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  1. Oldguy

    Flourish and Flourish Excel

    Use dry salts and mix your own. Many threads and calculators on this site to help you with quantises. Thanks to street drug use small electronic balances are very cheap from ebay.
  2. Oldguy

    Phostrogen DIY

    Ammonia/ammonium is pH dependant. Above pH 7 you will get the very toxic ammonia and below pH 7 the less toxic ammonium ion. Do you CO2 inject. Safer to mix your own dry salts but I have used Phostrogen in the distant past but I think the formulation may have changed. Typically a move from...
  3. Oldguy

    Why?

    Some 'neutral' comments/observations. As a boy with scabby knees my cold water tank always had a column of local sandstone so the newts could climb out of the water, some gravel on the bottom with Canadian pond weed and some pond weed with floating leaves and a water plantain as an emergent...
  4. Oldguy

    CO2 relationship to KH

    Mine came with plant(s), they just appeared. Pleased to have them and hopefully as a self sustaining colony. Always fought shy of hard water snails, though they do OK in the garden pond.
  5. Oldguy

    CO2 relationship to KH

    My ramshorn snails, at about shirt button size, are pale and very thin shelled. I think that I have a balance between CO2 addition and a small self sustaining snail population. I assume the amano shrimps clean up the bodies.
  6. Oldguy

    CO2 relationship to KH

    I think that aquatic plants prefer dissolved carbon dioxide over dissociated carbon dioxide, though both go together. A drop checker is the way forward though response is slow. An even slower but very reliable measure is snail shell thickness/colour. Water of pH 8 and above and you are on an...
  7. Oldguy

    Hitech, some plants problems.

    Also not a fan of sodium compounds. At the risk of deviating from the post how do you get nutrient rich soft water other than potassium and ammonium salts. Is the key acidic water (lots of CO2) and not soft water, I ask out of interest.
  8. Oldguy

    Holes in leaves

    Many non obligate aquatic plants have a growth pattern of 'reach for the sky' and will pin hole/shed lower leaves as the surface is reached. We cut of the top stems and replant and discard the lower stems. Its gardening, growth follows the knife. It must also be realized that water circulation...
  9. Oldguy

    Free Water!

    I'm a rainwater user and with this latest rain fall I'm bemoaning lack of storage. One of my water butts developed a pin hole leak. Trying to do water changes to synchronize with Met Office predictions Lol.
  10. Oldguy

    Old school under gravel filter tank.

    This could happen, especially as some plants can have large root systems. What I did was to cover the UGF plates with weed suppression fabric and put the gravel substrate on top. So far so good and that was over 14years ago. The tank is now high tech and plants and fish have changed but no...
  11. Oldguy

    Old school under gravel filter tank.

    Low Tec with UGF and 'root feeder' plants
  12. Oldguy

    Black Background vs White/No Background

    I just painted a thick expanded polystyrene sheet with some grey masonry paint that I had in the shed. The poly sheet insulates the back wall of the tank and the water based paint gave it a slightly dappled look. For maintenance I just remove the poly sheet. (The rear of the tank is accessed...
  13. Oldguy

    Shoaling fish suggestions

    I have a group of 8 Rummy Noses that 'hang out together'. Do not know if shoaling or schooling ;)
  14. Oldguy

    Otocinclus Sp.

    Could be: Black Otocinclus Hisonotus notatus much depends on size. If so then females are larger than males which are quite tiny. Nice fish sometimes tank bred in the UK. Peaceful, but mine never really mixed with my otos. Females about the size of female otos. What ever you have its...
  15. Oldguy

    OZONE MAKER

    Useful in a marine systems when used with a protein skimmer but density of freshwater systems makes its use problematic. Would need to pass 'ozonated' tank water through activated carbon. More trouble than its worth. I had one given to me, its in the might be useful box.
  16. Oldguy

    Light Sensitive?

    Sorry to hear this. Have you tried 'Saltpeter', its the same but with a different name. It is used to cure meat. Officialdom sometimes runs on railway lines. Good luck.
  17. Oldguy

    Light Sensitive?

    If light sensitive (I know nothing about APTE.1), keep dosing bottle in a second light proof container/dark cupboard. Personally I do not like 'All in One' anything. There will be chemical precipitation if it really is all in one. Better to mix your own via 'dry salts' Many threads on this forum.
  18. Oldguy

    Sterilising & Cleaning New plants

    50 to 60ppm CO2 perhaps. 2L of fizzy water to 30gallons - upside down fish and no capital investment. 2L of fizzy water used to be 21p now about 36p (UK prices) Could also consider a Soda Stream or similar gadget and make your own.
  19. Oldguy

    Sterilising & Cleaning New plants

    Very interesting read, thanks for posting. May also be of value to treat water plants just to help revers transportation/relocation shock. Carbonated water is cheap enough, sometimes the 2L bottles are cheaper than the 250ml bottles. (UK prices) Very easy to damage soft leaved plants with...
  20. Oldguy

    glutaraldehyde

    Have not used this product. Most over the counters products of this nature are 1.5% glutaraldehyde (mysteriously activated or changed in some way) which I think is stretching the truth. Gluderaldehyde in aqueous solution contains many dynamic molecular forms from 'straight chain' to 'cyclic'...
  21. Oldguy

    Approximating and Maintaining Water Chemistry of a Meromictic Lake

    On a lighter note about 2miles from my home there are fossilized Stromatolites in an exposure in a local abandoned quarry. Good luck with your projects and keep us posted.
  22. Oldguy

    What exactly is fluctuating CO2 in relation to BBA

    Difficult to say, some report that BBA doesn't grow in high flow areas and that BBA can grow by converting the hydrogen carbonate to the carbonate. Perhaps the growth on your older valis leaves has stalled and the BBA as moved to colonize a dying surface. I thing BBA is closely related to...
  23. Oldguy

    Amazon Sword flower Spike care

    If you keep the 'flower spike' below the water surface then typically the' flower' will go straight to a string of plant-lets. The little white flower is rather nice and you did well to photographic before it faded.
  24. Oldguy

    Any experiences with Homalomena spp.?

    I like the look. No experience with them in water or as a house plant. Quick internet search: sold as large expensive house plants for collectors of 'rare' plants. Possible difficulty could be identification with some taking to the life aquatic and others not. Thanks for the posting.
  25. Oldguy

    What exactly is fluctuating CO2 in relation to BBA

    For my two cents worth. BBA can tolerate low light and low dissolved CO2, taking CO2 from hydrogen carbonates and appears like high organics. I had a slow but growing BBA presence and removed ALL bogwood, which had become very soft. The amount of mulm in the substrate was disconcerting. I now...
  26. Oldguy

    How to get rid of Green Hair Algae ?

    As @GHNelson above is good advice. But to fire fight till things get more stable try Algaway by ARKA Bioteclologie. I have not used this myself but noted the dose and active ingredient and made my own. It is not magic or instant, it stops green algae from multiplying so physically remove as...
  27. Oldguy

    Internal UV filters

    I use an inline UV from time to time. Bigger is better. I use a Vecton 600. You may need a bypass to maintain circulation pump flow and give required dwel time in the UV unit. Calculations assume instantaneous mixing. High flow CO2 injection flow rate of 5 to 10 times tank volume is the best you...
  28. Oldguy

    PH vs KH

    That's why I don't I measure pH in these types of situations. My tap water has very low temporary hardness and the pH is due to 'other factors' at the treatment works. I think it saves me a bit of CO2 on injection especially if the tap water pH is due to OH ions. (I also leave it marry with the...
  29. Oldguy

    PH vs KH

    I agree with high pH being problematic, hence I nip my pH down with dil HCl. It is difficult to add nitrates without it being a potassium source , hence my use of Ca & Mg nitrates. Levels of these Gp II's are not high, perhaps yielding moderately hard water. Life might be simper if aquarists...
  30. Oldguy

    PH vs KH

    If someone has 'liquid rock' out of their tap then I can understand their concerns. However I feel that the hobby has fallen in love with RO water just as people drink bottled water when tap water is fine. My tap water is moderately soft, I blend it with approx 1/3 rain water and add calcium and...
  31. Oldguy

    PH vs KH

    Yes but use dilute, say 0.1Molar HCl and use a dropping pipette. Simple plastic dropping or teat pipettes are very cheap. I use them for adding nutrients, taking the edge off the pH of tap water and adding/removing brake fluid when working on car brakes. I used to be concerned about TDS but...
  32. Oldguy

    PH vs KH

    Thanks for posting water analysis. You do not appear to have any nitrates, or have I missed something. Plants do grow better with a nitrogen feed.
  33. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    Massive pre-filter for the canister that drives the uplift and as such will remove suspended particles from the water column without clogging the filter material in the canister. (A lot of people just attache a power head). Can be part of the general water movement of the tank. Keeps the...
  34. Oldguy

    Hygrophila identification

    Many thanks, sorry for delay in acknowledging your response.
  35. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    This may well be so for natural waters. However people, myself included, grow many plants attached to wood* etc where their roots are not in the substrate but hang in the water column as is the case with floating plants. Redox at the water root/root hair interface is any ones guess, but grow...
  36. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    It must be a given that with a UG system there will be differences in flow rate and dead spots across the aquarium substrate. Therefore there will be anoxic zones BUT I would prefer that these were very small, the largest home aquarium is very small compared with a modest natural pond and an...
  37. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    I am very distrustful of stagnant substrates, they may be natural but when wading through them the pong that comes up is very indicative of low oxygen. Now there will be gas exchange if there are lots of 'reeds' and water lilies with floating leaves but these conditions are not typical of our...
  38. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    No its been running for over 15yrs, but you do need to vac the gravel from time to time. I try for once ever other water change when stem plants are thinned out.
  39. Oldguy

    Making an all in one

    I mix FE edta and Fe edta & TEC, both Solufeed products together in dilute solution using rain water without issue, but keep separate from macros which contain phosphates. You tank should be fine over your holiday period.
  40. Oldguy

    Undergravel filter

    I run a UG in my planted tank. I used garden weed suppression fabric on top of the plates and then ordinary 'fine' gravel substrate on top. The weed suppression fabric is surprisingly porous and water just flows through it. Interesting point. My CO2 is injected via two diffusers linked to a...
  41. Oldguy

    Algae

    I have found that salicylic acid (S A) is very effective against green algae, but do not expect overnight results. Glutaralderhyde (1.5%) has little or no effect at recommended doses as a regular addition but is effective against BBA when sprayed on to it directly, ie remove the...
  42. Oldguy

    Black leaf edges - cause?

    Just an aside, magnesium is often overlooked - typically very low in UK tap water, can be locally high. May be the black is not a growth on the plant but a mode of plant growth, caused by a yet unknown factor, only time will tell. I have had the occasional black tip on Java Fern which I put down...
  43. Oldguy

    ADA Pro Razor money saving tip

    I shave with a safety razor, and when the blades become blunt I save them for aquarium use. I think the last pack came from Tesco, they were cheap and good quality. However seldom clean the glass and now have a stockpile of used blades.
  44. Oldguy

    Is this benign?

    Yes and no. Same with hydrogen peroxide. Dosing would be by syringe (oral syringe from your local chemist also you can get hydrogen perxiode from the chemist) or pipette (the small plastic type) and topically apply. Lots of dosage guidance on the inert net. Good luck.
  45. Oldguy

    Alternative causes of bba

    I agree. Was a big fan of bog wood and dried heather twigs but not any more. I tie plants to plastic 3/4" pipes and fill with gravel and water. If you have enough plants you can't see the pipes. Without wood far less mulm accumulates and gravel vacing is easier. I have found high nitrates...
  46. Oldguy

    Aquarium and Natural History Books

    Perhaps people did not trust silicon, I know I didn't back then. Still have an angle iron 12gal tank that I re-glazed with silicon, but as a vertical 2ft high trickle filter. My late father, way before I saw light of day, went to night school to learn acetylene welding and made a few angle iron...
  47. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    Do not understand: So?
  48. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    You have bought the fertalizer version, just as I have done. Pure calcium nitrate would not have any 'ammonium' component. 5[Ca(NO302] + [NH4NO3] + 10[H2O] 5[40+124] + [18+62] +...
  49. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    I buy it as a fertalizer, from ebay, cheap and hassel free.
  50. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    I think that calcium nitrate is a double salt of formula: 5Ca(NO3)2.NH4NO3.10H2O. It is typically made by reacting limestone with weak nitric acid and then 'neutralizing' with ammonia. Always a little careful about the ammonium ions and I dose over two days. I buy mine as prill for hydroponic...
  51. Oldguy

    Lobelia Cardinalis 'Mini' query

    I grow in an inert substrate too. Just fertilize the water column. Never trusted substrates with ferts in them.
  52. Oldguy

    Flow/Turnover Volume calculations

    IMO disregard the sump to display tank flow figures. Turn over in the planted display tank is what matters. Use gross displacement of your display tank and go for x10 'out of the box' for a flow to aim for. Flow will always be less due to plant growth and will never be uniform. As for meds &...
  53. Oldguy

    Lobelia Cardinalis 'Mini' query

    I have a specialized 'Garden Center' near where I live. Plants from 99p babies to £3000.00+ mature plants. Talking to its owner the other day and he is confident that a growing trend will be hydroponic house plants. Currently having a play. Its possible to come out of his shop seriously weak...
  54. Oldguy

    Intake Strainer -Positioning? Shrimp Guards? Hacks and all.

    Could you not replace with a stainless steel mesh shrimp guard from ebay.
  55. Oldguy

    Tropica plant growth specialised fertiliser

    A very good point. Not always clearly stated. I had to dig around for the water of crystallization of calcium and magnesium nitrates, four and six respectively, but I do buy from strange places. I think fertilizers are now quoting both as oxides and as % elements, still misleading for nitrogen...
  56. Oldguy

    Anaerobic alkaline substrate - iron, natural products?

    I have no faith in laterite as a biologically available source of iron. It can be cut into bricks for building. Better to use a chelated iron source. I am also not a fan of anaerobic substrates in aquariums. I have such substrates in 50L bucket ponds but they have emergent plants, small water...
  57. Oldguy

    Long term effects of co2 exposure

    Having read the posts in this thread with interest and aquarium cultivation notes from commercial growers with at times the original habitats of the plants offered for sale then: most are amphibious and are grown immersed for commercial reasons. Some grow to two metres or so high as bank side...
  58. Oldguy

    Grow light spec video

    Most interesting and thanks for sharing. Life was simpler in the days of tungsten filament lamps all you had to worry about was cracking the cover glass. Then we had florescent tubes, warm or cool, and would they fit the length of the tank. Ended up making light hoods so the a four foot tubes...
  59. Oldguy

    Plant Profile Hygrophila difformis

    Looks beautiful, but can't find a UK supplier. Prices very variable.
  60. Oldguy

    Consistency Deficiency

    My sons bought a DVD of this, they said it reminded then of me. Still in its raper, must get around to watching it I'm pre 1976 Health & Safety at Work Act. No one in a chem lab had eye protection or gloves. You pipetted by mouth even strong acids and cyanide solutions and I was the only non...
  61. Oldguy

    Consistency Deficiency

    Try 0.4M HCl solution to clean the glass probe. Then soak in clean KCl solution for 24hr and try re calibrating. Fingers crossed for you.
  62. Oldguy

    Ei method soft water?

    Mg concentration is often overlooked, typically low for many outside USA.
  63. Oldguy

    Algaecides (not Glutaraldehyde)

    Many thanks, I'm a little useless at finding threads/postings.
  64. Oldguy

    Algaecide ingredients thread

    Many thanks @Hufsa
  65. Oldguy

    Algaecides (not Glutaraldehyde)

    Me too. Found this: Algaway: Biocidal active substance: Salicylic acid 0.01 g/L Dose 35ml per liter for four weeks. Dose can be continued if algae still present. Also promotes healthy plant growth. Also a caution about effects on other critters. Bought my salicylic acid from ebay for...
  66. Oldguy

    Hygrophila identification

    Is Hygrophila lancea/araguaia the same as Hygrophila Bold or are they different plants.
  67. Oldguy

    Critters

    @Jorge OPL may be able to collect these from the wild. Apparently an invasive species and can be found the both north and south Americas. Your suggestion about clams took me back to my childhood and pond dipping, used to collect a few for my tank.
  68. Oldguy

    Critters

    Freshwater mussels tend to be large and will plough threw the tank. As filter feeders they are difficult to keep alive and a big body to rot. However Orb-shells and Pea-shells are only about 1cm fully grown (I think the largest in the family is about 25mm) and would be a better bet. They are...
  69. Oldguy

    What books are you reading?

    Just finished the latest Elly Griffiths book in the Dr Ruth Galloway Mystery series. If you like Norfolk this series is an evocative read where the landscape, big skies which merge with the sea, is featured as much as the characters. She also writes The Brighton Mysteries so there is something...
  70. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    Never said it was. However in my experience hornwort just falls apart without an adequate supply of silicon and would have difficulty surviving. If we are competing for 'hair splitting' then hornwort doen't eat. lol.
  71. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    A very good point. Hornwort for example requires silicon more than most. I also wonder if commercially grown plants, taken as cuttings and root division, have over generations been selected as those plants that grow well in the nutrient conditions that the grower provides. Those that don't grow...
  72. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    Might be simplistic but how do you account for very good plant growth and high potassium levels.
  73. Oldguy

    Excess of K, Na, Ca, Mg... fact or myth?

    I think for many people it is a Mg shortage. Often difficult to extract this analysis from the water supply companies. Mg can be low in UK tap water as you have posted else where on this forum. At the risk of starting a Hare running, can plants be stressed and produce ethylene and then cannot...
  74. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    Remind me what is post #29.
  75. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    This true for terrestrial plants, but is it true for aquatics? These plants are very leaky and potassium is not bound in the plant so it can enter or leave.
  76. Oldguy

    Targeting Potassium

    Interesting. I do not think there is an ideal anything for a very mixed planting. Old timer books talk about groups of plants that are compatible and others that are not. I an coming round to the view that the K:Mg ratio may be key to the Hydrophila family, though it is a large and plastic...
  77. Oldguy

    Advice welcome

    I prefer 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, & 1/32. Can't see the 1/64 these days. However grammes and litres and mg/litre (ppm) parts per million are very useful for planted tank calculations.
  78. Oldguy

    What books are you reading?

    Just started: Æthelflæd: The Lady of the Mercians by Tim Clarkson. A pleasantly academic and readable account of the life of a very remarkable women. If you are short of time google Aethelfled Gloucester History Festival. The city commemorated her burial, (a female monarch on the throne, a...
  79. Oldguy

    Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) phytoremediation references

    Have the UK Frogbit in the garden pond. Its a nice plant but prone to be removed in the end of season cut back and clearance. This will be its second winter in the pond.
  80. Oldguy

    how can I level my already full 6' tank?

    Could you not adjust the hood so that the difference in levels is blinded. I am assuming that nothing structural is amiss.
  81. Oldguy

    Cyano in Floating Plants

    I would try a glass angled so that as water entered the glass patches of the floating bga would be sucked into the glass and could then be discarded. Labour intensive and fiddly but a start. Could also try spraying the patches with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Good luck.
  82. Oldguy

    Rummy-nose Tetras died ☹️

    Sorry for your loss. Did you buy fish or plants etc before your went away. Interested in how your fish became infected.
  83. Oldguy

    transfering aquatic plants from a local pond

    Water starworts are very plastic and change shape both leaf length and stem length between pairs of leaves depending on water depth and it is not uncommon to find stems which various inter leaf stem lengths caused by changes in water levels. Nice plants typically driven by the quest to form...
  84. Oldguy

    Echinodorus seedling question

    I don't think so. As you say there are lots of CO2 in the atmosphere and plants also need oxygen when they respire. Saturated humidity would be key to success, especially in the early stages of growth. Tap water may contain enough nutrients if changed frequently. Good luck (There must be lots...
  85. Oldguy

    What exactly causes BBA?

    Most interesting posts, thank you. I am beginning to think that some of the either 'catch all' conditions that favor BBA or apparently contradictory observations may be due to different species of BBA that members are experiencing. This may be especially so in differences between high tech and...
  86. Oldguy

    What exactly causes BBA?

    I run a UV filter and it may help control but will not eliminate. As @zozo above notes wet services are alive and stuff sticks. Also for a UV system to be effective you need no dead spots in the tank. I find if I keep on top of tube/sleeve maintenance then water clarity is good. As the UV...
  87. Oldguy

    When to add dechlorinator

    You do need to know your water supplier/source. In big conurbations this would be tricky, had a friend whose tap water was one of three blends that feed into his distribution point. Any interruptions to supply or pressure (letter throught the door about water supply disruption), the I do not do...
  88. Oldguy

    Thailandia Sunset

    With reference to some of the above posts, just don't go there. You will be entrapped by the Nernst equation. This hobby is for enjoyment not flagellation. The solubilities of chemicals can be found on the internet. Common ions will reduce solubility ie Ca & Mg Carbonates, the carbonates will...
  89. Oldguy

    Does potassium nitrate (KNO3) provide the full EI levels of potassium (K)?

    ebay, look for saltpeter as used to cure pork and similar meat. It will be food grade pot nitrate. Pot nitrate is not 'controlled' but 'regulated' ie you need to be 18 plus and the supplier will need to know your name & address. Hence ebay will tick the boxes. I think ebay has some daft rules...
  90. Oldguy

    Stainless steel jubilee clips or another solution?

    Thanks @fredi . Who are FPR.
  91. Oldguy

    Stainless steel jubilee clips or another solution?

    Many thanks. I have contacted a few dealers of Ehiem and were told that they were not serviceable. Porky pies, me thinks, to induce the purchase of new taps. I will now try again. Many thanks @dino21.
  92. Oldguy

    Stainless steel jubilee clips or another solution?

    I use 'Jubilee' clips for pipe work that will stay connected for years and ehiem double taps as shown by dino 21 above. I have an issue with these couplers in that the little rubber sealing rings/gaskets are not a serviceable item and finding the right size from A.N. Other has proved difficult.
  93. Oldguy

    Freezing dry salts solution

    Why freeze. Macro fert solution should keep for months in the dark. All in one solutions will not keep. Keep two stock solutions: 1) For Macros, 2) for Chelated Iron & other trace elements. Keep in the dark/Black containers.
  94. Oldguy

    is echinodorus purple aflame hard to grow?

    DIY ferts. What I have found is the following: Pot Nitrate & Pot Di-hydrogen Phosphate dissolved in 2litres of warm tap water. Stored in the dark, it lasts me 14 days, no issues - nothing sterilized. Magnesium sulphate added to the replacement water following water change. No storage, no issues...
  95. Oldguy

    Learned a new English word today...

    Thats a new word for me too. Noun. interarboration (uncountable) (nonce word) The interweaving of branches of trees. I think we have seen a few aquascapes that mirror this as a theme. Could prove difficult for tank maintenance. Can Hobbits live under water?
  96. Oldguy

    The nitrifying microbes in aquariums and cycling

    Many thanks for the post. Tried some random downloads from within you post. All worked. Interesting & informative read.
  97. Oldguy

    Bugs you might encounter in your aquarium

    Thank you for the post. Do not know which emoji to use. Wow/Sad/ Angry. Thumbs up for the post. Wow for critter. Sad for its potential impact in the UK and Angry that it may be here or about to be here.
  98. Oldguy

    Aquarium and Natural History Books

    Observers Book of Pond Life by John Clegg is a good book. For a book aimed at kids it has a pretty good identification key. It got me interested in all things aquatic.
  99. Oldguy

    Magnesium Sulphate dosing

    Try ebay. 'Pence per kg' compared with aquatic supplies. Mine was 99.9% pure and was sold for flotation tanks. I.e. 'zero' gravitate flotation for the relief of stress in a sensory deprivation tank, also called an isolation tank or flotation tank used for restricted environmental stimulation...
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