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Hi all, I think he did well to manage this long, but a great song (and song-writer). cheers Darrel

Hi all, I ended up with water with some <"carbonate buffering (dKH) by chance">, but I actually see being able to keep some "pest" snails is a definite advantage. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That would make sense, I always have Malaysian Trumpet Snails (Melanoides tuberculata) and their burrowing would mean this doesn't happen in my tanks. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, definitely larger particles on top. cheers Darrel

Hi all, While I'm here, a link to some Edinburgh based members and <"Seasoned Tank Time">. cheers Darrel

...the two layers. If you have a denser substrate (like sand or gravel) over a less dense one (aquasoil), or a mix of large and small stones, then <"granular convection"> will mean that the smaller and / or denser substrate ends up at the bottom*. *edited see @Andy Pierce 's <"post"> cheers...

Hi all, I don't know where you live in Sweden, but you may be able to <"pick your own soil"> particularly if you live near any drumlins <"https://faculty.washington.edu/tswanson/302add/ESS Readings/drumlins_sweden.pdf"> or terminal moraine? I'll add in @Tyko_N, they may have some suggestions...

...is 1081 (the extra mass is the ".10H2O", the <"water of crystallization">) and the RMM of NH4, (using the <"RAM of the elements">) and N =14 & (1 * 4) = 18 and then 18 / 1081 = 0.017 = 1.7% NH4, after that, because your tank is 100 litres, we are just into the powers of 10. 1.7 / 100 = 0.017...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS. Unfortunately (<"or fortunately">) we have quite a few American posters who have <"fallen foul of moderation"> on other forums. We are generally quite a friendly (and well moderated) forum where you can express different views without it all descending <"into a...

Hi all, You might like these <"7.4.6. Purigen in the Aquarium"> and <"Purigen Alternative">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm a <"sand user"> and only add a minimal amount of <"humus and clay">, so I'm probably not the best person to talk to. Having said that I'd follow @Tim Harrison's tutorial if I was going to go down the soil route <"Soil Substrate or Dirted Tank - A How to Guide">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, that is fine. I think the tint is probably from the dark sphagnum (moss) peat. I think you have two options, start again with a <"mineralised soil"> or carry on with what you have. At this point, personally, I'd probably carry on with what you have, although this may prove to be...

Hi all, Nice. What was the soil? If it had a large peat component? That might explain some of the water colour. The cloudiness could be clay colloids, which should eventually settle out, or may be long chain humic compounds. That would be the idea. The problem for us is really too many...

Hi all, That is the main thing. Personally I don't add a <"set amount of fertiliser">, I use the plants as a guide of <"how much to add">. Now you've bought it I'd definitely use it. I've been using <"Solufeed 2:1:4 and Solufeed Sodium Free TEC or Solufeed Coir TEC Combination">, but it...

Hi all, We have a thread - <"Mixing ferts to resemble ADA lineup">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It should be fine. <"shrimps + ferts (Tropica) + some fishes = any problem?"> @Mick.Dk worked for Tropica. I'd be more worried about your plants, just because it won't do much for them. <"Tropica Premium fertiliser - universal, liquid fertiliser for aquariums - Tropica Aquarium...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS. I'll copy in @Tim Harrison, he is our dirted tank expert <"Soil Substrate or Dirted Tank - A How to Guide"> I think we need to know a little more about the soil and particularly, is all that depth soil? on the right of the picture. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It does look awesome, but I have absolutely no idea what it is. I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything quite like that. The chantransia form of Montagnia macrospora (a red algae) possibly look closest <"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/edn3.139">. I like the...

Hi all, I can understand buying ADA tanks, light and filters on aesthetic grounds, but I'm guessing that the substrate and / or fertilisers are part of your problem. Then I just wouldn't buy it. But I'll be honest I wouldn't buy it anyway. You can replicate that with magnesium sulphate...

Hi all, Mine aren't anything like as colorful as yours, but they have coloured (and fattened) up since I've had them. According to all the literature they are quiet, shy fish <"Axelrodia riesei – Ruby Tetra — Seriously Fish">, but nobody has told mine and they have <"decimated the Crangonyx...

Hi all, ..... and that one probably explains why. Yes, <"Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia">. They will slowly fill in all of the <"gloomy spots"> at the bottom of the tank. I like them because they have a pale green leaf, and everything else in the <"twilight zone"> has much darker foliage...

Hi all, This one is especially for Rosie @shangman , because, apparently, I never show pictures of any of the fish. This is mainly because I rarely see any of the fish, but I've recently I've acquired these Ruby Tetra, and they behave like little Piranha, meaning that some food entices them...

Hi all, They look pretty healthy to me and not noticeably deficient in anything. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, It might be from seawater ingress into the aquifer <"The Chalk aquifer of the South Downs | British Geological Survey (BGS)">, but it is probably just derived from the chalk aquifer. Limestones (like chalk) are marine deposits and typically water contained within them is much "saltier"...

Hi all, Pretty typical for SE. England, hard and alkaline with a lot of nutrients. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, We like photos. Have a look at @jameson_uk 's Frogbit threads <"Iron deficiency and which chelator do I need?"> from the link. What @_Maq_ & @AlecF say. The problem is that it really difficult to get accurate parameter for many of the nutrients we are interested in. Water companies...

Hi all, I've got sponges that are <"fifteen years old">, and some <"sintered glass media"> that is much older than that. <"I do that as well">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think that is probably all you need to know. The fluorescent tubes are good until they don't light. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It depends on the fluorescent tube and control gear in the light unit. If they are tri-phosphor tubes and electronically, rather magnetically, ballasted the lamps show very <"little lamp lumen depreciation"> before they fail, so realistically they only need changing when they don't...

Hi all, What @X3NiTH says, you also have the nitrite ion (NO2-) to consider <"Nitrite Toxicosis In Freshwater Fish or Brown Blood Disease">. We know more about nitrification now than when that article was written and subsequently COMAMMOX Nitrospira have been found to be common in aquariums -...

Hi all, That should be all right. It will be interesting to see how you get on. I would be pretty wary of the <"ammonia / ammonium (NH3 / NH4+) content"> for any one who has fish. The formula is 5Ca(NO3)2.NH4NO3.10H2O. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is just a really <"cheap option">. It always amazes me that people will pay a <"hefty premium"> for branded <"remineralising salts">. The calcium (Ca++) and bicarbonate (2HCO3-) ions are exactly the same whether they came from calcium chloride (CaCl2.nH20) & potassium bicarbonate...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS. Zinc (Zn) is a common contaminant of tap water. It isn't particularly toxic to people, so it isn't a major concern for water companies. <"https://www.dwqr.scot/media/iagfid5g/pws-parameter-information-zinc.pdf">. If you live in a fairly dry area of the USA (or an...

Hi all, I don't know exactly why, but if I've been away for a month it would normally have crept up by ~30 microS. I'm guessing mainly via evaporation, particularly if the tank isn't topped up with DI water. The bioload might be another area, I don't ever have much in the way of fish, but I...

Hi all, I'm away <"quite a lot as well"> and because I use rain-water I don't normally get anyone to change the water while I'm away. I just get them to top up with DI water if required. Have a look at <"Water changes whilst abroad">. When I'm back I just do more frequent water changes until...

Hi all, Normally you can get a water report from your water supplier using your postcode <"https://www.southeastwater.co.uk/help/water-supply/water-quality/">, the problem is that they are now <"less and less informative">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That one is probably where I'd start. It would add some carbonate hardness dKH ("alkalinity") - <"Some handy facts about water">. It is only the carbonates of group one (alkali) metals that are soluble, so basically the options are potassium (K+) or sodium (Na+). Open to question...

Hi all, I'll put it in this thread, rather than your other one <"Micro fertiliser without K">, but we think that water changes <"Walstad revises"> are quite important for <"long term tank health">, although <"we don't really know why">. I change a <"small volume of water fairly regularly">...

Hi all, It will raise it to pH8, but if you don't add very much bicarbonate (2HCO3-) that will go back down again fairly easily. The form of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) is pH dependent and if you add an acid (a proton (H+ ion) donor) it will convert some of the bicarbonate to CO2 and if...

Hi all, It won't be <"light intensity">. If it is the new leaves that are pale? It may be iron (Fe) deficiency <"Should i start to fertilize?">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, There is a thread on PlanetCatfish <"Live tips to save cory eggs - PlanetCatfish.com">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Plant growth looks pretty good. Corydoras similis, I like those. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is, it was only when I came to words I wasn't familiar with that I began to realise just how weird English pronunciation is. Back to <"Proto-Indo-European language - Wikipedia"> and the Brothers Grimm <"Linguistics and the Brothers Grimm">? What do you mean? It is "Barf", (not...

Hi all, I always PYO my own wood - <"Now is a good time to find PYO Oak branches for Aquascaping">. You know where it was <"sourced from"> and whether it is <"likely to be suitable">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You can combine any <"dosing regime"> with the <"Duckweed Index">. Although they are <"very different in their methodologies"> both <"Estimative"> & <"Duckweed"> Indices were "designed" to do away with the requirement for water testing. I use <"lean dosing">, but if you look at...

...that <"pH buffers are always a waste of money">. The companies that sell them know they are pointless, but they keep on selling them and it <"really, really p*sses me off">. You probably know what <"I'm going to say here">, unfortunately it is back to <"unscrupulous vendors">. cheers Darel

Hi all, It had to be something a bit strange. Yes I definitely would. You won't have much ammonia when the tank is running, so you don't want much when it is "cycling". Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Those are gorgeous. Your Oscar looks in top condition as well. I'm not a CO2 user, but I just wouldn't / couldn't with your fish <"CO2 Disaster">. If I kill any fish by carelessness it really effects me, but I would be beyond upset if I found I'd asphyxiated yours accidentally...

Hi all, I think you are right, so something wrong with the test kits I'm afraid and <"possibly / probably the nitrate one">? The ammonia (TAN) from the Ada Amazonia has to have gone somewhere, so unless you are doing huge water changes every day it is is still there as some combination of...

Hi all, I'd definitely go to using a hydroponic fertiliser, it is going to be a lot cheaper in the long run. Have a look at <"Solufeed 2:1:4 and Solufeed Sodium Free TEC or Solufeed Coir TEC Combination"> They do. I'm not sure you can say that. Personally I'd be <"a lot warier"> with...

Hi all, It isn't a liquid, but the <"Solufeed Coir TEC"> should do and it is a lot cheaper. That would also do. Agreed. I'm going to tell you the problem is likely to be with your test kits. It is quite <"difficult to test for potassium (K) via colorimetry">, purely because nearly all...

Hi all, I'm pretty sure it should be all right <"L191 Feeding - PlanetCatfish.com"> & <"PlanetCatfish.com - June - 2009 - Catfish of the Month">, but the <"wood is pretty soft">, and even the <"root heart wood"> won't last long. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are beyond cute <"Slow 60 (ADA 60p low tech)">. <"Daphnia, Micro (maybe Banana) and Grindal worms">. I'm having some (renewed) Grindal worm issues at the moment, but you are more than welcome to some Micro/Banana Worms. PM if you want some. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That should be fine, they are both soluble salts. I'd dose them a little time apart, because of potential solubility issues, even in the tank. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Corydoras pygmaeus? A lot of people find that they <"lose fish over time">. I've kept them <"for a while now"> and I think the <"secrets"> are small live food items, stable water conditions and <"a lot of cover">. I keep mine in ~90% rainwater and I probably wouldn't go smaller than a...

Hi all, I'd be pretty happy with that. cheers Darrel

...calcium (Ca)= 40 / 171 = 23.4% At 25oC that would supply: In your 2.6g (2600 mg) = you have 608 mg / L (ppm) Ca (2600 x 0.234), so in a 100* litre tank adding the whole litre would supply 6.1 ppm Ca and adding 100 mL (cm3) = 0.6 ppm Ca added. Which is why you need to use dry dosing. *...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS It gets a mention here as a food for Rainbow fish <"My Favourite Australian Rainbows">. I think quite a <"lot of fish eat Duckweed">, (Lemna minor), it is high in protein etc. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Assuming that your plants have all the <"14 essential mineral nutrients">? Then it is largely a nitrogen effect <"Black leaf edges - cause?">. Have a look at @Parablennius <"Floaters"> thread. I choose a floating plant for the <"Duckweed Index"> - <"Echinodorus bleheri - slow...

Hi all, You could try a small HOB filter. @LondonDragon likes them. I'm a sponge filter fan as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You are good, that is <"what we are here for">, to <"offer advice"> that will (hopefully) lead to people having healthy, successful planted tanks. In terms of plants? Plants from the "Tropica Easy Range" <"plant details - Tropica Aquarium Plants"> are usually a good start. You could...

Hi all, I think you are right. We have a few threads <"Which plant is that?">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, What @tam says. That is the problem and even worse a lot of these posters aren't honest brokers, they are out to <"sell you a product">, and then, ideally, carry on selling you a product. We don't have <"anything to sell"> on UKAPS. Have a look at the links to <"Seasoned Tank Time">...

Hi all, We have a thread on cloning ADA fertilisers <"Mixing ferts to resemble ADA lineup">. All <"you need to ask"> the ADA fanboys is: If they can give you a <"scientifically coherent answer">? I'll go and buy the entire ADA range of fertilisers. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That sounds a sensible conclusion. The conductivity meter just measures the electrical current conducted by the ions in solution, so if the calcium sulphate (CaSO4.nH2O) was fully disassociated into ions? Those ions would be exactly the same as any other Ca++ and SO4-- ions. So you...

Hi all, It is just you need to supply all of the essential nutrients for plant growth. If any nutrients are missing all together? You don't get any growth. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Point taken, and I do actually mention that earlier in the thread. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, As long term forum members will know I'm not, nor ever likely to be, <"a CO2 user">, so I have no practical experience, but I am pretty familiar with <"pH meters and pH measurement">. @Andy Pierce 's point would be exactly the one I'd make. A drop checker, <"with 4 dKH solution"> and...

Hi all, Next time <"I buy some "dry" food"> I'm going to try that one. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've <"done a few of these">, and you need a very good handle on the scientific process, and an accurate balance. Waste water tends to have conductivity values in the thousands of microS / cm, and you can reduce this by phytoremediation <"Phytoremediation Potential of Typha latifolia...

Hi all, Naming with Rotala sp. is always a bit <"hit and miss">, but that one looks like it really is a cultivar of R. macrandra <"Trimming Rotala Macrandra in flower">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I can now definitely say it isn't chlorophyll. That looks like iron (Fe) deficiency, which would account for the reds shining through more strongly. The reason that it is likely to be iron (Fe), rather <"than nitrogen (N)"> etc., is just that the <"new leaves are pale">. cheers...

Hi all, It is a <"pretty blunt instrument">, but that doesn't necessarily matter. I'd guess that my situation is slightly different from most people in that I have very consistent tap water (about 700 microS, hard and alkaline with the conductivity comprising mainly Ca++ and 2HCO3- ions) and...

...be enhanced in more intense light, so you would expect the plants would appear more red, rather than less red, but I can't think of another option*. We have another (inconclusive) thread where the same process was observed, but not in the same sequence - <"Rotala changes colour daily.....">...

Hi all, I don't think it is that the red pigment (anthocyanin) is appearing and disappearing. I think colourless means green (no red colour)? and I think that the red colour is <"masked by chlorophyll"> production during "lights on". cheers Darrel

Hi all, Those really. I know that @M.eremin <"wants to use"> an <"aquarium"> fertiliser, but I think that is, at least some, of his problem, the <"Seachem products"> aren't supplying enough and / or all <"of the plants requirements">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm going to assume that the light is plenty bright? So I'd go with that one. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Nice">. I'd just carry on with the Eheim light unit, but use a floating plant as a <"net curtain">. If you want a "biotope appropriate" one Pistia stratiotes grows in a lot of the small igarapes etc. anywhere there is enough light. How about a 20W daylight COB security light...

Hi all, Just don't try. <"They don't actually have any roots"> and want to grow as a sub-surface floater. It is a bit like when people try to use <"Riccia as a carpet"> etc. doomed to failure in the long run. You might want them near the bottom of the tank, but they want to be at the water's...

Hi all, Most "house plants" would do. or a Spathiphyllum? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Schismatoglottis spp.? @hydrophyte grew some species, <"Cryptocoryne Riparium"> other than <"Schismatoglottis prietoi">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) looks right, it has 6 locules and Star Anise (Illicium verum) has (upto) 8. Crepe Myrtle is a funny plant, it isn't "hardy" in the UK <"Lagerstroemia - Trees and Shrubs Online"> (but now planted in London), but grows well where they have a hot...

Hi all, No Tilapia, are <"what you want">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Tricky">, @mort's suggestion is probably the best we've got. We have some threads <"Removing Duckweed (Lemna minuta) - any natural solutions?"> & <"managing shrimp & duckweed"> and a <"business opportunity"> <"Curious case of no Nitrates? Expert opinion needed.">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've just finished <"How does Prime detoxify ammonia and nitrite?">I really enjoyed it and have stolen various bits to use in later posts, it is absolute comic gold, and the posters on it <"obviously don't fear litigation">. I'm guessing that is where we are still: <"Seachem prime...

...tell you what is in "Prime" and "Safe". Amquel <"has a patent"> and it is sodium hydroxymethanesulphonate based. This is a really useful thread* <"How does Prime detoxify ammonia and nitrite?"> Tetrasodium EDTA <"EDTA - MOTM"> would mop up ions of higher valency (including any lead (Pb)...

Hi all, I agree with that as well, we can't see them, but a stable, patchy environment with low nutrient conditions are likely to maintain <"maximal microbial diversity"> (but <"relatively low microbial biomass">) and I'm pretty sure that is what you want. <"You can use tap water">, @Geoffrey...

Hi all, It is funny with Ostracod (Seed Shrimps), some fish mainly ignore them, but <"others really like them">. They are known to be browsers on Diatoms <"Ostracods"> (and on other forms of algae). cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm much <"keener on her"> than @_Maq_ is. I really like her book and I still refer to it frequently. I think that there are some things wrong with the original premise, but that she subsequently changed her views, and that change is documented in <"Walstad revises">. Have a look at...

Hi all, Welcome to UKAPS. I think a few people have found that it does better as an epiphyte, and it is also a plant a lot of people have struggled with. However you grow it, it wants plenty of nutrients, including CO2 <"Anyone figured out H.Pinnatifida?">. It really wants to grow emersed...

Hi all, You might be able to get <"Vitax / Chempak Sequestered Iron"> or similar I do and I don't, if I can buy an acceptable mix I'll use use it, it is usually the most <"economical option"> - <"Solufeed 2:1:4 and Solufeed Sodium Free TEC or Solufeed Coir TEC Combination">. If I want...

Hi all, Probably manganese II sulphate (MnSO4.nH2O) <"Sulphate of Manganese | Viridis Garden">. I'd have to check, but I think the monohydrate (MnSO4.H2O) is the usual salt sold (it is pale pink), but it is hygroscopic, so it might be better to dry it and assume it was anhydrous. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Not sure about branded, but one containing FeEDDHA <How long EDTA/DTPA micros last in soft water ?">. There may be one available to you via a hydroponics web site? <"Fe EDDHA sources">. Seachem use <"ferrous (FeII) gluconate"> - <"Fractal"> and that is a less good complexor /...

Hi all, You just need some more black coffee (and a <"Frogbit song">) and your wish may come true. Personally I'm holding out for "Marvin the Paranoid Android" (from <"Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy">) as my burger flipper. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm a huge pre-filter fan, I wouldn't run a canister filter <"without one">. You can get the (unattractive) Eheim prefilter <"Prefilter">, they work OK, but I usually just use a <"big sponge block">. If I was more interested in aesthetics I'd probably use an Eck (Corner) Mattenfilter...

Hi all, I have a <"lot of pre-owned Eheim filters">, and I like them, but I'd be much warier of buying any new ones. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is difficult to work out exactly what you would need to do to be "unfit for office". Whatever you think about him personally apparently none of these are any impediment to high office, not being an elected MP, lobbying government ministers to provide financing for the...

Hi all, I'd strongly recommend some floating plants. It doesn't really matter which one, but my "go to plant" is Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) <"The scientific background to the "Leaf Colour Chart"">. The advantages of a floating plant are: Access to atmospheric gases, including 420...

Hi all, They are mainly fine silt and clays. The <"rivers originate in the Andes">, which are a young mountain range, and which are being rapidly eroded. The rivers flow down slope across <"the Andes Piedmont"> and drop their load of larger sediment particles, but the fine particles only...

Hi all, I'm pretty sure it is dog safe. It is allegedly edible, but I'll be honest it really doesn't appeal <"Nostoc Num Nums - Eat The Weeds and other things, too">. cheers Darrel