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The Sera 500 uses a 16/22mm hose connection. I recently posted some information about poor quality control on the Sera unit I bought. Easily remedied and now working very well on the outflow from my 1500L/h filter.

In an effort to minimise the amount of equipment in my 100L cube, I replaced my CO2 diffusor with a Sera 500 CO2 reactor. I added this in the outlet pipework of my Eheim filter which is rated at around 450L/hour. I found that the rotors in the reactor slowed down and stopped almost immediately...

Fragments of Riccia

I've had one of these Rena tanks for a couple of years and found it very good. The Rena filter which came with it is powerful and quiet and I've had no issues with it. My tank came with two bars with T8 lights which rest on ledges under the covers - well made but not enough for the job. I sold...

Here's a short video of our Four Foot Jungle Tank taken earlier this year (Spring). Since then we have had great success with the cryptocorynes which are even more lush than in this clip. CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO OPEN UP A 1 MINUTE VIDEO CLIP OF MY TANK

I have a pressurised CO2 system and I feed daily with a PMDD solution, traces mix plus a small amount of phosphate solution. I seem to be able to grow most plants apart from any type of sword plants which my Ancistrus destroy and any Hygrophila/Ludwigia species which always grow explosively and...

As well as being a giant I think it may also qualify as one of the oldest plants I've ever kept. Although I'm sure it's been through several generations, I bought the originals from a long closed shop in Bradford in about 1990 or 1991. John

Pics attached of the monster Crypt. The biggest leaves are bending over at the surface which I reckon makes them 65-70cm long.

How big does Cryptocoryne wendtii get? I have several plants which I bought as this species which seem far larger than I expected. They look just like in the pictures but the largest just touches the surface of my 60cm deep tank. The actual leaf is 20-25cm long and 4-5cm wide on a 30-35cm...

Anyone had any experience with ordering CO2 from this firm? They come up on internet searches for cheap disposable bottles but I've had a disappointing time with them. Paid for a bottle two weeks ago and I haven't received it. Can't raise them on the 'phone and they won't respond to email...

Many thanks for the advice - this is what I suspected. Guess I'll be selling two full welding gas bottles and having to buy the very expensive Dennerle replacments.

I have an oldish (about 10 years) Dennerle regulator and have been using their 500g disposable cylinders. I bought what appeared to be an identical cylinder from Machine Mart - however the thread diameter is the same but appears finer than on the Dennerle original and will not fit. Does anyone...

The list seems to be a real mixed bag - I can't see how some of these species can be a problem if we continue to have cold winters? Maybe they know something we don't about climate change. On the other hand some of the plants have potential to be a nightmare. I had a holiday on the Gironde in...

I've also grown red root floater (Phyllanthus fluitans) in quite dim conditions. It goes green and is much less vigorous but grows OK. Agree with Darrels comment on LImnobium - it will grow OK in low light. I have loads of both - PM me if you would like some. John

I have used WS3 and the Pets at Home own brand white spot cure (which appears similar to WS3) in planted tanks with no problems at all.

I have grown this very successfully over several years and I have never found that it attaches itself. I tie it with cotton and I have used hairnets but because it is so brittle, it ends up all over the tank. The closest I've seen to it attaching has been where it gets totally tangled with...

I've grown this for many years in all sorts of set ups - with and without CO2, higher and lower light, different ferts. Always grows well for me, but definitely best in higher light - more bushy and less distance between leaves. I'd definitely give it a go. PM me and I'll send you some next...

A useful warning - a number of pond plants have become a costly nuisance in native habitats in the UK and Europe. The problems in the US are far worse. The US Department of the Interior maintains a database of nonindigenous aquatic species in the States which contains many species which we...

I think this is common with dwarf hairgrass. When I've planted it, there seems to be a long period where it sits and sulks before new growth starts properly. I wondered if it was because it is grown emergent and takes a long time to adjust? Definitely harder to get going than a lot of other...

Looks very much like Brooklime - Veronica beccabunga. Has very attractive small blue flowers in the early summer. John

I had an outbreak of whitespot on some fish in my quarantine tank. In the past I've used Protozin but this time I found that the Pets at Home own brand is excellent. It comes in very small bottles though, so for a big tank you may need more than one bottle. Also need to be careful with dosage if...

I've just built three lighting bars for my Rena tank - each has two 39w t5 tubes. Made them from one inch square aluminium box sections cut to fit the ledges inside the tank, mounted stainless steel clips and used Hagen twin starters in the cupboard under the tank. Aluminium is cheap and very...

I've wanted to upgrade the lighting in my Rena tank for a while but not found anything on the market which will fit under the lid. The tank comes with 2 bars with 2x30W T8 tubes on each. These are OK but don't really provide enough light at the lowest levels in the tank which is 60cm deep...

Can anyone tell me how long the resting periods for the commonly available Nymphaea species will be? I'm growing N.zenkeri which is going strong after 9 months and appears to have produced new offsets. N. stellata seems to grow very vigorously for a few months and then rest for a few months. I...

I've found http://www.loaches.com very helpful. There is a little info on the site about this fish plus a photo - looks very nice. john

I've had some excellent moss with java fern on bogwood. When Green Line were still going there was often bits of the insectivorous plant Utricularia amongst stems.

I have kept and bred these fish for many years - I have found that unless they get cucumber on a daily basis they will rasp away at the leaves of some plants, leading to holes and death of leaves. New leaves on sword plants seem to be particularly vulnerable. Slice of cucumber sorts them out.

I keep this small tank ticking over all the time as a quarantine tank - I have never put new fish straight into my main tank. This has helped me to avoid disease outbreaks for many years. Since I've had heavily planted tanks quite a few fish fry have survived in my main tank, some less welcome...

I have masses of Riccia in my tank so decided to thin it out. Rather than throw it away I put it in my spare tank which is currently fishless. Looked in this morning and saw at least three small fry - growing them on to see what they are. I expect they'll be either neon rainbows or emperor...

I'd watch this bulb very carefully. If they rot completely they will make an absolutely disgusting mess. I've had the odd one go off in the past. If it still feels firm it may be OK but if it starts to go soft or if it smells bad I would get rid of it straight away Maybe best to throw away and...

In my tank the snails disappeared gradually over a few days = I never actually saw how they did it. They are constantly hunting all round the tank picking at the leaves and gravel so I guess they tackle eggs and tiny snails. I have never seen any of the loaches take any interest in other fish -...

I don't know how these loaches tackle the larger snails, their mouths seem tiny - but mine have removed all of the ones in my tanks. large and small. I don't agree that a few snails are no problem -they made a terrible mess of an expensive Aponogeton by chewing many small holes in the leaves...

Over the past few years I have grown several Nymphaea species including N. zenkeri, N. stellata and N. micrantha. All three have grown well - mostly I have removed emergent leaves to keep them in the submerged form but I have occasionally let them produce aerial leaves and the odd flower. The...

I bought a very cheap waterproof strip of blue LEDs on e-bay complete with transformer. set to come on before and after main lights. Came with some self adhesive clips which fitted very well on the main fitting of my Rena tank. I like the effect and its good for watching my Brochis which seem...

I've had similar damage to Congo tetras - they seem to spook easily and bang into the glass or jump out into the lights. I have one which has had a deformed/damaged mouth since I bought it. Feeds OK and has grown well. I think that if you can get rid of or avoid any infection, fish seem to be...

I've been researching best species of loach to eat small snails which are damaging my Aponogeton leaves. I've had conflicting advice from several shops about how big different species will get and how aggressive they can be. I ended up finding the www.loaches.com site which I found very helpful...

Don't know about the legal position, but my local vet was happy to supply me with 70g of water soluble erythromycin for this purpose. Cost £17 - I have used less than half of it.

Early on I had a severe BGA outbreak. I'm sure this was a result of a neighbour overfeeding my fish when I was away. I tried all of the recommended methods but failed to shift it. I think it actually becomes a stable, quite adaptable ecosystem and grows so rapidly that few plants can outcompete...

Tank is 75gal. Lit by 4x30w T8s - currently 1x Grolux, 1xDennerle and 2 Arcadia reflectors. I've also recently put in a moonlight LED which is great for watching my Brochis, upside down catfish and Ancistrus come out to feed. Filtration is by a Rena external filter, large Fluval internal and a...

I've been keeping and breeding fish for 35 years but have recently got very interested in planted tanks. I really like the jungle approach to aquascaping. This is my 75gal tank. Comments very welcome J