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RIP Takashi, the greatest creative influence in my life

Reckon this will work really well for you. Here's a link to my little journal on retrofitting cree leds into hood: http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-move-from-t5-to-led.33917/#post-389229 would be confident to do it again but reckon those cree xbd floodlights linked above would be just as...

Here are some of the build photos, it's worked out really well. A thing I'm really pleased about is that the lights don't emit as much heat down on the surface of the water so I can maintain 25 degree temps year round which was a major problem in past years.

doh, linked to wrong ones... check these instead: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality-18W-6-CREE-LED-Work-Lamp-Flood-Light-DC-9-30V-Pure-White-Square-New-/181273768982?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a34c23416

these will be excellent: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1550LM-Mini-6-Inch-18W-6-x-3W-CREE-LED-Light-Bar-as-Worklight-Spot-Flood-Light-/271609462930

this reads like spam!

I did a cree xbd led fixture this summer: http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/diy-move-from-t5-to-led.33917/#post-363110 star board mounted cree leds / driver etc are pretty cheap to be honest, and that's even for a consumer buying not in quantity. All said the mini floodlights above would do a...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality-18W-6-CREE-LED-Work-Lamp-Flood-Light-DC-9-30V-Pure-White-Square-New-/181273768982 these are equivalent to tmc 600 (6 cree xbd 6500k) amazing value, power and "natural day" light.

have a look at this cree option: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Quality-18W-6-CREE-LED-Work-Lamp-Flood-Light-DC-9-30V-Pure-White-Square-New-/181273768982 (tmc grobeams have 5 or 6 of these very same emitters) so this will be very similar in performance. I have a diy cree LED fitting using these...

LEDs arrived super quick from Germany, ordered last tuesday and arrived friday! wired up all 20 cree xbds into 2 parallel series set onto aluminium heatsink (soldering pretty ropey but all tight and fixed), mounted the heat sink onto part of old hood. switched on and bingo 20 bright leds...

cheers, I've done lots of reading up, but if it's anything like the airfix kits I used to do it'll get messy pretty quick.

Having been inspired by the light in this natural pool: and in need of a summer project, I've used this tutorial to build my understanding on DIY LED lights: After a couple of days procrastinating over where to buy I went with...

This video takes homemade fish food to another level! It's quite long winded, and weirdly edited, but the detail and insight is awesome. I'll certainly be incorporating the ideas into my next batch...

in conclusion then: add nitrate if you feel / see the need to but keep up with the water changes:clap:

nitrifying / denitrifiying bacteria co exist in symbiotic biofilms, as the nitrifying bacteria use up the available oxygen, the anaerobic conditions exist for nitrate to be the next available electron acceptor. This happens all over the aquarium where bacteria can form biofilms. Diana Walstad's...

Hi Darrel What are your thoughts on nitrates in water column being converted to nitrites in a concentration that could be detrimental to fauna either through transition through denitrification, incomplete denitrification, incomplete DAP or bacterial respiration of nitrate? My thinking being...

I'm putting forward a set of plausible statements that may have led to the behaviour I observed in my fish, nothing more nothing less. It is an opinion, as are basically most of the statements you make in the above post such as How many of these claims are backed by scientific fact that...

exactly my point...even if you have maximum growth and uptake, bacteria are also always going to take advantage of any additional nitrate that's floating around. One way is the process that leads to denitrification and eventual loss of nitrogen as N2, another is down a different path like...

... I'm merely suggesting that the three ways that nitrates can be converted by bacteria to nitrites could result in an accumulation of nitrites in some aquariums. Diana Walstad references research that suggests that bacterial utilisation of nitrates leading to end point of nitrite could be...

no one's blaming nitrate or banging on about nitrate toxicity. going easy on dosing and I've not seen the behaviour that is described in this article. http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm

copper harlequins go mad for the recipe i posted too, I'd love to try on discus too

Hi, I'm pretty sure that higher concentrations of nitrate (beyond what is required for healthy plant growth) can result in some being utilised by bacteria in processes that lead to nitrites at levels significant enough to effect fish physiology. I'm happy with the idea that nitrates alone are...

really useful thanks, I've positioned intake near the top

Hi, Liking more and more the concept of keeping the filter purely working on biological, limiting input to ammonia and oxygen, in keeping with this wonder what your thoughts are on positioning the filter intake tube towards the top of the tank to prevent sucking up detritus / more oxygen?

hi don't really think it's about "expectation" as such, there are just different solutions to the different challenges each individual faces. The most important thing is to go the way you feel is right and suits you. There are as many "low tech" approaches as there are "hi-tech", worse thing...

when plants use carbonates the leaves usually get heavy with precipitated calcium carbonate = pretty ugly look. The process by which this happens is called biogenic decalcification

Hi haven't needed to, everything gets eaten. did you blend your mix in a food processor?

I'm completely paranoid about any live food, even stuff I've cultured in back garden. Last summer I introduced an internal parasite through either daphnia (starter was a bag from MA)/ mosquito larvae / earthworm or blood worm. It took out diamond tetras and neon tetras one at a time. Since then...

heavy clay / loam top soil free from mother nature. Save your money for quality hardware!

Because they were dry and v buoyant I found that giving them a bit of a boil helped sink them quickly and so could be "scaped" a bit. Was also thinking that given they were evergreen (once) they may be a bit toxic so figured a quick boil might dilute them a bit.

if your looking for a source of fallen leaves for aquarium during summer I added some dead "holm oak" leaves at the weekend, it's an evergreen oak that sheds dead leaves in summer, they kick off loads of tannins and look great because they are smaller than beach and standard oak. I gave them a...

could be too much flow / stirring of the substrate keeping mulm suspended, rather than settling down?

loved the videos, the second guy manufactured a beast of a unit. the "fake vs real" was a duff experiment from the start

bba attacks weak plants, ie plants that are not getting the nutrients to metabolise luxury chemicals to stave off attack (a bit like us getting a cold when our immune system takes a dip due to poor diet). Trim off the affected leaves, ensure adequate levels of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous...

first thing would be a good ol check of the co2 levels reaching that plant...are you sure it's good?

Do they have to be more impressive? Did they ever say they were guaranteed to be more impressive than what is clearly a flag ship aquatic specialist in the heart of london? Clearly you visited them in a bit of limbo moment. I'd rather hear what a local would have to say I've never visited but...

water change, then next day or so a filter check

superb, easily up there with the best of them:clap: oozes vitality and freshness.

epic, loving your work...I'm pausing after 3 mins as that is my attention span this morning, but this is excellent, would have been awesome to watch in biology class Plus great to see Steven Merchant has a geek side

I tend to find too little nutrition you get algae (often attacking the plants), too much nutrition you get algae and healthy plants (not attached to plants), just the type is different. I've tried the excess approach and the limitation approach and both reveal problems that I don't get when I...

if you keep the water on the acidic side of neutral pH they can't form their carbonate shells...this definitely keeps the population in check

How are sales of the units going Viktor? Is it gaining in acceptance / curiosity / trend?

Anyone else noticed the general shift from BBA to hair algae type forum threads? I'm thinking there is a seasonal link probably related to longer daylight hours / exposure to sunlight causing photoreduction of iron?? Or maybe this is just the time of year for it's natrual triggers??

same with the bolbitis? the leaf form is different to mine though this could simply be to do with water parameters...the plants look so lush. My biggest question is the ADA model is about low water column dosing and packing the substrate, but most of Amano's tanks rely heavily on epiphytes...

hi there, this has to be the best video of the sumida gallery as the scapes are maturing into perfection. check out those rainbows in the fantasy lilly tank...pure art

I had an issue with cladophora a couple of months ago, i think i'd gone a bit nitrate deficient (clado is very efficient at low nitrate levels compared to some plants). An increase in nitrate led to it disappearing

really nice, and great natural light effect. I've filmed my bleeding hearts doing their thang, not uploaded video yet, what's the best way...you say flikr was a waste of money?

yep I thing there's general state of confusion, but it looks good!

i've been slowly building a mixed community of red fish: ember tetras, ruby tetras, red phantoms and espei. they all get together and shoal which i never thought they'd do but looks awesome. Do any of you have different species that shoal together?

yep as far as I've seen. yep, just a little black streak that could be mistaken for a digestive tract kind of thing

Mr desirable has a black smudge on his underbelly

This is a great little recipe for an all in one solution www.theplantedtank.co.uk/allinone.htm. The key is to add enough weak acid to keep the solution at or below pH 6, the low pH means that the iron stays chelated and not free to bind with the phosphate. (I use citric acid from the asian...

Hi Tom What do you reckon it is about kH that seems to trip up some plants? cheers

Well done on sharing this tank and your cultivation tips so gladly:clap:. It's kind of a "best of show" in the collectoritis category (Alan's tank comes a close second!). This tank appeals to anyone who loves seeing the variety of colours and forms that aquatic plants take and seeing them grow...

never seen them, they look amazing

awesome link thanks for sharing, amazing

there are entirely possible bacterial metabolic processes that can reduce nitrate to ammonium

My only concern would be whether the step up in nitrates are finding their way not to the plants but down one of the metabolic pathways that lead to ammonia, such as partial denitrification...entirely possible

turn CO2 up..fish die....turn it down...fish don't die...have you thought about using the low range pH test kit? (the high range stops at 7.4) yeesh makes me wonder if CO2 injection needs a permit from the fish shop.

I've never used drop checker or bubble counter... I use pH profile relative to degassed pH. Pearling plants and fish distress are then the two markers to look for, again this is all done on a day when you can monitor the injection. Fundamentally don't let bps / dropchecker override your...

I trialled it for a about 6 weeks, no benefit really. Massive downside is you cane the CO2. Now I just inject for about 5 hours in the morning, mainly before lights on and limited surface agitation results in about the same thing

smashing and beautiful vibrant colours on the rainbows, well done!

No, they definitely do...you've got to make sure you get the right type...Sanj has a good thread on them. Now I wouldn't say they went about clearing the tank as if they were paid employees but they do get stuck in...

I remember seeing that on that nature aquarium documentary and can't believe its not been snapped up by tropica!

I've never used drop checkers but pretty sure if it's calibrated correctly and you have lime green then you've got yourself enough CO2.

You need to ensure the CO2 is optimum too. What is the kH first? Then measure the pH before injection, and at regular intervals. You can create a graph like this This will give you an idea how much CO2 is being added to the tank.

...snap, crackle n pop! to be honest I'd love to drop one into my tank just for the mysterious mist, I could do a Kinder Scout scape

Hi Just to be clear you can degass your aquarium water and it will be 7.3? So the drop to pH 3.9 is purely CO2 related? This is weird...the pH of carbonic acid at normal atmospheric pressures is about 5.7, Only under high pressure like in a soda bottle can the pH fall lower due to CO2...it's...

fair play, if you don't have livestock in there the first and easiest thing would be to crank up the CO2 and see...then up the photoperiod...or do both at the same time, all that might happen is the plants start growing!:thumbup:

I think I managed to do it all in the same post! :lol:

wait...is EI working here or not? This should be a classic EI success story: lowish light, high CO2, maxed out ferts...

...I know what they'll say. I also know that although you can grow in sand it's not the best media for planting. You're making life hard on yourself by using sand along with the soft water. Would you plant a houseplant in sand or soil? same with aquatic plants, soils and clays hold onto...

this is just me...and we're all entitled to our own opinions...but I'd go way easier on the KH2PO4, say just 1/4 teaspoon max split over the week. Get Magnesium Nitrate and Calcium Nitrate and aim for 5ppm - 10ppm Nitrate, more calcium, less magnesium and less potassium. The trace I'd scale...

Hi Cheers for letting me know how the new growth looks. Sounds like a calcium deficiency, not light related. My water is moderately hard and has about 80ppm calcium, 4ppm magnesium and 2ppm potassium. So I'm not used to remineralising soft / RO water so cannot comment on a successful...

Then if it's not the CO2 and it's not the Ferts...then it's the lights....

...sit back and enjoy...so I'm guessing you are happy with the twinstar? well done

...maybe it's time to take the other pill, and go back to what you were doing. Diatom algae is usually an initial stages thing, some substrates seem to increase the chances of getting it, but I wouldn't be worried so long as plant growth is good, and you have an algae crew. The main downer...

hmm looks like an exponential fall in pH and then a natural logarithmic climb in pH...where's the geek symbol?

That looks about perfect well done! Another thing to note is that any change in pH caused by plant uptake of CO2 seems to be minimal to non existent compared to the gas in / off equilibrium...ie it still plateaus no matter what the level of photosynthesis...

Living Waters in Croydon are hard to beat on price, have the fingers totally on the pulse with new varieties (often sticking sample stems in with your order), call on the widest range of distributors and make it a personal mission to get you plants you cannot get anywhere else in the UK, still...

This sounds like a quote from a film about the future, but it's happening now!

expanded clay pellets like the type used in hydroponic systems are awesome, and almost identical to Eheim subtrat pro. I use Canna Humidity Level for Plants controlled with CANNA Aqua Clay Pebbles | CANNA UK, as they are hard wearing but hortaag is also good. Alfagrog is a similar, cheap and...

Usually fish acclimatise pretty quick so long as they are given a no CO2 start point...when fish are consistently struggling when other fish are fine can indicate that the fish are affected by parasites in their gills, the fact that you say the fish are a bit weedy could again indicate they have...

yep something like that! guess the issue is: who's gonna print it

...I've never seen one...down my way I reckon it could help recruit new members

Crossed my mind it would be cool to have some flyers for UKAPS at MA, local fish stores etc...next to the plants. Something like "love planted aquariums? You're not alone! contribute and learn with UKAPS," etc, it could have 5 myths busted etc...and 5 steps to success, shopkeepers could put a...

...yep, by matching gas in and gas off you reach a constant level. Higher rate + surface agitation is one way, particularly if you want to drive the gas off at night. What I do though is low surface agitation / much lower rate (start a couple of hours before lights on) with no gassing off at...

This is the best thread I've read on ph profiles: Tom Barr and others put forward some nice profiles and how to achieve them. The emphasis is on establishing a nice equilibrium ph profile / dissolved CO2 conc throughout the light period: CO2/pH level in planted tank | Page 2 | UK Aquatic Plant...

this last month or so my fontinalis has bounced back from nowhere...I think it definitely prefers the cooler water temps that winter allows, it was dormant for over 6 months and now beginning to look lovely again...anyone else seen this with this moss?

Hi Clive, then how did plants evolve to rise above a blanket of algae? Areas that plants have invested a lot of time getting good at is storing energy, alternative photosynthetic highways, and potentially (or as a byproduct) generating allelopathic chemicals. They are less boom and bust...

but then again: "Pyrenoids are highly plastic structures and the degree of Rubisco packaging correlates with the state of induction of the CCM. In Chlamydomonas, when the CCM is repressed, for example when cells are maintained in a CO2-rich environment, the pyrenoid is small and the matrix is...

hmm, seems algae solved the problem of oxygenated water with this Pyrenoid | CAPP

Reading this from Darrel's link, I wonder whether algae is less capable of preventing RuBisCo attaching to oxygen?:pompus: So in an oxygen enriched environment primitive algae species actually lose energy whereas higher plants can cope....maybe this is why we see methods that serve to enrich the...

clever, think I'll be doing that

those magnet cleaners are a nightmare...my experience with them is avoid, even if they do seem convenient, sooner or later something will get caught up in them and wham a big ol scratch glittering away at you:facepalm:. I use a fresh stanley / razor blade and keep it specially for the glass...

super lush slice of nature, can imagine you could watch the comings and goings of the inhabitants for hours! definitely a fave

I meant flow of the wood grain etc, rather than concerns over the 10X rule :thumbup: but I guess it's always good to mix design with practicality. I've just switched to an outflow pipe rather than spray bar it punches further into the scape

They are epic to watch when they get stuck into a bit of BBA, they really have a good tug at it, the little beauties! I find myself watching them all the time...what they gonna do next? compulsive viewing for someone as easily pleased as me

awesome hardscape, packed with tension, and that's definitely down to your placement skills, nice one! How are you going to keep the flow when planted? what ideas for plants have you got?

Iain's comments make perfect sense, you cannot simply name it low tech and therefore it is. 2 54w T5 is quite a high energy light source for a low light plant like microsorum, even more if you put in in full light. This equates to a need for CO2 or a drop in lighting. Do you use tap water...