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Non limiting levels of nutrients and CO2 favours plant growth over algae growth and this is the basis of the Tom Barr EI method and also why Diana Walstads el natural method works whereby nutrient rich garden soil is placed under the substrate. The levels of nutrients and CO2 is generally lower...

I wasn't aware that hair algae is related to unstable CO2 levels? James Planted tank guide says that it is related to low CO2 levels. I personally find hair algae unsightly to look at and prefer to avoid it. If the OP looks in the algae section of the forum they will find the advice given to...

Hair algae is caused predominantly by a a lack of CO2 see http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm To stay low tech there are number of things you can do to manage the CO2 levels in your tank: Low tech: increasing CO2 supply -more fish& inverts /bio load - produces more CO2 -more feeding -...

She doesn't seem big on aquascaping which is a shame. I see aquascaping and the method of growing plants a separate aspects of the hobby. Also the picture at the top of the acuariorosa webpage I think is someone else called Pam Chin See half way down this webpage - she just happens to be...

Hi Jporter If I were going from Hi tech (high light/high CO2) to low tech I would thin out and prune the plants during the transition. This should avoid a lot of the potential melting issues that you may face. I would also lower the light levels to those more suited to low tech...

Hi Tom - When you dose Copper sulphate do you have to consider the ecological impact that will have on invertebrates? We spend alot of the thinking about algae & nutrients but what about the relationship between algae & ammonia/O2 levels in the water column and substrate? Also as Darrel...

Hi Kris have you seen this article? Diana uses a 1 gal bowl with a soil based substrate for her cherry shrimps: NPT Shrimp tank and DSM article by Diana Walstad

It seems a bit overkill for the average hobby aquarist. Is this aimed at labs or public aquariums? Surely the easy bit is analysing the data the hard part is collecting it?

I don't see any problems with the water lettuce in your set up. :) The snails sound intriguing with the red marks. I have no idea what they are perhaps you could post a picture of them in the invert section of the forum.

See this thread ..theres some info about the best time to stock new el natural tanks http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=19400&start=10

First off I'm gutted for you hotweldfire over your shrimp loss. I'm still not clear about the best way to treat new plants for a shrimp tank though. If you suspect Cu or other heavy metal contamination then use some kind of chelator such as NaEDTA as suggested by Darrel. But what is the best...

When I first went over to using a soil under layer I had a mature filter, reused plants and gravel and was able to start stocking immediately. When I set up my shrimp tank from scratch with new filter/sand and plants it took about 2 weeks before I could introduce shrimp. I used john Innes no 1...

Re: Introduction to Underwater Gardening with Soil Substrate I think it is a misconception that Walstad type tanks have to be low energy tanks. Diana Walstad says in her book that she puts her tanks next to south facing windows and I seem to remember either reading in her book or in one of her...

Good post. The graveyard scape (36/96) is interesting :)

9W seems about right for your size tank. I have a 35 litre 40cm by 28cm arc tank with 11W Arc Pod light for my low tech shrimp set up. You can use Aquasoil - should be fine in a low tech tank (i've never used it myself). If you want to try dirt/soil substrate then you could follow the Walstead...

If you add tap water straight to a fish tank you will get what appears to be pearling but this is just air degassing from the new water due to higher temps and lower pressure in your tank compared to your tap. Are you sure that the pearling you are seeing after the water changes is actually due...

I see CO2 related algae problems (including BBA) as one of supply and demand. When you cannot keep up with demand for CO2 from your plants the plants stop growing and algae starts to grow. If you use additional CO2 you just increase the amount you add or add more Excel etc to keep up with...

Re: Low-tech aquarium I'm intrigued by your soil formula - I might give it a try when I next set up my main tank. I usually use John Innes no.1 for seeds and cuttings as my soil layer which is only about 25% peat. I can get harder to grow plants like P.helferi to grow but not Lilaeopsis - I...

I used erythromycin back in the mid 90's to treat a tank with a bad infestation of BGA. I followed the instructions from the the Krib http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/cyanobacteria.html It was a total disaster. Initially the BGA was killed off totally but the erythromycin must have...

Limiting phosphate tends to limit total plant growth including higher plants and algae which for us aquatic gardeners is not much use. Its fine in a fish only tank (or very low light light low tech tanks if you are prepared to put up with a bit of algae). Also low levels of phosphate is linked...

The high tech vs low tech debate is age old and IMO is kind of pointless. It soon leads onto other debates about what exactly is high tech and low tech and which variant is better etc. I think people, myself included get inspired when they see a great looking aqua scape and then try to find...

You have the perfect ingredients for algae, light and ammonia added during the fishless cycling. See this discussion on the subject http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18200 If it were me I would stop any further additions of ammonia and physically remove as much algae as possible...

Most if not all new tanks go through a phase where they have a brown algae diatom bloom but doesn't usually last and clears up by itself. If this is the 1st time this has happened in this tank then I would not worry its just part of the final maturation phase of the tank. Sometimes you see...

The plant in the corner I think is Limnophila sessiliflora. See http://www.tropica.com/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=047 I think it is fairly demanding of CO2 but in your case I wonder if you have enough ferts in your tank? Do you have any soil or plant substrate under your sand or do you...

What do you want to use the peat for - Fish breading or to improve plant growth? I used to use aquarium peat in old nylon stockings which I put into the filter. I did this to condition the water for breeding soft water tetras. I probably would not do this again though as I think it could reduce...

Hi Mark4785 Sounds like your mind is made up to do the fishless cycling - good luck with that let us know how you get on.

Hi Mark4785 If I were you I would forego the addition of the rams initially and set up the planted tank as advised by Darrel using something more hardy like tetras instead (slowly building up stocking levels as even hardy fish can be wiped out by ammonia problems). Then when you are satisfied...

Can you tell us what kind of algae the tank has? See http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm for a guide. Depending on the type the problems may not be CO2 related although most are. Can you also say what kind of lights you are using and how much/how long etc. I personally would not bother...

Have a look at the aquarium fert dosing part of the forum for the best way to add ferts for a tank of that size - probably most cost effective on a large tank is to buy the dry salts. Also look at http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/index.htm it has useful info on dosing and avoiding algae. Plants...

The cat litter will have no nutrients to speak of, there are no fish so there is no fish waste to provide nutrients so I would say yes you need to add some kind of ferts. The plants will do OK to begin with providing they are healthy and will survive on their store of nutrients to sustain them...

This is my 'local' so will have to pop down there and have a look. Always thought it would look fantastic planted up. What about ferts/co2 and w/c on a tank that size - it will be interesting to see what they do :) .

For me the key phrase here is 'it depends upon the levels of CO2 in the tank water and in the atmosphere'. The term low tech covers a wide range of tanks and is not a exact definition. For example a low tech tank using a soil layer a la Walstead style tanks, with organic matter in the soil...

I've not used the lighting and filters you suggest but about 11W of light should be fine for this size of tank. I have an Arcadia 11w Arc Pod Lamp with my 35l arc tank. The PFK article you mention above does not say much about on going maintenance and ferts. You might struggle to grow the...

Good question. For plants to use light to power chemical reactions they need to capture the light using some kind of pigment. So another way of putting the question is to ask are there plant pigments that are not involved in photosynthesis. The only answer I can find is the use of plant...

If you are familiar with the idea of a pyramid of biomass it gives an insight into why long term small sealed jars are only able to support small numbers of animal life and probably only small microscopic animal life. The sealed jars would need to be of certain minimum sizes to support animals...

If the fish deaths started to happen after the 3rd addition of fish and shrimp i.e. - Phantom tetra x 20 added and 5 otocinclus + shrimp then I would suspect that the fish deaths are ammonia related caused by stocking too soon. It would be better to add the shrimp then wait a week or 2, then...

Not sure if the growth of aquatic plants is a simple linear relationship. The growth of aquatic plants will increase as fred says due increase in temp up to a point, but extremes of temp will damage plant tissues. There is also the effect of gas solubility in water vs temp, vital gases such as...

I've had this in the past when I had filter problems. My canister filter got clogged with soil and stopped working. When I cleaned the filter I got a brown diatom bloom soon after. Its very similar to when the tank is maturing for the 1st time but it happens and is all over a lot quicker and...

Fuel prices poses dilemmas for both individuals and the government. If fuel prices drop then the incentive to move to more greener/alternative fuels goes away and also for car manufacturers to make more fuel efficient cars. If the prices continue to increase even by small amounts not even 10x...

Has anyone managed to grow pitcher plants indoors on a windowsill or hanging pot? My sons is fascinated with his Venus fly trap and liked the pitcher plants at the Cambridge botanical gardens and I would quite like to get one. If you can recommend a species and growing conditions that would be...

Why not set your self up an ebay shop? A friend at work put together a small website to sell PC modding equipment a few years ago, he only had about 20 products to sell. He then set up an ebay shop and did most of his business through ebay.

Excellent - I can see this being one of those articles that will be referenced over and over.

I wonder who wrote the article- there's no name? I wonder if they have followed this advice themselves?

You can actually get free solar panels. I've been considering this as I don't have a spare £10k to hand atm. I think there are pro's and cons with free vs paid solar panels there's some info at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-solar-panels#vs The main downside from my point of...

If your colony had previously been actively eating algae wafers and have suddenly stopped then that points to some problem. How many shrimp have you got? When I started my shrimp tank this year I only had about 5-6 shrimp to start with and they were very shy eaters preferring to eat in the open...

Sorry to hear about your illness as well Gill and best of luck with your future plans. Have you tried any form of alternative medicine?

Its some nymphaea species 'Tiger lotus'. I don't know the exact species but a great plant that produced large attractive leaves that eventually made it to the surface and provided quite a bit of dappled shade.

Have look at my journal (signature) as I said before I went with mostly easy to grow undemanding plants and had mixed results with more demanding plants.

Some ways to manage CO2 in a low tech tank that has no CO2 enrichment are 1)Reduce light intensity - which I believe you have done. 2)Reduce photo period - I usually start off at about 10 hrs and increase to max 12 hrs or min 6hrs as necessary. 3)Add shade with floating plants (further reduces...

There's a price to pay going low tech (in particular low CO2) and that is you may not be able to grow all the plants you want. Often with low tech you chuck a load of plants in to your set up and see what grows well together. I suspect the stem plants that melted were due to insufficient CO2 and...

I remember back in the 90's when I used to read PFK they looked at a product to clear ponds of green water algae. It was a clear canister that you pumped pond water through containing daphnia. The idea was that the daphnia ate the green algae and were protected from the fish in the canister.

If you intend to feed your plants using fish waste then the more fish and inverts the better- up to a point. More waste will eventually turn into more plant food so you can grow more plants etc. You can search the internet for fish stocking calculators but you have to avoid over stocking as...

Sand and Flourite (which is just clay) has no organic matter, I don't know about JBL pro flora. I generally don't bother with substrate layers unless I want to stop fine clay/compost getting into the water column and filter.

Growing plants without CO2 is hard unless you keep the light levels low both in terms of intensity and duration. Adding a soil layer with organic matter present or using Leonardite means you are adding extra CO2 to the tank but keeping the tank low tech and greatly improves choice and quantity...

I have had this problem up until recently. I set up a low tech shrimp tank beginning of Feb. And bought a few shrimp here and there till i had about 10. I wanted to ensure a bit of genetic diversity. Some of the shrimp grew into what appeared to be females in that they were large, solid red...

When I was browsing my LFS one of the assistants told me they try to induce breeding in RCS by doing water changes will cool water every few weeks. There's further discussion on temp in this thread. http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=14431&start=10

Came across a pdf document with an article about low tech shrimp tanks and growing carpet plants using the DSM in an NPT. You might find interesting: http://www.bookmasters.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf

Thanks for the info Darrel. Yeah I read some people were having to remove it from their tanks in Texas because it has been classified as an invasive weed there aswell.

Does Marsilea minuta go by a different name here in the UK? The only reference I have come across about is from US forums. Here in the UK I have been able to find Marsilea hirsuta from Tropica and Marsilea Crenata + Marsilea Quadrifolia from plants alive. Is m minuta a different species or...

I would be tempted to start the tank with fresh soil as this will have more ferts and organic matter for CO2 production. You may be able to get away without a filter in your tank but might want something for water circulation in which case a small sponge filter would be good - I think the...

You might find this website useful... http://browsershots.org/ It shows your web page in multiple browsers, browser versions and platforms.

Re: Why do PFK bother with blogs? Looking at the graph you posted the take home message is that CO2 emissions have increased by a factor of over 30,000 since about 1840 yet there is only a change of less than 1deg C in that time hence anthropogenic global warming is rubbish. But that is...

Re: Why do PFK bother with blogs? I find the above graph highly misleading because it is comparing a regional temperature record with changes in emissions and not global CO2 concentrations. Emissions are important but the temperature changes need to be correlated to total global CO2...

Re: Why do PFK bother with blogs? Good question! I had a go at googling this for 2 mins so now I'm an expert ( :lol: ). From what I can gather the stated ph change is an estimate based on recent 'good' data that has been extrapolated back to the start of the industrial revolution. There might...

Your algae problems are due to a lack of CO2 so adding more TPN+ which is NPK plus trace elements won't affect the CO2 levels in your tank. If you have solved the underlying problem you should see a halt in algae growth almost immediately. Your observation that you are getting more algae growth...

Have a look at this thread asking very similar questions. http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13332 As for the cryptocorynes I would be tempted to thin them out and prune them back (the same with the other plants). This means that you will reduce demand for CO2 at the same time as...

I usually build my own pc's - my last one i built for about £500 not including the monitor. I build primarily for gaming performance (which is ironic since I hardly ever play pc games now) its still satisfying building a fast pc. Having said all of that its me who usually plays the high...

Hi Stefano, What a fantastic website. You have paid great attention to detail and you put alot of effort into your aquascapes especially the background. My Italian is very basic but I was able to follow most of it. 'Che un sito fantastico. Lei ha grande attenzione per i dettagli e mettere un...

Have a look at this link on Tom Barrs website :- http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php/42183-DSM-Dry-start-method-for-starting-a-new-planted-tank This is a good method for getting carpet plants established. You can get other types of plants going using this method as long as you...

When I see this situation in my low tech tank its is a cue for me to prune. The swords you have look nice and healthy with only the outer leaves having algae growing on them. Sword plants I find are greedy feeders and can dominate other plants when they get growing. I am often quite brutal...

This is an intriguing question and I don't really know the answer myself :? . I have always aimed to reduce water surface turbulence on the basis of preserving the CO2 already present in my tank. I have read on various forums that the alkalinity of the tank water can act like a re chargeable...

I think i'm right in saying it is watts per US gallons. You have to think carefully about adequate plant nutrition from the start otherwise you will end up with algae. I use a soil layer covered with sand atm. I'm not saying you have to use a soil layer but this gives me a large supply of...

A drop of -3.6% to my mind is not a crash although its not insignificant either - BBC Newsnight went on about this but said there are so few transactions going through that the data can't be trusted more like a drop of about 1-2% if more long term trends are to be looked at. We are looking to...

If it is just to another office in the same building, you could empty the water and move the tank and soil/sand base. I would also save as much of the water as possible, in a large bucket and store the fish in multiple large bags (the type you get from the aquarium store). If the move is to...

Is there enough Ca/Mg for the shrimps - maybe the water is too soft for them?. You say you mix RO/tap water, is your tap water already very soft? If it is a mineral problem you might get a clue from how well snails survive in your tank. A lack of Ca/Mg may cause ph buffering problems making CO2...

I must admit the hard sell tactics have put me off going to TGM somewhat. I would still pop in if I was in the area but perhaps now would not make a special trip. I would also be a bit dubious about any advice they give out if they are claiming that products like TPN/TPN+ do not contain K...

I though I would upload a few more pics of the tank I'd usually do a bit of pruning every month or so but if I didn't it would end up like this This year I though I would change the gravel for a volcanic sand - also got a new camera The small stem/small leafed plant growing in front of...

450 l is about 118 US gallons and your total wattage is 144W so your wpg with the 4 tubes is 1.22wpg. This is quite low light already, although I'm not sure how the wpg rule applies on large tanks. I would try to reduce the photo period first and see if things improve then start to reduce the...

Re: Volcanic springs in CA, Hat Creek source, aquatic plant Why is the water so cold? Is it because it is at altitude?

Out of interest what is the plant substrate?

Re: Live aquascapes at a London art gallery Is there a website for this? Googling 'The Aqueous Art Movement' doesn't seem to bring anything up that is related.

What are the shoaling fish - and how many are there? I really do want to visit TGM but a 4-5 hr car journey makes it a bit more than just an afternoon out .

I'd love to see a picture of this tank. Can you tell us what substrate you have, how frequently you do water changes and how much? The symptoms you describe would indicate insufficient CO2 to meet the plant requirements but you don't always have to add CO2 to grow plants. If you want low...

I wonder would it be possible (in theory at least) to deal with the high levels of organic waste by having more filtration? I know alot of high tech aquascapers aim for high turnover rates 10x or more but what about increasing the total amount of filter media or even doubling the number of...

ceg4048 Out of interest what are the toxic substances released by plants? I might be wrong but I seem to remember you arguing that the reason for water changes was to dilute algal spores?

I had a quick look at your journal - great nano setup :thumbup: . I would say your problem is lack of CO2 or unstable CO2 levels. How close is the tank to the window atm? It looks from your picture you posted this morning in your journal...

Couldn't you just add some blanched lettuce leaves for your snails? Remove any uneaten scraps.

Can you ensure that your RO equipment is algae spore free and that the ADA substrate has not been contaminated with algae spores between the time it was heat treated and you buying it? You can try a simpler experiment, get a glass jar fill it with boiling water and leave it on a windowsill for...

I had one of these chines algae eaters once. It was ok when young but it eventually grew to about 15cm and became a real bully in the tank eventually it started to latch onto the sides of the angel fish I was keeping at the time. It became such a pain I got rid of it now. I also avoid these...

I haven't tried this myself but you could try growing the affected (not infected :shifty:) plants emmersed for a while perhaps in a small tank or large jar. I think most plants we buy come pristine and algae free because they have been grown by the suppliers emmersed. My own experience is...

Have a look at this thread in particular Tom Barrs reply on page 2. http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=12173&start=10 Also on a low light and low CO2 tank you may not need to add ferts that frequently so price/convenience considerations of ready made liquid plant ferts such as TPN+...

The cheapest approach would be to dig up some soil from your garden, enough to cover the base of your tank to about 1.5" Then top the soil off with 1" to !.5" gravel. Garden soil can be highly variable and will affect the end result greatly what you are looking for is good garden loam which is...

Another approach to consider is this http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/62825-new-npt-shrimp-tanks.html The only equipment used is the light although here in the UK you probably need a heater as well.

I know the question is aimed at Tom Barr but if it were me I would go with the LED. My only worry is the price is £12 too good to be true - are there any UK retailers for the LED?

I second limnophilia sessiliflora :thumbup:

This thread discusses best soils for low tech.. http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=304

Wow that gives a theoretical turnover of ~30x. Your fish must be fit. :twisted: Someone will post next saying they have 20,000 l/h on a jam jar pico set up I have to admit I recently upgraded my Eheim Ecco Pro 200 (600 l/h) to a Eheim 2073 Professional 3 350 Filter (1050 l/h) on my 100 l...

An external filter on a 20L tank? Would this not be overkill? The Eheim Ecco Pro 130 (smallest Ecco) quotes an output of 500 lph - assuming vol. of water is 18L (allowing for substrate + décor) then that would be a theoretical turnover of almost 28 times. Before you explore the filtration...

LD, Can I be nosey and ask what health problems it caused you? I always come across the handle with care messages but never anyone who has actually suffered.

I think it would be fair to say that getting CO2 delivery right in any form of planted tank is the challenging bit even in low tech with no pressurised CO2 added, you still have to get a balance between light/CO2/and plant demand. There are ways to make the most of what CO2 is available in a...