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  • Users: Gaina
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  1. Gaina

    Lazarus the wonder fish

    Ah, lovely! Have a great life, Lazarus! 😊
  2. Gaina

    What next?

    Here's my tank. Please excuse the algae , I'm addressing it. 😊
  3. Gaina

    What next?

    Hi Bazz, Thanks for replying so quickly. 😊 I've actually had this aquarium for 5 years, the original residents have just aged out and I'm down to 1 Amano shrimp and a Hengel's Rasbora (I have recently returned to this forum after a break 😊). I've not heard of Clithon snails, so I'll check...
  4. Gaina

    What next?

    Afternoon all! 😊 I'm now starting to plan when to add shrimp to my tank (Fluval Roma 125 with Fluval U3 filter). I recently bought fresh test kits and my parameters are as follows: GH - 11 KH - 3 (started turning at 2) Ph - 7.5 Ammonia - 0 Nitrite - 0 Nitrate - 20+ Temperature - 24.9c TDS -...
  5. Gaina

    Lazarus the wonder fish

    Maidenhead Aquatics was my first thought. 😊
  6. Gaina

    Hello from Cheltenham :)

    Hello Piotr. 😊
  7. Gaina

    Lazarus the wonder fish

    This is the first thing I read today and it gave me such a chuckle, thank you! 🤣 Well done Lazarus, may you live long and prosper. 👍
  8. Gaina

    Resolved! How do I add instagram link to my profile?

    Yes, that's the one! I've managed it thanks for your help! 😊
  9. Gaina

    Resolved! How do I add instagram link to my profile?

    Morning all! 😊 I've noticed some users have a link to their Instagram account on posts and I'd like to do the same. I've looked at my account details but can't figure it out. Any help gratefully received. 😊
  10. Gaina

    Hello again!

    Thank you! :)
  11. Gaina

    Hello again!

    Hello Everyone! Gaina here (Fluval Roma 125). Hope everyone has been well in the almost 3 years since I last posted and your aquatic enedevours are thriving. It's been a heck of a couple of years for me which saw me maintaining my tank to keep the inhabitants healthy, but losing my spark for...
  12. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Hi Matt :) Fortunately we have 4 very big water butts that we use for the pots and hanging baskets in the summer anyway, so I just need the weather to 'play ball'. :thumbup:
  13. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Thank you, Simon that helps a lot. I'm wondering if I was too quick to jump on hardness as the reason my first fish died - I think that being a newbie, I wasn't as discerning about who I took advice from as I am now and didn't have the knowledge or confidence to diagnose exactly what was going...
  14. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Thank you so much for everyone's help. :) I think I've got a good short term plan: 50/50 RO/tap water changes every 10 days will mean I've got enough RO for 2 water changes plus top-ups, and there won't be any mad parameter swings. That should see me through the 3 week lockdown then I'll...
  15. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    In principal it's great but I'd need something that did 20 liters at a time to cover weekly water changes plus top-ups. :)
  16. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    I live with my parents so it's not just me that messing around with an RO unit would impact (I'm not paying the water bill!), and up until now, getting my water from Maidenhead Aquatics has been working out well. :)
  17. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Thank you, that's useful to know. :) I will see the next few weeks as an experiment and seriously consider putting them back on tap.
  18. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Thank you :) The info about gh for this species was from all the reliable species profiles online like 'seriously fish' as well as books I have. The max these sources said they can tolerate is 14gh. I've got a full bottle of tap water conditioner and I can get more online thank goodness!
  19. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Thanks, I had heard London water was pretty poor! :angelic: I guess if I start with 50/50 tap/ro water changes at 10‰ will get me through this initial 3 week period and with at tank my size it's going to take quiet a while to match my tap parameters. :)
  20. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    I've never tested my rainwater to be honest! Might do that tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion. :)
  21. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Hi, Thanks for the reply. I was looking at that site earlier. Unfortunately I have a parent who's under the 12 week stay at home as she's classed as vulnerable, and I live at home so I don't want to risk brining anything home.
  22. Gaina

    Locked down and short on RO

    Hi All, I run my 125l aquarium on remineralised RO Water and I have hengels rasbora and Amano shrimp. My LFS has closed completely and I've got enough water for one 10% water change plus top-ups. If we are only going to be in this situation for 3 weeks, I might just manage, but any longer...
  23. Gaina

    Best carpeting plant to mix with dwarf saggitaria?

    I've seen that before and I really liked it! Thanks for the suggestion. :thumbup:
  24. Gaina

    Best carpeting plant to mix with dwarf saggitaria?

    I was looking for a contrasting texture if possible, so I'll have a look at monte carlo, thanks.
  25. Gaina

    Some notes on Otocinclus

    That's what I like about keeping fish, it often throws up surprises you can only discover by actually getting your hands dirty.
  26. Gaina

    Best carpeting plant to mix with dwarf saggitaria?

    Thank you! I'll have a look at that.
  27. Gaina

    Some notes on Otocinclus

    For anyone looking for information on just about any species, I can recommend a great YouTuber, Rachel O'Leary. She breeds and sells fish for a living and does brilliant 'species spotlight' videos. She's highly knowledgeable and makes the information on keeping various species very accessible...
  28. Gaina

    Best carpeting plant to mix with dwarf saggitaria?

    Hi All, My tank is coming along nicely, but I need some ideas for small carpet plants I can grow in the bare patches between my dwarf saggitaria. I have hornwort and frogbit floating on the surface, so I'm looking for something that likes dappled light. I'm using fertiliser but no Co2, my...
  29. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Thanks, for the tip. :D I now use gravel leveller and tongs when planting so things are a bit easier to anchor in place. :thumbup:
  30. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Hello All! Well, my aquarium is nearly a year old and everything is thriving - in fact some things are growing a bit too well! I particularly love my Cryptocoryne Wendtii and the java ferns - it's popping off baby plants like crazy...
  31. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    A quick update on my tank: 8 months in, it's becoming increasingly obvious which plants are doing well in this tank and what's not (i.e. which ones the snails eat and what they tend to leave alone!). I'm still going to wait the full 12 months before I change anything but I'm starting to have...
  32. Gaina

    How long do lights *need* to be on?

    Just a quick update. :) I am now running my lights an extra hour and have noticed significant plant growth (the echinodorus bleheri had previously been sluggish, which I knew wasn't right cos it was an absolute thug in my other aquarium! :lol:). Algae is manageable, and certainly hasn't got...
  33. Gaina

    How long do lights *need* to be on?

    Yep, I think that's sold it to me. :)
  34. Gaina

    How long do lights *need* to be on?

    Hi Tam :) Yes, I've had the Frogbit a while and there's a good covering of it on the surface (it grows so well I have to take a bit out occasionally!). I was actually thinking about changing the bog-standard light that came with the aquarium for one of the fluval plant ones. Thanks Alto. :)...
  35. Gaina

    How long do lights *need* to be on?

    Hello All! My tank (Fluval Roma 125) is now 6 months old and ticking over quite nicely, apart from the fact I'm still battling a bit of soft brown algae on the glass. My water parameters are fine so I'm thinking the solution may lie in reducing the amount of time my lighting is on. It was on...
  36. Gaina

    Does anyone have this combination of fish?

    I'd forgotten I started this thread until I got an email just now! :lol: Thank you for all your suggestions and input, it's much appreciated. :) I've decided to stick with a larger group of t.hengeli for now, and I've added more Amano shrimp.
  37. Gaina

    Hi guys and girls

    Hello Steve, nice to 'meet' you. :wave:
  38. Gaina

    What type of aquarist are you?

    I have plants to keep my fish happy but I do like to make it aesthetically pleasing (or at least try! :lol:). I have the utmost admiration for the likes of Takeshi Amano and that style of aquascaping and I think they're beautiful but for me, maintaining a tank day-to-day, natural scapes with...
  39. Gaina

    What are your nitrate - guzzling plants?

    :lol: No worries, it passed me by. :thumbup:
  40. Gaina

    What are your nitrate - guzzling plants?

    Hello everyone! Thank you SO much for all the replies. I'm sorry I haven't been around to reply to them all, for someone reason AOL hasn't sending me notification of replies. :angelic: I've added two pots of amazon frogbit, changed to a better liquid fertiliser and the plants have really...
  41. Gaina

    What are your nitrate - guzzling plants?

    I'm fascinated by pothos, actually as a lot of fish keepers I subscribe to on YouTube love it. Unfortunately I have a lidded tank which needs to be that way to combat condensation in my room (I noticed it's reduced significantly since getting my new tank). I think having read everyone's...
  42. Gaina

    What are your nitrate - guzzling plants?

    Hi :) I'm concerned about the long term affects it will have on my fish. Its 40ppm up from 20+ (the usual colour is probably closest to 25). I'm not running Co2 and my ammonia and nitrite are zero. I am having a problem with algae on the glass but this tank has only been running about 8...
  43. Gaina

    What are your nitrate - guzzling plants?

    What are your favorite plants to help control nitrates? I'm having high nitrates at the moment and have ruled out the usual suspects like over feeding, over stocking, filter malfunction, dirty substrate and decaying plant matter (and I'm regular as clockwork with my water changes). I...
  44. Gaina

    Newbie from Glasgow

    Hello :wave:
  45. Gaina

    Bacopa melting

    Yes, it reminds me a bit of the tricks food photographers use like dry ice to make a meal look like it's piping hot! Yes it covers the length of the tank and there are 31 LEDs Ive just noticed a small amount of condensation inside the light cover which I'm sure isn't right so I'm going to...
  46. Gaina

    Bacopa melting

    Thanks for the info, I will try floating it and seeing what happens. I'm starting to think the bacopa might just be in the wrong place, as the other plants (vallisneria, Crypt Wendtii and petchii, java fern, sagittaria teres, Echinodorus bleheri, Amazon Frogbit and Echinodorus Granat) are...
  47. Gaina

    Bacopa melting

    Thanks for the feedback. I was actually wondering if I should add another LED today, maybe the fluval one design for plant growth?
  48. Gaina

    Bacopa melting

    * No Co2. I weighed up the pros and cos and worst case scenarios of what could go wrong and decided not to go down that route (trust me, if anything can go wrong, it'll go wrong in MY aquarium! LOL) . If it turns out this plant just won't do well without adding Co2 then I'm OK with changing it...
  49. Gaina

    Bacopa melting

    My bacopa caroliniana has been in the tank for about 8 weeks now and it's melting in places. Here are some photos on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BgySq00nayf/ My Gh is 6, ph 6.6 and temperature 25.5c. I'm using Colombo Florabase soil. As far as I can tell I've got adequate flow...
  50. Gaina

    How much should I dose?

    Hello All, I've just started using The Aquascaper Complete Plant Food in my fluval roma 125. I think from the guide on the bottle I should be adding 4ml a day but I'm not sure if my LED light is classed as medium or high? Any advice gratefully received. :thumbup:
  51. Gaina

    What to you are good/bad signs when in a new LFS

    I wanted to check out other shops in my area (I love the one I use but it's always good to check out other options) so I went to a few and 'played daft', asking questions I already know the answers to. Some of the answers I got were shocking! I also look for clean tanks (algae is a fact of...
  52. Gaina

    Evolution Aqua Complete Liquid Plant Food

    Thank you, in that case I'll get some with my next order. :thumbup:
  53. Gaina

    Evolution Aqua Complete Liquid Plant Food

    Appologies for the 'bump' but I didn't want to start a new thread if the product was already being discussed. Would I be correct in assuming this plant food is shrimp and snail safe?
  54. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    This week I added more bacopa, Crypt petchii and Echinodorus bleheri at the back. Now I can have decent filter flow without trashing the Frogbit and traumatising my fish. :lol:
  55. Gaina

    Sterilising nets etc.

    What does everyone use to sterilise nets, aquascaping tools etc? I cannot find good old unscented bleach anywhere, it's all got exotic additives and perfumes, so I'm wondering if the sterilising fluid used for baby bottles would do the job? All feedback gratefully received. :thumbup:
  56. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Have you ever had one of those days where one simple task turned into several messy ones? :lol: My fish were not loving the combination of the U2 and U3 filter in my aquarium, so after doing some research, I felt confident that I had let enough time pass for the beneficial bacteria transfer to...
  57. Gaina

    Does anyone have this combination of fish?

    That's a pretty fish! I shall do a bit more research on them. Thanks for the suggestion. :happy:
  58. Gaina

    Does anyone have this combination of fish?

    Thank you, I think I'll drop the Neons and increase the numbers of hengeli and kubotai.
  59. Gaina

    Does anyone have this combination of fish?

    Fear not, I have no intention of putting it all in at once, like I said these are long-term plans. :thumbup: Thanks, they do look lovely together when I've seen them share an aquarium, it's really the Tetra that are an unknown quantity to me. :lol: This exactly the kind of difference in...
  60. Gaina

    Does anyone have this combination of fish?

    I'm now starting to tnink about the long term stocking of my community and I've decided I want lots of small, colourful fish as well as more Amano shrimp. I've been using a really good online stocking calculator and I've made the following selections: 10 x Trigonostigma Hengeli 10 x...
  61. Gaina

    Hi I am new !

    Hello Mary :wave: Setting up your first tank is always a bit daunting but you've come to a great place for guidance. :happy: I like fast-growing plants myself and would definitely second Paraguay's suggest to get some vallisneria. I know some plants can seem expensive but having made the...
  62. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    My vallisneria is turning a lovely metallic red and it's gorgeous. I knew the type of val would be 'seller's choice' but this is a nice surprise. :happy:
  63. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Thank you, you've just confirmed what I was thinking! :thumbup: I think I could actually do with a few more vals and crypts, as hiding the filters is exactly what I intended. I'm not sure if I've got the bacopa too close to the heater as well.
  64. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Phew! That was a marathon. :lol: I'm glad I took your advice and added the extra substrate as it made planting much easier (although I still maintain Vallisneria should be named 'helium grass' for its propensity to pop up once you've planted it!). I know the java fern prefers shade so I've...
  65. Gaina

    Who else gets weird looks from their partners..

    I've been keeping fish for three years now and I've decided 'fish nerd' is a deal breaking quality in a future partner. :lol:
  66. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Thank you, I'll do that tomorrow :happy:
  67. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    Thanks for your feedback, I'll do that. ;) The plants are from Aquarium Gardens. Fortunately I have some nice wood and a bigger rock in my wardrobe (because that's where everyone keeps their hardscape, right? LOL) that I can play with. :thumbup:
  68. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    As these were my very first fish, I didn't have anything to risk the first time, but because I don't have room for a quarantine tank I will only buy new fish from this shop because they've been around a long time and the Hengel's I got from them in 2016 are little belters and coped well with the...
  69. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Thank you for such a thorough reply. By 'uncoordinated' I mean they would be swimming around normally one minute then going nose-down or floating in their side for a few seconds before righting themselves and carrying on as if nothing happened. These episodes would get more frequent the...
  70. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    I bit the bullet and bought a 'Jungle Style' collection for my size of tank, which should be here by Friday or Saturday. :cool:
  71. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Hi Darrell, sorry I'm so late replying to your post, I've only just seen it. :) My Dad does have water butts, but whatever rain water we do get goes on his veg or in my wildlife pond. I might just tests some rain water out of sheer curiosity, though. ;)
  72. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Well, it's going back 3 years ago now, but if it helps someone else facing the same situation it's worth revisiting. I was doing 10% once a week (the tank was 65 liters). No Co2 (it was a very low-tech tank with Hardy plants like Echinodorus Bleheri). The symptoms were varied, ranging from...
  73. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    I've always used Aqua Care tap water conditioner and bio-boost.
  74. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    I've always used Aqua Care up to now, but I've been hearing good things about Seachem so I'm wondering if I should change.
  75. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Ah, sorry I should have specified I was in the process of adding them back again gradually when the two I had added, plus the rest of the original batch died. Water tests showed nothing out of the ordinary.
  76. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Thanks so much for the detailed responses. I will definitely stick with tap from now on. The whole RO thing started because about 7 months after I started my first tank, my fish started dying after exhibiting various symptoms that being a novice, I couldn't pin down to a common ailment. I had...
  77. Gaina

    Does Florabase Pro lower Gh?

    Forgive me if this question has been asked elsewhere, I had a look around but couldn't find anything. Does Florabase Pro lower Gh when it 'sets' your PH? I'm on day 7 of my fishless cycle and the pH is steadily dropping towards 6 as indicated on the Florabase packaging (currently 6.4), but my...
  78. Gaina

    New Fluval Roma 125

    I set up my new aquarium this week (Fluval Roma LED 125) and placed a few plants from my old aquarium in there along with some hardscape just to get a sense of perspective whilst I decide what I'm going to do with it. My aim is to create a loose Southeast Asian biotope in a 'jungle' style. I...
  79. Gaina

    Hello

    Thanks for the warm welcome. I look forward to getting to know everyone. :happy:
  80. Gaina

    Hello

    Hello Everyone My name is Gaina and I live in Somerset. I've been keeping tropical fish (Hengel's Rasbora) for three years. I started out with a 65 liter tank and I've just upgraded to Fluval Roma 125. I have always used live plants for the comfort of my fish, but with no 'theme' in mind...
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