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I would advise against hemichromis if you want a community. My pair dug like no tomorrow, were highly aggressive and were actively predatory. I busted the 3" female happily eating adult guppies. The X. nigri on the other hand were peaceful, quite active, kept them with fish as small as...

A very cool build. On the unusual fish front have you considered either of the following? http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/xenomystus-nigri/ Or http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pantodon-buchholzi/

Love the simplicity. Beautiful otos too [emoji3]

I always use gel type and try and get the surfaces as dry a possible before glueing.

For a background you could try frosted vinyl backlit with an RGB led strip, you can then change the colour to suit with the press of a button (would also make nice diffuse night lighting) As noted catfish love to dig, my humbugs quite happily dig their own shelters under the edges of pieces of...

Excuse the crude photo shop but I think with the blyxia trimmed as is you've nailed your focal points. The peak of the blyxia, the dark area at the base and the position of the rock on the r/h side. The area of negative space on the r/h side adds rather than detracts

Looks beautiful. I like the asymmetric shape of the scape. I vote keep it as is :)

Lovely looking fish but you will find as they grow 3 cichlids = war

Looks like a good start, love the rainbows.

Beautiful fish :)

Very nice scape. I've always delt with the green spot on the glass by increasing phosphate dosing and excel = co2

Good to see you back :) Looking forward to this

If you buy the cheap eBay siphons with the pump ball on the end, you can take the end off leaving you with a 1/2in diameter pipe and no water in your mouth. I've just shut down my edge as I was having similar problems with maintenance and couldn't clean the glass very well.

Well this is coming down in a couple of weeks. It has to have been truly the easiest tank I've ever run, I've not had to clean the glass at all for at least the last 2 months and the moss has gone mental. Here's a final pic it's had some extras lobbed in from my other tank that I've just taken...

Well it's been a while but no one said low tech is fast. It's ticking along nicely with minimal input I moved some more crypts in from my 120 for a bit of contrast and must say how much more their colouration stands out under this light as opposed to the daylight bulb in the 120

Have a read of this http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/my-ph-profile.31565/

Co2 from 7am (or earlier if needed so you have max co2 at lights on) then co2 off at 2pm

Sorry for your loss. Did you manage to recover the eggs? Stripping mouth brooders is fairly common in the cichlid world not sure about other fish though

I only have the same lens. I use f7 for tank shots and as low as it will go for critter shots. A dedicated macro would be best for critters but are expensive. The standard cannon 50mm prime lens is well recommended and cheap I will be picking one of these up for my next lens I also managed some...

Im no expert but here goes... Room needs to be dark and any aditional lighting needs to be from above, a remote flash is handy if you have one. A tripod is a must and try keep the camera pointed so the lens is parallel to the glass. Shoot at the highest ISO you can and still get low noise. This...

Hi All, The wood has finally sunk and I didn't like the echindorus in the back corner so I picked up some C. Balansae yesterday and put that in instead. Also selected some of my cherries and added them last night. Also added dual timers to the light unit Arcadia Stretch LED Dual Timer...

7 for me I like the dramatic feel it gives

Hi All, Sat down and took a FTS last night Still waiting for the wood to sink:( It was my first proper attempt a using fully manual on the camera (eos 1100) and I noticed the indicator on the exposure scale kept jumping about. Is this the camera trying to tell me whether I'm under/over exposing...

Looking very nice Troi:cool:

Tank arrived Tuesday, applied the vinyl Wednesday and installed the tank, equipment and scaped last night The installation The soil base John Innes no 3 The monolith and gravel added. The wood creates a border to an area of sand but it is currently floating as it was kind of a last...

The shelf above lifts up. Simples:D

25 actually, well spotted that man. Its the front and is that much taller so it meets the shelf above to stop little fingers posting things into the tank. I'll be putting a strip of frosted vinyl along the top and bottom

Thanks Mark. I need to cover the back and sides of the tank to hide the wood so It may end up looking smaller. I've changed the title if that helps;)

Reinforced the cabinet, drilled holes for the light (just need shorter screws) and had a cheeky scape in the space. Still need to cut a hole in the back for the filter pipes.

I had good success with N. Brevis in a planted tank. I managed to get to 4 generations. One of the smaller Julidochromis sp would also be worth a go. Neither are species that people would typically consider for a planted tank but my experience with the brevis was a good one. I'm tempted to try...

Maybe try breeding something different and a bit oddball that would love your jungle tank. After all most of us started with fish first:D

What are you using for your substrate?

Hi All, I'm going to be starting a new shrimp tank very soon so I thought I'd get my journal under way. The tank is 610x350x320mm (lxdxh). I'm going to be using an Arcadia CS60F LED luminaire and eheim ecco for the filter. Its going to be another low tech affair and I have an idea for the scape...

Hi All, Since the last update I've moved some of the moss around, a couple of pics before I trim it What a pita it was to trim I was scared I was going to chop a shrimp in half, the bigger ones aren't to bad they're easy enough to shoo but as I was cutting tiny shrimp kept popping out of the...

The secret behind the effectiveness of the Skim 350 is finally discovered.....

Definitely do, any decent manufacturer should be interested in product failures as it may indicate a bad batch or that a redesign is required.

No just some siliconed on bits of arcylic they held up the plastic lids ok but when I had glass ones made the extra weight was to much I guess:(. Have you seen the ada brackets? I made something similar and now my cat sleeps on top without falling in.

I had the same thing happen to me, except I wasn't so lucky. I ended up making metal ones.

I kept and bred them in my tap water which admittedly is pretty hard. Behaviorly they are very different to multies and ideal for a planted tank. They also make great tankmates to anything non cichlid.

You could try Neolamprologus Brevis. They recommend a pair for a 10 usgal and you're only just shy of that Neolamprologus brevis

Could have been Badis Assamensis? Very nice looking setup.

Mark Evans-120 x 55 x 55cm.... 'Convalescence' The joy of shrimp | UK Aquatic Plant Society I think there were full stand shots in the previous journal for this tank if there aren't in this one

Depends on the filler and surface finish used. You may also want to consider putting the stand on castors like Mark Evans has done with his 120

Screws just need countersinking and filling. Once painted you wont see them.

Brilliantly I've always had great success with it. If you don't like the sand a fine 2-3mm gravel works well too. Have you got a sumped tank? if so add a trickle filter and massively reduce your lighting, I'm only using 1x 54w t5 and you're off to a good start.

Hi All, Been a while for an update. Due to trying to study for my EASA part 66, working full time+ and a fairly hectic personal life. I've had to convert the tank to low tech. I'll be making some changes to the plant life over the next few weeks. The main factor in the conversion was to remove...

Sure did, took a couple of tries to get the bending point right to allow for the radius but got there in the end and I'm pretty happy with the results and they are less obtrusive than I was expecting. Also £3 for the stainless was better than the £20 I was looking at for 8 ADA brackets I would...

FTS as requested You can see in the middle at the top my solution to the lids falling in. A 1" wide piece of polished stainless folded to fit snugly on the glass. Still having issues with the needle valve :banghead: so debating whether to get another valve, change my diffusion method or...

Hi All, Been a while as lifes been getting in the way as usual. The tanks planted (Thanks to Fresh Water Shrimp for the plants) but unfortunately I've been having massive issues with my co2 system it went from working well to killing live stock to not at all in the space of a couple of days...

Good to see you back Steve :) All the best with your new scape. You might have a bit of trouble getting water to burn though;)

o_O Where?

Another pic to give a better idea of the overall hardscape position

Hi Ed:wave: Not sure on the stone, I think it might be, I'll find out for you. I'm hoping the marsilea will do well I might intersperse some H. Japan too. Any tips for getting the best out of the marsilea?

Still deciding on a final list, the current idea is Vallis Nana for the back right Wendtii 'Mi oya' flowing from right rear down towards the open area A carpet of marsilea for the open area and along the front Weeping moss on the wood. Im going to add others to assit with transitions and...

Hi All, Decided to finally get my big tank back up and running. Trying something a bit more scapy this time round. After watching an interesting programme about octopuss I couldnt help but be inspired by those amazing critters. So set about trying to create the impession of an octopuss feeling...

Cyps are generally similarly sized or larger and alot more active than paracyps and should be kept in at least a 120cm long tank due to their swimming speed. Where as it is generally accepted paracyps are suitable for a 90cm or larger.

I think with the addition of some rock work you tank would be great for Paracyprichromis nigripinnis, they would love the cover the plants provide.

Looking forward to see what fish get in there. Do you have a short list?

It might be interesting to get some plain old cherries and try selective breeding for colour.

Top notch school project way better than anything I ever got to do. Looks great :thumbup:

Thanks for the advice on the japan, I was looking at it this morning thinking the same thing. Can't do much about the kids as the main culprit was my autistic 5yo daughter who decided to play with her toy mermaids in it. Thanks for the offer of the moss, I've already got some weeping on the way.

I've had a bit of a disaster with this tank. Total cryp melt, My kids pulling up the stems and feeding them to the HOB and now an on going problem with noisy 2213s (zooplus are sending out a third one :roll: ) I've switched the tank back to tap water, picked up some narrow leaf java fern and the...

I'll get one going when I get the tank(s) at the start of next year. Thanks for posting the links, great reads will definitley help me going forwards.

Looks great Ady, I still think you could have pulled off a hardscape only tank. Nice to meet you at AL.

Re: Fluval Studio 900. 'Coastal Erosion' Journal... ? Good luck with the new scape, that manzi looks ace. I'm certainly interested to see how this gets on, I know this site is about plants but a hardscape only tank does have certain appeal.....

Very Nice :thumbup:

Won't be in this tank unfortunately as its being sold.

Im shutting it down at the moment and have no final shot sorry. It was still doing very well though.

Just need to pick up some moss, an external filter and sort my pressurised co2 for it now (and take some better pics)

Re: Japanese Balcony Rice Paddy (Part 5) Boiled shrimp? Can you set up a house fan to keep a constant breeze over it? May be enough. Time to get down the hardware store and get some shade cloth.....

Cheers for the heads up guys the woods finally decied to sink, I planted up last night, so pics tonight after I've charged the camera battery

Well Ive picked up some black sand which seems to have gone dark grey under water(not a bad thing). Filled the tank and now have floating wood :roll: This means I cant plant till it sinks. Im planning on using easy carbo initially while I get my co2 system sorted. Is there any issues with...

Did a bit of preliminary hardscaping last night..... Got Wood? Why yes! Still need to decide on sand/gravel for the foreground and trim the cut piece that sticks out.

Thanks for the advice all. My concern was the light would be too powerful for the size of the tank. I have no intention of using the co2 unit that came with it, I already have a proper reg for an FE and easy carbo if I do decide to go that way. I think I'll probably go down the low tec route...

Hi All Picked up an ex display fluval ebi 30x30x35cm today for a bargin price. The plan is to do a tank for CBS and RCS shrimp. As it was a bit of an impulse buy I'm not sure what I'm doing scape wise yet. Having not run a tank this small or used power compact lighting before will the 11w over...

If you have time soak the wood. Failing that try a flat piece of slate as thin as possible and put a 3-4in stainless steel screw through it and then wind the screw into the wood untill your happy with the height that way the slate will be well hidden. I prefer the darker gravel, have you thought...

Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson That insitu shot is sweet looking and the light setup is definitley unique :D

Filling?

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Well I've hacked everything back and added a lily from my 60cm, not sure I like it but ill give it a couple of weeks and see.

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Well a quick update before I go and do some slash and burn gardening So much for compacta staying small :roll: And the corymbosa reaching for the sky Its curled where its been stuck under the lid

Re: Nature's River By Harry Robinson Hey Harry, Did you end up incresing the light or are you still using the 3ws? looks great btw

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics I think these guys have to be one of the coolest catfish I've ever kept, bold as brass, quite active and more than happy to compete with other tank mates for food. Well only 1 more type of fish left to add, ctenopoma acutirostre my lfs was out of stock so will...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks all. They are 2 1/2 -3 inches and colours arent to bad for an all male group. I also added 4 porthole catfish to tank the day I took this (you can see one in the bottom of the pic) they seem to be settling in well and becoming bolder so hopefully I can get...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Congos!

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Sorry for the late reply Faizal, Im running 1x54w t5 for 9hrs. Im having a few issues with algae at the moment as the tank has been getting alot of sunlight in the afternoons and I havent had time to maintain it as required. The corymbosa is growing out of the...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Will do. They are only 2ins at the moment but seem to be colouring up nicely (I have gone with an all male group though). Yours look ace how big are they?

Re: Polyester's 180 L Rio Journal Correct me if I'm wrong but 54w should be 120cm tubes and the 90cm tubes are only 39w might want to check on this as it may reduce tube life. As an aside, a single 39w t5 was more then enough in my Jewel Vision 180 and that was after removing the standard lighting.

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thank you :oops: . The problem I have with the camera is, to get a clear low noise shot I need to use ISO 100 and I dont have a steady enough have to keep it blur free. I bought the big ones are from the Aquafleur stand at Vivarium and were labeled...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Hi Alastair, I haven't done a w/c for nearly a month, and only added ferts once. I haven't settled on a routine just watching and reacting as required. Im using a diy NPK mix using KNO3, K2PO4, MgNO3 and using easylife profito for micros. I have super hard water...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks, A few close ups, sorry for the quality, I'm stuck with my phone camera till I buy a new one :roll:

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks Ady, I've been thinking along similar lines. I may just pull the balansae and move the corymbosa into that back corner. Thin the diversen out and put the spares where the corymbosa is. I added the stauro last night in the front centre and as it grows I'll...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks, Not sure the stauro knows it cant grow in a non co2 tank :shh: They are some cuttings I got off a friend and were only going in the bin anyway. He was growing it for quite a while without co2 so here goes nothing. Antipofish, I've tried getting some...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks for the tip :thumbup: . The ones my Lfs stock seem to have quite bold coloration so should be good. Thanks, http://s809.photobucket.com/albums/zz15/OllieNZ/ Here is a link to my photobucket, you should pick up the full pic on there. It was taken with my...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Well Update Time. I have decided to run the tank low tec so it has been pretty much ignored for the last month. I'll be doing a trim and adding some stauro to the foreground in the next couple of days. Im still at a loss what to do with the right hand side of...

Love the tank, that hardscaping is brilliant almost to good to plant :wink: :shh: . Love my dwarf puffers aswell so cute when begging for food.

The FEs have a tube that goes to the bottom of the cylinder (the best example I can give is a windex bottle etc) and has the potential to allow liqud co2 into the reg and if it gets though it will rapidly boil gassing far to much co2 into the water. The welding bottle wont have this tube...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics Thanks, the puffers will munch shrimp aswell. You could try throwing a piece of cucmber in overnight and pull it out in the morning covered in snails, this works well for me. Short answer No. It usally depends on the disposition of the puffer in question but...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: New Pics The plant I bought in holland as dwarf corymbosa, AE sells it http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/hydrophila-compacta-mini-p-5904.html?zenid=sjlt1i6evj0r6bi48l0dc7vrn3 The puffers are fine so far: ignored the tetras, figured out to stay out of the brevis's way...

Re: Ollie's 120x45x45: Fishy Pics Well a few quick pics. Trimmed, moved and made a couple of hardscape adjustments Before After and a couple of new additions From the bag to snail destruction in under 5 seconds such a neat little fish.

Re: Nature's River (Hardscaping in Progress) Just a thought on the trunking, are you going to keep it routed the same as the cable? Cos it is nice and out of the way at the mo leaving clean wall behind for photos.