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Hello from Matt @ ScapeEasy

Matt @ ScapeEasy

Matt @ ScapeEasy

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Joined
17 Aug 2018
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Hi Everyone,

I must admit I've been very nervous of joining this site as I'm really keen on easy plants, no CO2, low tech aquascaping which I didn't feel you would all go for. That said the community here is so great I can see this will not be a problem at all. Even if what I do isn't to your liking, hopefully you can take something from it...

Rather than post photos here ill save them for the gallery but here is a link to my instagram https://www.instagram.com/scapeeasy/ and the website www.scapeeasy.co.uk I've built as a way to encourage people to enter the aquascaping hobby. It's not really taken off much yet what I'm trying to do here but I'm not wanting fame and fortune from it, just a chance to find some fellow hobbyists to chat to about easy aquascaping which hopefully I can find here too.

I guess my thinking is that there are plenty of easy plants out there (many of which are used in high tech set ups) so why should we need to add expense and complexity to the hobby?

I'd appreciate any thoughts you may have on the website etc and if you'd like to get involved by leaving a comment or such like then that would be amazing but ill leave this up to you...

I'll post pictures of my current scapes soon and and for your honest feedback. It will be great to receive some constructive criticism so I can improve
 
There is always a place for every sort of Aquascaping :D

Lovely tanks :)

I always think that adding CO2 is easy
- trying to balance a tank (& finding the plants that will thrive nin your tap water & tank conditions) in the absence of injected CO2 is much more challenging
(I used to run my tanks without CO2 gas)

Somewhere on ukaps is a stunning Iwagumi style tank done with liquid Carbon etc - unfortunately I cannot find that aquascape again :(
 
I get the feeling that different liquid carbon products are more or less effective... does anyone have direct experience with this. The EasyLife stuff Im using at the moment I dose very small amounts because I'm not convinced the fish like it. I've heard good reviews of TNC... any experience on this topic?
 
I’m in Canada so it’s Seachem Excel here, I’ve never noticed any issues with it re shrimp or Vallisneria
I use it less often now as I dislike the odour (& had picked up some Tropica Nano CO2 kits)
 
Matt @ ScapeEasy said:
The EasyLife stuff Im using at the moment I dose very small amounts because I'm not convinced the fish like it. I've heard good reviews of TNC... any experience on this topic?
Click to expand...

I use EasyLife Carbo (2ml daily) with Colombo fertiliser (2 pumps daily) at the moment in my 40cube, with moderate light, stems growing fast as expected, Crypts and anubias slower but steady. I am quite happy with EasyLife.
 
Welcome, LC products are all pretty much of a muchness; based on glutaraldehyde. So long as you stick to the instructions they are all fine. I've used various brands, using TNC at the moment.
There is this product as well which seems to be something different...https://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/dennerle---carbo-elixier-bio-250ml-2323-p.asp being discussed in this thread here https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/biological-liquid-carbon.53795/

As for keeping it easy...https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-soil-substrate-or-dirted-planted-tank-a-how-to-guide.18943/ ;)
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all,Some of us do.

cheers Darrel
Click to expand...
That's great to hear. Whilst a full pressurised CO2 may make it easier to grow certain plants and to grow them faster, I don't think it is something most new aquascapers are interested in primarily due to the cost. This is why we see new aquascapers experimenting with dig systems etc once they have got into the hobby. That said, there is A LOT that can be achieved without co2 and low tech tanks can easily rival and in many cases look more stunning than high tech ones. Hopefully whilst I've tried to do with my site is demonstrate this to encourage more people to take up the hobby without getting scared off by things like perceived complexity and expense. If people decide at a later date to go down the co2 route then that's great, but it's getting people into the hobby, especially in the UK, that has been my driving force.
 
Matt @ ScapeEasy said:
Hopefully whilst I've tried to do with my site is demonstrate this to encourage more people to take up the hobby without getting scared off by things like perceived complexity and expense.
Click to expand...
That is one of the principle aims of this forum, and of the majority that contribute to it. So it's always nice when like minded folk join us.
Perhaps you could put a link to UKAPS in your website, especially to our Tutorials page, which already has all the info needed to get started with and without CO2 https://www.ukaps.org/forum/forums/tutorials.34/...
 
Tim Harrison said:
That is one of the principle aims of this forum, and of the majority that contribute to it. So it's always nice when like minded folk join us.
Perhaps you could put a link to UKAPS in your website, especially to our Tutorials page, which already has all the info needed to get started with and without CO2 https://www.ukaps.org/forum/forums/tutorials.34/...
Click to expand...
I already do have links to this site within the articles but I'll put a link in the footer too
 
Harry H said:
I use EasyLife Carbo (2ml daily) with Colombo fertiliser (2 pumps daily) at the moment in my 40cube, with moderate light, stems growing fast as expected, Crypts and anubias slower but steady. I am quite happy with EasyLife.
Click to expand...
Ive just bought 2 bottles of the Colombo FloraGrow Pro fertiliser for the convenience of the dosing bottle (no need to measure just count pumps) and did not pay much attention to the contents... to be honest the translation on the back is very poor and it's only after some googling that I've realised it's a complete fertiliser! But a question for you... it states the dosage is 1 pump per 5 litres weekly. In my 200litre tank thank would be 40 pumps per week(!) or 67ml (as it's 3 pumps to 5ml based on my measurements). Thats just over 9ml a day.

Does that sound right? Would that be for a high tech setup?

It's got me thinking... in a well stocked low tech tank would you need to dose macros? If not I understand the need to not dose nitrates but what about P and K. Are there micro ferts that include Phosphorus?

Oh dear I'm getting into the weeds here...
 
Matt @ ScapeEasy said:
But a question for you... it states the dosage is 1 pump per 5 litres weekly. In my 200litre tank thank would be 40 pumps per week(!) or 67ml (as it's 3 pumps to 5ml based on my measurements). Thats just over 9ml a day.

Does that sound right? Would that be for a high tech setup?
Click to expand...

Well... :)

I am no expert whatsoever, but above calculation you have is what I used, my tank is 60L, 1 pump per 5 litres, so if I do it once a week, 12 pumps in total. I do 2 pumps a day, combined with EasyLife Carbo 2ml exact via syringe, and all seems to be fine, no algae, plants seem to be growing fine, apart from Microsorum Trident, and it is annoying me bad! o_O

I already bought EI starter pack, I will use that on my EA600 when it is setup, cheaper and should last me much longer.
 
Matt @ ScapeEasy said:
in a well stocked low tech tank would you need to dose macros?
Click to expand...
I would dose macro''s but lower amount. It''s the growth of the plants that use the macros, so slow growth means low dose, same with micro''s. Darrel's "duckweed index'' could help in these situations, he only doses when floating plants ( duckweed or amazon frogbit) show deficiency, because these grow at maximum speed in the given situation due to not being restricted by CO2 in the air.
 
Matt @ ScapeEasy said:
I get the feeling that different liquid carbon products are more or less effective... does anyone have direct experience with this. The EasyLife stuff Im using at the moment I dose very small amounts because I'm not convinced the fish like it. I've heard good reviews of TNC... any experience on this topic?
Click to expand...
hi Matt I was using the Dennerle bio nano product in a small 17 ltre tank just plants mainly cuttings after maintenance and little additions. Hard to be to accurate as I had a small Aqua One pressurised on at one point til bottle ran out and later added a Tropica canister CO2 but growth was good without either, used Tropica substate capped with gravel and playsand. Ease of application ,drops per,is a bonus. My own verdict its good but on a large aquarium? With you on easy plants.Stopped using the chemical LC on my other tank because of stems inc vallis but a lot of info now differs about effects on vallis?
 
Edvet said:
I would dose macro''s but lower amount. It''s the growth of the plants that use the macros, so slow growth means low dose, same with micro''s. Darrel's "duckweed index'' could help in these situations, he only doses when floating plants ( duckweed or amazon frogbit) show deficiency, because these grow at maximum speed in the given situation due to not being restricted by CO2 in the air.
Click to expand...
So I take it it's fine to use a complete fertiliser every now and then, but I probably want to supplement it with a micro?
 
PARAGUAY said:
hi Matt I was using the Dennerle bio nano product in a small 17 ltre tank just plants mainly cuttings after maintenance and little additions. Hard to be to accurate as I had a small Aqua One pressurised on at one point til bottle ran out and later added a Tropica canister CO2 but growth was good without either, used Tropica substate capped with gravel and playsand. Ease of application ,drops per,is a bonus. My own verdict its good but on a large aquarium? With you on easy plants.Stopped using the chemical LC on my other tank because of stems inc vallis but a lot of info now differs about effects on vallis?
Click to expand...
I have used liquid carbon with vallis no problem too :)
 
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