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Thanks Alto I think I could do better though! I have seen the rock filter wool technique and also the substrate suppports, however.....I've decided to keep it all soil, as you said previously it will look cleaner! Thanks Alto I'll look at the plant suggestions.

Michael I know I'm rather a few years late with this posting but could you tell me if you changed the HOB filter of the Edge to an external canister filter with lily pipes please? Also if so which did you use? Love your Iwagumi by the way!

Thanks Alto for your helpful advice and taking the time to help I really appreciate it. I perhaps should have said that I intend to re-use the anubias I have in the new scape. All have done exceptionally well (far more growth now than in the photo shown at the top) low tech with a daily dose...

Not so much giving in re the Oliver Knott scape but changing my mind :happy: which my husband will concur is something I do a lot!!!! The sand is only causing issues in areas hard to reach in the Edge, however the front sand is manageable/reachable so I was thinking of having soil in the...

Edvert, I've been having a think about your advice and I have now decided to stick with the plants I already know work well in the Fluval Edge but introduce new varieties and one new plant species: bucephalandra. I already know how well anubias works in our tank and love the clean, neat lines...

It's very beautiful Sam_R and I'm going against opinion here but I wouldn't change it! Perhaps the height near the middle and slightly to the left could come from plants of a similar colour to the stone and set behind it? I have to say I am no expert and have only been aquascaping for 4 years...

I will Alto! It's about an hour and a half now although 20 years ago we lived in a nearby village! now that is a great idea!

Great suggestions Alto I will do thank you!

Thanks Alto! Funny you should mention "cleaner", the sand drives me crazy at it only looks clean in the evening! Thanks for the recommendation re the soil, I've been looking at the Tropica Powder as I will need to put the fish/shrimp/snails back in as soon as it's finished so that's now...

Thanks Edvert! I do feed daily with a complete liquid fertiliser (The Aquascaper Complete) which is doing great things! However what you don't see on the photos is that the wood has fallen apart after 4 years with just separate small bits left and the plants are pretty much balance on top of...

I would like some help if I may please? I am planning on rescaping our 46L Fluval Edge (the tall one) and absolutely love this aquascape by Oliver Knott. I would still consider myself a beginner as I set our first aquarium up 4 years ago and it has been a very steep learning curve. I would...

Firstly the students you teach are very lucky to have such a knowledgeable and helpful lecturer Darrel! The Duckweed index is fascinating and I love the idea of "constructed wetlands" to treat landfill waste water, the positive impact it must have on the surrounding nature is invaluable. I...

Perhaps it also depends on the size of the tank and amount of water to dilute the residual amount of debris after the water change?

Thank you for letting me know Jayefc1, I will take note and am happy to give the rocks a clean (with a toothbrush) more than once a week if required rather than be more aggressive with a wire brush.

Hi Sparkyweasel (love that one!) that's brilliant news re the Echinodorus and such a kind thought!!! Good to know the shrimp liked it too. I really do think I may stay low tech (we have one tank already low tech) as the thought of pressurised co2 is a little daunting. Many thanks for the reply!

Thank you so much Darrel, I do have Nerite snails and was planning this co2 injected tank as being a shrimp tank. I have now read the suggested posting and wonder whether I actually need co2 at all, particularly as you say you don't use it! Do you (or other members) know whether the...

Darrel thank you for taking the time for such a detailed response! So basically this will only apply if I add higher levels of co2 but does it make a difference if I intend to keep the rocks clean of algae by using a wire brush during maintenance? I will keep the filter running and I now do a...

I am hoping to use rock for the first time in an aquascape and wanted some advise please. We are in an area of the UK which has exceptionally hard water (according to the local waterboard my postcode has a reading of 324ppm, a GH of 18.4 and a high ph of 7.35) is there a stone that won't raise...

Thanks Alto, I shall read up about Tropica powder, I have seen a few videos (I'm binge watching George Farmer's!!) where both he and Jurijs use Tropica powder. I'll also take a look at Jurijs Facebook page re the substrate thank you.

I'll do that Alto thanks. As for the bigger tank, I now have my heart set on a nano! that's defiantly on my to do next list and having just watched their (@Aquarium Gardens) showroom video I'm now reconsidering the Scapers tank! Getting all of the new equipment/hardscape materials and plants...

As of yet I haven't chosen a new filter but it will be bigger than the Edge which i Ahh, well that's the thing, since you mentioned ADA tanks I'm now looking at the 30cm nano which I believe has a capacity of 21litres :)! So perhaps a food safe container to use as a temporary home may be the...

This is the kit I was thinking of but I am still nervous of the whole pressurised co2 idea. I presume with shrimp they will have plenty to graze on even if left without food for 2 weeks and no I wouldn't trust anyone with my tanks!!! I was considering an external heater (one that fits into the...

Thanks Petra, Sorry I probably put my query rather badly! What I was meaning to ask was what the theory was behind having only part of the old filter in the new tank filter as opposed to the entire, established media particularly considering I will be introducing a large bio load at once...

thanks for the link Edvet, it's an interesting article.

We are the hardest area in the UK for tap water sitting at 324ppm but I am considering using the ADA soil system if it's a small tank. As far as inhabitants I was going to keep this as a shrimp tank (including my favourite cleaners the Amanos). I agree Alto it's the one thing that I really...

Thank you so much Alto, sorry for what may be a silly question but why is that? I adore the ADA tanks (well the ADA everything actually) so will look thank you!!!

Hi Alto! Thank you so much for such a detailed, comprehensive answer! I have just started using prime and at the moment I am doing a 40% water change three times a week to help with a bacteria bloom (now gone thankfully)! I will now buy some more buckets for the transporting etc. and good...

Hi MattW Good point! Also thinking in the long term, how would a smaller 15l tank cope if maintenance is not performed if say we are away a 2 week holiday? I was planning on it being a shrimp tank which I believe is a little lighter on the waste. do you have any links, I'm looking for...

Thank you so much!!! I'm easily confused :crazy:!!!

Firstly I apologise if I've posted in the wrong area, I can't seem to find a section on Aquariums (i.e. the actual glass tank). We're thinking of purchasing a second tank and I've been looking at various sizes of nano tanks (up to 55l). Can anyone tell me if the smaller nano tanks (ie the...

sorry to ask what is probably a silly question but would that be fully 'cycled'? I'm also unsure how do I use (i.e.make fit) the filter media from the edge in a different type of filter? Really worried about the whole process as the Fluval Edge is our first tank and I made so many mistakes...

I couldn't agree more!!! I've always thought that we should stop looking for martians and start looking in the ocean! As someone trying to practise Zen Buddhism I disagree there zozo (though when it comes to mosquitos I do struggle)! However I do agree every living thing deserves to be happy...

I am planning to re-scape our tank but will need to have temporary accommodation for the fish (5 Endler's Guppy, 1 Danio, 5 Amano shrimp and 5 Nerite snails. I was already thinking of setting up a second tank and thought that this may be a good temporary home. I envisage it will take a couple...

Thank you Zozo for posting this! I recently experienced a 'sulking' unhappy Endler's Guppy when new tank mates were introduced, he started by hiding at the bottom of the tank and being aggressive to the others (not the usual play display). At first I assumed he was ill but after reading a few...

Thanks zozo, I'll take a look at that!

Thank you so much MattW and not your mistake but mine for not stating the actually tank size, sorry!

I love the look of this heater MattW but sadly it's too long and having had a look at the online instructions it can't be installed horizontally. I've found this though, the HeatUp 25 watt from Oase (https://www.oase-livingwater.com/en_GB/indoor-aquatics/products/p/heatup-25.1000191268.html)...

WOW Tim that's amazing!!!! Where's the heater :lol:! I have a slight problem in that the tank will be in the kitchen and viewed from 3 sides so not sure I'll be able to hide it as well as you have.

Thanks Tim, I'll take a look! Do you have any photo's of your 30cm cube on the forum?

Thanks MattW that looks really good! Do you know if they can be fitted in a horizontal position as it's a little too tall for this tank?

I am looking for recommendations for a heater to go into the 23l (6 US GAL) Fluval Edge in white (see below). The tank will be planted but I would like the heater to be as invisible as possible. Does anyone know of a glass, white or perhaps a stainless steel heater for this size of tank?

I am planning on re-scaping our tank and would like to plan the planting but would like some help in determining exactly what level of lighting is in our Fluval Edge 46l which has the following factory supplied lighting: This is Fluval's description: Fluval 46l "Edge includes a powerful and...

Thank you so much Alto for spending time to post such a helpful response! I will study it at the weekend when I have time to read through properly and I will post the details of the decline of our poor fish too. I really can't thank you enough!!!!

I've been using this for just under a week Ian and it's super easy and (touch wood) seems to be making a great difference to both plants and water quality. The fish and shrimp seem far more spritely!

Brilliant advice and links as always @alto that's a great point as the tank will be situated in our living room so noisy filters may be out (although there may be something comforting in hearing it still running in my case)! At the moment I have a spare set of filter pipes for the Edge so I...

Let me know the link! Yes until recently for luxury brand of menswear, but now a "lady that lunches" which leaves me time for a tank!!! The fountain head is one that is very restricted to a small area so fingers crossed, the Arum is now flowering and I adore it! You have a point!

Thanks Lindy, I've already been collecting ideas together on a Pinterest board!!! Do you have a link to photo's of yours? Also what and how do you set up an external filter (I adore the glass lily pipes would they work)? If there's a youtube video you could recommend I would be so grateful...

Hi BexHaystack! Thank you so, so much for this video link!!!! I hadn't seen it before and it's dispelled so many of my worries about tank maintenance. I had no idea that the weekly tank cleaning could be enjoyable and good on Mr Farmer (@George Farmer ) for making it more so with a glass of...

Thank you so much for telling me about this style Marcel, it's stunning! Wonderful inspiration for aquascaping and I can see why you have suggested it for a small pond! Gorgeous plant! Sadly being in the UK I'm not sure they would grow well (we're in the Midlands) even if I did have the skill...

I found an island!!!!

We wanted the pond for the noise of the fountain! I've never seen a pond with driftwood and mosses etc. sounds like an aquascape! I shall have a look at the Nelumbo cultivars thanks for that, although it has to be white or green as it a white/green garden! Absolutely with you about the...

Would be interested to see some. I've tried google but no luck. I'm off to try Pinterest!

Have you seen these pond grid covers: http://www.safapond.com - ?

Ian that's gorgeous!!!!

At least with ponds it's easy to take out plants without hassle! Never heard of that - the mind boggles!

A few photo's of our new tiny DIY pond! It's situated to the left of the patio outside the (open plan) kitchen/dining room patio doors/window. The water reflects on the ceiling, something not planned for but absolutely love!!! :happy: We have used a strong glue to attach the sandstone edging to...

I've seen extract of barley straw, perhaps this will be my answer?

That's amazing Martin, and you have green water :lol:! How do you keep it so crystal clear???!!!! I have just started adding liquid carbon to our aquarium would that work in the pond too?

Your fountain looks amazing Martin, I'd love to see more photo's! Yes I see your point re our green pond and lighting, not a good look. We planned the pond to have planting around it to soften the hard landscaping as it's set into gravel with a large patio to the right of it. But once we saw...

Thank you so much chaps! I've just finished another 2 hour maintenance and actually enjoyed it! Will all these tips I finally feel a little more in control, not only that it was so much easier. I would love to hear about any odd/quirky tools or methods that people have invented for...

I have some JBL Ferrotabs that I don't use in the aquarium any more, would they be good for our pond plants (listed above)?

This is the sort of thing we had in mind for the other water feature - but with smooth pale sandstone:

Definitely no outdoor fish! Struggling with the indoor ones! I actually love green pools and as the liner is black you only notice it on the gravel on top of the plant pots so I'll change them to black stones! None yet but hopefully soon! Really chuffed to bits with the liner it's a Lotus...

We have recently built a small pond (180cm x 130cm x 50cms deep - 635 litres) which we originally intended to be a simple reflection pool (dark still water not too deep), we now have added a small fountain for ambient noise (and keep gnats and mosquitoes at bay). It's a modern rectangle (black)...

Such a relief, although it does mean I must have killed the fish in another way:eek: I did buy a spare impeller/filter motor just in case ours broke down. It's often tricky to get started particularly when snails intervene.

I like this method Julian, it sounds far less "turbulent" than my pouring the clean water in with a glass! A single bucket is about a 40% water change for our 46l so this method would make it super easy! What pump do you use? GSA? do I have one?!! I like using a toothbrush but need to find a...

Great news all round Ian! It's so good to talk (or in my case ask zillions of questions)!!! I do water changes weekly anyway (at the moment every other day as the tank is a mess - my doing:arghh:) I have the filter water flow set to nearly maximum and I am gradually increasing the length of...

That makes great sense Ian and is a huge weight of my mind! In a low tech tank such as ours would this still apply? We are going to be adding liquid carbon, when I can decide which one! Also now that our Vallis has grown up and across the glass "roof" of the Fluval Edge will that inhibit the...

But I thought the biomass ceramic media etc started to die off and the tank became un-cycled? I thought that was why I'd killed a lot of our fish by spending an hour or more cleaning with the filter off. Is that not the case? I leave our filter running whilst doing most of the water changing...

I'll look on Amazon for that thanks Derek and yes I have found the forum invaluable but thought rather than posting loads of threads, I'd just do one!

Is there a post or tutorial on really basic aquarium techniques? For example: - how long is it safe to leave the filter unplugged during maintenance? - what's the best way to refill the tank after a water change and with what equipment? - general tips on cleaning equipment i.e. planting...

Is anything easy with the Fluval Edge!!??!!! It is lovely though isn't it? I'm a novice and tried with moss but have just taken it out as trimming is impossible! Having said that I can recommend the Pro Scissors Nude (strange name, lost in translation perhaps?) as they are curved and reach...

You wouldn't know we had any fish, even we wonder at times!!! They certainly don't come out when anyone is near the tank so feeding is a case of popping it in and running out of the room in the hope they will come out in time before it gets lost in the substrate!!! This info' has made my...

Having just re-read Dusko's helpful article which states... "One should never allow them to grow to the surface. When this happen gas exchange becomes limited and low Oxygen levels might occur causing various issues e.g. algae, surface film, NH4/NO2 accumulation, stressed fish, etc...", could...

Bleach really won't hurt the fish/shrimp?!!!! Great thanks Ian, is it ok to move the sand/gravel back a little to do this?

I apologise for this rather basic question, but is there an article about removing simple green algae from the tank sealant and along the glass at substrate level? My tank is in a rather bad way due to me using a sponge guard on the airline "vacuum" to avoid the new shrimplets and fry, the...

I was using one!:oops: So sweet but having killed most?:arghh: Thank goodness we haven't any children! I am seriously looking into liquid carbon, I use Tropica Premium ferts (had a problem with algae on the Specialised) and want to make sure it will be compatible with that + shrimp +fish +our...

Well now you've said that a lot of our RCS have disappeared, I just put it down to the state the tank had got into (my fault) but now......???!!!:eek: Opps :oops:

They are a rather thuggish I agree! When you said they would go missing do you mean they eat them? Originally all 6 would fly around the tank together, which even I found terrifying, but over the 2 years we've had them together I've noticed the Cherries now push the Amanos out of the way to...

Thanks George and don't worry I won't blame anyone other than myself if anything amiss happens!

Did the liquid carbon work with the shrimp George? I'm nervous about adding it to our tank particularly as we have Vallisneria along with Red Cherry and Amano shrimp, so I'm keen to know how it worked for you.

I can't thank you all enough for your wonderful advice, encouragement and kind words about our tank (not to mention sharing your odd nightmares too)! It has helped enormously. Thankfully I bought one before the power cuts just in case. I pop the ceramic media from the filter in on top of the...

Thank you so much Alto and AverageWhiteBloke, I now have a lump in my throat and blurred vision (tears again)! I will answer properly tomorrow, running really behind due to 2 hours of work on said tank (moss nearly all gone)! I can't thank you enough :shy:

Hi Alto, Thank you so much for your helpful advice! We had been considering adding some Endler's to make the Danio feel less threatened but didn't know whether that was a good idea so thank you for this. Ultimately how many Endler's would be ideal companions for our 5 Danio? I can't tell...

Hi Suzanne, Thanks for yours, I appreciate any help I can get and will watch your posting on the tank with great interest! I agree the Fluval Edge is a challenge indeed but so gorgeous!

I would hate them to eat the shrimp!

Great thanks Ian!

Thank you so much Aqua360 that so kind of you, but this was last year and it really looks awful now that I'm too ashamed to photograph it. I totally agree re the shrimp, I've never felt comfortable about seeing our fish in here but the shrimp on the other hand look very at home. Although...

Ian, do you think it would over-dose(!) as it's for tank sizes of 50l upwards - our tank is 46l does this small amount matter? I'm thinking that a constant supply of dosing like this may be better for our low tech tank and the shrimp/fish.

Once I get the plants back up to health again I'll have a test run, thanks Ian! I must admit I would like to stick with Tropica as they seem to work well for everything in the tank.

I can't thank you enough for posting this James, just at a time when I needed it most!!!!!

Hi Suzanne, I am sorry to hear about the deaths. I'm new to keeping an aquarium (also a Fluval Edge) so I'm sure there will be more professional help than mine, but I too had shrimp die through to not being able to moult. I found that adding Genchem Beta-G powder weekly enabled successful...

Just an update 2 years down the line: This has been a difficult learning curve to say the least! Going from sheer frustration to elation pretty much on a weekly basis. We left the tank cycle (see above notes) for around 8 weeks before adding 6 Danio erythromicron, sadly only 3 of the original...

Tank details: Fluval Edge 46 litre (12 Us gallons), no additional lighting no co2 but an E series Fluval heater Plants: Cryptocoryne beckettii Cryptocoryne undalatus kasselman Vallisneria (not sure which one) Annubias barteri nana bonsai x 2 attached to the wood Cypress helfri Microsorum...

I must admit to being rather keen on the Java Ricefish but my Husband thinks they're too see-through and odd so I'll settle for darty and cool! We have 6 on order to start with and 6 Cherry Shrimp and once they've settled in (and the tank is working properly) then we'll invite a few more -...

They're gorgeous aren't they?!! Yes this is the site I've used as a reference for suitable candidates! They are very informative (the site not the fish)!!! That's a relief thanks Iain, I would hate to let the tank "go to pot" now! I've just applied the first dose of the plant food you...

Hi James, I will keep the tank clean but I'm hoping that once the plants etc are established that we won't need to do a 50% every other day. Would a 50% once a week work or is it more advisable to do smaller changes and in which case would I need a TDS meter? It does concern me that there...

Hi Clive, Yes I have used our local water board report (which is very detailed) when considering fish that would be suitable. I figured they would have far better testing equipment than I could buy off the shelves! I will look into buying a TDS meter though. Sorry for the confusion, I meant...

Clive do you bother with gh testing in the tank once it's set up? I know my tap water hardness is that enough? It's 18 degrees german with a high ph of 8.2. I'm still 50% water changing every other day and (with the help of our uninvited bladder snails) the plants are almost free from the...

Great, the snail seems to be doing a great job at cleaning so I'm happy! I'll keep an eye on them as when the tank is cycled we may pop in an Assassin! As for the worms, I must admit they are rather lovely too, rather like the sort of deep sea creatures you see on the Discovery channel...