Bedside Aquarium

[tam]

That's great! What you can do for the sand is just block that front edge - so tape on a 2" high bit of card or similar over it. It's like a mini black out just for that bit 🙂 I find disturbing the front edge with a credit card or similar (careful not to trap sand between the card and glass and scratch the glass) when you are cleaning helps clear out and mulm/algae starting too.

 

[TAJ-Coral]

Given the moss on the wood a good hacking back because I couldn't see my bucephalandra anymore! I was a bit ruthless but a lot of it wasn't attached, and I'm sure it'll soon recover. Still feel like there's something missing, I'm not happy with the middle and right of the aquascape. The left is starting to get a really nice mix of colours and textures but open to all and any suggestions on how to improve this tank.

Current fish stocking if anyone would like to know, because it always looks empty in photos haha:

5 gertrude's rainbows, 7 c.habrosus, 2 sparkling gouramis, 3 amano shrimp, 3 cherry shrimp + wild type? babies and god knows how many ramshorns!

 

[jaypeecee]

• that a bespoke, very expensive filter media is, at best, irrelevantly slightly more efficient than alfagrog etc.

Hi Darrel,

When I read this, I had to check that today's date wasn't April 1.

Alfagrog! Sounds like something out of Monty Python's...no that was Albatross! I'll remember the name 'Alfagrog' for the rest of my life.

Wonderful name!

I did check it out and it looks interesting. The supplier even provides a chemical analysis of its composition. Why don't we hear more about it?

JPC

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Alfagrog! Sounds like something out of Monty Python's

Yes it does. Often referred to as "grog-glass" by aquarists of a certain age.

Why don't we hear more about it?

It has had a <"few mentions">. My guess is that it hasn't had the recent exposure of a lot of the branded products because there isn't much profit in selling it. <"Hydroleca"> would be another really good, cheap, filter media that various people would like to banish into the outer darkness, so that they can keep selling their "premier" products.

I think pond people still use it for trickle filters etc. because a 15 Kg sack <"is pretty cheap to buy">. I used to be friendly with a fantastic fish keeper, the late Bob Marklew, Bristol pleco breeder extraordinaire, and he was a <"grog-glass user">.

cheers Darrel

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi @dw1305

Perhaps Alfagrog has not been taken up by the aquarium hobby because the smallest 'granule' size is 25mm! That's about the size of a golf ball, isn't it?

JPC