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Morning all. Long time since I've been on this forum but I'm finally getting round to setting up a tank I started work on about 7 years ago! I will be setting this up low tech and hopefully easy maintenance with some fish for the kids amusement and easy planting. I'm hoping to do it island...

Hi Ryan! Yes it has been a looong time lol I'm good thanks, kids take over as you will know! Echi tenellus and lileaopsis arrived today to plant the tank up. I think a dwarf puffer may be taking up residence soon :) The tank hasn't emptied itself yet so hoping a take apart and refit has...

Hi guys, Been a long time since I posted here so go easy on me!! I have been running a tiny plastic tank for some time for the sole purpose of keeping alive a couple of fish and plants. I decided on a whim yesterday to get my ADA Mini M up and running again and transferred over the filter, an...

You can use the Blum kitchen style hinges and they work fine and can be made perfectly flush, I did it if you search back some pages. I also used 18mm mdf for my stand which was for an 80 x 40 tank and also has a central brace

Best of luck with this buddy, 12 out of 10 for the rock work. Hope this turns out just how you want it ;)

Amazing how the water hasn't leaked out of this one! :D

I'd be interested to see some pics as it is ;)

IMO idris the plants are happy enough with 5 or 6 hours of light. The tank of mine above grew in like that in just 2 or 3 months on mostly 5 hours of light which amazed me for a low energy set up! This is how it started... As for de-algae, unless you have algae chompers in the tank i would...

They look like they have algae on them already, head start Kirk! lol (only joking mate ;) )

Low tech, low light (8 watts), EI ferts, no carbon addition...

It goes through bone like butter lol

I also don't really agree with the use of chemicals to treat algae and would always agree with CEG, he gives nothing but good advice and helped me out no end with my hi tech tank woes. Saying that, I've never tried one myself but have heard of people having had some results using algexit, and...

Reduce light period (6 hours), use some ferts as least now and then - it's not difficult (EI cheapest option), remove as much affected matter as you can. Before you embark on stripping tank down it's probably worth trying a 3 day blackout, or an algae remedy of some sort (algexit for example) -...

Good work, looks great :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AQUARIUM-MAT-HOBBY-FOAM-BASE-UNDERLAY-FOR-FISH-TANKS-4-SIZES-/221626716808?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item3399fb5288 What I used Kirk, the grey mat really doesn't compromise the look of a set up with a grey cabinet ;)

You could try Kesgrave Tropicals ebay shop, he often has various types of less common tetras available.

What colour is your cabinet? I painted mine dark grey and was lucky to get a specific tank mat off ebay same colour for a few quid, if you look at pictures of my tank on the cabinet you will see it is really very unobtrusive ;-)...

Don't know how big the grain is on your ADA, but if it's larger granules than the sand you use to cap it with, it will come up through the sand. Something to bear in mind (speaking from experience ;) lol)

Beautiful tank Lauris, really nicely executed. I actually preferred the black background as it gave it (IMO) a real sense of depth. But looks great either way :)

That's excellent Darrel, thank you mate :)

I felt horrible the other weekend. I wanted some small pieces of slate for a rework of my small tank, I collected a paper bag full of small slate pieces/slate chippings and then took it to the till.............. 45 pence!! :D

Thanks Mark, i'm hoping it'll look a lot better once scaped again and with the light substrate, should really highlight the colour of Bluey, he's handsome ;) I'd be quite scared of that lol. I've only ever run this on one 8w tube and a lot of floaters. I've always thought if I emptied this...

Been a while since an update on this tank. It has pretty much been left to its own devices with just a large water change every couple of weeks. Inhabitants were two otos, 3 Amanos, a couple of red cherries (that aren't red lol), a few assassin snails plus a single nerite. Due to the missus...

Just as a matter of interest, how long has the Lileaopsis been in the tank? My experiences taught me that with certain plants, patience is a virtue! There were plants that took off straight away, but others that did absolutely nothing for MONTHS (some easier ones too), then as if by magic they...

Nice hardscape mate ;) I'm about to redo the Mini M and i'm very tempted to go scour my local garden centre for slate on the back of your pics, it looks mint! :)

Ah ok, is it very temperature sensitive Darrel? I could do to take some out and allow a bit more light in on the right hand side, but don't want to give any away as i'll want it for my 80cm! Both done really well anyway mate, have to throw some little bits of cabomba now and then but it's...

Cutting BBA out is the best way for sure, at least if you do that then you'll notice if it comes back and know it's tweaking that is required. It's a shame on the tank size, a Siamese Algae Eater fish would probably work wonders but they do get big. I bought 3 at about 4/5cm for my 125 litre...

A few updated pics of the neglected tank! 50% wc once every fortnight, ferts here and there, steady away growth, no algae! :) Home to a couple of Oto's, some snails, 3 amano shrimp and a few red cherries that are not red! It's quite dark in there now as the frogbit has multiplied very well...

Pah, fancy plans are soooo yesterday, get yer pens and paper out :D :)

It's well worth tadging the vacuum cleaner hose up to a palm sander Deano if it has the connection for it, saves getting the dust everywhere. Never bothered before I made this but will def use all the time on future projects ;)

Thanks chaps :) Got to say the colour in the flesh is awesome, Dulux Bowler Hat. My missus is keen for me to build 'something else' now :D I quite fancy it to be honest!

My cabinet is nearing the end of it's build and I have to say i'm very happy with it. It's not 100% perfect, but when I consider the overall time and effort and costs put in versus the end result out, well, i'm more than pleased ;) Good things are the doors lining up, soft close hinges, the...

Saw your tanks on Facebook recently mate, looking flipping awesome! :)

I have that company book marked in my favourites ;) lol

Yeh very nice Ed ;)

Not really, but Foxfish asks and Clive answers in say this thread just as an example (posts #18/19)... http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/co2-at-400-ppm.33818/ I know myself (based on the results of what has happened with my mini m) that I can achieve growth as fast and healthy as I need with...

Just wondering about this for my next tank now i've shut my hi tech headache down and can think forward :P It will be low light with undemanding plants. I've sold most of my CO2 gear but still have a couple of almost full 2kg FE's. I'm toying with the idea of using these as a 24hr source of...

Looks great mate, would look perfect in a doctors/dentists waiting area (not an insult btw lol, I mean it's very easy on the eye, very clean to look at ;)) Nice work :)

Yes mate, I meant to revisit your tank as I remember you having something along the lines of my thinking :) Troi, do you use liquid carbon or anything in that tank mate? :)

It's done 40cm in hi tech, had been in there a looooong time though. Guess this is crypts for you! :)

Wanting to use lots of this in my next tank, which will be low tech, fertilised using EI and in moderately hard tap water with low - medium lighting. I've had a small amount (like one plant) in my now-taken-down hi tech and it took a while to grow but then grew very well. I can add a little...

Dean, nothing useful to add except to say 10/10 for your enthusiasm mate :D I like (a lot) how you're determined to make it work and keep working hard even in the face of previous failures :) Good on you bud! I remember the days of every other day 50% water changes for weeks and weeks for my...

Guys, I contacted finzntailz at the end of June... Transcript of my email for info:

Hi Tom, Crypts are known for having large melts when new. Cut off any leaves that melt and they should settle in after time. Tall plant in last pic looks like giant sagittaria. I had a long line of it in the back of my tank and once it got going it threw runners up all over the tank!! Those...

Where's the flaming algae like?? :D

I was also looking at finzntails, but their website seems well outdated. I did email them enquiring about current stock and was told...

Nice one Ryan, looking great mate! :D

Yes it does well that tank, but the florabase is hellishly expensive in comparison!! And harder to work with :) If you ever decide to try it, i've 25+ litres brand new sitting around doing nothing ;) ;) LOL

For sure lol, I was just highlighting that Aquabasis hadn't caused me a problem or killed my plants! :) I've had better success and plant health with low tech (no carbon addition whatsoever) as it goes... That was using expensive Florabase substrate however (but not much cost issue in 20...

I put 5 Nerites in my hi tech and lost 4 of them in not a very long time :( I took the last one out and popped it in my slow tech Mini M to see if i could keep it alive and it's thriving well in there ;) Moderately hard (Yorkshire) water here too ;) I wouldn't put them in hi tech again but...

It is mate :)

I've had pretty good success with JBL Aquabasis capped with sand... Still got crazy growing plants after 12 months of service ;)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=4846961&postcount=688 Blows me away looking at that! :o

I don't have issue with exsiting plants and plants that have already gone through a long acclimatisation period, they are growing like bu**ery :D lol I'm just curious why some plants take so long to settle in when those around them go bezerk!

I'm often baffled by how long some plants take to get going. I've had a number of plants where they have been in the tank for MONTHS before really getting going, but once they do there's no stopping them. I've also had plants that have taken pretty much straight away with minimal leaf drop. It...

My CO2 Art Dual Stage reg, i have to say, has been working perfectly, even with the standard bog basic needle valve attached. I set it going on a new cylinder haven't touched it for weeks now and it's ultra reliable. It has already run one FE completely flat with no issue at all. Absolute...

lol, done on purpose to display the beautiful clarity (not! :D) I do need to stick a white background on, just never got round to it!

Thanks Lee ;) Yeh properly gutted Lindy :( I've thought about finzntailz as i'm not quite sure how the aquabid thing works?! Hard to find info on any of them lol!

Hi, I'll start with the bad... I've held off updating this journal as we were unfortunate with our betta fish and I was quite sad about it to be be honest! :( The fish seemed perfect for the first week but in the second week he just dropped like a stone. The missus had gone away for the week...

My mate has the Shoei one, it is good. And probably miles less fussy than having to carry/change visors ;) I'll have one when I can afford one, but from memory the Shoei doesn't fit me that well but Arai like a glove. Strange I made the comment about dark visors, got stuck out last night with...

I like the look of the Shoei helmets with the built in visor (top gun style) but not got 500 sheets burning a hole at the minute lol x

Old water is pointless, the bacteria you need is in the substrate, filter, decor etc, not in the water. As for adding guppies I presume you mean to do a fish in cycle from the start? Not really fair on the livestock. You should plant the tank up and let it run for a number of weeks to develop...

Nope, dark visors are a no no, may get away with tinted. Although i've worn black for a few years now on a sunny day and never been pulled for one. They're easy to buy though ;) If i go away for a weekend i'll always throw a clear and black visor in the bag. Problem is you get people turning up...

Yeh, the small plate, no tax disc on display, black visor etc etc. Could have been much worse if they'd wanted it to be lol. What fecks me off though is that the Police do these Bikesafe days where they tell riders it's ok to make progress (ie break the speed limit) when appropriate, well it was...

Well, according to plod (following me on an unmarked BMW S1000RR!!) I performed a dubious overtake in a 20mph zone (so in effect I was idling lol) then he followed me out of town and I was going up to 70/75 on a 60 nsl road, no biggie really just in the wrong place at the wrong time (Sherburn in...

Just picked up mine ;) 2004 Suzuki GSX-R1000 K4 Collected it from North Wales on Saturday and before I reached home i'd been pulled and picked up a Section 59 Notice (Anti Social Vehicle thing) :( lol

Thanks for your comments Viktor. I don't think there's a UK distributor selling replacement diffusers yet! That's a sod if i've only got 4 months use from it. I sent email to sales@twinstar.kr with images/asking for advice but I have not had any reply after over 2 weeks :(

Subscribed. I'm sure it will be awesome Tom! :D

Get an Eheim Skim 350 (around £20). Will keep the film off the surface of your aquarium (and adds a little extra flow). Be aware they can suck in smaller fish and shrimp, a few have put mesh guards around the top to prevent this but I found fiddling with the inlet compromised operation, so I...

I think they have just started selling them but they're not cheap (and to be honest the original should perform well beyond 4 months without issue, especially when meticulously cleaned so regularly!!). And it wouldn't make a difference as the diffuser cleans up in limsecale remover within 30...

It is not working. Here is the unit after OVERNIGHT soak in limescale remover 1st June Here is the unit in the tank on 3rd June, 3 DAYS LATER This is what is happening constantly. Limescale remover gets it back to like the first pic, but in a matter of 3 or 4 days it is covered in white...

i dunno, is there a prize if I am? :D

I've just run an FE completely dead on mine and no problems at all :)

:( Sorry to hear that mate :(

LOL, top pic is the best the photographer got on the mountain. I hoisted a right minger on it earlier in the day (not particularly intended!!) but sods law no picture, apparently the crowd at the cafe gasped tho :D Awesome day & perfect weather. The last time I rode on track was Cadwell 10...

Cool, may give them both a try then :) Glad to hear the ranalisma has got going (knew it would ;))

Here's a couple of pics from a Cadwell track day 2 weeks ago, actually managed not to fall off!! :D

Which variety is it Lee? I saw you had MC as well? I've been waiting on some long TMC straight tweezers before ordering anything but I have them now so should help planting ;) Also wondered how Mr Betta would take to maintenance but i did 50% wc at weekend plus hands in cleaning and he just...

Hey thanks Tim, and funny you say that about the guards mate :D lol. I was going to get in touch but didn't want to be cheeky... I'm keen to try some new plants in there, some Lileaposis of some sort for example, but don't know how they'll respond to having practically no flow (Toms big bucket...

That's cool Martin, very scenic & well done for persevering with it ;)

The 600 Grobeam strips fit onto TMC MMS rails and then with the TMC T8 end cap adapters will fit straight into the existing tube holders on the Roma 125 (which I have). Word of warning, the lights end up being extremely close to the surface of the water so budget for a TMC Aquaray Controller...

Looks ace :) really like the hydro growing on the wood on the right hand side. Lovely!

Fikk me it's not that hard lol. GH 12, KH 6 around here. But like you, diffuser was in since December and never had problem until about a month ago which is weird why it's just started all of a sudden. It's definitely clean when I take it out but will probably give it an overnight soak at the...

Oh dear mate! Hope you don't suffer too much. Well I use Scale Away on mine lately (from Sainsbury, couple of quid for 75g packet), did it again last night and used 10gram powder in a small amount of warm water. Cleaned the plates up in like 20 minutes. But it does keep coming back in a matter...

Looking miles better Martin! ;)

Ryan, How you getting on with the diffuser? Has it stayed clean? See last post of mine in the Twinstar thread (it's the last post of the thread)... http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/twinstar-what-is-it.28335/page-28 I am getting that white sh*t on my diffuser coming back 3 or 4 DAYS after...

Hey Lindy, It was some 'Ariel Clear Polystyrene' sheet I picked up from B&Q. It's about 2/3mm thick and not too bad to work with. I cut the required square first with a stanley, then took the pipe notches etc out with a drill and dremel. If you use a dremel have it spinning quickly or the...

I agree, but having looked at conversion 1 table = 3 tea so I may just double the container & water volume then dose the same as usual to save a few pence! Was a good suggestion Gary ;) lol

You know I have a spare 1 litre container... assume then that a tbsp = x2 tsp?

LOL :D I used tablespoon instead of teaspoons for my latest macro mix. Seems a shame to pour it away, should I just dose less of it or just put it in at normal values until used up? I can't be the first :) Cheers, Rob

Well she chose him Lee so yeh, pleased he's a character lol. This is a slightly nicer pic of it all

Awesome, thanks for that, bookmarked :)

I'm feeling that already :) such delightful fish to watch. Although I've just seen him chase and massacre a shrimplet with no remorse!!

Sooooooo...... Big changes in this tank, although ultimately I don't feel it will end up that much different longer term... I was on the verge of ripping this down at the weekend, i'd already (2 weeks ago) removed almost all the echinodorus tennellus and quite a few other plants that have gone...

Paint the inside of your cabinet you lazy chuff :P lol

Tom Barr. PM him through the forum. See this thread (page 3) you see how much you get for approx £170/£180 delivered in a box. You can use/take what you want and sell the remainder & it takes about 3 weeks to arrive. http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/manzanita-wood.31234/page-3 Cheers, Rob

I agree background looks fine with green algae on, very natural. Mine just got covered in yucky brown slime lol. I think tank looks excellent by the way ;)

I have an 80x40x40 optiwhite, in 10mm glass... :)

I had to resort to trying some plain old de-scaler. I was doing the shower head in a solution so decided to drop the diffuser in as well. 30 minutes later, clean and clear ;) I have been cleaning every week, in strong ADA superge (suggested a capful per litre, my solution was a capful in a mug...

Been a month since last updated, this little tank really does look after itself although i'm itching to get in and have a decent trim and perhaps move some stuff around, yet the problem is that everytime i embark on such a task i usually make a complete cock of it so have left this one alone...