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I have angels and Bolivian rams in my planted tank and they leave plants well alone.

Whiptails are lovely....much better than plecs in my humble opinion. Trouble is, they're quite shy and nocturnal. I like Hoplo cats (Hoplosternum thoracatum) but they can be a bit of a tank and flagtail or porthole cats (Dienema longibarbus) are nice too.

I love the angels. I usually buy half a dozen small ones and they grow like mad. They do like being in large groups but they will tend to pair off....4 of my 6 have paired up. They will squabble a bit but in my experience, they just square up to each other, especially if they've paired off...

The only problems ive had with clown loach and plants is that they can be a bit boisterous and thrash around everywhere. You really should get some more, they're great fish in small shoals and should be kept in 3's as a minimum. I usually have harliquins as an upper water swimmer with either...

Anyone ? Just something that i can help my plants be nice and strong and healthy. Can i add Miracle grow or tomorite or would a special aquatic food be better.

I have a facebook page which has covered the pond revamp with lots of photos Preston Rock garden - Brighton, United Kingdom - Community | Facebook

We're having our large (100' x 60') pond fibreglassed next week (weather permitting) and they're going to teach me how to do it. Always fancied making a large 12' x 4 x 4' ply and fibreglass tank for the conservatory and using two sheets of acrylic for the front seperated by a bar halfway...

Just to add on from Tom's post above, John Innes also do an ericaceous compost without the lime. Not tried it but might be worth thinking of.

My 2 KG fire extinguisher was set up on 10th Feb, 2012. It runs at around 1bps. Just before xmas, it stopped working...it must've run out so i presumed. Gave the tank a rescape and added new plants at the weekend, rehung the tetra ladder i use for dispersal and it started working again....im...

Just paid £10 each for 2kg :D

If you're looking for a type of anabantid, i love honey gouramies and a small group of say 6 or 8 are fascinating to watch.

Just wondering what ferts i could be adding to my tank. Tank is 5 x 2 x 18", soil and playsand substrate (been in over a year so depleted of nutrients now) 4 x 54w T5 tubes, CO2 injection via 2kg fire distinguisher, good water movement, fairly heavily stocked with fish, newly planted up with...

Right...i've ordered some Blyxa aubertii, some Cyperus helferi and some Heteranthera zosterifolia. Thanks for your help

I love Blyxa but never had much luck keeping them !!!

I will probably go for some C. ponterderifolia

Just bought one of these....any opinions ? Aquarium Marine Fish Tank CO2 Carbon Dioxide Diffuser | eBay

Unfortunately, the length of bogwood is at least 3 feet long. I could soak it in the bath in very hot water for the day if needed but i will also try drilling lots of small holes in it to get the water to soak in better :banghead:

Ive got the rotala rotundifolia earmarked for the back of the tank. I have some Crypt. pontederifolia for midground planting but i just wanted some nice bushy stem plant. Or...is it just a case of keeping Rotala, heteranthera, Limnophylla, ludwigia arcuata etc trimmed down so it stays small...

Looking for a nice, bushy stem plant that gets to about 30cm tall. Tank is 120 gallons, CO2, 4 x T5 tubes and lots of fish. sand and compost substrate. All suggestions welcome Andy

I have a nice long piece of bogwood that i found in the shed which i'd like to use in my aquarium. trouble is, it floats. I don't have any rocks to weigh it down with so need to know if there's any ways of getting it to sink. Currently it's wedged under the bracing bars in the tank in a...

Reedmace, bullrush etc etc is just far too invasive. Some good suggestions, keep em coming

As a head gardener, i am responsible for a large ornamental pond at work. It has sprung a serious leak and has had to be emptied. Some £60,000 and 150 tons of silt later, i'm in the position to get several marginal beds put in the pond. These beds will be in the region of 5m long and 1.5m...

Thanks guys. tank needs a strip down, vallis has gone absolutely potty and my bristlenose plecs have bred to such a point where i must have about 40 of them so it just needs rescaping. Any more suggestions on the potassium permanganate ?

Im going to be stripping my tank down this weekend and wanted to dip the plants and equipment in something to kill the billions of snails i have. I was told to use potassium permanganate which i have left from when a koi had fin rot. Any truth in this and any ideas on how much to use...

Well thanks for the suggestions and ID help :eh:

Just set me tank back up as a planted tank as follows. 57" x 24(h) x 19(w) 4 x 54w, 48" T5 tubes Tetratec 1200 ext filter + 2 internals. Substrate is 1" ericaceous compost and 2" playpit sand CO2 is 2kg FE delivered via a ladder. Fish = lots of guppies, 1 small BN plec, 6 bronze corries and a...

Just a thought but could you use these UP atomisers on the filter inlet pipe rather than the outlet ? that would surely give the CO2 more time to dissolve and any micro bubbles would get trapped in the foam/floss layer. just don't know whether CO2 rich water would have any effect on...

Thanks guys...but what's a "UP" ? :thumbup:

Options i have are 1) Lilly pipe type one with the ceramic membrane 2) One of the in-line diffusers that work with an external filter 3) ladder type. What are your thoughts guys ? Ive used 1 and 3 in the past with varying sucess. Love to hear the experts opinions. Oh...this is for a 500...

Normal straight vallis grows like a weed in my tank but i never have any luck growing the twisted variety....any suggestions ? 100 gallon tank, 4 x 48" T8 tubes, playpit sand/ericaceous compost substrate, no CO2 (yet). Water probably around 7.5pH and 78 deg F. I usually buy it in clumps with...

Thank you all so much for the help...but please keep em coming. Done loads of research particularly on the "dry" area. I've kept planted tanks before so im not to concerned about this bit just yet. As i intend to keep some orchids in the tank, i need to monitor the day/night temps and...

Thanks mate....all advice is taken on board. One thing that didn't occur to me....well it did but i was being thick...is that intend to keep a lot of Orchids in this paludarium. Now i live 2 miles from one of the biggest orchid nurseries possibly in the world....McBeans Orchids, so i'm going...

Thank you all so much for the ideas....please keep em coming. I like the idea of sprinkling sand, gravel and compost onto a adhesive background....black G4 pond sealer for example. If i could get the waterfall built, the background created using either polystyrene or expandable foam and then...

Thanks mate....couldn't find the step by step on there but it's still a good site to go on.

Thanks for that....hadn't thought of cement. I suppose it could be sealed with varnish again or G4 even.

Hi, not been around for a while....i parted company with my planted tank earlier on in the year to go back to marines. But, im now looking at a project to turn it into a superb paludarium.....and i need some help and advice. I have a 57" long x 19" wide x 24" high aquarium which is built to...

As above....definately Zantedeschia.

couple of others to try Creeping Jenny or lysemachia will grow both aquatically and as a hardy border perennial Aluminium plant...pilea caderei. I've tanken many cuttings from this and grown it totally submerged for many months. Pennywort...hydrocotyle, will grow out of the water too Don't...

Here's a new pic of my "jungle". Hoping to get a few Discus for it in the new year

Hi guys, i have one of these sitting next to my tank unused http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CO2-Carbon-Dioxid ... 19b7a6851a Are they worth using ? i currently have one of the glass pollen diffusers but wondered if a change would be worth while. Ta muchly Andy

Could it be sagittaria nantans/subulata ?....got loads myself that spread like mad !!!

I use these http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/p ... TIMERS.htm

Bit of an update....and big thanks to everyone who has given advice :thumbup: I put new CO2 on yesterday....i've been without CO2 for about a month, and done a 20% water change with 80% RO/20% hot tap water and the pH seems to have come down to 7.5. I'll continue with water changes as it's...

Just done a 20% (20 gallon) water change. I used 4 parts RO water to 1 part tap water (i use the hot water for the tap water) Tested pH after 5 minutes and it's dropped to around 8. I will re test in the morning to see if lime is leaching but for some reason, i can remember buying...

Tap water results.... GH = 220 ppm CaCO3 KH = 160 ppm CaCO3 Both the same as my tank pH = 7.5 just done another pH test on my tank and it's a minimum of 8.5 :jawdrop Hope that helps a little :crazy: Thanks Andy

Yeah...thinking about it, i used John Innes but can't remember if it was ericacious. How long will this continue leaching lime into the water column or would it be a strip-down job ? (tank has been set up for 7 months) Thanks

It's liquid mate

Right...test kits are Tetra (Hagan) and are brand new. No rocks in tank but lots of bogwood tap water tested at about 8 RO tested at about 6.3 but i know that's a false reading. I appreciate that plants and fish are always the best indicators but i want to add 8 Discus to the tank that are...

Quick overview 100 gallon tank, heavily planted. 2.5 wpg T8 lighting, Potting compost and playpit sand for substrate. CO2 injected via one of those glass jobbies with ceramic bit in. 30 rummys, 30 cardinals, 30 harliquins and a few other small fish.....all fish and plants are thriving...

Steve....no probs. Thanks for the link, had a flick through but will have a good read later. Fred...the shop that has the discus i like has a pH of 6.5 which is why i will lower it. Once the fish have settled, i might try to bring it back up very slowly to tap water pH. Thanks guys Andy

Really ? Are discus plant eaters ? i've never kept them before but seen them kept in planted tanks before !!!

I'm about to convert my 100 gallon to a Discus tank and need to make a few changes to the water. Firstly, i need to bring the pH down to about 6.5 from about 7.3 and secondly, i need to raise the temp from 77 to around 82. Providing this is done slowly, is this likely to have any adverse...

Im not very familiar with Assassin snails but i don't think loaches are that fussy....if Assassin snails are on the menu, i don't think you'll stop the loaches eating them !!! edit,,,,god knows why i was calling them Asian snails :oops:

Crypt pontederifolia has always been a favourite of mine growing to 25cm

I have a 1" layer of john innes no 1 potting compost and a 2" layer of playpit sand in my high tech tank. Plants seem to love it and look superb.

I gave up for 10 years...then, one xmas day, i went to the pub and had a cigar and the rest was history. I've now given up for 6 years and to tell you the truth, i've never been to the doctors so many times in my life as i have in the past 6 years. This time i've piled on the weight...

They're more likely to shred the Angels !!!. As mentioned, absolutely fine with plants and like mosts tetras, will colour up 10 times better than in the shop when you get them home.

Anyone have any info on this little gem. My lfs always has a tankfull in stock @ £1 each and i'd love to set up a 5 gallon low tech planted tank for them. Trouble is, as they've always been too small for any of my tanks, i've never given them a second thought so don't know a lot about them...

Most tetras will look good, it's purely down to preference. As mentioned, lemon and x-ray tetras look superb in a planted tank as do serpae, head and tail light and black phantoms. Do you have to have tetras ? My local maidenhead aquatics has a tank full of lampeyes (only £1 each too) and...

Just looking through George's native set up with sticklebacks and wondered what the score was with the lack of background. I might be a bit old fashioned but i've always had a black background (blue with marine) on my tanks which helps to set off the colours. I thought the stickleback tank...

What he said :thumbup:

Will UKAPS be attending this year ? Will you have a stall the same size as last...or bigger (thought that your stall was always busy and hugely popular last year) and anything new you're going to have there ? Looking forward to it Andy

An all time favourite which traditionally dies after a month usually due to insufficient light and CO2. But i really fancy having a go at this plant again especially now my light is at 2.5 wpg and i have good CO2. Is it worth it ?....shall i give it a go ? any tips on success ? Many thanks...

Mine are actually smaller than "normal" Rams....they're no bigger than 2" and i've had them a year !!!

Well the cyperus is all but completely brown now....what would you do ? leave it to see if it grows or chuck it out ? It is greener gown towards the crowns but im not holding out much hope. I'm looking for something "grasslike" and Cyperus would've been ideal. Vallis is nice but grows too...

What about Bolivian Rams. I have 6 in my 90 gallon planted tank and they are superb....colourful, always out, interesting and as hard as nails.

Hope this is ok to post in here. A couple of my fish seemed at first to have dropsy. On closer inspection, the skin/scales of the fish has what looks like bubbles underneath and they stick out !!! I don't really know how else to describe it. The bubbles are quite numerous, maybe a dozen or...

Nice....and Alocasia Amazonica at the back there too...very striking plant.

So what's the difference between a Riparium and a paludarium ? Looks superb hydrophyte :thumbup: It's always been my ambition to set up a large paludarium.....6 feet high with lots of epiphytes and orchids and little beasties running around. Here's a small effort i set up a few years ago

Thank you :thumbup: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5962

Bit of an update.....added some more wood and i'm pretty pleased with plant growth.

Bought these Crypts from my LFS a few weeks ago as "bare rooted 30p per plant" specimens. They've taken well but i'd like some more and the lfs doesn't know if they'll be getting the same ones in again. So...any ideas and do you know how big it will get eventually ( 3wpg, CO2 plus all the...

I've just received an order from the aquatic rooms. I ordered 7 pots of cyperus helferi and 5 pots of glosso I got 8 pots of Cyperus.....probably one of the best plants i've had from a mail order company....lovely and green, tall, healthy....awesome I got 6 pots of Glosso....probably the...

I used 10 of these http://www.ebulbshop.com/acatalog/Energ ... esign.html on my 5 foot rena tank and the plants grew like mad. There are other sizes available.

Thanks mate....interesting stuff. :thumbup:

Took delivery of 8 lovely pots of the above last week....they looked superb. I have nearly 3wpg (6 xT8 mixed tubes), CO2 injection and a sandy substrate with JI 2 potting compost underneath. I also dose weekly with nutrafin plant gro. Filteration and circulation is spot on although the...

My bogwood has been slowly releasing it's tannins into the water giving a lovely blackwater look. However, how much light is this stopping from reaching the lower levels of my 2 foot deep tank ? Is it a significant amount ? Awaits with big tub of carbon !!!!!! Thanks in advance Andy

My tank is in the conservatory and suffers very badly from blanketweed (hair algea ???). Could i use Cloverleaf blanket answer like you can use on your pond ? I've used this on my koi pond before and i haven't had BW for nearly 4 years. Tank is 40 gallons, stocked with livebearers and has an...

I have just aquired an aqua one AR 980 tank and wouldn't mind setting it up in the conservatory as a coldwater tank. Obviously the temps will fluctuate from very hot in summer down to 10 degrees c in winter. Are there any "tropical" plants that will be suited to these conditions apart from...

I have 20 Congos which are kept with rummynoses, cardinals and harliquins with no problems. My only concern is they can have a munch on some plants.....all mine are left alone but if i try to put any Heteranthera (sea grass) in, they destroy it !!!!

i rekon a well thought out paludarium would go down a storm at Chelsea

i use www.koichat.com

well...a bit of an update on this. I still haven't heard from Java despite countless attempts at contacting them via phone and email. But today, another box of Rotala and Heteranthera arrived....in exactly the same condition as the first lot (Rotala was good, heteranthera is crap) Im going to...

Not as nice as 18mm solid pine though....so the mrs says anyway :roll:

yeah...but this is to be a piece of furniture in our lounge and marine ply would look crap. The tank cost £250, the building work to open up the alcove cost £500 and im going to now need a new floor at £500...so cheap isn't an option :lol:

The hood will be made in a few weeks Garuf :lol: ....the few bits of wood i need will cost £70 to make it mate as i want it right !!!!!! I know that this kind of setup is not to everyone's taste but i just think it needs something that stands out as a feature but without it being another...

Need some inspiration. The plants look superb but i think the tank needs a bit of structure. Therefore, in the pic below, i've indicated where i'd like a largeish piece of that redmoor type root. Currently, there's two rocks there but you can't see them because of the crypts (no 7 in the...

Re: packing it in Paul....sorry but im not too sure of the problems you've had but these things are here to try us and usually, we can learn from the problems we have and it will make us and our tanks better. In the 35 years of keeping both tropical and reef aquaria, i've seen lots of things...

Got mine last week along with the glass jobbies with the ceramic bit in the middle. Ive just put the glass one on for the moment and im quite pleased with it but the one above does seem like a decent bit of kit for the money. I might even set up a second CO2 system although my tank is looking...

have you considdered using a sump for filteration ?....i appreciate that many "plant keepers" are not in favour of this due to CO2 being lost in the sump but it must be worth thinking about. You could also think of using a couple of the sequence 10,000's for circulation....a bit like you would...

I dose Nutrafin plant gro once a week. it's a fairly new tank and has a high fish load so there's probably a lot of nutrients in there anyway. But whatever i dose, it seems to work. Thanks for the comments....more pics as things develop. Andy

Thanks George Here's what's in there 1) Limnophylla aromatica 2) just at the back, you can see the tips of Althernanthera poking through....my one disaster placing a red plant infront of a huge red Nymphaea 3) Ludwigia (pulustris ?) 4) Rotala Indica....just planted 5) Crypt...

Bit of an update and some new pics. Added some Rotala Indica to the rear far right so that will compliment the bright green Ludwigia. On the far left, ive had to cut back the Limnophylla so that'll come up soon. Also added a new CO2 diffuser....one of those little glass jobbies with the...

well i started off with trops 35 years ago and went into marines. But i'd always had this compulsion to breed Siamese fighting fish (which i did very successfully last year) and to just buy nice tropical fish and plants. So i packed the reef in and i love my planted tank. As i said, i'll...

Thought i'd give Java plants a go for the first time. Ordered the plants 2 weeks ago and they arrived today. They should've been here last week according to their delivery instructions and even taking into consideration the bank holiday, i should've had them by wednesday last week. So i...

I have a lovely 18" cube sitting in my shed...all drilled for a sump just waiting for that time to set up a nano reef. Kept reefs for over 20 years but the allure of the planted tank made me give up. Good luck

Thanks for that but i'm doing some general purpose aquarium salt....and the above means absolutely nothing to me :lol:

I have a 40 gallon "fun" tank which has some guppies, swords and platies in. I just let them get on with it and breed and then give the spare babies away. I add a small amount of salt to the tank to combat bacterial infections, common in newly added guppies but i'd also like to add a few...

Do tropical lillies have resting periods ? I would imagine that if they're grown in lakes that have dry periods, they'd die down or if the weather got colder like in northern Europe but i've grown tropical lillies for many years and never known them to naturally die back....same with Aponogeton...

If you're looking for a grassy plant,sagittaria (natans) can get taller than a lot of people think. There's a few other varieties too.