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No dice I'm afraid. All livestock were obviously fine but the algae remained. I have since had amazing results with Algexit in regards to my prolific hair algae problem. £10 for a 500ml carton and I dosed 15ml per week for 3 weeks and it's nearly all gone.

I think it's subjective. I netted mine up and put them in a larger raised pond for Winter with small Shubunkens. I covered and heated the pond for the coldest months (of the UK) and they were fine come Spring. They are natively from waters which get very cold in the wild.

Yeah, just bang more in, job done.

I've noticed GSA when I don't add enough fert. I use EI. If you have a massive trim you can reduced your ferts, when a jungle grows, i add more to prevent GSA on the glass and some slow growers.

Thanks for this Hoggie - pictures speak volumes! Our regs look identical in body with a few subtle differences. In pic one, my canister locking nut is round and knurled and apparently is designed this way so you can finger tighten to your chosen canister? Mine also has a hole drilled which I...

According to JBL support - that hole is the relief valve. In my opinion, it's not the relief valve, it's a hole in the threaded body of the regulator housing that serves an unknown purpose and the actual relief valve is the larger black piece of plastic that can be removed and has a spring...

Ah right. Well mine is the pro version included in the M503 kit and has a controllable solenoid bolted to it but in essence it's the same as above and has no way to adjust the incoming pressure like my Co2 Art regulators - so bloody over complicated all this JBL gear! That's why I think that...

Fixed it - 6 wraps of PTFE of the threads to block the hole. I saw on the Olivetta website that flat washers were sold to literally dump into the body of the reg so it's clear that hole needs to be filled to prevent gas escaping. I can only assume it's purpose is for mounting small aerosol...

Hi Hoggie, Thanks for the suggestion. I did actually nip that up with a 6mm Allen but perhaps I'm missing a seal as it still seems a bit loose. I'll check it over tonight and report back.👍🏼

Yep, all connected properly. Instructions state to only hand tighten as it's a knurled fitting with difficult access to get your hand on it. I've also used some grips to aid and the same hissing from the hole is present. This is JBLs Professional reg but it's not got a master shut off valve...

I have sent JBL a question via their website. Hopefully they can shed some light on the issue. I'll report back when I hear from them.

Hi all, I've just hooked up this reg and when pressurised it leaks through the tiny hole in the metal body of the reg. I can put my finger on it to stop the leak so know it's 100% the issue. I take it this indicates a diagraph fault?

Pics? it could be something obvious.

I've got a full JBL pH control touch. Been demoing it on my tank before it's set up on my daughter's tank. Very nice bit of kit and very accurate too. What do you need to know?

I've hooked up with a guy who gets them as hes' part of a Health and Safety company. The last batch I bought 5 off him and he's now got another 10 x 2Kg bottles for me. Works out at £4 each which is great if you can store in a garage/shed. Do some digging and you can hook up with someone in the...

Or, get a dirt cheap regulator and a pH controller to dial in your desired pH drop to a 0.1% decimal point or some go to 0.01 and hold it there for the whole photoperiod You'll have no fluctuations and on WC day, you won't create a big drop 👍🏼

It'll be interesting to see what develops over the coming weeks. I see you added a wave maker and changed your light too. I'd be interested in knowing if the intensity is now higher with the new light. 👍🏼

Thanks. The current plan has shifted slightly. I'm going to Scape it with some spare redmoor root and either Cornwall's finest natural beach stone which I've had for a few years or Dragon stone which I have laying around. I'll do a mock up this week with the stone and towel but the Redmoor...

How is flow? In my Osaka tank flow seemed fine via a Biomaster but I added a wave maker and the MC lay flat after a couple of days and growth went crazy. Nothing else had changed. BBA can come about from poor maintenance or poor Co2 distribution and since your set up is new, I doubt it's the...

No, it'll be fine. I have mine nearly horizontal as it exits the outlet. The water is under slight pressure and the gas is also injected at over 30psi so the diffusers efficiency won't be affected based on it's positioning unless you go crazy adding loops in your pipework etc.

Well I did it. Let's see what the next few days bring!

I'm getting good results with an Ecotec Radion G4Pro on a tank very similar to this setup and I also have another for my Aquascaper600 which needs setting up in the next few weeks. I'll be ceiling mounting it with cable for a cleaner look. Does this light have a PAR spread pattern available for...

I've tested DIY reactors, and various inline diffusers from JBL and modified them so they didn't "waste" Co2 using large bubbles favouring the micro-mist that Qanvee diffusers offered. Having only had a drop checker to gauge and the delays it gave I couldn't see an accurate pH drop. Now I have a...

I have a pond that last year I treated with BlanketAnswer and the results were outstanding. Within 5 days the algae was 90% gone and the rest shifted after another week or so and never returned. I've triggered filamentous hair algae in my Co2-injected planted tank by trimming the whole tank too...

I'd opt you can do it, but a good filter makes life so much more easy. It provides the flow you need, could have a pre-filter to catch all the stray leaves and bits of guff floating around and it takes 2 mins per week to clean a pre-filter. Do an 80% water change and you're good.

Is silicone grease (in spray form) a good shout? I've always used vaseline. Thanks

It won't attack filter seals anymore than the drop of pH by injecting Co2. I'd just inject on the outlet and ensure good flow to carry it around.

Thanks for the response, that's a fair point Wooki. I'm just trying to work on repeated issues and learn some more. I did once stop dosing EI for a few weeks and some of the plants turned the most amazing colours - AR in particular. I'd like to find a balance of best colouration, least algae...

I've been testing the dubious JBL pH and temp sensor probes on my tank. After 48 hours of soak testing followed by calibration and then 4 days of running in the tank, I retested the probes again and found the pH probe is absolutely fine with near perfect 7 and 4pH readings when left in buffer...

Hi all, Just bought this filter pipe as my LFS was out of stock of the regular 16/22 I buy. While it looks strong enough, it's perhaps a little more prone to kinking and perhaps being a bit too thin? It's not exactly pressurized so should be okay and it's sold as food grade/Aquarium use too...

John Innes No. 3 with a few cm cap of a high CEC substrate such as Manado is a great low-budget, high-yield option.

The obvious response so apologies, but you've made sure it's not regulator-related right? i.e. added another diffusion method and proved there is adequate flow through the second device?

Hi all, I've used Aquarium Plant Food Standard EI dosing for a number of years and I'm wanting to go leaner for a few reasons. Less water changing per week, less trimming of plants and also seeing if there is a positive effect with certain types of algae I sometimes have. BBA, greenspot and...

I went down all of these options and then just built my own from hardwood ply and painted it with bathroom paint. It will literally hold a car if needed so 150Kg of tank is nothing. Plywood is extremely strong as the veneers that make it up and laid up at right angles for structural support and...

I had the same on my tank with a new substrate/hardscape and plants. The filter was mature but diatoms still appeared and in my case, were detrimental to plant health as they covered everything and prevent proper nutrient uptake/photosynthesis. I'm about to set up a new tank soon and it's...

I used to use a place in Trafford Park on Moseley Road that filled in date extinguishers for £5 and sold in date ones for £15 full while you wait. Gone are those since they moved and were bought out by another company charging 3 times the price. I can't seem to find anywhere else as good around...

This weekend I reorganised the office where this tank is situated and ordered quite a few bits in a Qanvee inline Atomiser, Radion ceiling suspension kit, chrome inlet/outlet pipes and some clear tubing. I'm a Radion Ecotech light owner (50W Gen3) and really like this type of LED light so I was...

Nice tank!

I've got to say that in defense of Co2Art, similar happened with me on a single stage and a valve blew out of the unit when changing a canisters (my fault). I got in touch with Co2Art and they upgraded me to a dual stage for minimal cost and this has been running trouble free for years. My...

I considered an off the shelf alternative but got worried about strength having read a few stories on here. I'm glad yours is standing the test of time and you've clearly done a good job on reinforcement. I ended up building one.

Cabinet done and sited. 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint later... Im considering installing a pull out floor shelf for the filter to make pre filter cleaning simple. Regarding the light, is there a generic kit for cable mounting from a ceiling available? Thanks

I've ordered a cheap eBay one for £11. I'll let you know how it pans out 👍🏼

Not yet. I will be getting a replacement probe soon so will let you know. I've been busy building a cabinet for my Scaper600. I will try and rejuvenate the JBL probe with distilled water too. Will keep you posted.

I've found that shrimp are like dogs though, they will simply graze constantly regardless of the food source. They are eating machines. Give them the off wafer and once it's gone, they'll just eat whatever else there is. I wouldn't rely on the expectation for them to just eat algae. They'll eat...

Been a little busy of late with work and other things but managed to spend the odd hour each evening after work on this. Now ready for painting. I used Birch hardwood plyboard. The structure of it puts my Fluvial Osaka cabinet to shame. I'm considering making a better cabinet for that perhaps in...

The Sessilflora looks leggy toward the tips which would suggest you have inadequate lighting or Co2 but this plant does not require much light at all. Due to the size of your tank, can you confirm you have adequate flow and a guarantee of good injection? Do you have pearling on the Sessilflora...

I use only one filter foam in the main cannister and I think it's a medium density and then after this, all trays are Alfagrog and Matrix. The pre filter inlet is also drilled on mine which vastly improves flow. These things could help in your set up?

I'm putting this here for others as it's really hard to find proper info about these lights on the internet. Turns out my old Radion is a G3 judging my the optics. The PAR improvments on the G4 with HEI lenses is a vast improvement.

You are aiming to lean dose so follow those instructions. I have to ask why you want to lean dose but then ask what dose regime to use? EI might be easier and just do big water changes regular filter cleans. Co2, you want a measured 1pH drop from a stablised water column sample before your...

My Biomaster Thermo 350 is noisy when I've had it apart for a full clean - i.e. probably like that when brand new. Once it's filled and ran for a few days, it quietens down significantly. What also makes it sound really loud is when one of the inlet/outlet pipes is touching the cabinet walls...

Green peas? Can you elablorate on this technique - very curious. Your AR looks magnificent. mini varient I assume? Thanks

I've successfully kept Amano and AR if you are suggesting they eat it? I dose EI and inject Co2 BUT, I also use a dirted substrate with a high CEC capping layer. AR is a massive rooter and if you've just got sand, it's not going to be easy getting it growing healthily.

I noticed a huge difference in my 150L cube by adding a 2000lph wavemaker. The tank runs on a Biomaster 350 but the problem with relying on a filter to provide flow is that the flow doesn't remain consistent when the filter output degrades due to minor clogging. This in turn creates other...

At 19L, I'd simply negate the pitfalls by dark starting for a few weeks and pull out 10L of water every couple of days until the biological stability improves. It's probably 5 mins work per day if that. If you've another tank, lob a load of fast growing stems on the surface for another week or...

Exactly and nicely put references regarding gas exchange - I could pull a plant out when using play sand and lots of trapped bubbles would rise up. Not very good. It's sand for kids to play in and deemed suitable for aquatic life since kids eat it 😂 compared to building/sharp sand or the stuff...

A word of warning - don't use play sand. I've done this several times with potting soil (John Innes No1 - the least amount of enriched ferts in the soil) and it always ended with cyanobacteria which consumed everything, and was impossible to kill off. The exact same process but swapping sand for...

Cheers for your input Ian. The M503 kit includes a touch interface computer with various inputs to help mitigate some of these issues I guess. One of them being a separate temperature probe. I might bite the bullet and give the Amazon pH probe a go. The JBL probe has around 6 months of use on...

Hi, The included pH probe is used and of unknown age and there is apparently a shelf life on them of around 2 years. I've seen some BNC pH sensors available on Amazon for around £20 which look identical to the JBL offering which is £75 and according to some of the reviews, there are happy JBL...

I was triggered to research some more and the following videos explain in great detail the science in these kinds of lights which I find really interesting. I'm sure most of you already know the science behind it all so apologies in advance. Dennis Wong - Obvs :) Pascoe's take Funnily...

Yep. Owning a scape for several years, you'll see it all from start-up diatoms to thread algae and BBA outbreaks etc. I've had my heater die and go full throttle to nearly 30degC, I wasn't running a separate thermometer and only noticed how warm the water felt when it came to the weekly water...

Agreed. It also creates more consistency when flow and in turn Co2 distribution isn't dictated solely by the filter outlet which is prone to reductions depending on how often you clean it. That's probably enough to then trigger BBA which I've suffered in the past so I'm keen to see how this pans...

Cheers Wookie. The G2 is a great light and the G4 Pro a massive improvement in power output and also better coverage offering more uniform PAR via those crazy optics (see video) which should help colour up some difficult plants on the edge of the G2 pattern. I saw one at The Abyss running an...

I do but it's much less obvious. The underside of the leaves are often saturated with o2. This is something I noticed too. The plants are generally much healthier and new growth already obvious without changing any other variables.

I'll explain more on my journal when I have more time to explain some crazy news which happened over the weekend and to document things properly, but for now I'm trying to transition a well established planted tank from a G2 Radion running at around 80% for 6 hours to a latest gen G4Pro which is...

I actually forgot how important flow was - which sounds crazy. Been doing scapes for a while and struggling with a 2ft cube with rocks/driftwood. Was looking back at how I once had play sand and amazing vibrant plants because in the picture was a wave maker. Bought a 2000lph unit and after only...

I've been into planted tanks and scaping for ages and my girls have grown up with it. So scouring eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace and her hard earned pocket money has been spent - several times over might I add! 😂 I managed to snag an Aquascaper 600 tank locally with extremely minor...

I've never really struggled with this species given it's Tropica advanced rating. It's like a weed in my 2ft tall tank and this stem was around 2.5ft before I decided to cut it and now have it rooting. 🙂

Hi all, My 13-year-old daughter got an unused bargain, sourced locally for £40 of her hard-earned pocket money. The original owner wasn't happy with the slightly messy silicone work and it was replaced under warranty for him so they just gave him the slightly imperfect one. I want to build her...

I had this in my 155L tank for about a month. The smell of Brut goes after a week. The grains are too large to use as a complete substrate, it's a pain to plant in because of this. I ended up tearing it down and using some as a high CEC baselayer with Osmocote, John Innes Number 3 as substrate...

I went one better and now use mine with an All Pond Solutions prefilter. Im running the outlet of my SunSun canister with inline Co2 atomiser to the top entrance so that the Co2 naturally rises against the flow. It's half filled with bio balls and a fine sponge before the bottom outflow. I get...

Just an update that I ended up swapping the kitty litter for Manado. I pulled the lot apart and started over. This time I used John Innes 3 (about an inch) capped with 5-8cm of Manado and the water quality is great. I used some of the kitty litter as support for Dragon stone before overlaying...

This has just got really interesting and if any of the Co2 gurus could chime in with their thoughts, I'd appreciate it. I just got home to the end of the Co2 injection period and the tank was extremely saturated in the tiniest bubbles from the JBL inline running at a mere 20psi as per the...

I think that diffuser requires a higher working pressure due to the compact structure of the ceramic requiring a higher working pressure. That's not to say a lower working pressure ceramic is less superior, just that it's different. The point of my lower working pressure test is to work out if...

Dragging this back up. I'm now on my second JBL inline diffuser because the outlet hose connector cracked after a few years - long story but my own fault. I went and bought another and did the pre-soaking etc and still had large bubbles and flooding of the internal when the Co2 is off - in my...

That's great to know - thanks for the input chaps. I'll monitor the changes feeling a little more reassured. To be fair, this is in a cooler room of the house and during Spring/Summer months, it'll get much warmer so I'd expect the water temp to naturally rise to 22-23degC.

During my re-scape setup, I reused my extremely mature canister filter and media and added a new clay-based substrate. Dialing in the Co2 and balancing liquid ferts, while tuning the lighting and all was looking good within a few days i.e. plants showing new growth and generally pearling - I had...

Hi all, I'm thinking about replacing my Osaka 155L cube with a more modern opi-white equivalent with cabinet and also looking into getting a nano tank for an office. I like the Denerle scapers tank kits but the glass looks green rather than opti-white - they are also sold out everywhere...

Tesco kitty litter is still widely available in the North West, I recently did my 155L cube in the stuff. Took 3 bags and cost me £12. It did smell like a room full of over 70's blokes on the kop down the local social club (Brut anyone?) but after 3-4 days with the canister filter running, the...

The tank is new so burning it with 12 hours of light when the plants need to convert fully to submersible form and are also incapable of using all the nutrition/Co2 from the water column means the tank will be more prone to various algae. Limiting the photoperiod gives you a buffer to reduce...

I would start off with 6 hours on medium intensity if possible. Flood the water column with plenty of macro/micro ferts and do two big water changes per week and assess after two weeks. At two weeks, you should have new growth and be able to check on old growth. You can then start to think...

Hygro turns red the closer it reaches the light. I've grown this in a high tech tank and it was crazy to control. It would easily grow an inch per day if not more once established.

Perfect. Thanks for the advice guys, I was hoping that since my canister and biomedia was super matured that I wouldn't suffer a new tank diatom bloom but seemingly this is not the case. There is brand new redmoor, dragon stone and clay substrate in the actual tank so I guess this is why diatom...

Thanks again Zeus, I think I've dialled it in well now. Although bad news, Im suffering what I think is diatoms/dust algae on all leaves of the plants. I've added 4 Otto's as I've had these in the past and they were great at eating bits of algae but these guys seem disinterested and just stay on...

Cheers Zeus, Some more background, my angels were hanging around the top of the water surface when pH was dropped a whole unit and my 4kDH DC was bright yellow. The pH pen is calibrated but that's not to say it's accurate. I dialled back the injection rate and will aim for a nice lime green DC...

I also think the same but I've tried inline and in tank diffusion and the bubbles produced are extremely tiny and tend to stay suspending in the water column rather than float to the surface like you see on some setups. Both methods have approximately the same Co2 saturation time. In terms of...

Cheers Zeus. I'm going to shift injection forward by an hour and observe/log pH again. It seems the water holds the Co2 once saturated so turning off the gas early shouldn't impact, especially if the plants have had their fill.

I'm nearly finished with tuning my Co2 injection. My lighting is a Radion XR15FW using EcoTechs plant growth lighting schedule for 6 hours. This turns on at 2pm and ramps up to a max intensity (70%) by 5pm and then it slowly reduces to 8pm. At 8pm-10pm the light runs at 4% to barely illuminate...

Yeah I get all the principles and understand the definition, but 'works as intended' suggests it's not prohibitive to buy, won't leak, won't work, won't incur a negative such as a large reduction in filter flow. Reading the reviews of most manufacturers efforts suggest most people just end up...

Simple question related to this. Is there a Co2 reactor that is available to buy that works as intended and is far superior to using an in-tank or inline atomiser? Thanks

Apparently, the leaves turn pink because of a Nitrogen deficiency in Hygro.

Sorry to hear the Clarity didn't work as expected. If the water went cloudy, it's likely doing something in bonding the bits of dust together which is effectively what you are seeing as 'more cloudy'. Sounds to me that if the substrate is constantly kicking up, it's something that you'll...

Excellent, thanks Kris. Sorry if my question wasn't too clear, I meant to say I currently use FE's but I'd like to use a proper gas supplier as Kris uses. Many thanks

Hi all, Does anyone know a supplier for Co2 around Manchester that you use for your aquarium? I have a dual-stage reg and tend to use 2Kg fire extinguishers. I have 5 left in my inventory but feel it might be better in the long term once these are used up to go with a proper supplier. Would...

I've used sands for a while and they always end up with issues. They aren't to be used as a deep substrate - I've had gas build-up and cyanobacteria, generally, they don't last long if water/oxygen can't penetrate enough. Not all sands are created equal and I'd imagine that if you use proper...

Hi all, I want to replace my 24w twin T5HO lamp for an LED unit. I really like the Radion but at £400 Inc mount that isn't going happen. Asthetically, I found a similar light by Nicrew but it's reef specific spectrum makes it a no go as I want if for my Co2 injected planted tank. I'd like it...

Quick update. Tank is planted and flooded. I'd bought a nice expanding water hose with tap connector to make water changes much easier and during the maiden filling, the tap end burst off and caused an angry water snake effect in the kitchen. Cue me running around trying to grab the end as it...

Have you tried Seachem Clarity? It works by binding the tiniest particles in the water column so they clump and get caught in your floss instead of passing through it. As long as you have filter floss in your filtration and good flow, it should sort that out in a few hours I would think.

5 years later... Tank was neglected and various attempts at using incorrect deep sand substrates always resulted in Cyanobacteria outbreaks and eventual death of all plants as it covers everything! I decided I wanted a proper aquascape having binge watched lots of George Farmer and Green Aqua...

I've decided to go for Tesco cat litter instead. I've been fighting constant yellow water since using soil and very fine gravel and this is something I want to avoid. I assume only sand can truly cap dirt properly but then I also want a deep substrate in places and I don't want cyanobacteria...

I've had planted tanks for a while. They've always been play sand cap but inevitably they get Cyanobacteria and have to be tested down. I've now got some very fine pea gravel 1-3mm which is probably like a very sand. I'm thinking this would prevent future cyanobacteria infestation capping John...