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London, I can just stick it in the post though George, I have free postage.

God I love those rams

George - look at where the thick patches of algae are in relation to your plants. It has grown where there are no plants to soak up the light, and nutrients from the substrate. At the moment, it seems confined to those areas. However, as I think ceg said, algae is best compared to a predator...

My reading of the abstract was that a water change effectively 'resets' the balance of microbes in the tank. That means, if there is some imbalance in your tank set up, even a minor one, a water change is beneficial in that it stops one or another microbe type/species taking over because it is...

http://microbe.net/2015/06/02/what-microbes-do-when-you-change-the-water-in-an-aquarium/ What microbes do when you change the water in an aquarium June 2, 2015 Alex Alexiev New Paper A new paper from Van Bonn et al studies the effect of a water change on the bacterial community of an...

I think George is aiming for a Dutch style tank. Either way he needs to double the plant mass in there, at a minimum, if he doesn't want to see it crash and burn again.

Nice one mate. Let me know when you're ready for the ludwiga.

Great nano - excellent hardscape, lovely choice of plants

strong start Rob. I did a very similar dry start earlier this year, although using eco-complete which is not quite as well suited to the method. The cuba grew insanely fast and flourished. The eleocharis struggled badly. When I flooded the tank, things turned upside-down. Despite absolutely...

Looking even better than before Akwa. One of my favourite tanks of all time. I know they are slow growers but looking forward to an update on your other works as well.

Very steep aquasoil slope at the back there, surprised it isn't slipping down?

I think this is fantastic, you've done a lot with a very small tank. I like the neons, but I agree with zozo, I think chilli rasboras would look great in there.

Well done George, things are looking up. I would say from the colour of your dropchecker you could do with pumping your CO2 up a bit though. It would really give your plants a growth burst, and hopefully stop the algae coming back. Keep up the good work mate.

Awesome, this is such a great set up. Personally would prefer it without the branding, but that's nitpicking

It is a master stroke of hardware customisation and miniaturisation. Amano (and the rest of Japan) would be proud. The only thing I think detracts from it all is the CO2 tubing. Sort that out somehow and it will be as close to perfect as it is possible to get (without drilling holes through the...

Here you are karla, I'm afraid this really is warts and all. I came home from work this evening to find that "Big Red" had run amok, wrenching out loads of the hairgrass. He is making good progress on his nest though. I've trimmed the hairgrass again but left the clippings in the tank, in the...

An update with good and bad news on this project. I'll get the bad news out of the way first: no sooner than I introduced the fish and my flatmate has handed in his notice. That means I'll probably have to move in just under 2 months - I don't know whether I will be able to break down and...

Very artfully done Iceman, a serene little scape. What kind of hardware will you be using? Filter and CO2 set up? I see you are using your modified Ikea Led.

Good luck, they look like lovely specimens so hopefully they can pass on their genes!

Did you say they bred Lauris? How did it go, are you goingto raise the fry?

Good call mate, looks the business to me. But then my understanding of engineering ends at pushing a plug into a socket! :nailbiting:

Looking very promising :geek:

Bloody hell, looks more sophisticated than a nuclear reactor, our American cousins certainly don't do things by halves!!!

I will send you some ludwiga 'rubin' clippings if you promise not to change the powerhead back

Now you just need to get a decent quantity of plants in there feller!

It sounds like you understand what everyone is urging you to do with the powerhead, why not just go for it? It will take literally 30 seconds.

On the plus side your marine nano looks lovely George

Simply awesome, what a tank

Hey Jordi, did you tear this one down in the end, or keep it going? It really is a lovely tank.

Thanks Kadir, really nice of you to say that, it's really nothing special though, just a random selection of plants and a bit of wood in a cube really! I suppose the great thing about planted tanks is that the plants, if you give them the right conditions, can often create a natural looking...

Yes I plan to run this through till September or so, as that is when I am due to move. I think you are right about the inverts. I am hoping that they will be able to hide in the hairgrass and stalks of the emergent plants. But I suspect I will need to restock pretty regularly. Thankfully...

Hi Kadir, you might consider adding a few fast growing stem plants as well. They would help soak up ammonia etc as you get the tank set up. Maybe rotala? Ludwiga red is also a popular choice and adds some colour variety. For fish have you considered celestial pearl danios? They look really...

The second batch of plants have arrived, and I have put them in. Gave the hairgrass a good trim. If it gets direct sunlight it fizzes away so hopefully it will carpet relatively quickly. CO2 is now at full yellow; I finished the hardware by adding an UP inline atomiser. That replaces the...

Nice plant, very tropical!

Thanks...they seem to have a browny tinge on the surface around their head/neck. I will do a bit more research but I may need to wait a while and see how the colouration develops. Do you know a hard-and-fast way to differentiate between sexes?

That's one hell of a plant list, and one hell of a tank to keep on top of!

That's actually well explained Jordi, I think I get you. I hate trying to remove lily pipes from the tubing though, it is my least favourite job! I just avoid doing it, and cut it out with a sharp knife when I absolutely have to.

Possibly, I was hoping for something a little less obtrusive - like a tactful clamp that fixes the linet and outlet lily pipes together?

Appeal for advice because this is really beginning to wind me up. How do you keep your lily-pipes straight or in a particular position? The pipes on both of my tanks keep going askew. Apart from the irregularity detracting from the aesthetics of the tank, it means the flow and surface rippling...

Good luck George, hope you rescue the tank and post up some pics

Thanks Jim and everyone for your comments. I did have a think about the emersed plants' leaves but I am hoping that, given they are UK native marginal plants, they should be pretty hardy in regards to humidity. I plan to give them a spray every now and then to simulate the odd rain shower, and...

OK, having done a bit of reading, I am seeing this plant described as a "tank buster" and very fast grower... ...looks like it may have helped get my tank of to a nice healthy start, but realistically if I don't trim it right back / get rid of it, its going to keep growing until it is emersed...

Thanks guys. I am thinking about trimming the big leaved "stricta" right down to the stem. It is way too dominant at the moment and blocks a lot of light to the other plants. It is a shame, about 3 hours or so before "lights out" it seems to have enough of the lights and almost closes up, so the...

The orange/blue one is awesome

My first batch of plants arrived last Friday. I added my (pre-used from previous owner) aquasoil, and quickly planted them in. It did take a couple of water changes to clear the water from the aquasoil run-off and gunk. The flowering rush came "barerooted" - essentially a piece of root with a...

So this tank seems to have been ticking over nicely. The plants continue to rocket upwards and the new monte carlo carpet is steadily spreading. I also added two honey gouramis who seem very happy. That's probably partly because its become rediculously overgrown! So far, the only real trimming...

Cool! Depending on how mine goes I may enter!

Yes, he appears to have some fish that look like a variety of tetra. Re-reading the thread, he had some shrimp but they died pretty quickly.

I guess it depends what you mean by 'start again'...I mean he only actually has a few plants, and no hardscape. He just needs to take everything out, give it a thorough clean, and put it back in again. That is one of several things George can do that don't cost any money and will give his...

To be fair to George, he knows that he needs to dechlorinate now. The trouble is that, whilst his tank was struggling before, it was at least relatively stable. The recent dechlorination just appears to have revealed how fundamentally unbalanced the tank set up is by allowing the green water...

Just to piggyback on this one, do you really need to change the reagent each time you do a water change (as ceg suggests in his "measuring CO2 using a dropchecker" article)? Does the stuff expire / lose its potency or something?

:hungry:

Looking really good. It looks like "gold vine" is the Aussie name for for what is called redmoor wood in the UK. You said you haven't used it before; if you aren't already aware, this stuff floats like crazy when dry. For this arrangement, you will probably either need to break the superglue...

Btw, how much/how often do you feed your fish?

Looks awesome. Still planning the same plants?

Looking forward to the reboot, it's a wonderful scape. good luck

I would consider entering if my UK native tank turns out well (big if!). However, I don't agree with the whole policy of banning any publication of pictures of the tank before entering. I am not sure what the purpose is, and I think it discourages experienced aquarists from sharing their...

Put some daphnia in there, they will love it!

The stone meister strikes again! Love your style, very original and creative

Apologies George, no offence intended, I am also a rookie. I think you can make this tank work, I still think you should bite the bullet though and buy some more plants to increase the healthy mass in the tank. I think for beginners that is often the forgotten part of the equation with all the...

Oh god, I must have misread the maximum height! I may have to rethink that one, and keep the ones I have ordered next to the tank in pots or something. Luckily there are loads of other nice choices I can have a look at, will have to pay P&P again though.

I think when he says "noted", he means "thanks, but I am going to ignore this advice." I don't mean to be condescending, but this is a fascinating experiment in gradually trying to lead someone through the basics of having a functioning tank. You have to have a sneaking admiration for George's...

Does anyone have any tips or advice on how to plant the following species? The only resource I can find is a book from 1910! (Which looks very interesting by the way). Flowering rush, Butomus umbellatus (planned to go at the back on the left, where I have left a trench) Lesser spearwort...

Is removing the surface film purely an aesthetic decision? My tanks are in my open plan living room / kitchen, I often get a thin film of oil on top. I assumed that it is fine as long as there is surface agitation from the filter outlet.

Is the amano shrimp in the last pic carrying eggs? Well done! Personally I prefer it with the untamed plants look, but the trimmed scape is also awesome. Is the surface skimmer necessary on a tank like this? It is not intrusive, I just wonder if you could cut back on the in tank hardware. I...

Things are looking up, everything looking healthy. I put in some new monte carlo at the front. Algae clean up crew to deal with diatoms. Two amano shrimp, and one oto. Another bamboo shrimp, which is again hiding. The stick at the front is meant for him to perch on in the flow and filter feed...

I put together the basic hardscape this afternoon: From the side late afternoon: Top shot showing layout: Water a bit cloudy from the sand. Here is my thinking. The stones were placed on sections of polystyrene. Between, and in the back right section, I have built it up with black...

Sounds like you worked that question out for yourself George. Should be a sign that the changes are taking effect, hopefully in a few weeks your tank will be in a position to put some shrimp in, and hopefully you'll see improvements in general :)

Does anyone know a retail shop in London selling pond plants that is accessible by public transport? The best I can find is Crew Hill in Enfield, and it will take around two and a half hours to get there from where I live in Central London / N1!!!!!

Thanks Edvet, good suggestion. I suspect the sticklebacks will nab them but worth a shot! Since on the topic, I have been thinking about how I am actually going to feed them once they are in there. I don't have much room in my flat for a proper daphnia culture, and to be honest I'm not too keen...

Yes my plan is to use ramshorns, but I am open to other suggestions. No shrimp for several reasons. Firstly, I want to try and restrict the tank to all native species if I can. Secondly, that means I won't have a heater as UK plants/animals need cooler water. Finally, because the sticklebacks...

Thanks Akwa, I did have a look at your windowsill tank which is fantastic, great little slice of nature. I am impressed that you don't seem to have algae issues which gives me some hope for this one. Then again, you have plenty of shrimp in there, which won't be an option with mine. I suspect I...

Not sure yet, but possibly the weekend after this one. I may see if there is a more accessible pond centre though if it is going to be a huge trek! Any other recommendations to try?

I am in Islington, next to the Regent's Canal. Is wildwoods any good? I was planning on going there because I want to try and get everything in one go and because I want to pick out appropriate size stuff, rather than risking ordering online; flowering rushes, marginal plants, ramshorn snails...

Looks amazing, I really like your style. You are right, it is slightly otherworldly.

By the way do the circles of clear water in the surface plants form naturally, or are they an effect of the air pumps? The effect is lovely.

That's one of the things I like about planted tanks, they can change organically into something we didn't necessarily expect or plan for. Looking forward to seeing this one grow out, patience will be required though I suspect!

I really like this, it has a really nice relaxing feel, a bit like a nice cool underwater cave, with a soundtrack of dripping water and echoes

Thanks Jim. Everything installed as of last night in this tank, just need to put in some more clean up crew now, as I am seeing quite a bit of diatom growth, and hopefully it will settle down. I will have a play around this weekend with the scape set up for my ADA UK native tank, aim to try and...

Looks promising. Do you buy your stones asnsmall mixed pieces or break them up yourself?

My new ADA 60P alongside a full set up of hardware (bought second hand from a chap leaving the hobby) arrived last night. It includes a Fluval 106, which I think I will use on this one with the media from the existing Eden. That way all the equipment for my ADA 60P tank will be the best I have...

Thanks Chris and Jim. What are peoples' thoughts on arrangement of the various inline items when they arrive tomorrow? My plan was to have both the atomiser and the heater on the outflow pipe? Also, any tips on transferring the cycled media across? The media in the Eden are small ceramic...

Remember, if you get hold of some filter media from an established tank, or even some hardscape or plants from one, it will speed the process up a lot.

Thanks chaps. Chris you inspired me to take the plunge and I have introduced 5 CRS and an amano shrimp. They seem to be doing well and munching away on the diatoms. The impulse bamboo shrimp I put in there (following Grand National fluke) on the other hand has hidden behind the wood and has...

Good work George. It may take a couple of weeks or so for the filter to fully cycle, but I would avoid doing any fiddling for a while. My only other suggestion would be to splash out on a few more plants, so as to try and soak up excess ammonia and nitrites and start the fightback against algae.

Awesome. What wonderful fish.

Some slightly better pictures using phone camera:

Hi Chris Thanks for the advice, I do still need to get my EI regime in place. I have been having my ups and downs with this one! The main issue is I have had some further disasters with the CO2. It seemed to be ticking along nicely up until the Easter weekend. I had my CO2 turned up high...

To be honest, I enjoy the challenge of trying the more advanced stuff, as I'm sure do most of us. I have a simple little low tech nano which I love, but if that were my only tank it would not be very exciting or challenging. My point was more it is a pain when you just need little bits. For me...

btw does anyone know what size ADA tank the big nice one downstairs with the emersed growth is?

Well, they are probably achieving quite good CO2 dissolution by simply blasting in microbubbles through a glass diffuser, most of which are going to waste. Pretty inefficient, not ideal for a hobbyist, but easy to maintain and unobtrusive for a shop display. They presumably get wholesale price...

The opinion from a pure amateur here but I think NC10 gets closest to the truth when he said "the shop doesn't care how much they waste" (although obviously there are limits!). Have you ever noticed how many staff they have at the ADC? There are loads of them. The last two times I have popped...

To be fair George, leaving out for 5 hours is not enough anyway, at least 24 is recommended if you are going down that route. Also, water conditioner removes heavy metals, not just chloramine. I'm not having a go, there is a lot to take in when trying to get your tank right! I tend to go back...

Shrimp tend to be pretty sensitive to water quality (i.e. nitrites and ammonia), so that would indicate that your tank has indeed not cycled properly. Fish can often survive poor quality water, but they will be suffering and will have reduced lifespans and be more prone to disease. I would...

Well if it is, at least you have identified the root cause of the problem. :) You may have other factors at play as well, but I would suggest cycling the tank properly before trying to identify any other issues. You seem to have fish in there though - how long do they seem to survive? Have...

Julian - I used to be very strict on dechlorinating water first, before adding it to the tank. However, I have been advised by wiser heads than I that this isn't necessary. But I always add dechlorinator to the tank first just to make sure I don't forget! Also, presumably as soon as you add...

OK...so it sounds like your tank hasn't actually cycled the whole time you have been running it, if you have been adding chlorinated water every water change. No wonder you are having problems. You definitely need to add water conditioner (de-chlorinator). Otherwise you are killing your filter...

Great forward vision. I might have had doubts at 80 days but the end result is stunning.

:oops: I'm afraid engineering is one of my weak points! I am going to go for the mini g-clamp solution. It won't look the slickest, but hopefully it will be safe whilst remaining affordable!

That looks better than what I had in mind to be honest James! I considered tying paracord directly onto the LED, my concern was that the heat might melt through it - does the acrylic withstand the heat OK?