Search results for query: *

Hi everyone, I'm looking for people's experience with Water Sprite in their low tech aquariums since I've had little success with it in the past. The biggest problem is that it would begin to yellow and waste away even when its floating and having developed emersed growth. Now that I've built...

Thanks for the reply zozo, Lomariopsis Lineata is exactly the 'round pelia' I was talking about, was going to buy it from one of our forum sponsor http://www.freshwatershrimp.co.uk/product.php?id_product=26 The Pelia you are talking about seems to be Riccardia Chamedrifollia also known as...

I must admit that I've always envied those with awesome aquascapes and exotic looking stem plants in a spotless tank, something which I can't achieve. But when I ask myself how they achieved it I tend to get overwhelmed with the amount of work needed and what appears to be some costly equipment...

I'm loving the contents of this thread, it's great to see everyone's experience with mosses. I'm planning on a re-scape of my shrimp tank, after going on holiday for 3 weeks it has taken a real bad turn. I'm hoping to use all sorts of mosses for this new look so this thread will be a great...

Excellent feature!

Anubias, Java Fern and some sort of moss should fit on the wood. Some floating plants may be good and should help with some of your problems by diffusing the light a bit more. Don't worry too much about the floating plants' effect on the carpet, since you are adding carbon, they should still do...

Sorry for you loss. I have some theories into why some Cichlids show signs of cannibalism to their broods having had a degree of success with Angels, Apistos and Rams. First one that pops to mind is the same as what the others have mentioned, in that it was probably their first brood so a few...

I'm loving this! I'm a great believer in encouraging my friends who are interested in aquariums to have setups which can suit their needs rather than their 'wants,' which will make their life easier while being able to enjoy the success of a planted aquarium. Quite often, they try their hands on...

I do believe Staurogyne Repens will also do well on wood too. Worth a try to see if you can make anything out of that.

Looking good Roy. Watch out if your fertilising these, I don't think the UG would prefer it too much when emersed.

You can also try to grow some plants on top of a sponge, ones that come with filters can work. Plants that will do well on a sponge in my opinion include mosses and Riccardia Chamedryfolia. I believe HC and Gloss may also work well, can can even grow it on the moss when its grown in.

I'll tell you what I think of this tank... It's a stunner! :thumbup: Keep it up! P.S Can we have a plant list please? I can spot a few familiar plants, but it will be good to know what else you have in there. Cheers.

Fluval Spec V is not the biggest of tanks, and depending on what plants you have, you may not necessarily need a lot of the flow. In my old Betta tank I had my spray bars facing the wall of which the filter was hanging to lessen the flow but it had enough to keep plants swaying. If you have low...

There shouldn't be a lot of difference between the quality of plants. Although buying from people such as Tropica maybe more reliable. Either way if you can provide what the plants need they will reward you with a good display once they recover. Anubias is a very hardy plant so the seller on...

I have anchor moss in my tank but it's not doing too well, I put this down to my neglect of my aquariums recently, university has been busy. It is a lovely moss though and it appears to be really easy to grow emersed too which I am doing hopefully to re-build the amount of moss to work with in...

Time for a small text update on some orchids (hopefully pictures will follow tomorrow). The D. Kingianum and its cultivator from Darrel are putting out new growths. The cultivator's new growth is also sending out a new one, quite strange to me since it's not even a 2-3cm tall and it has a new...

Lovely! You've been busy since the last time I viewed the thread.

Sure thing, will get it done. I actually have two emersed Buces going, one of them is a tiny baby one which I have previously shown in the emersed section of the forum, that one has sent out a new leaf. I think I'll place them in a shaded spot next to my orchids on the windowsill. I currently...

This one is fine, nothing has changed. The growth has been slow but from looking at these pictures, the Crypts have put on growth. Not a lot though. I'll see if I can get some pics later on in the week.

Hi Roy, I did have something going but fungus killed them all. I tried letting more air to the setup to which the crypts reacted the best but it didn't stop the fungus. I do have a Buce cutting which is ok but that is all there is really. Nothing too spectacular.

Thanks for that link Darrel! Just the thing I need. I don't think I'll get them anytime soon due to trying to rescue my new purchases. But I'll definitely aim to get some pleiones at some point. Your right Mick, the names seem to be constantly changing over the recent years which I have...

Hi, I agree with the observation that snails don't usually do damage to plants unless the plant was already suffering from deterioration. I like snails :) .I'll go along with the idea of poor flow. Something I have noticed with Anubias and Java fern is that sometimes when certain parts of...

Nearly forgot this one:

The orchid show at Durham was stunning, it was the first show I've been to, hopefully there will be more around me that I can attend to when it's not on a day where I have to go to uni. Here are some photos, I don't have the names at hand but I have taken pictures of their tags, I you're...

I don't own one but I do believe the Encyclia/Prosthechea Lancifolia has an amazing fragrance. I was going to get the Max. Rufescens but I've decided on getting the Max. Tenuifolia which smells of coconut. I'll wait till after next week before placing an order as there will be an orchid show in...

Hi all, Its been a while since I've been online due to uni. I've not got any pictures but I should have some coming up this week. My Coelogyne Cristata and Dendrobium Kingianum from Darrel has started to produce a new growth which I'm very looking forward to. The rescue Cattleya is also...

Hi, Like LondonDragon, I like my snails in my tank. If you want Assassin snails solely for reducing the numbers of snails then I wouldn't bother with them. Not because they can't necessarily do the job, but you can do better. Firstly don't over feed, snails are scavengers so they will eat...

That is really nice, the sundew should do very well in a setup like this. I too have a drosera capensis which I place in a takeaway box with water up to at least half of the pot all year round. This means that I did not have to water the plant a part from topping up the tub, so a setup like this...

I agree with Darrel regarding the temperatures require by the Blue Rams are relatively high compared to the needs of your average fish. I have always kept mine in the low 80s and they have spawned plenty of times, raising the fry on the other hand was another matter. As mentioned in both the...

Hi, I watched this vid a few days ago and ' BM Aquatics' essentially followed what Mick had just commented

How big is your tank? 78W lights on for 9 hours seem to me that you are giving too much light to your tank. Even if you disregard the wattage, as far as I am aware not many people use 9 hours for their photo period, I myself use 5-6 depending on if I remember when to switch it off. I have a 30L...

I sure do love Riccia! It is a shame that I have left mine to dry out in a jar last year, had a decent amount going too. Shrimps and fry would love the stuff.

Stunning shot! I've always wondered why they call tylos as rabbit snails, it still baffles me how much they resemble elephants.

Hi Clive, I too do this for emersed growth that introduce in my tank, but from that comment do you imply that this method will also be affect for plants that were previously grown in a high tech which will be planted in a low tech environment?

Troi do you have an update on this? Would love to see the tank's progress.

Sorry about your loss tim.

Lovely vid Tom, now you need to do an Attenborough commentary :).

I think it will be hard, some of the reasons why we remove the water is due to the waste of the fish, waste chemicals that plants release and excess nutrients after a week of EI dosage for example. Therefore, it is counter productive to reuse the water in the aquarium, even if you have the means...

I think they usually hang around around the bottom due to the build up of debris where they will likely feed. You can siphon some up during water changes or try to catch some using a turkey baster.

Nice culture, looks like cyclopes to me.

I stand corrected.

My tanks are low tech so a part from their weekly water changes I rarely put my hands in the water. I don't have a timer too and I am rather lazy so sometimes the tank is not even lit for half of the week! Good thing is that it keeps the algae under control and every time I open the lights I...

To be honest I'd stay away from force feeding even if it is a desperate measure to get him to eat. For one you can cause internal damage very easily from force feeding therefore doing more harm than good. Secondly, the handling of fish can potentially do damage to the slime coat which is a...

I don't know when you have taken this picture but from a quick glimpse right now I can see 4 shrimps, 3 shrimps down in the left corner (Red Rili, Orange Rili, Amano or glass shrimp), another shrimp just below the tail of the Neon furthest to the right.

Yes but as long as you don't overfeed, their population remains manageable.

Tylo Snails are really nice. However, they will require hard water and high ph or else their shells will degrade quite easily compared to your average snails. There were also reports that some tylos will readily go after plants, there are some conflicting observations regarding this though. A...

Well I wouldn't refrain from watering totally but I'd suggest maybe water it once a week or two, I don't have a lot of experience with this plant as I have not had it for a long time from Darrel. You want to observe the canes and if they start to shrivel then give it a light watering. In my...

Hi everyone, One really good plant that will work is Spiranthes Odorata which is a orchid. The rosette stays small but it produces a long flower spike with white fragrant flowers. I am curruntly trying to get one to adapt from submerged growth to emersed and have just noticed one new leaf...

I really like the brown/reds that the crypts bring to this setup. Keep it up!

I do like setups where people have tied their orchids on barks and woods, it makes watering so easy, the only problem is when I go away on holiday. I've seen people use spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides in their hanging orchid setups with Vandas, it makes quite nice looking display since the...

2-3 watts per gallon is really too much. Light can be the equivalent of the accelerator of a car, the higher the light the fast the plants' metabolism will become. This means that you will have to provide enough fuel to ensure your plants can keep up with its metabolism, the fuel will be in the...

55 watt is honestly too high for a 20 gallon, even in high tech setups I have not see people with that much amount of light, you really have to be spot on with your CO2 and flow or else you are asking for trouble with open arms.

I think instead of classing aquarium plants as low lights - high light plants wen ought to class them as plants which require low to high CO2 concentrations. Most aquarium plants are also semi terrestrial/bog plants so they will receive and probably need high concentration of CO2 in our aquarium...

Do you give the Dendrobium Kingianum a winter rest? As in water less frequently in a cooler room? I often hear that helps with flowering as over watering during the winter months can cause keikis to form instead of flowers. The keikis on the pseudobulbs shouldn't present any problems unless the...

Indeed you have Darrel. Those D. x delicatum canes are very very long, I'd say they are around the same height as my Dendrobium Nobile Hybrids.

Can you identify the algae? Here is a good identification guide and methods of removal http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/algae.htm

Hi, The lighting in your aquarium is over kill for the size of your tank, you will have the lower the amount of light your tank is receiving. I have a 22 gal with 24 watts and no visible algae (although spores will always be there). Ways in which you can lower the lights include using floating...

Nice progress for the Paros! Hopefully the Channoides will recover!

Live foods are usually great with triggering a fussy fish's appetite, I've seen white worms used with success although they can be fatty for the fish in excess. Red Wrigglers are the worms that most fish will readily eat. However, Night crawlers are the ones that secret chemicals which smells...

Tim is right, the lighting is overkill. My 30L shrimp tank uses a 14w tube and on top of that it is covered with a blanket of duckweed, it is also on for 6 hours a day. I did experience some algae even with this as my duckweed had died off at some point but now they made a great recovery and the...

Nice work, this looks really promising. :thumbup:

You could stretch out the bag as much as possible (without showing the stress marks) then tape it tightly to the sides of the tank. The tension shouldn't allow the middle of the liner to dip into the water.

You should be fine even without a biotope, Apistos are hardy fish.

Great news on the fry Troi! It is probably wise to move the male as the female should still have some time before she loses interest in guarding the fry so the male will likely get bullied a bit more especially when she takes the fry on foraging tour. Sometimes males will help in guarding duty...

I'm sure many have come across this thread already, but I have to post it on here as I believe 'Tom's Poco-Pozo' to be an Apisto sanctuary, the wood he used in his scape should provide more than enough nooks and crannies for Apisto spawning sites and the plants around it would make a great...

Hi Wisey, Coconut caves are very ideal for caves, you can use java moss or any other moss for that matter to cover the appearance of the coconut to give it more of a natural look should you wish. It will also serve as a spot for fry to feed. Stone caves can be used but if you intend to have...

I doubt you have done something wrong, it's likely that the wood had some spores prior to being added into the tank.The moisture from the aquarium would have likely created a nice environment on the top of the driftwood for the spore to develop into mushrooms. Manual removal and a spray of...

My best tip? Find plants and setups that suits your need and experience. Right now my life style does not suit a high tech setup due to cash and uni, I simply don't have the time to manage a high tech tank. If I was to choose to go down that route I am sure that I will fail. On the other hand, a...

Wow I'd love to get my self a Fissidens carpet, that looks stunning.

Hi, The wisteria in your pictures have been grown emersed so the leaves will die back and submerged versions will appear. EI should provide enough nutrients for plants, nutrient deficiencies could therefore mean a poor distribution of the salts in your tank. If there are poor distributions of...

I never siphoned my moss in the setup above but I do that currently and I do believe it helps has my shrimp numbers have fell. I also never put ferts in my tank up until recently too and I do not believe it is needed in my setup above.

Those are really lovely displaces of what mosses can achieve. I think in order to get them to looking so compact is to choose the right mosses coupled with heavy trimming to encourage more lateral growth before allow them to grow upwards. Mosses like java moss can grow compact by trimming but I...

Hi everyone, I've had very good experience of moss a few years back. My very first attempt had fail and I had put it down to tying the moss too loosely. So when I tried again like a month later, only tying the moss loosely, it worked much better! It eventually turned into this (I started with...

I know I said it before but I really love the hardscape in this tank. Is that algae on the slates? If so I really love the aged look that it gives, don't get rid of it. A very nice minimalistic look.

Merry Christmas everyone! I wish you and your families the very best and good health! :thumbup:

It is really light. I found it hard to plant at first but once roots grow into the soil, they will stay put. I don't think I will use the substrate on its own without the soil because of this reason.

You're welcome.

In terms of filtration, maybe... if you can do regular water changes, although if you have enough plants it will help. They are poo machines so ideally filtration should be used. If you can get a cheap sponge filter running, it will provide water movement and filtration. It need not cost a...

I use Tesco's light weight low dust cat litter, it caps a mixture of peat moss and pond soil. I do use a very low doseage of EI, around a pinch of salts.

Unfortunately their shells won't grow back they way it was. Hard Water will benefit their shell and stop it getting worse though. Maybe you can try some crushed coral or oyster shells to help with getting the water harder. But I image you keep softwater fish.

Cuttlefish Bones can give Calcium for the Nerites, I've often hear many people use them as a source of Calcium for Nerites.

Hi Dean, I currently have two Bucephalandras in my aquariums and they are really easy to grow. They are like a combination of Crypts and Anubias, they do well attached to rocks and wood but can apparently melt like Crypts. Buce will grow slower than Anubias.They appear to grow fast submerged...

Hi all, The hatchet fish is a very good option as a top dwelling fish and as a differ fish. It should also be relatively fry friendly too as it likes to stay at the surface so much. http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/carnegiella-strigata/

Could you try increasing the exposure compensation little by little?

I think a couple of sparkling gouramis may look nice in there rather than a Betta. They would look amazing when they swim in and out of the shadows. Edit: Never mind, they will dismantle shrimps.

As mentioned above, Corydoras shouldn't harm adult shrimps, they will likely eat baby shrimps but I am very doubtful that they will actively hunt down the babies, so I'm sure they won't do any noticeable damage to the population. The pygmy and Cory Habrosus should do very well with the shrimps...

No problem mate good luck with your Rams, they truly are superb fish.

Hi David, Normal rams can be found in waters with very low ph as low as 5 and very soft waters. What I found when I kept them was that the temperature of the tank should be quite high. I kept them in the low 80s degree f with a ph of around 6.6-6.8, not idea what my hardness was. Sand is also...

You can boil it or chuck the courgette in after chopping it. Boiling it would mean you can't leave it in the tank as long as you could without boiling though. I'm inclined to go for courgette rather than cucumber due to more nutrients.

Otos can be picky eaters, the only visable algae that I see them take on are diatoms, they pretty much as far as I could see leave the other types of algae alone. Mine would readily have courgettes though. Most of the time, you just have to constantly put the vege in until they take 'em. I have...

I don't believe that there are any differences regarding the use of different types of soil. However, I did read something about the need to acclimate terrestrial soil to submerged through soaking the soil for a period of time. I forgot the scientific reason for it so Darrel or Clive maybe able...

Nice idea tim! I don't know where you have kept the emersed cultures previously, but aside from the drop in temperature, the drop in the photo period also plays a role. I have certainly noticed that while my photo period for my low tech tanks remain the same throughout the year, the reduced...

Sweet looking flowers tim! As long as the plant is still alive there will always be flowers somewhere along the line. :) I recently rescued a Cattleya orchid, I have no idea what kind of flowers they have, only that it is a unifoliate Cattleya so I can't wait to see it bloom. Unfortunately, as...

Sand won't be a problem as you will have the EI to provide nutrients. Just pick any substrate you like, it will do fine.

Thank you Ed! :thumbup:

This is a really nice scape Mr. Teapot, it has a calm and soothing feel to it.

The possibilities would be endless if this comes true... :woot:

Nice photos as always Alex. I love the C. Hummel, I was actually going to get some a few years ago, but by the time I got a plan of the setup etc they were not put up for sale anymore, I do believe I was going to get them from one of our forum sponsers.

I want to cry at the thought of spending so much on ferts and substrates. These products won't necessarily help you to make world class scapes just because they are branded. Look at Tom Barr's 120 Gallon, his scape and plant health amazes me and he uses EI, CO2 etc His aquarium gives me a very...

Hmm I do want a new set of Watercolours for Christmas. That is about all I can think of... Is it just me or do I just want less and less as I age?