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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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

had this plant for ages but don't know what it is....leaves are about 1" long and the plant is approaching 2 foot tall.

New tank has been up and running for 3 weeks now and to say im pleased is an understatement. Specs are as follows 57" x 24" (h) x 19" (w) custom made tank to fit in alcove 6 x 48", 36w T8 tubes (grolux, powerglo, floraglo, triplus and 2 skywhite 6500k tubes) 2" potting compost and 2" playpit...

I currently run my CO2 via the Hagen "ladder". It seems ok but i can't help feeling that i should be looking for more dissolved CO2. What is your preferred methods ?....i was looking at the pollen glass diffusres on ebay or even goung for some sort of inline reactor. Im on a budget so need...

Does anyone know of anywhere i can get fairly cheap T5 control units from ?....i can't see them on lampspecs and i was wondering if you can get them from B&Q or somewhere online so i don't have to pay extortionate LFS prices. Thanks in advance Andy

Hi, I have just set up my new tank which measures 57" x 24" (h) x 19" (w). I have moved my old lights from the smaller tank across (3 x 42" triplus) but they're no way good enough. So i plan to upgrade to 6 x 48" T8 tubes and was wondering what are the best tubes out there for plant...

I have a lovely group of Limnophila aromatica (pictured below) in my 50 gal. Lovely and green with pink under the leaves, it really looks great. But it will soon be touching the water surface and i will need to prune it back. How do you recommend i do it ?....should it be cut hard back to...

Just bought a lovely BGKF for my planted tank. 3" long at the moment.....i've never kept one before in 35 years of fishkeeping. I asked the right questions in the lfs and got favourable answers. Anyone kept them before ? Ta muchly Andy

Hi, i bought a 2KG CO2 fire extinguisher a few weeks ago. I haven't set it up yet as my present 500g unit was still working and chucking out bubbles. However, it run out last night so time to get the FE cranked up along with my new solenoid. I dismantled the 500g until and went to get the FE...

http://www.ebulbshop.com/acatalog/Energ ... _watt.html I tried some of the 18w bulbs a few years ago on a smaller tank but didn't have the tank long enough to see any successes or failures. Any comments on them ? Andy

Please bear with me whilst i try to explain this. Let's say i have a 100 gallon tank. 4 x 2 x 2. Im looking to get 2.5 wpg so need 250w of lighting. The lighting i have looked at is the T5 power compact 55w. It's 21" long per tube. Now this will mean having approx 4 tubes.....2 one side...

Im looking for a stem plant that has the following attributes. Max height 8-12" (no taller !!!) nice and bushy preferably green but don't mind pink/red Can be planted in clumps it will be grown in 2.5wpg and pressurised CO2. All the other plants are thriving !!! Any suggestions ? Thanks Andy

Anyone used coal as aquarium decor ? ...i read years ago that it is safe to use and makes a superb display. Discuss :)

I would love to grow Rotala Macranda but every time ive tried it, it just melts on me. Cambomba would be a similar plant but i fond that just burns itself out. Any secret to their success ? Not tried them in my present tank but i have 3wpg (3 x T8 triplus tubes) plus good CO2 injection. All...

Posted for a friend. is this H.C. Cuba ? How would you trim it up and are the cuttings any use (i have first dibs on them !!!! :D )

Can anyone rell me what the reg guages stand for ? One of mine goes up to 250 but the hand is permenantly on 0, the other goes up to 3 and is currently between the 1 and 2....although this is slightly higher when the CO2 valve is off. Are any of these an indicator of how full/empty the bottle...

I have two tropical Nymphaea sp.....similar to the lotus but completely red in colour. How should one treat them ? They both look awesome, big underwater leaves (ive pinched out the surface leaves) but do they die down like our native lilies or will they just stay as they are ? Any help...

In my quest for the perfect community of fish, i'd like to go for the following in my impending new tank ( 57" x 22" x 24") Largish shoal Cardinals (50 +) Largish shoal of Rummynoses (up to 50) Silver Hatchets. The theory behind the selection is..... Rummys are fast shoaling fish which swim...

Not sure where to post this....have any of you guys had any experience keeping an aro. It's always been my dream to keep one and now, there's a good chance it might happen. My lfs has a 3" long Pearl Aro. Ive googled it and it says they are one of the smaller Aussie species but can be very...

This may seem a bit silly but, is the part of the reg that connects to the CO2 bottle supposed to have a flat washer on it ? Might be able to get pics later Thanks Andy

Hi I bought a second hand reg a few weeks ago and last week, i hooked it up to a new, 500g CO2 bottle. I set the bubble rate at 1bps using the ladder i had from my DIY kit. I turned the CO2 off manually at night and on again at about 3.30pm so it was on for about 7 ish hours. The bottle...

Ive had big problems with algea of all descriptions (including BGA) since i set my tank up. But because this is really only a temporary set up until we have an alcove knocked into the tank, i probably haven't given the tank and plants the attention i should've. I blacked the tank out for 3...

I set my CO2 up yesterday on a temporary basis using one of those ladder jobbies that usually come with the "make your own" CO2 sets. I was going to get one of the glass diffusers...Rhinox 2000 but this ladder system looks quite efficient. The bubbles travel up the ladder and by the time they...

Currently planning my 300 l planted tank....it will be approx 48 x 24 x 22. I was thinking about going along the sump route...ive had sumps in the past with reef aquariums and i've onlt ever found positives from them apart from the initial installation. Does anyone run one on here ?...i...

Have a releitvely new 48 x 18 x 15 planted tank and i have the dreaded slime algea. The probable cause is that im only running an interpet 4 internal filter so the water flow and circulation is not good. However, with some of the flow rates that have been suggested, it's going to look like...

I have some sagittaria growing really well in my tank....it's about 2" tall and spreads by underground runners. I thought this was Sag natans. However, i have recently bought some more of this and it is 12" tall...more like Vallis than Sag. Have i got the right species as i'd really like the...

Would adding say 40-50 litres of rainwater to my 200L planted tank do any harm in order to make the water softer. We live in the middle of the south downs in Sussex and the water is filtered through chalk so is fairly hard. The collected rainwater is pretty pure as there's very little in the...

I was given my 48 x 15 x 18 tank a few months ago and i literally threw everything in. It hasn't been too bad but it's far too disorganised for me so hopefully this week, i will get my plants from plants alive and completely change the lot. The huge Amazon sword was tiny when i put it in a few...

I currently have 3 x 40w (ish), 42" T8 tubes. An old white tube, an old normal tropical tube and a new Triplus tube. The two "old" white and tropical tubes will be replaced this weekend. Any suggestions what types to add. I'm tempted to just add 2 more triplus tubes, giving me 3 triplus in...

Would you say the above filter was a bit overkill for a 200l heavily planted tank ?....I've not bought the filter yet so could go for a smaller model if needed. Over to the experts many thanks in advance Andy

200 L tank (48 x 18 x 15). 3 x 40w tubes, will have a coarse sand substrate with aquatic soil (or JI 2) underneath, tap water with slightly alkaline pH (7.5 ish), tetra CO2 (2 units of the tetra CO2 in a can but will be upgraded to CO2 injection). I am revamping my aquarium and i am currently...

Any ideas on how to stop bogwood and it's reletives from releasing tannins. I know some people like the blackwater look or use carbon to remove it from the water column, but i'd like to know if it's possible to stop it being released in the first place without soaking it for donkey's years...

I was in one of my lfs the other day and they've changed their MH's to a pair of florasets (not sure if they're made by Wotan). These were new units and were inter-switchable between 80w and 125w. The lfs owner said he's had better results with these over his plant display than MH's...no...

Hi, I have a small 14" (L) x 10" (W) x 14" (H) tank ready to be set up as a small planted nano. I think it holds about 5-6 gallons. It has built in lighting...one of those 11w double T5 type jobbies. But this would give me almost 2wpg which is average. Trouble is, the tank doesn't look...

I have a few plant cuttings that i've put into pots. They've gone into a small bare aquarium which has no heating. The water temp is around 10-15 deg C as the tank is in the conservatory. How long will the plants survive in those conditions ?. They have plenty of light but no heat and only...

With my rapidly growing plants, i want to take cuttings of the bits i usually throw away, especially some of the nicer species. I have some sagittaria nantans (the little one that spreads like mad by runners), some Hygrophylla polysperma 'rosanervig', plenty of Rotala indica, lots of...

How important are nutrient rich substrates in a high tech planted tank ? I'f i was growing mainly stem plants with a few smaller crypts (no swords or aponogetons), and daily dosing ferts either as a complete feed or using the EI, could i do away with having stuff like eco-complete and just have...

Are these ok in a planted tank ?...someone has just mentioned that they can decimate plants but it's the first i've heard of it. Rgds Andy

Is this too good to be true.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8x39W-T5-Lighting ... dZViewItem Any comments ? Andy

Again, taking inspiration from James' 200 L tank where he used some rocks from AE to create a retaining wall so to speak, i was wondering if any materials have been used other than those rocks eg would slate look right if i got some thick lumps and cut it to size etc (size needs to be various...

Would it be possible to grow...and then maintain over a long period, glossostigma in approx 1-2cm depth of eco complete ? I plan to have quite a bit of glosso in my new tank and thought it would look good if it was in shallow substrate...and of course it would save a fortune. Thanks in advance...

I was very inspired by James 800 ltr tank in the below link. I'm not usually into the AGA effect type stuff but this tank really nice and would like to do my new tank on a similar theme. The new tank will be roughly 48 x 16 (w) x 24" (h), have pressurise CO2 and 3wpg lighting...

Anyone else feeding their ponds in the cold snap. I haven't fed all week but today, my koi were like piranhas !!!! I'm a firm believer of feeding when the fish want it....and if that means feeding in low temps, then so be it.

I will be having a bit of building work done in my house in the new year which will include a "hole in wall" fish tank. I have room for a 48 x 22(w) x 28(h) planted tank. Plans are to have a sump which would include an area for biological filteration, mechanical filteration and chemical...

For some reason, since yesterday, i have to log in to UKAPS every time i vist the site despite checking the box "log me in each time i visit" Any suggestions ? (in easy to understand thickton talk !!! :lol: ) Andy

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CO2-Regulator-Ele ... dZViewItem Has anyone purchased one of these ? It will be used to go onto a fire extinguisher so i need to know whether the reg is compatible with the FE and whether the reg is generally worth the money ? Many thanks Andy

I have....sorry had, a gorgeous clump of HZ...growing really nicely and a major focal point in my tank. But in the last week, it has gone black and melted away....almost like a tender terrestrial plant goes when it gets frosted. This has coincided with me using Tetra Easy Balance. It is...

Last week, i got a

I have two "brand new" still in boxes, full CO2 FE's but i can't find the "best before" date (for want of a better term). These should have a 10 year life apparently and no one will touch them unless they are "in date". But i can't find a "date" anywhere on them....where should i be looking ...

30 x 15 x 12 tank 3 x 18 w, 24" triplus T8 tubes 1.5" tetra complete substrate with 1.5" black sand on top Interpet 3 internal filter (set to low) 25% RO water and 75% tap water....78 F Manual CO2 although this will go pressurised this week. This is the glosso growth after 2 days !!!

Do you know if you can buy the glass diffusers in shops or are they only available on ebay ? If anyone knows any shops in east sussex that sells them or i have to go to Rochester in Kent tomorrow if there's any along the way. TIA Andy

I have the possibility of a 48 x 22 (w) x 28 (h) "in the wall" tank when we have some building work done at home after christmeas. The set up will be for a planted tank and will also include a sump (ex-salty here and you never know when you might go back) But i was wondering about running the...

Tank will be... 30x15x12 very bright lighting (2 x 35w power compacts) CO2 (pressurised) Sand/tetra complete substrate 50/50 RO/hard tap water Small ext filter temp 78 F Stocking....30-40 cardinals, a few pandas and a few shrimps I'm thinking of adding Blyxa Japonica HETERANTHERA...

As a newcomer, i thought it would be nice if people could post their planted tank details as follows. Tank size Substrate (depth and type) Lighting (watts, spectrum, WPG, type etc) CO2 Filteration Water (RO ?, rainwater ?, a mix of all ? temp ?, pH ? etc ) Undersoil heating ? Plant...

Hi all, just stumbled upon your site and it is very informative. I have 35 years trop experience, 20 years with marines and reefs and i've had ponds for as long as i can remember including my 3,000 gallon koi pond at the moment. I have a small 30 x 15 x 12" community tank that i'd really like...