Search results for query: *

Lovely setup mate, I also went the drier side a few months ago. The good thing is that you can combine emersed aquatic plants and truly terrestrials like bromeliads and orquids. The best of both worlds. My setup does not have water, just a false bottom which makes things even easier... no...

Just in case someone is interested, the thread is this one: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/9-equipment/183388-newly-filled-co2-tank-over-1400-psi.html

Karol from CO2Art replied very kindly an email I sent to her. She told me that when you open the cylinder, the first blow can make the high pressure gauge jump very high (higher than the real pressure). She suggested several tips for degassing the regulator, and when I did it the gauge read 0...

Hi all This week I runt out of CO2 and I went for a refill (2kg modified FE). Now my high pressure gauge (the one indicating pressure in the CO2 cylinder) reads 1500 psi (60 psi on the working pressure). I don't remember seeing such a high value in the cylinder pressure gauge (I think it was...

Hi Luis I have a question for you: I’ve seen that your sandy areas have substrate below... why are you doing this? For better fixing the cosmetic sand? Just in case you decide to plant this area in the future? Thank you! Jordi

Yup, but not for standard vivarium plants or emersed aquatic plants unless you can ensure good air movement and high light, otherwise you will grow mushrooms and leggy plants. I would put some gravel and pieces of moss trimmings. Put it in a windowsill and be patient... but you will be awarded...

Hi Furgan I would add some nice rocks around the driftwood base creating a bank in the right back corner that would enhance perspective. Red stems growing there at the back, Anubias or ferns in the wood and some transition plants scattered randomly in your carpet (and becoming denser around the...

This tank is awesome Luis, as usual... it's amazing how it looks so nice even at early stages. Looking forward to the final layout Jordi

It is... I have two, one over my 36 cm and another over my 60 cm tank. The good thing is they can be dimmed (at full power you'll need co2) and they are nice, the bad is that the color temperature is a bit cold and some people may not like it. Not sure why, but the color issue is more...

Hola! Well, to be honest I don't have any aquarium style... sometimes I just stuck plants in my tanks, sometimes I try to create something aesthetically appealing and close to the nature aquarium concept, sometimes I just want to grow aquatic plants because this is my real interest.... and...

Hi all Drying it is for getting rid of organic matter (as it happens for example in rice paddies that combine wet and dry phases). However, IME a good rinse is more than enough to get rid of fish poo and plant debris if you want to reuse it immediately, with the added benefit of keeping good...

Hola Aarón Welcome from Valencia, just a “few” km away from you Jordi

Hi all Use whatever you have for bringing water to the tank (hose, bucket...) and just let the water fall on a plastic with bubbles (the ones used for wrapping fragile objects). It floats and will be at the right position always. I cut a piece that has the same surface as my tank so it...

Absolutely wonderful... Jordi

The good thing about keeping it dry is that plant growth won't be that fast, especially for moss. And as we all know trimming mosses underwater is a pain. You will also have the chance to add another wonderful range of plants such as bromeliads, gesneriads, orchids, ferns... If condensation is...

Completely agree. I’m growing micro orchids and bromeliads in a vivarium and I’ve been reading about their light requirements. Our very powerful lights for a planted tank just deliver what can be measured in the shade under a tropical tree. Being an emersed culture I would use the most powerful...

By the way... quite new with cats. Any secret technique for avoiding my cat splashing water everywhere every morning and every time he is bored. Electrified tank? Laser barriers? Jordi

Tom, my cat (which is exactly as yours), does exactly the same... [emoji3] Jordi

I use this one for my 60 liters tank (medium to high light + CO2) and it is perfect. All my plants are gently moving. I would not use it for larger tanks unless it is a low light no CO2 one. Great piece of equipment, silent and perfectly built. Jordi

Hi Congrats for you mini vivaria. They look great! I enjoy a lot mini set ups like these ones with plants leftovers (https://www.flickr.com/photos/119257234@N07/albums/72157645859849187). I even tried to go further with a dedicated moss setup...

I never heat my tanks because I live in a warm area. My shrimps can live without any problem at 17-18°C and even breed. Actually I think they live much better at this temperature than above 20°C Jordi

Hi all I've been using for years the water from my tanks for watering my terrace plants... and also my orchids. Actually I always try to reuse as much water as I can. The only plants for which I don't use tanks' water are the ones in my vivarium, because some species (I.e. Miniature epiphytic...

No... I once tested it (not really the pH but the pH change while diffusing CO2) but in another setup. Now it's a kind of rule of thumb, I know what works with 8 hours light at full power: about 0.5 bps, switched on 1.5 before lights, and a few squirts of ferts per week (about 1ml of macro and...

I just let them grow... nothing else. In some cases the stems come from the bottom of the tank. Other emersed stems are cuttings that were left among other floating plants and then they grew up. No spraying at all, it seems that the humidity from the tank is more than enough, at least if you...

Hi all A quick update after so many months! The tank is now in "easy maintenance mode", which means WCs every 10-12 days, no ferts or a few squirts every other week... but it needs now a good trimming! Jordi

Hi all! New update. Nothing changed too much except for the emersed part that is doing nicely. Jordi

I've done it with an old one, works great for cleaning rocks! You will want to wrap with plastic foil the main body where the batteries are to extend their lifetime Jordi

Thanks! It's 36x27x26 cm, about 25 liters but there is plenty of wood, so the real volume is barely 16 liters. I love this tank, basic maintenance (water changes + cleaning glass + a bit of trimming) can be done in 15 minutes. Jordi

Hi all New update! The Cryptocoryne got definitely lost into the jungle [emoji1] Jordi

2x24w T5, actually the cheapest tubes in the market from Philips, nothing fancy for planted tanks. The fixture is also among the cheapest ones from Odyssea. I just mounted it with a Blau kit for another fixture. I ordered a Chihiros A-series 3 weeks ago (and I am still waiting...) so I will be...

The funny thing is that there is no added substrate in the background. If you see the first pictures (the "minimalistic" one for example) you will see that the layout is very flat. All the moss grown in the background and middle ground is now supporting the stems plants , like in a giant...

Hi all A new mutation for the Rivershore... from "just hardscape" to "minimalistic" to "little jungle" to "minimum maintenance" and now... "autumn mutation"! Temperatures are now much better here for growing plants and I have more time to play with my tanks. So I decided to introduce some new...

Only heaters in my case. I buy the fix temperature ones because I don't need much heat where I live, and of course I don't use them in spring-summer-autumn. Every time I need them they just don't work. Also lily pipes, I managed to break one every other year but always my fault (going much too...

I am a mad fermentationist... that's my problem. Baking was the first step and one of my hobbies for the last 15 years now, then I took another step to home brewing, and now I'm exploring cider and mead making. Yeasts are amazing critters. Your friends will never understand it but they will love...

You will never kill Limnophila sessiliflora, a fast growing plant under any circumstance. Hygrophila difformis would be my preferred, a beautiful and classic one Jordi

Yup, fishermen are now selling them very well but I wonder what will be the effects of an invertebrate that is x10 larger than any native invertebrate and that lives in the same area than some native and endangered fish (Valencia hispanica and Aphanius iberus) and endangered/protected plants...

Where I live there's a lake surrounded by rice paddies. We have a huge collection of invasive species but the last one is really scaring: google Callinectes sapidus, and you will know what I mean. Jordi

It looks like a Selaginella (a fern) to me... but being China I don't know. Jordi

Praxis + persistence is the cornerstone of every hobby I am into. It just blows all the barriers we create for understanding complexity (in our case, low/high tech, high/low light, etc.). Personally I see in my hobbies a learning curve. In the first stages I swallow all the information that gets...

This thread is amazing, I had never seen such a collection of pictures of the aquatic plants we use blooming Jordi

Completely agree, it is a Lythraceae and I would bet for Nesaea crassicaulis, at least these flowers and stems look very similar to the ones I have seen on emersed Nesaea in my LFS. Jordi

My e401 and e901 need a few shakes after cleaning them before they are free of bubbles. Even though they will be releasing small bubbles every few minutes before running smoothly. You can also push the priming button but I you prefer. Jordi

I've read once again your specs and I would personally reduce the light period to just 6 hours until everything is under control. Only my mature tanks have photoperiods of 8 hours or more. I actually run them during the 6 first months with just 6 hours. Jordi

I am surprised no one told you that using ADA aquasoil you have plenty of nutrients for your plants, both in the soil and in the water column. EI works of course but you're living on the edge unless the tank is well established (sorry, this is just my opinion). Your filter, your light, your flow...

Hi all I have a JBL e901 on my 60 liters tank fully packed with media and coarse sponge. I have used it with both glass lily pipes and spraybar, and it works very well. I was an Eheim fan but JBL e-series are really excellent filters with lower energy consumption, solid construction, very quiet...

Love it! What about a FTS of the large tank that can be seen in the first pic? It looks great also! Jordi

My 361 gets hot after some hours but you can perfectly handle it. Maybe other users can help you but I think the larger the light is the hotter it will get with this model as in your case you have the double of led (compared to mine) but the heatsink surface is not increased proportionally. Jordi

No problem, I have the AquaSky model on a timer and it stays on the light level you select Jordi

No idea at all, sorry Sure, you will grow whatever you want under these lights. Luckily for most of us, they come with a dimmer Jordi

Hi all I own a Chihiros AquaSky LED fixture, a nice piece of equipment that I have been using now for +1 year without any problem. Curiously when I bought it, the A series was cheaper but also less powerful and slightly different in the design compared to the current A model. Some days ago, I...

Awesome tank, congrats! Jordi

Hi all My two tanks (25ish and 60 liters) sit on IKEA kitchen cabinets structurally improved... now for 1-2 years. I screwed several 90 degree steel brackets inside the cabinet, enough for stabilizing lateral movements. It's worth covering the panel joints with self-adhesive plastic to prevent...

Thank you guys. This one is going crazy, it needs a serious trimming. I will take some pictures once back home. I want to add some long stems in the background, reddish or brownish to add contrast, not sure which species for the moment. Jordi

Thank you for the interest. Traveling right now, I'll try to update as soon as possible. This one is fantastic, not very demanding, what I need now Jordi

Hi all I can believe I forgot to update this journal. Actually I am very pleased with it, no headaches, no problems... just 30%WC every 10 days and lots of pruning (Vallisneria was not a good decision, I get rid off 3-5 plants every week and still growing). I have been very busy at work during...

Hi all wow, no posts since late April. These have been hectic months at work but I have managed to keep my tanks under control. I realized that I needed a low maintenance setup, that is, fast 50% water changes weekly, a bit of trimming every month or so, but nothing I had to care about too...

Mine (bought directly from China) is 1 year old now and works very well! This is more than the crappy Eheim powerLED I used to have Jordi

Hi all I have some suction cups that have an O ring attached, nothing fancy, in most LFS for a few cents. It should help to keep the lily pipe in its position but not to hold it. Another option is the acrylic pieces mounted on the tank rim sold on eBay Jordi

Nice one: Araucaria araucana Jordi

Honestly I didn't expect less than 900€ according to the price other ADA lighting items have... And no, personally I don't expect "something special". It's ADA: beautiful, good quality and astronomic prices. Jordi

I have more than I can take here in Spain [emoji1] actually my terrace pond had to be shaded 3 weeks ago to avoid excessive direct sun and the water to reach 30°C... and even though I am struggling with green algae. Actually some plants taken from my tanks are completely shocked and had decided...

Hi Dean I only have small tanks (60, 28 and 25 liters) and I think they are great. There is a huge difference in terms of maintenance (I clean and change 50% of my 25 liters tank in a few minutes). However, you will find serious limitations with these small tanks for having fish. Shrimps will...

Wow! I missed the 3 last pages of these journal and I really love the evolution. It is the kind of "throw-in-what-you-find-out-there" kind of pond I like. Sometimes plants will get established, sometimes they will get not adapted. I think this pond just needs time to find its way. My bet is that...

Hi Chris I love this tank! Simple composition but just perfect, as well as the fish. I have also planted some balansae in my new tank but I have realized it needs very stable conditions to thrive (nothing new I guess, as it happens with most crypts). I struggle with the old leaves that turn...

Hi Tom awesome video and tank, as usual. It is really amazing the flow you have in such a huge tank... Don't know why but I imagined something closer to the Bucket O' Mud. Sorry for the losses Jordi

What a pity, Skeptical Aquarist is one of my favorite websites... Jordi

Hi Marcel A. ruta-muraria is a common fern here in the Spanish Mediterranean. It never grows in large clumps though... it is not very demanding in terms of humidity but benefits from shaded position. In late spring these plants get dehydrated and then grow back again, at least that is what...

The female finally died yesterday night. It looked like she was plenty of eggs and she could not spawn. Maybe her belly was plenty of food, but I doubt it, as she was hidden in the cave for 4 days and she did not eat anything. Jordi

Very sad news... The new female was doing very well with the male for the last weeks. She was bright yellow and in good shape. After 4 days in her coconut cave, she decided to go out this afternoon. She was pale and very fat, with an exaggerated round belly. She was very weak and she could not...

Hi Marcel Yup, the Spanish countryside is still plenty of little treasures. People is more and more interested but I would say there is much more stuff available than in other countries. But a bath tub will be impossible to fit in my flat! Actually I have a mini pond in the terrace but it has...

Absolutely awesome... wow, how I wish to have such a pond! Jordi

Hi Bex I agree with the others that this tank looks very promising. Regarding the light, as you know, I have used one of this lighting units. They are not very powerful, I would say they are in the mid-range and you have a 40 cm tank, which is quite a lot of distance for this light. So IMO this...

Yes, but I meant R. rotundifolia var. red, also labeled as R. rotundifolia var. indica, which is not the same as Ammania indica Rotala bonsai). However, proper scientific plant identification in this hobby is unfortunately far from being accurate. Jordi

It is R. rotundifolia "red" or also called "indica" Jordi

Hi all I got a new cockatoo female last week. It seems that this time the couple is doing well, the male seems less aggressive than with the previous female. She is also much more yellow than the previous one and I would say that her belly is getting big. I spared some time with the guy at my...

Mine works perfectly in a 25 liters tank. I also bought a JBL e901 for my 60 liters tank (not a cube), very nice piece of equipment too. However, if I were you I would consider buying for the 60 liters cube a JBL e701, as the e401 may be a little limited Jordi

Hi Thomas Thank you for your reply. As far as I have seen the best vivarium equipment is quite cheap compared to what we we have in planted tanks (I.e. A good misting system for a large tank is not that expensive as a large filter). In my case I would not have dart frogs, just plants, so the...

Wow!! Very jealous... Can you please give more details about the setup and equipment? I've played with little vivarium so far but this a dream come true. Difficult? Expensive? Demanding compared to a planted tank? Jordi

Hi all, I do, but just when I'm traveling and I cannot rise my lily pipes for night aeration. If I do not use them all the time it is because my air pumps have always been a bit noisy for my taste Jordi

What if we knew the cause of BBA in planted tanks? What if we knew how much CO2 is needed in our tanks? What if we knew how much light is too much light? What if we knew what is good flow? What if setting up a tank like George Farmer does would be so easy as it seems? What if we knew where is...

Hi all I just got back from a work trip and I found the cockatoo female dead :( It is very sad, as before leaving she was in her cave (I think she spawned again a few days ago, although I never saw the eggs). I am wondering if she had a problem while spawning or if she was exhausted due to the...

Hi all Time for a new journal! One month ago I dismantled "Lava Rocks" on my 25 liters tank and the same day I set up this layout. The idea is to have in a few weeks a mini jungle and a happy home for some cherry and Amano shrimps. One month old... As usual, the specs: Tank: 36x27x26 cm...

Hi all It seems that the female spawned again, she is hidden in her cave for 3-4 days. Let's see if this time the fry survive. As mentioned in previous posts, I have changed the layout from a minimalist look to something more complex and suitable for the cockatoos. Here's a short summary of the...

Completely agree, especially what is mentioned regarding "the nature" people want to see in a glass cube. The manicured compositions we create in our tanks (golden rule, combination of colors, focal points, etc.) are very far from what can be seen in nature. Have you ever dived in a river? Low...

Hi all If I am addicted to the hobby is because the whole lot of things there is behind: natural history, chemistry, physics, etc. I have a pair of hobbies more and it's again the same thing that engaged me. I've never been very good regarding art, so aquascaping let me explore this side...

Hi all I think about it for months, I draw some sketches, I do a cardboard model of the tank, I prepare a layout, I even take pictures .... and finally I change everything in the last minute [emoji1] I think I have read a lot about layout aesthetics, but my problem is that I am not able to...

I guess riff tanks are like a drug. Once you put your first coral in it, you begin to think on the next one. No room for "ugly" green stuff, just for expensive and colorful little animals. Not a marine tank fan (for the moment) but the marine tanks are basically riff tanks for most people. In...

As mentioned in post #3 I use the air pump system when traveling, as I cannot raise the lily pipes by hand... But I don't use it everyday as my tanks are quite small (maximum 60 liters) and I don't want to pack it with too much stuff. Additionally I found that lily pipe aeration works much...

Hi all Mine is working for nearly 6 months with no problem at all Also in my case, it was not mentioned in the website, but works great Completely agree, a bit warmer would be just perfect Another interesting point... during water changes my unit has fallen twice in the water, a fraction of...

Yup, I had the same problem. It is a pain when you have cosmetic sand, not that much with a densely planted carpet in the foreground. In my case a managed to solve the problem with a rock tied with moss in the critical area. I am worried about having problems in the longterm with such solution...

As mentioned I could not make my lily pipes work as I wanted with such flow rate... but this is maybe me. I've got the best results when my canister flow rate were over 10x, I would say perfect now that I am around 15x. With this flow rate I manage to create a vortex when the pipe is down (I...

It is! Thank you... so confirmed it is Ceratopteris thalictoides. Still interested in knowing which other plants are suitable for being grown like this Jordi

Hi all Please have a look to the 4th layout in this website (from the great aquascaper Grégoire Wolinski). http://www.aquadesigner-shop.com/content/8-nos-realisations He has created what I was looking for in my mind during the last months. A kind of ceiling made with branches that come from...

The flow rate of your filter is one of the first things to look. I could not run lily pipes with the filters I had before (which were not 10x the tank volume... Well honestly I could, but the flow distribution was very bad and the lily pipe simply did not its work. ADA is one of the few brands...

Easily I would say... in a lot of videos you can see him sitting in front of two tanks with a pile of layout materials around while his minions are working on them. The same when he was training people. He could easily scape 3 or 4 small tanks (60p and 90p) in each session. Jordi

Hi all That's the first principle in photography That's the second one :) Now seriously, my pictures have improved a lot doing the following basic things: 1. always use a tripod 2. buy cheap black cardboard and attach it to the lamp and to the front glass. This way you will block all the...

Never tried it but I seriously considered it for one of my current setups. At least for me, it was a bit deceiving to see in it the LFS, in a tank and also in bags. The truth is that it is a very common standard gravel but at a very high price. The only thing that can be interesting is the 3...

Wow, nice piece of wood... subscribed! Jordi

Awesome... too much plants will hurt this nice hardscape composition! Subscribed! Jordi

Hi Paulo Just a few remarks after my experience with these ferts and soil: - 15 days is the very beginning, let the tank get established before changing things. - plants are definitely adapting to submerged form and/or your tank conditions. I set up a tank more or less 20 days ago and some...