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It shimmers very minimally, the extent depends on how much surface agitation you have as Andy has written. But it will never shimmer like crazy as those point source lights do. I only noticed it for the first few minutes after I swapped from the tubes, after that it hasnt been visible to me...

Apologies for the brief reply here, I think the tank looks better overall, but I still see chlorosis. I think this tank is a really good candidate for spiking with some extra chelated Iron and Manganese. I suspect whatever chelates are being used in the premixed fertilizers are not quite cutting...

Checking back in to this thread with some more info, my filter paused the air issues for some time after I had threatened to throw it out the window, I can only assume it had overheard me. The issues started back up again later, it mostly re-primed okay-ish after servicing but would continually...

The Alternanthera are said to be picky about traces. Not properly balanced or too high is usually their complaint, but I dont have first hand experience with this plant family. The people I have seen mention it are all very skilled plant growers, so personally thats where I would start looking...

This is the bad customer service favorite slogan 🙄 They should put it on a T-shirt at this point. "Nobody else has complained other than you" First of all, doubt. Second, and if so what? Its not your fault others might not know or have lower standards. I especially like the slogan's best part...

I have not had visible issues with DTPA iron and Acetic Acid (White Vinegar) together. I would suggest a thorough disinfection of all the containers (with whatever means one finds most appealing), and making sure the tools and procedure is done cleanly and with clean hands. Skip the heating...

Im participating less on UKAPS and have stopped posting to my journal for an indeterminate period of time. Im not keen to discuss the reasons here in the journal. My tank is doing alright, much like always with something going on. But im not sure the journal will continue as before.

Poorly! Its still trying to recover from it, the plant looks extremely unhappy with the treatment. So it looks like cutting all the tops off is not a good way to trim it. Cutting but leaving at least one top might do better but I cant say for sure until ive tried that as well.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the wavyness of the green pattern on the leaf, and not a dimensional waviness of the leaf structure itself. In another way to say it, the uneven color not the leaf surface. I just wanted to note that so theres no misunderstanding. Since you've been using...

Thanks for clearing that up Maq :thumbup:

They are quite feisty.. I had a group of the extra blue bred variety some years ago. They didnt do well and basically seemed to chase and harass each other to death in quite short order :oops: I think they might need to be in a very large group to avoid interspecies bullying, and probably with...

Im not sure if you mean the snail in the center of the picture or on the right? The center one looks like a Melanoides snail, Malaysian Trumpet Snail. Impressive shell length, your water must be good for snails 😃 In my tanks the shells never got that long, too soft water I think even in low...

I bet I missed it somewhere, but what GH currently? Heard from solid source that Ramosior likes some decent GH. Which variety is it?

Ah no, I tried different chelators but it didnt make a difference for me, because it was actually a Manganese deficiency. I think @KirstyF might have had success with switching iron chelators though. But @Andy Pierce makes a good point, there is a lot of "supposing" going around and not quite as...

Ill vote for Ludwigia repens, maybe "Rubin" if you got it from Tropica? It can be sort of yellowish greenish brownish in medium light

Amano shrimp damage for sure 😊

Unless youre also hiding some Siamese Algae Eaters in there, you can consider the Amanos guilty as charged 😅

Seconding the advice already given, "lack of light" is the last thing I suspect is an issue here 🙂

If your new external filter is big enough then an option might be to plonk the whole sponge from the internal filter into one of the baskets of the external filter. So combining new and old filter media. You can keep it running in there for at least two months or so, that should ensure the rest...

Sometimes you'd be surprised how they can grow in simple conditions 😃 Nice "low tech hydroponic" setup 😁👍 Plant might be a Ludwigia, maybe repens or palustris, but thats a relative guess from a plant lover 😊

Rust disease

I got inspired by this thread and cut every single shoot off one of my Blyxa bushes. I specifically cut all of them because I want to see if it can actually recover from that, or if it needs a sideshoot or something in order to continue growing. Its a stemplant so technically it should tolerate...

Indeed. EDTA chelate as far as I remember, so definitely still plant available. I wouldn't worry about the plant nutrients. For medication it might be something to consider, based on manufacturers advising the user to avoid doing both at the same time. I guess in case it neutralizes parts or...

You could use Rotala butterfly to calculate the amount of salt needed. Your tank measurements gave me 243 liters, you could round up to 250 or anything it doesn't really matter. Id suggest adding 10 ppm Mg, or perhaps 5 ppm Mg if this is a softwater tank that you want to minimize GH in (no water...

Dangerous and irresponsible to promote indeed :oops: Copper toxicity is heavily reliant on water hardness as well, so even if soft water users follow dosing advice from hard water users, things can still go very wrong 😬

Im not sure im sold on that Zozo, when I turn my tank (LED) lights on unexpectedly my fish scatter into the plants and give me the ugliest looks of disapproval 😬 I dont think its that far fetched that they are startled by it suddenly becoming bright. Has anyone ever turned on the lights in a...

Not shutting the whole thing down permanently right? :nailbiting: Im excited to see the new version with the black lava stones, onwards and upwards to new adventures 😃

I forgot to mention my overlying view of the "plot" 😅 Your recent increase in light means the plants are driven to grow faster. If the tank was cruising along "ok" with minor issues with the old intensity of light, increasing the light will mean that a minor issue can develop into a medium size...

Yes I strongly believe its diatoms. For whatever reason the black lined leaves that appear sometimes are not as often mentioned when diatoms are being discussed, usually its the brown film or the brown stringy type that is discussed most. That you have diatoms in other areas of the tank supports...

A few more things, sorry 😅 How do you dose ferts? Once a week, multiple times? Include how you have done it previously, and how you do it now, if those are different. Do you add any Magnesium to your water change water?

Im sorry to be so blunt but is this the most relevant information for the original poster? I only say something because we have recently had forum announcements where the moderators ask that members try their best to explain things to users asking for help in as easy to understand language as...

There are many ways you could test the stones, some are easier and require less materials than others. You could for instance put some of the gravel in a jar with RO water and see how much the water changes after a few weeks. If you have access to measuring TDS, conductivity, GH or KH they...

Indeed, those are the two stages of Blyxa. "Looking a bit iffy" or "Oh lord its taking over" :lol: Its a really beautiful plant though, @Dan Earl A 's plant looks very happy :thumbup: For some reason that im not quite sure of yet, almost everyone seems to uproot Blyxa and trim it that way from...

Thats something I quite like about DIY filters, usually they are quite modular :thumbup:

Im glad to hear things have been fine for the most part although im sorry about your jumper. Maybe it was chased out by one of the others, or got startled somehow? Do the lights turn on suddenly or do they gradually come on? The corners are often where the fish jump out the most, so perhaps you...

Lava is underrated rock imo. Easy for plants to root on, inert (🥇), easy to stack because they grip each other. Also its possible to get ones that are more solid so there are options to chose from in both color and texture. Not too far from here there is an area with wine/ purple-ish colored...

You can adjust the flow through the filter with a ball valve on the pressure side (never on the suction side). A valve there is how almost all the regular canister filters do it anyway :thumbup:

You know I love a good plant quiz John! 😃 This one was a bit harder to figure out, but I think I worked it out! Bonsai ficus, right!!? 😂

Speak for yourself, mine are all analytical grade (posh hair flip) 😉😂 Although that does remind me, I need to wash the insects that come in the windows in summer. Soak their feet, scrub a dub dub, make sure they're not lugging in all that darn pollen. Wouldn't want it messing with my...

They're the best cory! 😍 (Not at all biased 😁) 🥰 Boraras brigittae are pretty dang nice little fishies too, I dont usually like the "tetra types" but they hold a special place in my heart. Theres just no mean bone in their bodies? Thats the thing Darrel, I am very happy with my tank right now 🥰...

Yes they do tend to cause some distress at first discovery by the tank owner 🙂 I suggest trying to see the Bladder snails in a different light if you can 😃 An army of very helpful little janitors who are tirelessly cleaning your plants from biofilm, algae, and detritus. They also helpfully...

I was gonna share an updated pic of the Meta (orangy bushy plant to the right) some hours later when it was no longer grumpy.. But instead I got photobombed and made this entirely pointless picture series :thumbup: (Im sorry/Youre welcome) I dont think I will ever get tired of their stupid...

John do you need to take a small break? 🙃

I recall an old post on from Mick.dk where he said Tropica considered producing it but decided against it in the end. I think it was because it is always so twisted and sickly looking. I wouldn't be surprised if its also slow and hard to grow, it seems a little bit different, maybe not a very...

He is volunteering to ride the generator bike to power it for you also :thumbup: You have to supply refreshments though 😊

Dont tell anyone but sometimes I think that would be easier 😂

The Sodium bicarbonate is just going straight into the Safe-T-Sorb. Thats where the KH is going. You're basically filling the CEC of the substrate with sodium bicarbonate, and that wont do anything for plant growth. If the substrate is really hungry at startup like I have read this kind can be...

Perhaps substrates make a difference in some cases? Like if the Crypts want a certain amount of minerals because thats what they are used to, maybe they are more tolerant in non-inert substrates because they could get a bit from the roots? Just a thought really. Im not sure what substrates you...

But I think if the user is wanting to get to sunlit uplands / where Roland is, then it might not be quite enough precision 😊 Im all for different strokes for different folk though 😃👍 There's still nothing quite as relaxing as a casual low tech tank imo

Oh my goodness, my apologies to the OP! He could have overdosed! :eek: (joking) I shall endeavor to contain my extravagantness and perhaps read the original post a smidge more thoroughly before posting :shy:😁

New FTS after another smidge of trimming and some internal glass scraping. No cleaning the outside of the glass though, I dont want you guys getting spoiled 😤 The Pantanal and Meta are grumpy in the mornings, can you see the tops looking sort of frowny 😅 In the picture its most visible on the...

I would triple it honestly and see where that gets you, dose it as frequently as you can, daily is best but something like three times a week would also be an improvement I think. Triple is about 9.57 NO3 and 0.36 Fe weekly, less than what I am dosing in my high tech sand substrate tank, and I...

I double checked to make sure my memory was right and the source of the info is here, so a very good source :thumbup:

Interesting 🤔 In order to get the best help with your staghorn algae, can you provide us with the details outlined in the Algae help section?

Just keep in mind @The.WishMaster , the index is named after the duckweed, but the frogbit is the most common plant to use, as its easier to keep under control 😊 I still think it should be renamed the Frogbit Index, its not too late. @dw1305 's naming has infected more people globally with...

Staghorn algae is more likely due to poor maintenance and build up of detritus and waste in the tank. I would recommend some more cleaning and water changes 🙂

I had to shamefully retract my "Like" 😳 For some reason I thought the link was to the same site @Happi has previously linked, which was a somewhat scientific looking instruction on how to culture the algae (or something like that). The article in your link is a little bit more suspect to me 🤔...

How does the flow seem to you? Is water circulating in all areas of the tank? Does the substrate have spots where a lot of detritus settles? Are all plants gently moving, or are you having issues with plant growth in certain areas?

I feel like crypt moving drama is usually more in the form of complete implosion rather than deformed leaves, but I'm not super experienced with crypt melt so maybe thats incorrect? In my eyes it could perhaps be a micro issue as well. This popular form of Cryptocoryne nurii is the raubensis...

Do I interpret the drawing correctly, the right side Gyre is pushing water across the surface, and the left side Gyre is pushing water down towards the substrate? As in, the drawing is a birds eye view from the top of the tank?

I spy some interesting stems in the FTS :watching::watching: Im sure the disruption in routine is nothing a little TLC wont fix, and I hope you are well 😊 Looking forward to the full update :thumbup:

Can you show a full picture of the tank which shows the setup up the pumps?

Not the most ideal picture but I have taken the liberty to write it down and convert the "as oxide" numbers. Not entirely sure what they mean with the Nitrogen description, so have left that as is.

You dont!!?? 😱 Ah so its a guess of sorts, I thought perhaps you had some knowledge about the composition that the rest of us dont. Yes the matter of "is everything chelated" or "is the iron chelated" in the Tropica fertilizer is what I was getting at. The way you wrote this gave the...

Like Wookii I think it might also be a mineral issue. Adding a bit of tapwater sounds like the easiest thing to try first, so I second his suggestion to try that first and see if that does the trick. If not, we can re-examine :geek:

Do you know why that is? Huh, I thought the HEEDTA and DTPA on the label was only for Iron, but I think I just assumed. How do you know this? Is it though? Why so? All I can think of is that when I tried the Tropica clone as instructed by you, it didnt perform well. And the same with when I...

No I was referring to all of the traces, there are some like Cu which are a bit unusual in the Tropica mix compared to some others. (All scaled to 0.1 Fe) Tropica: 0.1 Fe 0.0565 Mn 0.0057 B 0.0028 Zn 0.0086 Cu 0.0028 Mo Compared to; Just for fun:

Sure, but including it doesnt mean its the optimal amount for our use. Im finding myself starting to disagree more with @dw1305 when he says his customary line of ~ traces being down to the difference between "some" and "none". In my experience that is much too diffuse and broad a range if one...

Forgive me because im away from the computer and dont have the exact numbers at hand. Isnt Tropicas micro in somewhat different ratios than the commercial trace blends we're used to seeing? If it is then that might suggest they make it or tweak it themselves 🤔 Maybe im misremembering, ill have...

Didnt we conclude in some other thread that many tap water sources will have been chemically stripped of Fe, Mn and Zn by the treatment plant (for boring human-centric reasons 😁) ? Of course as usual I dont remember which thread that was :oldman: Theres also a fair bit of RO users in the...

I see you put in a sneaky edit that I didnt get to respond to 😁 Thats EDTA chelated Fe though, so thats less stable in PH ranges that many of our tanks sit around. Perhaps its possible to shave down the iron amount in that ratio if the iron is chelated with DTPA instead. My tank currently gets...

Was definitely thinking the same when I saw the Iron+Manganese supplement. There are some really smart people out there working for fertilizer companies, and I dont think its a coincidence that they included some Mn with the Fe for example. How to turn smart into money? Allow for the...

It sure is :thumbup: I am surprised by how ignored this is in our hobby 🤔 I think I might have briefly written (if I am even capable of such a thing) about it already so apologies if Im just repeating myself. Why is this so rarely mentioned? "This" being how different plants can be. Variety to...

I know this is an older thread, but I was brought back here again by one of @dw1305 's many links :geek: I had another read through and there are some things which stick out to me 🤔 As far as I can see, this is downright wrong. Boron for example is very well known to play a huge role in plant...

Very interesting, will you keep us up to date on what you find out? I dont know what I was thinking when I said rosette, because Vallisneria is a rosette plant. But the rosettes themselves usually dont get super bushy with a ton of leaves for a single rosette, but rather send out more runners...

Not meaning to be argumentative at all, im just curious, is that calculated PAR or measured PAR?

🥳🥰 Localised depends a bit on how you define it I think, its only showing up on slower growing plants, but it is spread evenly throughout the tank. Normally you wouldnt get BBA on stemplants unless your tank is seriously struggling, but Bacopa madagascariensis is actually slow growing enough...

I received a complaint from someone whos name may start with "P" and end with "lantnoobdude" that my last update didnt include a FTS :crazy: So ill start off with one just to get that bit sorted 😁 The four weird random sponges have been there since I got back home from after the fire. I had...

Love this tank 😄 Its possible it could grow submerged, but 3 weeks is quite a short time in moss-time. They grow so slowly that they also tend to fade away or die very slowly too. So you would have to keep observing it for many months to see how it works out. Many of the terrestrial mosses will...

I have given this guide a small update to clarify that the fertilizer solution volume is what we want for the final volume. Also added a little bit more explanation about salt ratios. I noticed that this guide is not sticky, and perhaps not easily found by the target audience? @LondonDragon is...

Oh thats cool, I saw the base looked like a rosette, but maybe you just planted it that way? Im sorry for derailing your thread, I just really love plants 😅:lol:

Which plant is this really nice grassy one, Blyxa aubertii or perhaps something else? 😊

You guys can blame the brand all you want 😛 Its not the invitro cups that are the problem, otherwise many more people would have issues, and particularly with Tropica cups if that was a problem. There is something about some people's setups that seem to make the conditions "too hostile" (for...

Yes that looks like too much. Usually with some force those big pellets can be broken down into smaller pieces, I would do that. Try 1/4 and see how that goes. Also, that food is not appropriate for Corydoras, they will need something else with more meat.

Yeah I had some faint memories of UKAPS posts about that swirling around somewhere in the back of my head. Its that its the wrong kind of bacteria, isnt it? I dont know the fancy words for it all. But they compete (outcompete?) the ones that we actually want, right? I didnt add any more than...

I still feel like almost always is too strong of a statement. Im not the only one who tried increasing iron and didnt see any improvement, and I doubt ill be the last. @xZaiox comes to mind I think we may be too quick to point the finger at iron in general. Yes its problematic, but not the only...

U wot m8?! :oops:

I have noticed something similar in my emersed mini greenhouses where I culture aquarium plants. I think it happens when the surroundings become so humid that the plant cant quite tell if its under water or not. This leading to it making slightly weird looking halfway leaves, or in other words...

Personally, I always include a big ol' rock with the glass vases I ship to people. It makes it much more exciting 😄 (but for real like why though)

Could it be relevant to this discussion that tolerance for nutrient levels might be different if we are talking about feeding through roots, or if we are feeding through leaves? There have been some indications in the hobby that certain plants seem to do better if it is set up to uptake...

I will go out on a limb (sorry thats another expression I realize), I think what Darrel means is that an orchid is a plant that is a bit sensitive and it doesnt want "too much" nutrients. So if you grow an orchid, you can more easily have "too much" of a good thing. While tomato in this example...

This is just a bad idea. All around. Im sorry. There are so many cons that the one pro of only using one filter can hardly be worth it. I dont think many people have tried it because again, its not a good idea if you give it a good think through. Water and pumps and how fluid moves is...

You probably ended up using quite a lot of glutaraldehyde, meaning that the total level in the general water column ended up in the lethal to algae range. I hope you will be careful in the future for the sake of your fish 😟 Their lives are more important than algae

I think youre mixing it up with BBA here Michael?

I realised I never had time to write about the new plants I got a little while ago 😃🌿 (So this was before the fish and the chaos) But I really enjoy writing about and sharing pictures of my plants, so thats what ill do this evening 😊 That shipment of plants was very delayed, and some of the...

People... what a bunch of bastards :grumpy:

I had to do the tests again tonight. It was a choice between trying to rest with the dread of the unknown status looming, or check to see. Either have to do another round of water changing, or could get to relax knowing everything is ok (which is a much better way to rest). It was another round...

I tested the water. Zeroes across the board, 0 nitrite in both main tank and kitchen, and 0 ammonia as well in both. Oh god thats a relief! 😌 It could be the effect of the large water change last night, but that doesnt explain the kitchen tank, or how in my experience if you have a certain...

After I had a few hours of rest yesterday I got the water tested and had nitrite in both main tank (0.1) and kitchen tank (0.05) 😟 I was so tired so I didnt do an ammonia test but I think the nitrite is the most important one. I prepared a batch of water as quickly as I could and did a large...

Power is back on and I think we will be allowed to stay here tonight. Ive got the tank up and running again, the fish look unaffected so far, I think it helped that its precisely aquarium temperature outside these days, so they didn't get cold. The filters smelled ok, perhaps a touch stale but...