Search results for query: *

A month or two ago I cleaned out both of my big Eheim T5 650 Thermal Filters. Amongst the filter medium, in the sponges and in the bottom of the filter were about 60 odd or more Red Cherry Shrimps. Rather than pour them away with all the gunk in the bottom of the filter I decided to set up a...

Very soon I will be removing most if not all the plants in my tank, and changing the substrate from the JBL Sansibar White Coarse gravel to a natural sand. I might be leaving a few of the smaller Cryptocoryne species in and some moss on wood slightly emerged. The reason for this is because I...

Last Friday I travelled to Rosmalen in the Netherlands for the Vivarium 2023 Trade Show. WOW what an event that was!!! So much to see, things to do, and stuff to buy. I was like a kid in a sweet shop. Highly recommended.

Hi everyone, I saw this video on Facebook and I am very excited about trying to do something similar. The guy is a genius at creating amazing scapes using different natural materials, but not aquascaping as we know it. They are in glass bowls, jars and similar containers using Mosses, small...

Evening All, It's been a while since I've posted anything here in UKAPS. This tank used to be the home of 'The Full Monty' many moons ago and has gone through many transitions since. Having long since stopped keeping and breeding Wild Discus, I've sort of kept it simple and around 6 months...

This is a speculative enquiry about doing something I've never done before, therefore no knowledge or experience. I am thinking of converting my 400 Litre Eheim Incpiria Aquarium into a Paludarium. Maybe dropping the water level to just a third of the current depth or less. Then creating some...

This is my tank currently named 'Darkness And Light' I'm thinking of renaming it 'Angel De (low) Light🤣🤣🤣

My tank 'Darkness & Light' still going strong. Every two weeks I am trimming out a ton of Riccia Fluitans and another plant I forget the name of, and chuck it all in the bin. Can anyone ID the plant in the first photo please. TIA

I used to buy my dry powders for EI Dosing from The Nutrient Company. I've run out of MgSo4 and K2So4. Just looked on their website and it looks like they dont do the dry powders anymore. So where are you getting it from now..

I've renamed this planted tank after viewing it today. I think the name sums it up rather well.

Well after 12 years of having a 3,000 litre raised brick pond in the garden, it is no more. I've done the whole Koi thing, downgraded to Comets and Goldfish, then to Sticklebacks, and finally to nothing. So, what have I done with it. Well the answer is simple. I filled it in. First with 12...

Hi all, I have a question about the use of Fluval Sea Liquid Calcium in Fresh Water Aquariums. In my heavily planted Jewel Rio 200 litre tank I have a few Cory's, three Red Bristlenose Plecs, and a lot of Red Cherry Shrimp. This tank has only got 2 x T5 Tubes above it and the reflectors are...

I was surfing on'tinternet looking for Fissidens Fontanus. Stumbled across this on eBay. Extortionate at the very least. Shocking how anyone could think anyone would pay £99.99 for a portion of Moss no matter what the availability is.

For anyone who still uses T8 or T5 Fluorescent Tubes here is a chance to snap up a potential bargain. I have been in touch with a chap called John Allan from John Allan Aquariums Limited. He has a stock of over 400 T8 and T5 Tubes, which he is about to dispose of. With the advent of LED Lighting...

Just been having an issue with the adjustment button below the LED Temperature Display on this Eheim Professional 3 Filter. Normally to adjust the temperatures you press and hold down the button, you usually hear it click at this point. Then the display starts flashing, each push and click then...

I have just completed this rescape. Recently I subscribed to the Aqua Essentials Newsletter and the Top Tips for maintaining a healthy planted tank. I have had several emails from Richard with some useful information. I have just emailed him back with a question about water changes during the...

It's been a few months now since I set this up. The tank is a Juwel Lido 200 tank with 2 x T5 tubes. Running with an Eheim External Canister Filter and 2 x double sponge filters. Injected CO2 at 90 bubbles per minute, and EI Dosing at half dosing. Lighting period 9 hours per day. Starting to...

Hi all, I'm wondering if anyone can help with this question. I have got a very established planted tank with a lot of Red Cherry Shrimp in that are doing very well. In the tank I have also got 4 x large Cardinal Tetras. One of them has developed White Spot, and another has got fungus on its...

Well it's been a while. But I finally decided to strip down my main tank and start again. It's taken me all day to drain the tank, remove the plants and substrate. Tank cleaned, and drained again. Now planning a simple rescape for a Discus biotope. The wood in the photos (5pieces in total) is...

I have just started keeping the bog standard Red Cherry Shrimp. I started off with 10, now I've got about 70 odd, with more tiny one's appearing every week. I have just moved them all into a planted Jewel Lido 200 litre tank yesterday. They seem to be loving it. Is it okay to add a group of...

Anyone any ideas what this is. I saw it on Chens Discus group on Facebook. Looks scary but could be harmless.

Anyone any ideas what this is. I saw it on Chens Discus group on Facebook. Looks scary but could be harmless.

I am relieved to say that the wormlike creature in this video is not from one of my aquariums. I have a feeling I know what it is, but would appreciate input and suggestions from anyone experienced in the identification of it. The video was posted by a person in a Discus Facebook Group. Any...

After meeting up with @Melll and her husband yesterday I took a trip to the Abyss Aquatic Warehouse in Stockport for a look around and to pick up a few plants. One or two potted, a few bunches stems, and a couple of 1-2 Grow pots. Spent most of yesterday afternoon, splitting and re-potting the...

I used to buy all my dry powders from The Nutrient Company in separate tubs. Just been on their website and notice they have stopped doing them. So where is everyone buying their dry powders from for E.I. Dosing? Thanks.

Apologies if this has been asked elsewhere but has any one had any experience with these? https://www.aquapro2000.de/en/tunze-co2-diffuser.html

I recently bought the Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Light for my aquarium. It operates via Bluetooth and has a Manual, Auto and Pro functionality. I am quite impressed with the versatility of this light, but still not found what would be considered to be the perfect settings for each light spectrum or...

I'm looking to replace my Current US Satellite Pro LED which is about 10 years old now and has just about had it. I looked at the Eheim Fresh Plant Pro LED, but with the light plus Wifi Controller and the Power supply it was coming in at around £400.00. I heard some nightmare reviews about the...

Good Morning everyone, I hope you are all staying safe and well during these troubled times. Some of you might remember my journal, The Full Monty. I think the last time I was on here was October 2019. The reason for that is that I stopped keeping plants and went off on a mission to breed Wild...

Hello to all members of UKAPS, Jim Simmons, John Ashfield Lars Roald Johannsen, Line Saeter, and I would like to personally invite you to the newly formed Facebook Group B.I.D.K.A 2, formerly a web based forum. At its height, the original B.I.D.K.A web forum had 6,005 members worldwide. Sadly...

Good morning everyone, A lot of people who are members of UKAPS will know me on here as redsteveo, you know the guy who had most of you in hysterics with the photos used for my journal 'The Full Monty' You will also know that my aim eventually was to create a perfect planted Discus Aquarium...

Hi All, I bought 100 Hyallella Ateca off a guy on eBay a few weeks back. I've still got them, but they are not reproducing as quick as I thought they would. I've read thoroughly articles on the net about them, but thought I'd ask here to see if anyone has any experience with them. Cheers, Steve

So after a mega strip down and clean, everything is now back up and running. This time around I've gone with JBL Volcanic as the base substrate and topped it with JBL Plant Soil. Filters starting from scratch with new filter media. Finished planting yesterday. To minimise the effects of the...

I have two Eheim Filters running on a 400 litre aquarium. Filter 1 is an Eheim Professional 3, Filter 2 is an Eheim 650 T Thermal filter. Each filter is filled with identical filter medium consisting of Eheim Efimech, the bio balls and Bio Home Ultra. The original intention was to get good...

Hi Guys, Anyone who knows me on here will remember my journal 'The Full Monty' As you will have read, the Full Monty gradually over two years became a semi planted Discus tank, and eventually, sadly into a bare bottomed Wild Discus tank. Well the Discus have all gone to a new home, so I am...

AverageWhiteBloke, kadoxu, Ryan Young, REDSTEVEO, tropic, Finn, watercrayfish, roundasapound, scrivs78, chrism, three-fingers, MatusG, kennyybp, papa_cee, NathanG, KipperSarnie, deandean.deni, st.john, Robert H. Tavera, Aqua360, haneiv, Mark82, LondonDragon, matesp.acu Total: 163 (members: 25...

Hi All, Most of you will remember this tank previously as 'The Full Monty' which now no longer exists as it was. It has evolved into a home for 5 x Wild Red Spotted Green Discus from the Rio Nannay in Peru, and 2 x Wild Solid Royals. Originally the remaining plants I had left were still...

All, Please don't jump all over me for posting this ,or report me to Clive Ha Ha because I know as advocates of the perfect planted tank we add Macro and Micro Nutrients to help our plants grow. I once tested my NO3 Levels and the coulour changed to a deep dark Merlot Wine colour:eek: But the...

Hi All, Has anyone heard of a company called AAA - Exotics - Live Tropical Imports based in Germany? I found their website while doing some research into Wild Discus on the internet. The link is below. http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de http://www.amazon-exotic-import.de/Imports.html I saw...

Hi All, Hopefully someone can help me identify what this worm is swimming in my tank. You can only see it in the first few seconds so you might have to replay the video a few times. I apologise for the quality but the video was taken quickly on my phone about ten minutes ago. There are a few...

Hi Guys, I know there are loads of videos on YouTube on how to make your own discus food using beef heart and so on...but a while ago I saw one on the UKAPS site to a video made by some old foreign guy sat in his garden talking for ages, he might have been a doctor or scientist or something. But...

Hi All, Those of you who have seen the latest update on my journal 'The Full Monty' will know that I bit the bullet and sold the remaining two male discus I had in my tank. You will have also seen recently the photographs of the proven pair of Super Red Flame Discus in my aquarium. They have...

Hi All, I have been following Pedo Rosa's journal 'Going Dutch by the Book' and saw a photograph with a link to the name Stephan Mönninghoff so decided to have a look. There is some really interesting and useful stuff about Co2, KH and GH correlation on his blog Extraplant. CO2 (mg/l) in...

Hi All, I just wanted to update the situation I had with getting the right amount of CO2 distribution around my tank, The Full Monty. Having given up on internal glass diffusers, I, like many of us went with the UP Aqua Inline Diffuser and had mixed results from great at first to not so great...

Hi All, I am still on the hunt for a set of LED Lights to replace my 4 x 54 Watt T5 Tubes. Has any one seen or tried out these Fluval LED''s? I have seen them on various sites for anywhere between £230 and £240. Just wondered if anyone has seen them or tried them out. Has anyone seen better...

Hi All, I have been doing some maintenance siphoning out some La Plata sand from the front of the 'Full Monty' and I want to replace it with ADA Amazonia Powder. Not a massive amount, probably the equivalent of around a litre and a half just to fill in some gaps. Do you think It will be safe to...

My old pond built in 2009 looked like this. As you might have guessed the planting was causing a problem for me because it was so deep with no ledges or shelves. It holds around 3000 litres measuring 1m.85cm from front wall to back wall and 2m.85 from left corner to right corner. It...

Hi all, I don't know when the next ADA Open Day is over in Niigata, Japan is but I believe Takashi Amano has one very year. This is something I have always fancied doing, it is sort of on my 'Bucket List' if you like. Just wondered if anyone has ever been, and if I decided to go would anyone...

Hi all, One of the dangers of examining your substrate close up with a magnifying glass is that you sometimes see things you wish you hadn't. This happened to me today so I did some searching on the internet and found this video on YouTube. Trouble is there was no explanation for what it was...

Hi all, Anyone know which one of our sponsors sells the LED tube that slots straight in to the existing T5 Light Unit? Thanks, Steve

Hello All, Anyone who has read my journal 'The Full Monty' the planted Discus tank lately will know that the Easter Bunny brought me a TMC V2 Pure 100 Advanced Reverse Osmosis system. I have not used an RO filter for years, so far I have been using a HMA filter changing around 150 litres per...

Hi All, Can I just ask, is it it just me or has anyone else experienced the liquid in the CO2 Drop checkers turning into clear see through liquid? I have two drop checkers, one in each corner of the tank. I have changed the fluid about three or four times in the last few days because it has...

Hi all, Just a quickie question. Has anyone used or had any experience with an internal UV filter such as the one below? Does anyone think it could be good for eradicating diatomous algae - brown algae...

Hello All, Just to add to the general confusion over the cause and removal of Brown or Diatomous algae, as I am still having some issues i looked and found this link below. It goes on about silicates again being the cause. I know Clive has blown this theory away on previous threads, (which I am...

Hi All, Sorry if this has already been answered, I have looked through loads of threads and some are quite old. Now that I have got my 400 liter tank up and running I have been reviewing threads on water changes, especially 50% water changes. 200 litres of new water is a lot, obviously just...

Hi all, I have been researching the Rummy Nose Tetra. Apparently there are three varieties but only one is the genuine article...Hemigrammus Rhodostomus or true Rummy-nose tetra. Hemigrammus Rhodostomus The other two are 'False' Rummy Nose tetras. Petitella Georgiae -False Rummy-nose...

Errrrro_O I have borrowed this camera from my son...without the instructions...it is a Nikon AF - Nikkor 18-55mm, 1:3.5 - 5.6G with more functions than a NASA Space Shuttle...anyone know how to take pictures of close up stuff with mega clear quality...:confused: I have planted my tank, 'The Full...

Coming to a UKAPS page near you soon....My first complete ADA scape in a brand new 400 litre Eheim Incpiria Aquarium. To be planted up as a Discus Aquarium...

Hello all, I am thinking of buying this aquarium and starting a journal on setting up a planted aquarium for discus fish. When it is complete with about 12 to 15 discus from Stendker and a hundred or so cardinal tetras I think it will look amazing...

Hi, I want to put a tank of roughly 400 litres in a spare bedroom which is currently used as my office at home. The tank will be 1m 30cm x 65cm x 65. My question is will the floor boards hold the weight or will it go crashing through the floor into the ceiling below when I fill it up? There is...

Hi where do people on here mostly buy their discus from? There are so many places to choose from, Chens', Devotedly Discus? Steve Punchard's, Stendker? I have seen young discus on Ebay but not happy with the quality. Steve

Sorry guys just need a quick answer here. What is the name of the wood used in some aquascapes? Something like Manzanita or something like that. I am looking to buy some for a future scape. Thanks, Steve

Anyone tell me what these things are? I have seen this video on Youtube my sister has got exactly the same in her tank and asked me what they are. They are not planaria and I don't think that they are nematodes. Cheers, Steve

I have looked at the 9 watt and 11 watt Arcadia Arc Pods for Nano tanks and was thinking of ordering one of each online. But I went and saw them in a shop, took them out of the box and it was really hard to insert the plastic bulb housing into the outer cover. I could not push it in far enough...

Hi all, Here is a question which I don't know if anyone has considered before. Problem: 2 x small Nano Tanks set up next to each other, only one running on pressurised CO2 fed from a 2kg gas bottle via an UP Atomiser in the outlet pipe of an Eheim Professional 2 External Filter. I don't want...

I probably really should know better than to ask this question...but at the risk of sounding stupid I know, can anyone think of any good reasons to add phytoplankton to a fresh water planted tank. :oops: The reason I ask is that after my failed attempt to raise the Amano shrimp fry I had, I...

Hi all, I have been reading two threads with interest, surrounding the issues of brown diatoms on moss, excessive lighting, dosing and plant selection. The main two topics are below, where questions have been asked about silicates in the water column and leaves yellowing and dying off on...

Hi, I would grateful if some one can help me to identify the plants in this photo below. I know what the foreground plants are and the tall ones to the left. It is the short and tall stem plants from the centre to the right hand side I need identifying. Sorry I can't use arrows to point them...

Okay so me and the missus went to Lanzarote in early June, and yes it was windy. We went to the Timanfaya National Park and saw loads of mountains and volcano's and stuff. Lava rock was everywhere and I got to thinking..... So I went out and bought an extra suitcase, sneaked out in the middle...

I have had about 15 adult Amano's in my Trigon 190l corner tank for ages. Every now and then I see about 5 or 6 pregnant females. Then a few weeks later the same females are eggless for a while and then it starts all over again. So after researching the internet reading many forums including...

Came down this morning to feed my fish in the pond before going to work only to find the water looks like someone has poured a few litres of milk in the water :shock: This is a mature pond, planted, with plenty of filtration and UV. The water for the last few weeks has been absolutely crystal...

Hi All, As part of our garden renovation project I have built a new pond and need some advice please. Firstly how to calculate the water volume so that I can work out what size filter and pump I am going to need. The dimensions are 3 feet deep by 8 feet 4 inches wide (from left to right) by 4...

My journal 'A Shady Glen' tells the story of the setup so I won't go into that. Needless to say I have started the usual battle with staghorn hair algae. Having read all there was to read about algae on this forum I went for the Flourish Excel treatment. I ordered it off the web and it came...

Hi, I notice that some of us are getting paranoid (if that is not too strong a word) about our plants pearling, and I should know I am one of the worst offenders, I am not happy if I don't see any pearling. I follow everyone's advice about lighting timings, WPG, CO2, flow rate, correct dosing...

Hi, Does anybody know the differences between Seachem Floursih Excel and Easy Life Easy Carbo and which has the best effect on Staghorn Algae? Can you use both as a double pronged attack on staghorn algae? Tank has been set up six weeks (see journals 'A Shady Glen for planting Tank Trigon...

A Shady Glen By Steve Lancashire Hello everyone out there in UKAPS land. Its been a while. After living in a rented house for nearly a year we finally moved in to our new house in March 2010. Having spent some time and a lot of money refurbishing the house, April and Easter saw the perfect...

Well I know its been ages since I last posted anything on here but... I've been busy. Been living in a rented house for the last 12 months so the tank has been as good as empty. Water, filter a few plants, nothing special. Bought a house in September last year, totally gutted it and been mega...

‘A Simple Plain’ Aquatic Journal By Steve Lancashire Well, we finally managed it, we sold our house and we’ve moved. On the 9th of April we moved into our new house in Hawarden, North Wales. Obviously I couldn’t set up the Aquarium until I was satisfied that ‘her who must be...

Hey Guys I know I've been away for a while...have I missed something? :? I've been re badged from "Sturdy Growers" to "Hornwort Handful" :lol: WASSAPNIN? Steve

Hi, Sorry I've not been on for a while. Been really busy getting ready for a house move in April. Mad panic, house sold, fingers crossed it all goes through. Only problem is I've not found anywhere to live yet aaaaargh :x Not really looking forward to stripping my tank down, but I suppose it...

Well it has been one week to the day since I removed the 'Blackout' as part of my measure to get rid of the dreaded Blue Green Algae and.......I have to say that.......so far I am impressed, however...... For all the purist's out there I am sorry to say that so far in the whole week I have not...

Hi all, Happy New Year and all that malarkey. I promised a week or two ago that I would post an update from my journal Fallen Wilderness. This scaping project was undertaken in May 2008. I can't believe nine months have flown by since then. Like I said if you compare the original setup to what...

I just read an article on a Malaysian ADA planting Demo. http://www.slipperylittlesuckers.com/ Very similar to the ADA Planting Demo at The Green machine they used a lot of "pre stuff" as part of the preparation on the glass base before they added the main substrates. The list below is the stuff...

Hi, I have a few faint scratches which have come about as a result of getting the odd bit of sand or gravel caught up in the sponge or my glass cleaner when I have been cleaning the front glass. I just wondered if anyone has any great suggestions / ideas / foolproof methods for removing very...

Hi, I put my house up for sale over a year ago and thinking it was going to sell very quickly I got rid of all my discus and just kept a basic planted tank. I am really missing my discus fish but I have promised her that must be obeyed that I would not buy any more until we moved house. Fat...

Steve’s Aqua Journal 23rd May – 25th May 2008 A rescape based on a scene from nature which I have called “Fallen Wilderness” Here is a picture of what my tank looked like before the rescape, So why would I want to change it? a. Because I needed a new challenge b. Because I couldn't...

Hi everyone, This probably only applies to anyone who is in need of the CSM+B Trace elements as part of their EI dry ferts dosing methods. I have been trying to get hold of the CSM+B from Richard at Aqua Essentials but it would appear that he is experiencing some difficulties with his own...

Hello all, During this coming Whit Holiday at the end of May beginning of June I have got a week when my better half is away visiting family. So I am intending to strip out my Trigon 190. This is what it looks like now. As you can see the plants are not doing too badly but I think the old...

Here are a few photo's of my experiments with planting a Trigon 190 tank. Also some shots of my Blue Diamond Discus in a previous setup. I apologise for the slight fuzziness in one or two of the photos. Also for the lack of backing and appearance of cables (I was waiting for a tailor made...

Hi guys, Here is my problem, I hope you or someone you know may be able to help. The problem is despite getting what I think is everything right as per the reccomendations and the plants grow healthily (heavily planted with hair grass and riccia at the front, tiger lillies and large leaf plants...

(I apologise in advance for the length of the post) Hi my name is Steve and I'm new here. While I don't profess to having quite the technical expertise as some of our more esteemed members (you know who you are) here are some words of advice based on my own experiences. If you know all of this...