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Hi guys, I have a problem which I'm hoping someone can help with. I've a 240 litre aquarium that's heavily planted. I'm stocked with Neon tetras, dwarf neon rainbow fish, ottos and dwarf gourami's. I had 2 pearl gourami's in there for a few months (added at the same time as the dwarf...

Hi all, As part of my new tank setup i treated myself to a Oase Biomaster thinking that these are premium filters with great features. Problem is i'm finding it REALLY noisy, so much so that i can hear it in other rooms of the house and over the sound of the TV of a night. Been in touch with...

Hi folks. From my journal: Tank: Juwel Rio 240 in Grey (Filter Removed) Filter: Oase Biomaster Thermo 850 Light: Juwel HeliaLux Spectrum LED Light with Wifi Controller CO2: Pressurised with CO2Art inline diffuser Hardscape: Redmoor Wood & mini Landscape Rock Water: 75% RO / 25% Tap Ferts: DIY...

Hi folks, I wanted to start a journal given i've just spend a decent amount of cash on a fully new setup... the first one i've ever been able to do without being on a serious budget. You may have seen my threads asking for advice previously, so here goes.... Tank: Juwel Rio 240 in Grey (Filter...

Hi all, Following years of jealousy over those with super soft water, I've decided to get me an RO unit. Not specifically for aquarium use butwill be heavily weighted towards it. Having done some reading yesterday I find myself a little confused. Back when i used to test my water, it was all...

Hi all, Originally posted in the general forum but didnt get a reply so thought it might be better placed here. I'm after a new setup and am going to buy everything new. I've been involved in fishkeeping for years and have evolved to where i am now, mainly on a budget. So i'm treating myself...

Hi guys, does anyone have a working email address for Aquael? I need to get hold of them as I have a filter issue drawing in air. Seems the contact form doesn't work on their site? Cheers

Hi guys, I was reading an interesting threat on using epson salts as part of the EI regiem and that Gh of tap water may not be a mix of calcium and magnesium. So I did some digging on Severn Trent's webpage and found that magnese is 1.1 parts per BILLION. I can't find anything relating to...

Hi Guys, Simple question: What new filter should I get for my 180L tank? My current one was 1850L turnover per hour and was an Eheim pro 3. This was one of the ones that had a design flaw whereby the head fills with water due to a problem with the primer. Has this issue been fixed on the...

Hi all, Its been a while but I'm coming to the end of my dry salts and from what I can tell, the Nutrient Company no longer sell dry salts. Does anyone have any suggestion where to get them from? The EI method seems to not be so popular any more. Cheers

Hi Guys, I've just added a glass surface skimmer inlet to my Eheim Pro e3 700 (1850LPH) and I've noticed that there's a reduced flow since adding it. I've got the skimmer taking most of its water in from the bottom of the inlet however I'm getting relatively frequent burps from the filter. I've...

Hi all, Yesterday was the day. The old tank was ripped down and a new 'scape was started. Its been very slow work as I don't have a place to relocate the fish to so I left them in situ and tried to be as careful as I could not to spook them too much. Its been a challenge to come up with a new...

Hi guys, Its safe to say my tank has gone through some neglect over the past couple of months. That said I've done a water change every week without fail (60%) and kept up with the fertilising. Even when I was on top of the maintenance I still have this problem with old leafs discolouring and...

Hi Guys, I'm wanting to try a full length spray bar across the back of my tank to deal with a couple of dead spots. Problem is I am using the Eheim installation Set 2 outlet. I want to keep using this as it offers easy maintenance and flexibility in relation to where I run things but I...

Hi All, I've been using my LED fixtures with the TMC Aquaray controller and it allows you to set your effective lights off light value so that you can have them dimmed right down if you wanted to. Has anyone done this on a planted tank and did it have any adverse effects? I was thinking about...

Hi All, I've ran planted tanks for years and something always seems to cause me a problem where the old leafs of some plants get diatoms. This is predominant in stem plants more than anything and really looks ugly. My plants seem to be growing fine and I don't think I have any sign of...

Hi all, I've had some Hydrocotyle Tripartita in my tank now for a few weeks but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I've heard this should grow like a weed but it seems not in my tank. I've seen slow but healthy growth from nearly all of my plants apart from this one so I'm a bit stumped...

Hi All, There seems to be a real problem in getting the Unipac Limpopo Black Sand around my way and its only available in 2.5 kilo bags. I expect I'll need about 30kg of the stuff for a 180L tank. I see Swell UK sell the stuff but its their own brand. Has anyone had any experience with this...

Hi Guys, I'm currently running a 180L (100cm) tank and I've got Tesco lightweight cat litter in there at the moment. It's really annoying stuff because while it looks good and doesn't disintegrate after time, it is just too light to reliably hold plants down. Nearly every morning I get up to a...

Hi All, Since setting up my tank months ago with 4 x TMC Grobeam 600's over a Juwel 180L I've been battling hard to get the Lighting vs CO2 balance right along with my EI dosing. Initially I started off with all 4 lights set to 30% brightness for 5 hours a day but it melted a lot of my plants...

Hi All, I wanted to start a discussion on peoples experiences on the effects of lighting intensity vs the lighting duration in the aquarium. I've recently moved from T8 to LED (4 x Grobeam 600 over 180l 3ft tank) and I totally underestimated the power of them causing me to have massive plant...

Hi All, After moving house and losing interest somewhat, I'm back having another go at growing some plants :) I've previously tried a number of approaches to getting a decent aquascape on the go but algae and poor growth has hit me hard almost every time. hopefully, I'm better equipped to make...

Hi all, This could have also gone in the filter section as well so tossed a coin and posted it in here :) I've struggled for some time with getting decent CO2 distribution and plant growth but having moved house and broke my old T8 lumaire in the move, I've done a bit of upgrading. Now its...

Hi Guys, I've only ever had a Juwel Rio 180 and its probably a bit too big for me being able to keep the tank how I want it. I'm going to get a custom TMC Signature clone from Aquariums Ltd as I'm only allowed a new tank if it has a hood to prevent the cats getting in it! The lighting will...

Hi All, I've decided to downsize my 180L tank to something smaller however I have some specific requirements and I'm not sure where to begin looking. So heres the list: - Ideally looking at something around the 120L mark (TMC signature size) - Must be closed top to prevent cats getting in...

Hi All, I have 180l tank with an Eheim Pro 3 2028... lots of flow! I'm currently using a 3 year old Up aqua Super Atomizer. I cant seem to find any links for these any more so assume they are end of life. A similar looking one is here...

Hi all, I've been away for a while and having moved house I've been told that I've got to wait for a few months until I can get my TMC signature :( With that in mind, I've a load of stuff which I'm using for this set-up and I'm using my Juwel Rio 180 which I've re-painted to match the living...

Hi all, After some deliberation I've decided on a 60cm rather than an 80 CM. I've mocked up a cardboard cutout of both sizes in my new house and thing the smaller option fits better with the room. So I need some advice on some low cost lighting for the TMC. I want it to look modern and give...

Hello All, I've posted a couple of times in the lighting and hardware forums but as this question is all encompassing I figured I'd put it here. I've just moved house and previously I was running a Juwel Rio 180. Its a bit scratched and a bit retro for my new lounge so I want something that...

Hi All, For years I've had high tech Juwel Rio 180 with CO2 injection but utilized T8 lighting. I've just moved house and I want something a little more contemporary to I've decided on going for a 80x40x40 tank and figured LED would be the way to go. My education was with watts per galon but...

Hi All, I've had a Juwel Rio 180 for years and I've recently moved house and it simply doesnt fit in with all the furnature which i now have. Ideally I'd like to slightly downsize, especially as I am now on a water meter. I'd like something simplistic which is pretty neutral and will fit in to...

Hello experts. I'm at my wits end with this stuff. I have a 180l tank with 4 x 30 watt t8s over it and a eheim pro 3 which turns over 1700 LPH. Since I built the tank I seem to be slowly getting more and more gda on glass and plants. I'm dosing EI. I first thought it was due to low co2 so...

Hello All, I'm about to order some new bulbs from Lampspecs. My previous bulbs have lasted for years and I went primarily for 6500k daylight bulbs. I ran 4 x 30 watt T8s. What would people recommend I go for? does it matter on the colour temperature? I'm sure I read ages ago about plants not...

Hello All, I posted this in the plans section however i think its better suited here. I have some Ranunculus inundatus and its been in the tank for about 5 weeks now but its done nothing apart from the leaf heads falling off. If this a transitional period or is it lacking in some form of...

Hello all. I've had Ranunculus inundatus in my tank for about 4 weeks now however it's losing it's head and is only steps left on most of it. Is this due to deficiency or is it transitioning from emerged form? Lee

Hi guys I've always had a slight problem with diatoms in my setup. Can anyone offer any reason as to why that might be? I thought it was only something that happens in a new setup? It's only very light but is really annoying as it never goes fully. Any ideas.

Hello All, I've got a light sprinkling of GDA on my hardscape which I assume came form not having CO2 for a week due to an atomizer incident! Anyhow, the CO2 is back on and being dissolved better than ever before so I'm hoping I can ramp it up to almost a yellow drop checker. The unsightly...

Hello All, Can anyone recommend a variable pressure CO2 regulator which will allow me to up the working pressure of the reg? Mine seems to be a fixed one and I'm not getting quite enough pressure at 1.9 bar for my UP atomizer to work well enough to almost OD on the CO2. All help appreciated.

Hi All, I'm wondering if i can change the working pressure of the aquatic magic regulators that they sell on ebay? I'm using mine with an UP CO2 Atomizer but, while its working, i think i've hit the wall in regards to how much gas is released. I've got the needle valve fully open and I'm...

Hello All, I've recently got myself a beginners DSLR (Nikon D3100) and have paid more attention to other peoples photography. I'm amazed at the clarity and sharpness of some photos on here and was wondering what people do to get them? Are they photoshop'ed after taking or is it a case of...

Hello All, Its been a while since i was last here. Totally disgruntled with not being able to get a pristine tank like a lot of you which i think might have been down to fish load. So now only a few fish are left so i am going for it again. Tank: 180l Juwel Rio Lighting: 4 x T8 Ferts: EI + 5kg...

Hello All, I have been using an imported regulator from Hong Kong (off eBay) and its now got a problem. The problem is that the bubble counter which it came with has broken. This screwed on top of the co2 outlet and the problem is that its not a UK standard thread. If I now try and screw on the...

Hello Chaps! With my impending bonus from work I have a bit of cash spare so I want a single filter solution for my tank. The 'must haves' for me are as follows: Near on silent! Uses standard tubing Works well with an UP atomizer Works well with spraybars (Eheim installation kit) I'm only...

Guys, I've just put in my Up CO2 atomizer but cannot get it working. I was expecting to have a very fine mist coming out my spraybars but nothing. When i disconnect the co2 tubing theres a pressure release so CO2 is being released. I dont have any leaks or anything either. Whats wrong? Anyone...

Hi guys, Im currently running 4 x t5's and having OK results but I'm getting through so much CO2 its unreal. Dropping the light will drop the CO2 demand however would just 2 x T5's on this tank be too little? The most demanding plant I have is Blyxa Japonica and I dont really want to lost this...

Hi Guys, Just a quick question really. I've stemmed the growth of BBA but because I was so heavily infested its taking forever to die back. SAE's seem to be in short supply around my way to eat it all so I was concidering a blackout. Does anyone know if BBA will die off in a blackout?

Anyone got the latin name for the narrow leaf java fern? I'm trying to source some but i think my problem is i'm using the wrong name!

Hi Guys, Hope everyone is well! Im writing out of a little bit of desperation as after nearly 5 years in fishkeeping I still cant get my tank right and I struggle to grow some typs of plants and keep algae at bay. I'll give a detailed run through of what i'm running and the problems I'm...

Hello Guys! Its been a while since I've been on here and as such I've had a pretty major infestation of BBA in my 180L I understand the reasons why its occured and am working to correct these problems but I dont know how to rid of the existing algae. I dont wish to use excel as I have shrimp...

Hi guys, As the title suggests, is it possible? I am always getting GSA on my large leaf varieties and its really annoying! Any tips on keeping them pristine?

Hi Guys, MY low tech tank is suffering from blue green algae. Im not really sure where to start looking for the problem. THeres once a week ferting going on and none of the plant are showing signs of deficiencies. Any pointers as to where i should start looking?

Hi Guys, Simple question! Will any of the Hydor inline heaters fit on a EX1200 without downsizing the pipework? Lee

Anyone decided to have a pop for this upcoming series? I have but im a little unsure what song to go with. Im a rocker at heart and want a popular, upbeat song which might be a bit differnet. Anyone have any suggestions? I'd love to crack open an Aerosmith or metallica song but would that...

Hiu Guys, I've been sent some cherry shrimp today and am wanting to stick some moss in with them. The tank wont have CO2, nor will it have high light. Will moss grow well in these conditions?

Hi guys, I moved my Limnophilia aromatica and also trimmed it a short while after. Now some, not all, of the leafs on some stems are browning and turning to mush. Whats the cause of this? Lack of light? Circulation of CO2? Newer growth is fine so its not like the entire plant is dying. Im...

Tonight i rescaped half my tank after a major cleanup. I got really lazy and while i kept up with water changes, there was no gravel vac'ing or any attention to detail and it just looked a mess. Here's how the old setup looked at planting: The initial scape looked alright but I found it...

Hi guys, I posted this in the filters section but didnt get much of a response. I need a relativly quick answer so I can place an order for the correct equipment. Hope the mods don't mind! Im getting a second filter to up my filtration and flow rate. My existing one is about 1000 lph and the...

Hello Guys! I've converted my nano to be low tech. I can't keep up with the CO2 costs. I read somewhere that you shouldnt water change for a low tech but is this right? I wont be dosing any liquid carbon but what should I be dosing? I gather any EI type dosing would just induce algae and as I...

Hi Guys, Im getting a second filter to up my filtration and flow rate. My existing one is about 1000 lph and the new one will be about 1500 lph. I have 2 questions: What filter would you recommend an in like co2 reactor to be put on to? With the co2 coming out of only one spraybar, how to...

Hi Guys, I've just uprooted all my plants to give the tank an overhaul and i was disturbed to find masses of fish poo and detrius amongst the bases of my stems behind my wood ect. How do you guys stop this buildup? I have been having ongoing green spot and/or green dust algae and this cant...

quick question guys. I'm about to order from Aqua essentials as im about out of my dry chemicles but notice theres now trace mix plus? What should I be using for EI type dosing? I've never had the option before so I'm little confuised as to which one I might have been using beforehand. Lee

Hello Guys! After having a bit of a planted tank break, i'm back with a fresh approach and need to upgrade some equipment where I am currently lacking. I have an Eheim Pro 2 2062 which I'm happy with. I also have a koralie in there to up the flow rate. I've noticed I get significant detrius...

Guys, I've lost pard of my CO2 regulator. The screw sleve type thing which you slide over the CO2 tubing that you then screw to the main body of the regulator to stop it leaking - is the bit i've lost. Do you know where i can get another?? Lee

Hi guys, My P. Helferi is growing pretty tall, about 6-8cm at present. does anyone know if I cant treat it as a stem plant and chop the tops off? I do have a few runners which have appeared over the last couple of weeks so I'm unsire as to how to deal with it. Lee

guys, My koralia has developed a loud buzzing noise after being on for a few minutes. If i power it off and leave it for 5 minutes and then start it up again its silent. Then all of a sudden it starts buzzing again. Any ideas whats wrong?

Hi Guys, My large tanks coming along slowly but one thing i've always had problems with is the old leafs. On spem plants a lof of them start to look tired and its only the very new growth which makes them look half decent. I'm at a pretty good level of CO2 and have been dosing easycarbo as...

In response to the lack of Journals thats been noted, I am please to have started my own details journal in the journals section! It would be fantabulous to have your feedback. and to keep things on topic, what elements to a journal are you most interested in? Pictures? technical specs? fert...

Here goes with my first real aquascape where I got inspiration from a holiday in Majorca of all places. I often wondered how people drew inspiration from real life then had a great room in Puerto Pollenca and stepped out on to the balcony and it hit me. So here's my attempt at recreating that...

Hi Guys, I've started dosing EI in the past three weeks and added a koralia 2 weeks ago to take mt flow to over the 10x turnover. My Blyxa was in pretty bad shape being reduced to pretty much a thumb sized plant. I've since added some more and the inevitable happened as it started to melt...

Hi guys, I'm interested to know how much of each solution you put in your drop checkers as you woudl get different results dependant on how much you add in. For example, say you add 2ml of 4kh solution and 6 drops of ph reagent, this would give a darker and more fuller colour than say adding...

Hi Guys, I've reverted back to EI to try and revive my fortunes and after about 2 weeks I've started to see GSA. I've made solutions as per James' website: And dose 30ml and 18ml respectivly. I also added some potasium sulphate to be sure on the potassium side of things. I'm aware one cause...

Hi guys, I'm about to set up my Nano which has been doing nothing for abotu 6 months. Its going to be planted and be primarily for cherry shrimp and have injected CO2 and 2 x 18w lights. Does anyone have any recommendations for a filter to give me the holey grail of 10x flow? Lee

Hi Guys, I'm a little stumped. I read on James website the following for the macro mix: Assuming they are in the same bottle 10 ml of the solution would provide for a 180l tank: Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) - 2.04ppm Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4) - 0.48ppm According to Nutricalc i should be...

Hi Guys, I'm so disapointed its untrue and i'mreally starting to think about giving this up. OK so heres the kit list: Eheim pro 2 external filter 180l tank Rhynox 3000 diffuser Originally I had a aquamas external inline reactor and have never been able to get anywhere near the 30ppm needed...

Hi Guys, I've got an observation which has me curious. I moved my drop checker to the other side of the tank the other day as its easier to read. I have 2 filters. 1 eheim internal and the built in juwel filter running. The internal is fitted to the right side of the tank blowing directly...

Hi guys, Would you say this is decent lighting for a nano? I know the wpg rule goes out the window on smaller tanks and this is my first venture into a nano. Any thoughts apreciated. Lee

I have a45 litre nano which i'm now about to set up but I cant decide on a filter for it. Cost is paramount and it really needs to be as cheap as possible. I was going to go for a HOB filter but i dont think this would be that good for this tank. Can anyone suggest something? Second hand is a...

Hi Guys, Does anyone know if granite is suitable as a hardscape rock? I really hope it is as I have an endless supply of the stuff... I work for Lafarge aggregates and have the Mountsorrel quarry 5 minutes down the road. I can get anything froma 3 tonne rock to pea shingle! Comments apreciated

Hi Guys, I've had it with my aquamas inline reactor as it appears i dont have enough flow from my filter to power this big thing to its potential. As a consiquence I cant get my levels of CO2 anywhere near to the point where fish would be gasping at the surface which I've done so many times...

HI Guys, On my crypt wendtii i have holes appearing in leafs which i know could be a deficiency but i also wonder if it could be snails which i have a fair amount of. I dont appear to have much in the way off deficiencies although i do have green spot on slow growing stuff as well as old...

Hi guys, I've been dosing for a good abount of time now with PPMD + PO4 and with this i've had green spot algae quite prominant on anything slow growing like my anubias and e. tennilus. I modified the po4 in the solution to double the recipe amount thinking that the po4 would help cure the...

Hi Guys, I've recently upped the dosing of PO4 in an attempt to stop the gsa that I have on my anubias. I've doubled the amount of PO4 from the recipie on James' website but it looks like it could be getting worse. Do you think I am lacking in some other area or do i need to add even more PO4...

Hi Guys, Just a quick thread to see if anyone has any thoughts on using aquatic compost with an enert gravel of some sort? I'm desperate to get this little nano i have up and running and I was planning on going the aquasoil route but cash is a little tight having had to get a new car last...

HI Guys, I have an empty space where i removed some plants that were too big and i kinda think something thats thin stemmed and is small leafed would look good there. Does anyone know if there is such a thing? Something that is low growing would be even better.

Hi Guys, My snail population is getting a little bit out of hand now so i'm looking for fish that I can add which will be friendly to the plants but will control the snails. I know I can add a dwarf / pygmy puffer which will snack on the shells as well but these are a little bit difficult to...

Hi Guys, I've ran out of trace mix and could do with getting some this weekend. Is this stuff readily available from any garden centre or is it a little more specialist? Lee

Hi guys, I came hope the other day after upping my CO2 slightly and noticed that the inline reactor (the one i posted on previous threads) was about half full of gas. With previous reactors i've easily been able to kill fish with CO2 injection but with this one I seem to struggle to get co2 to...

Hi guys, I notice a lot of you are very strict on the removal of organic waste but I havent really seen decent definition of exactly what that means (i.e. rotting plants, fish poo ect) Also, what do you do to remove each of the different catagories? (i.e. gravel vac ect) I know this will help...

Hi Guys, I've been reading up more and more on the numbers side of dosing shedules and I just want to check my findings were right. I'm using Nutri-Calc as the preferred calculator and heres my findings. Basing these results on a solution mixed with 500ml of water and dosing 10ml a day in a...

Hi Guys, as you can see form my other thread, I bought the aquatic magic regulator but now its arrived i can see its very different to my JBL one and not too sure if its right! Here's an image: You can see here that there is no 'o' ring and the only seal is a hard plastic ring that sits...

Hi Guys, I got some Pogostemon stelleta from Clive a while back and up until recently, its been growing very well but is now starting to look worse for ware. I think the problem is stunting and while this is showing clear signs of a proble, nothing else appears to be showing a problem that I...

Hi guys, I've got myself a nano and cant decide how much substrate I'd need. I was thinking of giving AquaSoil a try but i'm open to suggestions. I'm hoping for a good HC forgreound with rock so i might try for an iwagumi style with something else in threre for feature. I expect it will be...

Hi Guys, Does anyone have any thought on this regulator from ebay? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brand-New-CO2-Reg ... m153.l1262 I'm not that experienced with them and i currently use a JBL jobbie. Lees

Just been down the LFS and bought a new Via Aqua nano tank + stand with overhead luminaire, with under gravel filter and an additional heater, all for 50 quid! Looked them up and they go for more than double the price here: http://www.hobbyfish.net/index.php?prod ... 18silverug The luminaire...

Hi Guys, Picked up a pretty good deal on a nano with overhead luminair containing a T5PC for £50 at a local pet store. I'm wondering what the best method for CO would be as well as being the best value for money. I'm certainly not into spending 50 quid for one but notice AE do a couple for...

Hi guys, I thought i'd give my goldfish tank a bit of attention as its sits in the dining room gettin pretty neglected at the moment. I know newly set up aquariums generally suffer from diatoms however this has been going on for over 2 years now. I thought it was something to do with the black...

Hi Guys, I'm interested in giving a nano aquarium a go but cost is something i'm concerned about. Does anyone have a rough estimate of how much one woudl cost to get started excluding plants? I think my main worries are the lighting and CO2 as I'm not sure of the alternatives to refillable...

Any ideas on what I can do about this? Is ther an adaptor or something i can do? The screw on sleve fits fine but the bit that actually inserts into the bottle is very slightly too large. Any ideas? I didnt realise the JBL regulator would be any different to a standard regulator. LEe

Hi Guys, After receiving some Blyxia from James it melted down and as expected then started growing again. At this moment theres only about 2" tips left but this is where the new vibrant growth started. The stems rotted away so this is all i am left with. Theres new root growth at the majority...

Firstly, here's my hardware: The CO2 reactor: The filter: It appears that I could be wasting a lot of CO2 using my current configuration as I'm getting gas spurts coming out the filter outlet. The reactor is advertised as being suitable up to 1000 liters and I'm using it on a 180 liter so...