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Cheers Alto...I think I will buy at least 2 new T5's....any recommendations on tube type?? The substrate is old Aquasoil. Tank is cleared of all old plants, so might start again with easier to grow plants and see if I can gradually change to more demanding ones, as it would be more cost...

Thanks for your input... Well the flow rate it actually quite good, its just that the spray bar is so long now, about 4ft, so i don't really reckon the cleaning is going to improve things much if the indicator is showing good flow? Would i be better off spending more money and getting a 2nd...

Ok, I increased the size of the spray bar to almost the full length of the tank BUT, there is only a trickle coming out of it now. I know you said the Tunze's would create enough flow but I'm still concerned especially since my co2 will be coming out of the spray bar via Atomizer. Do I need be...

Thanks supercoley for your thoughts. I'll see if I took a pic after planting later....Just in from a night shift You say spray is too short, but if I make it longer, I'm gonna make my flow even worse , right? Flow wouldn't be the strongests out of it even though there are no blocks and yes...

Sorry in the delay on getting pic up....as you can see all dead plants cleared out...Co2 now off....no point in wasting it. Was talking to Green Machine....they reckon the problem was that i wasn't using the 4 bulbs initially as the tank is 2ft deep and said those plants need more light....well...

yeah, ill try and get some up shortly......

As stated in OP, i did a PH profile .....7.0 before co2 and drops to min of 6.3

ok....not Ca so.....cheers.....As i said any more Co2 fish will suffer, and as from my OP there seems to be enough flow distribution:banghead:

Anyone any thoughts on the Calcium...is it an issue?

ok....an update.... My LFS asked me to drop in some water samples as they have some high tech water testing equipment seemingly. They said my tank water has a GH of 10, of which 97.5% is calcuim and the rest being magnesium. He reckons my plant growing problems lie here with the content of Ca...

I find those GH/KH kits difficult to use as its hard to see exactly when the colours change (maybe because they are old test kits). But what i got was a KH of 8 (German degrees) and GH of 14, but can't be sure of accuracy??

Thanks for all the suggestions so far......@Ian I was only using 2 of the 4 tubes, so thats 160 Watts, only when i saw the plants dying off i put on the 4 to see if would get pearling or something, but no joy.....plants never pearled with 2 or 4 bulbs on.

My current filter spray bar does not go the full width of the tank, if i added another filter, would i need co2 coming from both spray bars or would the one do......dont like the thought of 2 co2 cylinders under tank as i would barely fit in another filter!!!

Yes they melted completely and they were in Jelly but the Cuba wasn't which took a lot longer to die.....did you have success with non jelly plants after???

...no, no serious algae problems, just the normal build up over time!!!

Please help!!! Im hoping somebody can put their finger on my problem. Ive grown Cuba and hairgrass in my old set up with no issues. Now I'm spending a fortune on killing plants. What i want to grow is Hemianthus Micranthemoides, Monte Carlo and Cuba.My setup is as below: Tank 535L approx...

Just ordered the new Up atomizer as my old versions seem to be blocked and no amount of soaking in bleach seems to work.Plants are suffering....at least with the new one you can take out the ceramic as in video above (which sold me on the new one). Not impressed with old ones having a shortish...

Yeah, funny u mentioned that PH profile....i was reading the thread on that last night and took my first reading there about an hour ago. The plants are not doing great. Its a newly planted tank (about 4 weeks) and the Cuba is not spreading. Monte Carlo has expanded very slightly and no...

Thanks for reply, I keep my spray bar under the water surface because i use an inline Up atomizer and I want Co2 in the water column and not to be dissipated if its set above water line, but to answer you question, the surface agitation is not great! Will i loose lotys of CO2 if i move the...

Hi, My drop checker is staying green even after co2 has gone off (even after 10 hours of being off!!). The regent im using and the 4dkh is at least 2 yrs old, so im thinking this may be the issue. It is blue when I put it in at first and does go green when Co2 comes on. Should I be getting new...

Thanks lads....maybe i will dump them old flakes and get some fresh ones (in a smaller amount!!). I have some frozen food too, must get some live food too!

Hi, I have Tetra min flakes that are well over a year old.....do they go off or loose any goodness? Fish still eat them. I usually buy them in 1000ml container as its cheaper to buy big containers! Thanks, Dave.

Cheers Ender

So any suggestions on where you can buy a scales to measure out these very small weights?? Thanks.

Not sure what the different recipes are on this page.....Can you use the first one listed?? : 10g Potassium Nitrate 2.3g Potassium Phosphate (monobasic) 4.0g Potassium Sulphate 8.0g Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate (Epsom Salts) 0.5g E300 Ascorbic Acid 0.2g E202 Potassium Sorbate 6g EDTA...

Having read good reports on these algae prevention thingies, i both 2 of them from TGM for a 560L tank. I suspect one of them is not working correctly. when you switch them on, they release what ever it is they release....white cloudy stuff:crazy: The first one releases it from all segments of...

I assume this has been tried and tested with good results?

Thanks....where would you get distilled water and is it necessary rather than regular water?

Hi, Im planting my new set up and trying to decide what ferts to use. I inject co2. I have a lot of Cuba which grew fine for me before using Tropica liquid frets but its expensive.. Then I switched to EI (MGSO4/Trace/KNO3/KH2PO4) but this caused my TDS (total dissolved solids) to go too high and...

...yeah, I have all the timers already from my last setup as i needed it for co2 ect. I grew Cuba before quiet well but that was with a different setup completely and may of been just lucky!!! Really want to get the lighting right, as to plant this big tank will be expensive and i want to give...

Hi all, Ive just finished my hardscape on a new layout, but am a bit unsure of how many of my 80w T5's i should use. First of all ill be planting Cuba, Monte Carlo, and Hemianthus Micranthemoides with co2 injection and adding dry ferts. The tank is 5x2x2ft and 2 ft high with an Arcadia unit (4x...

Yeah Hoggie, I have a check valve before the Atomiser....does it matter how far back it is?? My pressure is about 1.8 bar and has ran fine for the last year. Filter flow is also at a max. Are there certain brands of regulators that would give me a higher working pressure, in case all else fails...

Thanks, but i have already done this.

Hi, Im using the Up Atomizer on the out pipe on an Eheim 2180 going to a spray bar. It has been great until now!!! I have 2 of these so while one is being cleaned, i use the other. The last few days when my timer switches on the co2, and the co2 does not come out the spray bar. The solenoid is...

My tank is about 570L. If I stop dosing Mgso4 ill be just left dosing KNO3, KH2PO4 and trace elements.....Is that sufficient for the plants???

hmmm, dont really want to go low tech.....I like my planted carpets!!! Might have to go for less demanding shrimp than CRS, even though i had my heart set on them :cry: Would it help the TDS if i did not add in my ferts dry (as i do) and diluted them first in water???

Is the reason you can rinse in rain water because there is no additives in it unlike from your water supplier??? I just tested my tank water for the first time and I got a reading of 570 (my tap water reads 80). I think this is too high for CRS. EI dosing is probably increasing it. So its...

Well i bought it on ebay....first i ordered one from China and it never came, so I just ordered from a UK seller and it was in Ireland in 2 days! There are plenty of them on ebay....I just picked one that came with the calibration solution.

Hi.... I just got a new TDS pen today and was wondering does it need to be calibrated before the first use? Also it says to rinse it in distilled water after every use. Is this important and will 4DKH water do? Thanks, Dave.

,,,,and Black bee shrimp also...all look a bit similar!

Can anybody explain to me the difference between Taiwan bee shrimp and CRS/CBS? ...And why are they less expensive? Thanks, Dave.

Yeah, I took your advise about a month and a half ago and ordered a TDS meter from ebay and its still not here :shock: Seemingly it got lost and another is on its way from Hong Kong, so should have it in another month max!! In the mean time ive been using a new Sera test kit. As above i might...

Hi everybody, I want to have my tank GH suitable for CRS, which i understand to be around 5-10. My tap GH is 4 but in my tank it is 16 :crazy: Could EI dosing cause this increase it? A guy in a local fish shop suggested it could be the MgS04 and try reduce it (if i reduce it will it affect...

It looks quite natural and I reckon would look fab grown in!

I reckon this is more than enough light.....I dont think you would need all bulbs on all the time. Is there the option to just have 2 of them on for a period??? (im no light expert BTW). Cheers, Dave.

Hi all, I recently started EI dosing (dry dosing) using the method below (560L approx): Day 1 - 2 tsp KNO3, 1 tsp KH2PO4, 4 tsp MGSO4 Day 2 - 1 tsp Trace Day 3 - Same as D1 Day 4 - Same as D2 Day 5 - Same as D1 Day 6&7 - Rest. What I really wanted to know was, what is the purpose of the rest...

Hi, Anyone know where you can buy spare debris collection bags for the Pondovac 4 online??? Cheers, Dave.

Good advice Mark.....Ive had many a time when I felt like giving up, but im glad i never did!

So if i buy a TDS pen, there is not real need to check the GH?? What sort of value should you be seeing on the pen, with shrimp in mind?? I saw some on ebay, so i might get one, Cheers.

This wont tell me my GH, will it? ....just total disolved solids???

...yeah, i think so, cheers. Any brand of kit recommended??

....must be faulty so, or maybe its too old!!! I wonder can i assume my Gh is 4 since it took me 5 drops to go from clear to green? (first drop is meant to change it to red but it only slightly discoloured mine)

I want to test my GH to make sure its ok for CRS shrimp, but the instructions make no sense. Its a Tetratest test kit. Instructions say the GH is the number of drops it takes to turn the colour from red to green! For starters, my water is not red!!!!!!!!!!!! :| It took 5 drops to turn my...

Where was that video footage taken?????

Rummy nose for sure......Green Neons are not bad either!

Thanks Ceg.....God, it is actually easier than I thought all along :) I wonder why AE stopped stocking it!

Hi all, Ok, this Tropica stuff is costing me too much! So EI it is. Sorry in advance for any questions that have been probably asked a million times before. First of all my tank is about 560L. Am I right in assuming that in a tank this size it would be easier to dose dry?? I got a link from...

....will the liquid carbon not just diffuse away or be carried away anyway by water movement?

Hi, I have some BBA also.....Ceg, when you say add liquid carbon, do you aslo have to do a blackout? Does it have to be a heavy dose of liquid carbon ? Thanks, Dave.

Thanks....might turn up the Co2 a notch!

Hi, Ive grown Cuba before with no problem. Now I got an new open top tank and the evaporation really annoyed me so I covered it with perspex. My Cuba is not doing well at all (drop checker is green).......Would the perspex with condensation on it hinder light getting through :?: The tank looks...

Yeah, once I use up all my Tropica I think ill switch to EI ferts (I bought a load of tropica in bulk!!!)

With regards to keeping plant leaves clean, I reckon some Otto's in the tank will take care of that :thumbup: Cheers, Dave.

Hi, Just wondering what you all would reckon would be adequate dosing of TPN+ for a new heavy planted tank with co2. The tank is about 550L. Someone said about 80mil a day. Thought this sounded a bit much, so thought Id see what the general consensus would be here ? Thanks.

Hi.... When I feed flakes, the flakes just float on the surface even with a spray bar and fish seem too lazy/afraid to go up for them. I usually have to swirl my hand around water surface to get them to sink and then the fish feed. This is a pain as I have to remove a perspex cover to do this...

Re: Giants Causeway "Lavagumi" 30L Thanks Harry I took it from the giants causeway, its a gorgeous rock. Very unique. :D ...Is that not being a bit naughty being a heritage site :shh: ...yeah it is nice, why didnt i nick a few when i was there :wink:

Yeah Mike, Im using the UP atomizer fed from fire extinguisher for the first time, which I absolutely love. The mist is so fine I could barely see it and I thought it wasnt working. Cant recommend these enough!!! :thumbup: I changed my spray bar from the origional Eheim green one (which is...

I think the HC should stay there...they did this on their display tank in the Greenmachine. You leave the rock wool on and stuff it in very tightly into cracks/gaps. The top left I reckon will be completely filled out by the Pogostemon Erectus that is there now. I see what you mean about that...

Nick....I planted the list above. Took a whole day alright. I went for a different approach with the Cuba. Rather than use it as a carpet I put it in the rocks and wood......

...now for the plants.............

This being my first open top tank, evaporation was driving me mad, so I put perspex over the tank braces with some plastic hooks I bought in B&Q for easy removal. ....no more evaporation :D

Hey all......just wondering what is the biggest aquascaping conpetition world wide? Anyone one know final entry dates for 2012 or links? My algae growing skills are fantastic :lol: Cheers, Dave.

Not a bad idea.....might be a bit better then using glue. Have you tried and tested this - will it stay a tight fit over time in the water?

....Im thinking of just ordering another 2 sections of spray bar and super glueing up the holes! Will superglue be ok in tank? Will it break down over time? Thanks, Dave

They come with 3x 10cm sections (30cm), but I bought another 4 x10 cm sections to give me 70cm. The hose wont work as each section is a different diameter at each end so they can clip together.

Hi Ive just bought this item with extra extensions to make my spray bar longer (grey Eheim spray bar). The problem is that I want my spray bar centered at the back of the tank without adding any more sections with spray holes. The spray bar at the moment is on the left side and i need a section...

I was told that you get an obscure view when you look at them from an angle...this put me off a bit!

Its ADA Nile sand.

This is what im planning on planting........ Hairgrass (parvula) Staurogyne Repens Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioids Hydrocotyle Tripartitia Rotola Wallichii Pogostemon Erectus Cuba Might grow some Algae too (several types!) :roll:

Your right, it is steep. I used substrate supports to stop the soil from flattening out over time. You can see them sticking out of the substrate a little in the last picture. I hope they work!

It is a foam like mat....the Greenmachine have it in stock.

This is pretty much where the tank stands at the mo. Had a long delay as i didnt relaise how important to have aquarium matting under a tank this size (doh). I already had over half the substrate in and had a complete nightmare trying to lift the tank and slide in the matting. Got there...

More progress.... Fossilised wood added and Redmoor (with days of moving rock positions and tweaking!!!)...

Hi all, Dave here.Just thought Id start a journal for the first time. It would be nice to get some feedback and ideas from fellow aquascapers. Been a long time since I set up a new tank, so bear with me! Well I stripped down my old Vision 260 and sold it and bought an optiwhite with cabinet from...

Nicolas Cage's new one, "Justice" is excellent (not usually a big fan of his!)

Its just cycling at the mo, so its just set at 24 degrees.

Thanks everyone....thick perspex it is! :thumbup:

Question........... Would perspex work as a cover instead of glass. Just thinking it would nt be as heavy to lift off and would be cheaper??

...What I reall meant to ask is, do you still have to pour in the water manually from the dehumidifier or can it be hooked up to do an auto top up?

I suppose a reservoir is needed for the TMC V2, whch I dont have! Anyone know how the dehumidifier's are set up?

Thanks Bluemoon...useful info :thumbup:

Interesting, can you briefly explain how you would set up a dehumidifier ....ive never seen them, where would you get one? Thanks, Dave.

Hi all, I recently upgraded my tank to an open top optiwhite (570L approx). An awful lot of water evaporates everyday and as a result tank gets much more noisy with the water coming out of the spray bar, as the water is not level with it after evapouration. Never heard anyone talk about this...

God, wouldnt it be terrible if the missus got a ladder in a pair of her tights :twisted: :shh:

Hi, I have the thermo filter above which has 2 intakes. I was looking for something to put over the intakes so small shrimp wont get sucked into the external, but doesnt restrict the flow too much?? I heard cutting up an old net might work....any other suggestions?? Thanks, Dave.

It is indeed....Learnt so much from it and as result got more out of the hobby! :clap:

Nice one, thanks Darrel/Ceg.

....could you use those feed sticks you see in DIY shops for house plants, that you push down into the pot/basket? Dont really want to use my aquarium Tropica or it might work out a little expensive :!: Cheers.

Have a beer and watch your fish tank :D

....agreed!