question I probably knew the right answer...

Some images - That last image was reasonably easy to get (even though it's out of focus), as the harlequins are staying put, gulping for air in the corner of the tank with least surface movement. This is a bit of a worry. When the otos first went in they did the same. I knocked...

Quick update. Ten weeks old, and I'm a happy bunny. Saintly's advice to look to my ferts and CO2 is paying off. I was nervous of upping my bubble rate, as I think I've got it just below fish-gasping levels. So I increased Easycarbo dosing to 10ml per day, 20ml on water-change day. Ferts are...

Re: My first Layout Yup, looking loads better. I really like the left hand group, it's hanging together well. The flat-topped corner rock is really striking - be sure not to weaken its impact with that big angled rock in front of it. You might want to try a tiered effect, with a second flat...

Re: My first Layout Yup, this shows how much improvement you can achieve by rethinking again and again (he said rather presumptuously). Just before you go on to planting ( :wink: )... The right stone is really good, and giving you the height and impact you need. But I wonder whether the two...

You've done a cracking job with that petrified wood, Aaron. I played with some for an hour or so at TGM, but in the end I just couldn't make anything of such severe straight lines. You've obviously chosen your pieces well and placed them even better - nice one!

Re: My first Layout Yay! DEFINITELY the right decision! Now take loads of time - it'll certainly be worth it.

Re: My first Layout I'd say you definitely need to get your rockwork higher than halfway up the tank. The substrate could be banked up a lot more too, front to back and left to right. I just kept on banking it up in my tank, and the scape got better and better - give it a try. With rocks...

Ooh, I love that main stone, too - really strong. Despite having already planted up, you have asked for suggestions to alter it, so here goes - this is the first time I've critiqued someone's hardscape, so by all mean ignore me totally... The main group of smaller pebbles are rather separate...

Thanks Aaron. For my very first tank, I've got to tell you it already looks stunning to me! :lol: I was slack-jawed when the MH came on for the first time and the whole thing started glittering. Both me and my other half both spend a ton of time just gawping at it. What a brilliant hobby! As...

Reminds of that quote about knowing what you do know, and knowing what you don't. My biggest problem is I don't know what I don't know, so I keep worrying there's more to it than there actually is. Does that make sense? Am I losing it completely? Anyway, I'm doing what you advise and...