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Black neons are a great choice IMO. Rummynose are good too but do better in softer water. Harlequin rasboras are a possibility. Most fish will stop shoaling tightly once they realise there's no threat from predation.

Possible - but look at Bororas spp. too.

Yes, excellent choice. Very active and great sense of scale in smaller tanks. :)

Hi, Darell's advice is excellent - no surprise there... :) I would stock something relatively small in a 60 litre, especially if you want a decent shoal. Rolymo's idea of Rummynose is good - they are one the best (tight) shoalers, but are a bit big for 60 litres and look best in groups of...

Agreed. Great fish in a large heavily planted tank. They remind me of mini piranhas. How to set up an underwater jungle aquarium | Features | Practical Fishkeeping

I didn't even notice - sorry! I hope it isn't early signs of whitespot... Was that your reason behind posting the photo? Sorry, but the thread title wasn't very clear... :)

That's a great capture - it's all about the pin-sharp eyes! Rummynose are one of the toughest fish to photograph IME. Them and celestial pearl danios. Have you used overhead flash?

Dwarf cichlids would go nicely with tetras. Most prefer the water softer and more acidic. Bolivian rams are probably the hardiest. Apistogramma and rams are more delicate but stunning colouration If you're not fussed about keeping it South American-themed then there's loads of choice out...

Hi all, I recently bought some Ember tetras. They're really small. Too small to eat the JBL micro-granular food I bought at the same time as buying the fish... I tried frozen brineshrimp - too big. Same with bloodworm... Determined not to let my fish starve I had a bit of a brainwave...

Don't overly concern yourself with nutrient dosing at the moment. Your soil will make up for any shortfalls and your reduced CO2 will reduce nutrient demand. All the best George

Hi Andrew Sorry to hear about your poorly fish. I'm writing this on my phone and as such haven't fully read Clive's and Ady's posts so apologise for any duplications.... An entire substrate change causes a huge disturbance from a bio-filtration perspective. Two reasons - you lose the massive...

We often talk about a 10x guideline for planted tanks. This is to minimise dead spots that can result in algae. It's also to ensure that sufficient CO2/nutrients are delivered effectively throughout the water column. Folk succeed with far less and far more, but 10x is a good rule of thumb. So...

And very good you are too! I've just taken a nosey at your Flickr. :thumbup:

I wonder if he's unhappy with your harder water? I have always read Apistos do best in soft water. dw1305 (Darell) knows his Apistos. Maybe worth PMing him or asking him to post here for everyone's benefit.

A couple more shots of these fascinating little fish. I bought a dozen Danio choprae (glowlight danio) after reading that these interact well together and I haven't been disappointed. The celestials are much braver and enter open water far more frequently and the little skirmishes that ensue...

Thanks, Ed. I highly recommend a set-up like this. Relatively low maintenance and the fish are fascinating.

Thanks. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AeNaaF1k3I&sns=em This video was taken just before I stripped it down. The fish are all now residing in a friend's 500 litre tank and are doing really well. The angels have grown a considerable size. Note the floating Amazon frogbit plants that provide shade and...

Depends on the fish. In general I like to feed smaller and more juvenile fish more frequently, but less quantity. Larger fish in bigger quantities but less often. Never less than twice per day for either. My tanks are always 'overfiltered' and have large frequent water changes with a...

The trickiest fish I've ever photographed! celestial by George Farmer, on Flickr

Links to other fishkeeping/planted tank/aquascaping-related forums are perfectly acceptable. :thumbup:

Top tip! Thanks for sharing. It should depend on the fish species. Generally speaking smaller and more active fish require more frequent and smaller meals than larger and more sedentary fish. In the wild most fish are opportunistic feeders and will spend around 90% actively seeking out food...

Hi Ben and welcome to UKAPS! Fish selection is largely a personal choice as we all have different tastes. Generally speaking an Iwagumi tends to suit one species of fish, perhaps more if it's a more complex design. Small tetras and rasboras are favoured due to their shoaling nature. Two...

Simple answer is no. Epalzeorhynchus kalopterus (Flying fox) are much better when juvenile, but tend to leave algae alone in adulthood and will rely on your dry foods etc. Crossocheilus siamensis (SAE) graze algae, including BBA, all their lives. They can eat moss too though... As with all...

Hi Gary I feed all my fish a combination of colour enhancing dry food (Tetra ProCrisp Colour) and frozen foods, enriched artemia, bloodworm and mysis. For larger fish I also feed Tetra Prima. Cheers, George

Hi Mark Consider these bad boys, Red fin Colombian tetra - http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... p?sid=2680 I kept a shoal in my 240 litre jungle earlier this year. Stunning fish that colour-up beautifully once settled. Apparently they can be a tad aggressive but I had no issues. I put...

Thank you, Dave. It's always so nice to receive feedback like that. The fish are very much thriving right now in my Fluval Profile 1000. It's 275 litres and the dimensions really suit the angels as it's 65cm tall. The fish have coloured up so much since that article, it's incredible. I will...

Yes mate. I'll try to upload it to YouTube soon.

Petitella georgiae Petitella georgiae by George Farmer, on Flickr Pterophyllum scalare sp. 'Rio Nanay' P. scalare 'Rio Nanay' by George Farmer, on Flickr

Tom Barr appears to have no issues with high nitrates and apparently sensitive fish using EI, so I guess you shouldn't either. Of course, if the high nitrates were a result of organic build-up via poor maintenance etc. then it's a different story. I would follow the excellent advice from...

Are your high nitrates a result of inorganic fertilisers or a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle?

24hrs or so should be fine.

I would turn off your lights and CO2, and perform a 50% water change. Note their behaviour. If it's improved it's likely the CO2. Then gradually increase CO2, with lights off, and resume normal lighting once CO2 is up to your required level, which should be around 30ppm maximum, ideally using...

Is the tank CO2 injected? Sounds a little like CO2 intoxication, which is quite common when adding new fish into a CO2-enriched tank.

Microrasbora kubotai and nana love flow.

I'm using approx 95% RO, 5% tap. pH 6, conductivity 20µS/cm, temp 28C (82F) The tannins are created via Indian almond leaf sachets - basically big tea-bags full of shredded Catappa leaves. I put 3 sachets into a litre jug of boiling water, let it stew for 24hrs, then added to the tank. The...

Probably a bit of both, Fred. Thanks.

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks mate. I did a photo shoot on the tank today, as the fish have settled properly and I need to get the biotope feature complete for PFK before I go back to RAF work next week. This shot shows off the fish quite nicely. Note the different in colour...

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks for the info. The fish have settled in great. I've added 30 Petitella georgeiae (false rummynose tetra) to act as dither fish. They've also settled in great, shoaling up and down the tank. All fish are eating dry foods well - Tetra Prima and Tetra...

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks for the info, Matt. There's lots of conflicting reports about whether it's tannin-stained or not. Here's an interview indicating it is... http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthrea ... 6faa8e06b6

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Google "scalare rio nanay", "rio nanay biotope"...

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Nice link - http://www.discusnews.com/article/cat-04/peruvian.shtml

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' You never know mate, they might spawn, then who knows... I have a spare set-up just in case... Anyway, the manager of the shop has just contacted me to say they're P. scalare 'Rio Nanay'. I'm off to so some intense research! Feel free to let me know what you...

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thank you, kind sir.

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks, guys. I paid £99 for the 7 fish, which I believe is a good price.

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks, Mr JD! I'm going to email Heiko - hopefully he can ID them (I have a 'proper' photo) and give me info on their natural habitat.

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' No idea mate. Thanks for the info.

Re: Wild P. scalare 'Peruvian' Thanks, Tom. Will do.

Hi all, It's been a while since I've posted any photos of fish so I'm pleased to show off my latest additions. Yesterday I bought 7 of these from my LFS, The Waterzoo, Peterborough. I told my wife I would be getting a shoal of cheap tetras for my 240 litre Amazon biotope and saw these...

Luck of the draw really. If they're well fed then the likelihood of them demolishing swords is reduced, but never guaranteed.

Guys, please avoid slating companies publically on UKAPS. I don't want to be sued... Please make criticism constructive.

I have two male guppies in my nano, and am quite fond of them. The contrast of the vivid colours and movement against the relaxing greens works quite well I think. Each to their own, I suppose...

Personally I would have asked them right away what fish it was - politely, of course. Then pursued it from there. Maybe the shop may even have a book stocked so you could positively ID the fish if necessary...

Better clean your glass filter pipes then! :lol: ;)

I have a spare 10w Newatino Plus, preset to 25C. It's very small. http://www.aquajardin.co.uk/product/157 ... 0w_heater_ PM me if you're interested.

Congrats, Neil!

Similar colouration but these are Rasboras are larger, horizontally, and shoal real tight. Penguin tetras are very nice; another underrated fish. Their swimming position makes an interesting and refreshing change to the cliche Iwagumi fish, but IMHO aesthetically suit a taller aspect ratio...

How about some Rasbora daniconius? We used these in a 120cm iwagumi I set up for Jeremy Gay/PFK a few years ago. There a good size and shoal brilliantly. Not too common either, so you may have to get your shop to order them in especially. FYI note the two main stones here; they're now in...

There are plenty of bottom dwelling fish but they have a much bigger bioload and depending on species may disturb small ground plants, especially before they become established. It is a common misconception that bottom-dwelling fish 'clean' the bottoms of tanks. Sure, they may eat leftover...

Fascinating, Darrell. Thanks for sharing! Indostomus look very cool. Ideal candidate for a nice nano biotope I reckon...

Neolamprologus multifasciatus are wonderful little fish! Out of all the fish I've kept these had the most character, by far. Over a period of 3 weeks they entirely re-arranged the aquascape! All the best with the set-up. I'm sure you'll find them very rewarding.

Agreed. I wouldn't be happy with anything under 200 litres for that lot really. You could get away with it in a smaller aquarium, but would need tip-top filtration and maintenance practices to avoid poor water quality and algae issues.

I don't have a 'rule', except I stock what I think looks right, as mentioned, which is invariable understocked in relation to my maintenance practices and equipment. I have four Liberty mollies + fry (P. salvatoris) in a 54 litre right now and it's plenty. Less is of often more with fish...

20 Embers is fine. I'd go 30 or so in 100 litres. Often lots of smaller fish produce less waste than a fewer bigger fish. Small tetras produce little waste and if you feed them little and often this will help to avoid further pollution.

Thanks guys!

Thanks, Matt.

It's a long shot but I know there's a few UKAPS members in the London area. Can anyone recommend a shop with decent adult angelfish - preferbly Koi or Silvers. I need 12 and they must all be the same colouration. Regular P. scalare that are kept in hard tap water. Cheers!

Be careful! :lol: If you think the planted tank thing is addictive, then photographing them opens up a whole new dimension, as I'm sure you're aware. Go for it mate. The latest entry-level DSLRs have an incredible spec these days. Just buy the best glass you can afford, is my advice, then...

Like Steve says, with small fish, feed less qty. but more frequently. New fish may take a week or so to get used to new foods. When I'm feeding flake I crush it up a little between my fingers and put my hand under the water near the filter outlet. This then blows the tiny pieces of food...

Simple answer, no. But even rummynose tetra don't shoal when properly settled.

Hi Garuf I've recently set up a Lake Inle planted biotope with Yunnanilius brevis and Sawbwa resplendens. Both nice fish that are a bit different. Pity you're not local as they need a good home ready for my next project... The Y. brevis is an interesting loach that shoals midwater and the...

To reinforce Ed's comments, think mature biological filtration, rather than a mature tank. And also consider that plenty of healthy plant growth also performs biological filtration via the removal of ammonia/ammonium, nitrite and nitrate. I regularly set up tanks from scratch, with some...

About 4cm max.

Great little fish. I can't really add much more info than what's been said already. They do make a cool croaking noise when they're happy. Mine croak on an evening just before the lights go out. They are quite shy, but as with most fish, provide a lot of plant cover or other hiding places...

I 3rd B. striata. A group of 6+ will shoal great in a big tank. Awesome fish in their own right - not just as snail crew.

One of the biggest lessons I've learnt in this hobby is that there's no definite right way or wrong way to do stuff. As Clive has suggested, my recommendations were based on an a typical set-up that I'd personally be happy with. Sure, by all means stock more, but be prepared for more work and...

A couple of well-priced filtration options would be 2 x Fluval 405, or 2 x TetraTec EX1200. Both good filters in my experience. Eheims are regarded as the most reliable but you'll generally pay a premium for the Professional models. The Classic models are reasonably priced and 2 x 2217...

I agree with Steve. 10-15 embers, 4 otos and 8 shrimp, give or take. ADA Aqua Soil releases ammonia initially, so don't stock until the ammonia and nitrite levels are undetectable, usually after 3 weeks or so with a new filter. The bigger the filter the better for various reasons (circulation...

My fish choice is always based on the aquascape. Longer, slender fish suit longer, shallower tanks. Deeper bodied fish suit taller tanks etc. Colours are an important consideration too. As well as swimming/shoaling characteristics. Open layouts will suit tighter shoaling fish. Fish that...

I've kept them together with no issues.

I've kept cherry shrimp and Botia striata safely together (or the cherries were breeding rapidly enough to sustain their population). Others aren't so lucky though, so I would stock with caution. I would consider waiting for the HC to become established before stocking any fish that explore...

Thanks for the feedback James, Thomas and Aaron.

They're an attractive, eye-catching fish. I'm looking at something new for my 60cm Iwagumi... I have heard they're quite agressive, but assume if kept species-only set up, then they'll be fine. What are your experiences, James? How many do you have and do they shoal well?

I would say so.

Sorry to hear about your losses. I would say the likely culprit was CO2 overdosing. From your post it sounds like the only factor that has changed in your set up, especially if it 'tests normal'. Also, some pressurised CO2 systems will 'dump' the remaining gas from a near empty cylinder...

You list sounds about right for stocking a 130 litre planted tank. I'd consider much more than that as overstocking. How about a group of Otocinclus sp. as an algae crew? There's a few varieties if you want something a bit different.

Thanks. I know the staff pretty well so discounts are pretty generous. I even get a cup of tea when I'm with someone famous like Jeremy Gay!

Cheers mate. MA @ Crowland I reckon...

I've been asked about this a few times now and am considering it myself for a bulk purchase of tetras at £0.68 per fish instead of £1.75... Does anyone have any experience of mail-order fish? I'm looking at these guys in particular, but welcome reviews from others...

I know Jeff Cannons (jazzyjeff) kept/keeps Amano shrimp in his planted discus tank. I plan on trying the same soon...

Totally agree with the above. Great fish in their own right, and super snail destroyers.

They should get more confident over time too, especially as they learn to recognise you as their food supplier...

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Don't know much about fry, but respect for breeding CGs...

I reckon they're prettier! :P Very similar in behaviour. I forget to mention, they stay smaller than WCMM too.

These Tanichthys micagemmae (Vietnamese mountain minnows) were a group of 20 in my previous 120cm 'scape. I replaced them and all the other fish with a shoal of 60 harlquins that better suits the simplicity of my current aquascape. They're are nice alternative to the popular WCMMs with nicer...

I'm getting 30 of these for my Juwel Rio 125. Hyphessobrycon metae. I've not seen them before but think they look great and should suit my aquascape.

I really enjoyed my Microrasbora nana. Check out the PFK homepage banner.

Thanks, Peter. I already have 12 glowlights, as mentioned in my first post. ;)

Well done, Dan! Happy days...