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Did you leave the plants in or take them out? Where did you store the fish.

Hi all, I have an 120 litre aquarium with an external filter. The tank has a soil toped with sand base and live plants and fish. I need to move the tank to another office as I have been moved. How is the best way to do this?

Thanks I have just bought 10 large amano shrimp and added them to the tank my killifsih seems to be pestering them but the shrimp don't hide they just move away. He seems to like nip them I'm hoping its just curiosity as its something new in the tank. Any opinions?

Thanks well he is up and swimming about now and playing with the cucumber I put in for the Otocinclus. So think he okay. I have a planted tank so quite high flow rate he may of been tired from swimming in the currents. I was playing to buy quite a few Amano Shrimp for the tank will my single...

Hi there I have a male Aphyosemion Gardneri (Kilifish) it has been swiming around today and was swimming along the front glass. I have now noticed that it appears to be resting on the sand at the bottom underneath some plants. Are these fish top swimmers or bottom swimmers? Is he okay or is...

Thanks for your comments. I floated the bag in the tank for about 20 minutes I then opened the bag in a clean bucket and slowly added water from the tank. I then used a small net to net the fish and allowed them to swim out of the net into the tank when they were ready. I did have the lights off...

I have just introduced my first fish into my tank. 5 Cardinal tetras, 3 Otocinlus and 1 Killifish. My Nitrite and Ammonia where 0 ppm and my LFS confirmed it. I have noticed that the tetras start swimming one way and then they like change direction very quickly. Its like very frantic...

I have a 33 US gallon aquarium with quite a few plants. I am using pressurised CO2 that goes off during the night. My PH is about 7.4 and I would like to reduce to around 7. My KH is 12 d and GH is 18 d. How many bubbles per second would you recommend on my tank? I am using a bubble counter.

I want to trim my stem plants as they have grown very quickly. I would like to trim the red plant at the back and the the bushy green one at the front. I was planning to just snip the top off? Is that right or anything else I need to do to encourage re growth?

Okay thanks for the advice. My lights are only on for 6 hours a day. So far I have had a tiny amount of brown algae appear but that hasnt been a problem as it was easily removed. Ammonia is now 0 ppm and Nitrites are 1 ppm. Should I just do a large water change now and add some fish?

I am dosing using the EI Method on my tank and I have just started fishless cycling. I added 5 ml of Ammonia to my 120 litre tank to raise the level to 5 ppm and have been monitoring it. It dropped to about 0.50 ppm and then I added a further 3 ml to raise it back up to around 3 ppm overnight it...

How hard is your water though? The issue seems to be with people who have hard water.

I have just filled a see thru bottle up with water from my tank and it looks really clear doesnt seem to be discoloured or anything.

I use trace mix plus from Aquaessentials. Which I make a stock solution with. My water is very hard im based in Mottingham. There was a white cloudiness which looked like a bacterial bloom, but then I took out the Purigen and there doesnt seem to be much of a white cloudiness more like a...

I dont dose them at the same time. I am following the EI dosing method as listed on theplantedtank.co.uk. I am dosing on alternate days.

Okay thanks for the advice. My plants seem healthy at the moment I am seeing new shots and leaves. I hope to get my CO2 fixed soon so that should make a difference. Eventually will the water turn clear?

I have had my tank set up for about two weeks now and the water was cloudy and hasnt cleared. I was running the external filter with Purigen in which I have now taken out. The tank is quite heavily planted and has no fish in it at present. I was wondering if the cloudy water it due to a...

I think the problem may be an bacterial bloom. I have now taken out the Purigen and will cycle the tank without it and then I will add at a later stage to remove tannins.

I set up a 90 litre tropical tank about 8 months ago and quickly become very addicted to this hobby. I was keeping Cardinal Tetras, Rainbow fish, Betta's, Amano Shrimp and an Angel fish. All was going well untill someone turned off the heater by mistake and my tank dropped from 27 C to 9 C. So...

I am running a Eheim Proffesional 3 series filter. The tank has now bee running for one week and it did get a little bit better. I done a 50% water change in the tank yesterday and it doesnt seemed to have cleared much. There is Purigen and filter wool running in the filter.

Ill let you know if it is different.

Okay it is a 125l tank that has been running one week. I have a soil base topped with sand. The lighting is 2 x 28w T5 tubes on at moment for only 6 hours a day will slowly increase with time. I am dosing using the EI method. I did have CO2 but due to a problem with the JBL regulator I do not...

Hi I have had a phone call from JBL today and they have informed me that there was a problem pre October 2009 with the U001 Regulator that come with my set. As a result they will be sending me the new regulator unit and replacement CO2 bottle from Germany, which I should recieve on Wednesday or...

Hi I have a newly planted tank and I have noticed that some of my plants maybe showing a deficency. This is the first one its seems like the leaves are curling or turning a funny shape. Any idea what it could be? Second one, hopefully you can see that the edges of the leaves have turning a...

I think I will keep the lights on for a period of 6 hours and I am hoping to to get the Co2 fixed asap, but for now I may dose with Easy Carbo as someone recommended to dose that for the time being but between 3-5 ml as I do not have any fish.

I bought the plants from a LFS near me in Swanley. The plants on the left infront of the wood are Dwarf Hairgrass / Eleocharis Acicularius and the plants on the right are Micro Sword / Lilaeopsis novae-zelandiae.

They are only on for 6 hours at the moment

I have very hard water KH 13 dKH 232.7 ppm GH 19 dGH 304.1 ppm so I dont think it will be down to calcium. The flow around my tank seems fine so it must be the CO2 I am hoping to get that back on as soon as I recieve the fixed/new regulator.

Okay thanks I have also noticed that my plants leaves seem to be curling slightly do you know what this could be?

I normally does in the morning before lights come on and then do water changes in the evening so would i dose again or not dose in the morning

If i do 2-3 50% water changes a week then wont I be getting rid of the nutrients im dosing using the EI method?

Okay thanks I wil start with 3 ml and then increase. I have heard somewhere that Easy Carbo melts certain plants, do you now which ones this is?

I did have a JBL pressurised system running but their seems to be a problem with the regulator because when the regulator is tight you still hear a hissing sound and the Co2 bottle is empty over night. So JBL are sending me a new regulator hopefully, for the time being I was going to dose 2ml of...

I have just set up a new planted tank. It is a Juwel Rio 125 (33 US Gallons) it has 2 x 28w T5 bulbs in the hood that I am starting off at 6 hours a day and will slowly increase over the next few months. The tank is pretty well planted as you can see in the picture. I am dosing using the EI...

Hi Paul, I have emailed them but have had no reply. The kit seems very well made, looking at reviews on the internet you will see nothing but good reports about these kits. They are German made and nomally well made. I have ordered a new Co2 bottle and it should hopefully arrive today. When it...

Hi Paul, thanks for the advice, I have just emailed JBL lets hope they reply quickly. It is so ennoying that this has happened cos I have spent loads of money on plants and now I am having the CO2 problem. So I hope I can resolve it quickly before my plants start dying off.

I have filter floss in the tank and Seachem Purigen

Okay thanks for the advice, for now I have part closed the locking lever and that seems to have worked. So i may keep it like that rather than start drilling.

It was cloudy at first when adding the water but no more than normal. It has been set up since Friday and it still looks a bit cloudy now. It is a brand new Eheim Pro 3 canister filter.

I have just set up new tank with sand I rinsed the sand throughly but I have cloudy water.

Here you go. The first one shows a close up, I have tried to highlight the silicon for you to see.

Thanks for such a quick reply. If I added more holes would that have the same effect?

Hi there, I have just set up the Eheim Pro 3 2071 on my tank. I have the spray bar attached to one side of the tank blowing to the other side. The problem I am having is that the flow of water from the spray bar is pushing the sand around the tank. How do I reduce the flow of this filter? Is it...

I have looked at the part that screws onto the bottle, but I cant see a washer. There seems to be a ring of silicon inside.

The guage on the right is displaying about 1.5 bar. I simply screwed the regulator onto the bottle the instructions didnt say anything about an o ring seal

I have just set up my JBL Proflora u402 system. The system comes with a 500g disposible co2 canister. I screwed the regulaot on to the bottle as per the instructions. Unfortunatly the canister seemed to still be hissing even when the regulator was screwed on tightly. The system has been running...

I would love to attend but unfortunatly have to work when is your next meetup? I should be able to come to that one. Would really beneficial to me, would love to come to one.

Its a very addictive hobby lol. My tank is at my office which i spend 6 days a week at from 9.00am to 6.00pm so I really get to appreciate it as I see it everyday. Just noticed a1Matt your profile says your from Bromley I live in Sidcup, DA15 but my tank is in Mottingham, SE9 so not far from...

I have had a 90 litre tank with 6 Amano Shrimps, 10 Cardinal tetras, 3 Rainbow Fish (1 Bosemani, 1 Red and 1 Lake Kutubu), 1 Altum Angel and 1 male Betta. I know people say that some of the above shouldnt be mixed but they were absolutly fine. Untill my heater packed up one day and I came in...

How is the best way to know when the tank has finished cycling, please remind me. The fish im planning to keep are cardinal tetras and bosemani rainbows.

Thanks, I was also thinking about adding shrimp and algae eating fish eg Otocinclus and Amano Shrimp after about a month. In order to eat any algae that does develop.

Thanks guys excellent advice. My lighting is 2 x 28w T5's how long would you recommended having them on for start with 6 hours then increase? Or should I just leave them on for 9 hours from the start like I eventually want.

I have not planted the plants yet so maybe a good idea would be to plant the plants and see if I get any signs of magnesium defiancy then I can start adding the Magnesium (Epsom Salts)

So you would recommended adding Magnesium to my water? Maybe 10 ppm?

Thanks CeeJay for a great reply. I think I have done too much research to be honest, my head feels like it wants to explode. The hard thing is that everyone has their own opinions and experiences and their are so many variable factors eg fish load, water parameters, stock of plants etc. I think...

Its just its something ive been told by a planted tank keeper near my area.

I have hard water GH of 19 dgh and KH of 13 dkh. If I add magnesium (epsom salts) to the water will it make it harder?

I have finally decided to try the stock solution EI Method. But have some further questions. I have listed below my water parameters and EI dosing plan. Tank Specification:- Juwel Rio 125 (33 US Gallons) with 2 x 28w T5 bulbs (on for 9 hours), CO2 and a nutrient rich substrate. Tap Water...

Hi I have a new Eheim 3 Professional 2071. It comes with a coarse sponge (Mechanical), fine filter wool (Mechanical), substrate pro (Biological) and then MECHpro (Mechanical). Layered as shown below. Pump Coarse sponge Mechanical Fine filter wool Mechanical Substrate Pro Biological MECHPro...

Thanks I did contact Juwel and they told me that the bulbs in the t5 high light system are not HO.

I currently have a Juwel Rio 125 litre (30-33 US Gallons) tank. It comes with a Juwel High Lite unit comprising of 2 x 28w T5 bulbs. I do not think they are High output but just standard T5's I want to have medium to high light for growing Dwarf Hairgrass and red plants. Would I have enough...

Hi there I was wondering if their are any websites/companies online that sell Tropical aquatic plants to the UK.

I have been told Seachem Purigen is better for planted tanks, so may use that.

Hi there I am setting up a planted tank in which i want to use two pieces of bogwood as decoration. I have slowly boiled the pieces of wood and I am now soaking them in water for a few weeks, in order to remove as much tannin as I can. I know that carbon removes colourings in a tank but it also...

Dosing is key then. Would you recommend EI or PPS Pro? I will have quite a high stock of fish. So may have to dose less No3

Ok I have reflectors for both bulbs. So that should help. What I am going to do is just plant all the plants I want and see what grows under the light I have. Im not to bothered about growth but as long as the plants look healthy then Im happy. I take it that the nutrient provided by dosing will...

Thanks for your reply Colin. Isnt the WPG rule based on T8/T12 lighting?

I have a Juwel Rio 125 litre (32 US Gallons) aquarium with a Juwel High Lite unit housing 2 x 28W T5 tubes. One has a Kelvin rating of 9000k and one with 6700k. The tank is 81 cm long, has a depth of 36 cm and a height of 50 cm from the light unit to the gravel. Taking into account that these...

I will be using part RO water and part tap water. Does this affect dosing method?

I was now looking to use JBL Aquabasis. Or maybe a mix of TetraPlant Complete JBL Aquabasis? They both recommended using a 2 cm layer. However my plants seemed to grow huge roots in Tetra Plant complete. Is there any harm in adding like a 5 cm layer instead? Also any advantage in either...

My tank water parameters are as follows:- PH 8.2 Ammonia 0 ppm Nitrite 0 ppm Nitrate 10-20 ppm KH 12° dKH 215 ppm GH 17° dGH 304 ppm My tap water (water tested straight from tap) parameters are as follows:- PH 7.2 Ammonia 0 ppm...

Hi there, has anyone used Tetra Plant Complete Substrate for growing live plants? Is it any good? It appears to be the only nutrient rich substrate that will allow me to top with sand.

Problem my tank is at an office and I don’t get any hot water from the taps its only cold. So I have to boil a kettle for each bucket to make the water warmer. If I could just attach a hose to the tap and fill up that way then I would but it will be ice cold water and wont of been treated for...

I currently have a 90 litre aquarium which is my first tank and I have now upgraded an 180 litre aquarium with external filter in which I plan to keep a fair stock of fish and plants in. The light unit consists of 2 x 35w T5 fluorescent tubes. My water parameters are listed below. PH 8.2...

It wont provide nutrients via the roots.

Because I want to use light coloured sand as the substrate.

Mixed opinions I may use a layer of laterite with Flourite Black sand on top then with my lighter sand on top that way it shouldnt seep through the Flourite Sand Substrate.

I was considering layering. If I put Eco Complete on the bottom with a layer of gravel on top and then fine sand. Would this act as a barrier and stop stand falling through.

Hi there, is there any nutrient rich soils that I can add sand to as the top layer?

Very helpful a1Matt Not!

I live in London and I want to set up a planted tank. I really just want the plants to look healthy rather than fast growth. My tap water straight from the tap has a PH of 7.2 but once the Co2 has dissolved it raises to 8.2. My water is hard 200-300 ppm aswell. Will plants be healthy and grow...

I have just bought a Juwel Vision 180 (46 Gallon) aquarium that comes with a 92 cm High Lite unit. It basically uses 2 x 35W T5 bulbs that are supposed to be the same length as T8 bulbs. One of the bulbs is 9000k & the other at 6800k. Both bulbs will have reflectors (If this makes any...

I have just bought a Juwel Vision 180 (46 Gallon) aquarium that comes with a 92 cm High Lite unit. It basically uses 2 x 35W T5 bulbs that are supposed to be the same length as T8 bulbs. One of the bulbs is 9000k & the other at 6800k. Both bulbs will have reflectors (If this makes any...

Okay thanks so should I still dose with dry fertilisers?

I have a Juwel Vision 180 aquarium that has a flat hood housing 2 x Flaps and a T5 High Lite Unit with 2 x 35w bulbs. This only gives me about 1.5 wpg. I was hoping to be able to get this up to 2 or 2.5 wpg. Any advice on increasing the light? I will be using reflectors on both bulbs I dont...

Hi I am looking into the EI Dry Fertiliser Method where I make my own stock fertiliser. I am a bit confused on how much to dose etc. My tank is a Juwel Vision 180 litre (Approx 45 gallons, although properly less with substrate, plants, decor in etc.) It has a high lite unit running Juwel 35w...

Okay thats fine, Ill ignore the Cooper issue then. Thats a shame about the substrate as I dont really like the look for the Seachem Flouride or Eco Complete. Anyone had experience with Tetra Complete Substrate apparently you can add sand on top of that cos it is a finer soil.

I have just seen that the trace elecments contain Copper I am planning to keep Amano Shrimps and I know that they are very sensitive to Copper. Any ideas?

I have read that article and I am struggling to understand it. Sorry. I take it you are mixing the powders with tap water to make your own fertilizer liquid? Once I have made 600 ml of liquid how long can that be stored for and how much and how often would I have to add it to my 180 litre tank?

Thanks for such quick replies. I will definately look into the dry fertilizers, I live in the Uk so do you know where the best place is online for me to buy this dry powders? Also when mixed with water is that tap water or dechlorinated water? Thanks for the advice on filtration maybe I will...

I started my 90 litre planted tank about 6 months ago and I have become addicted. If I did another tank I would do so many things differently and over time. So I am :-) I am upgrading from 90 litres to 180 litres. (Biggest I can fit in space). I have done a lot more research now, and this is my...