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Lucky you. I would have taken a truck load back home with me if I could have done.

Were you able to take live plants back into the UK? Or do you live somewhere else in Europe?

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.

I would prefer an open topped paludarium because I wouldn't want to limit the growth of the plants to just under the lid, I.e all at the same height. Does that make sense?

Thanks guys for all your suggestions, some really useful information there for me to do further research on. Much appreciated 👍

@foxfish and @mort If you re- read my post, it's my 400 litre Eheim Incpiria tank I'm thinking of trying to convert into a Paludarium. So the open front idea is not an option. See question 1. Thanks

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...

Hi, and thanks for the linky thing. So you just buy that Calcium Chloride from ebay and mix one packet in a litre of water and that gives you 2 x 500ml bottles? Is that the same concentration of Calcium Chloride as per the Fluval Sea Liquid Calcium? It states on the bottle that I have got that...

Thanks Darrel, So in short, apart from the expense of buying the Fluval Sea Calcium, there is no actual harm in adding extra Calcium to the water, even though this product is intended for the Marine Reef Tank.

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 didn't know that. I messaged the seller to ask if it was a typing error :oops: The reply was supply and demand justified the price. I replied saying the price was extortionate. The reply was, "Move On!" Terrible that.

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.

Crazy prices you say. I have a box in the loft with every book he ever published. Not only that, but each one is signed and stamped with the original private 'chop' from Takashi Amano himself. Not only that, but I have got about 75 copies of his monthly magazine from the 1990's each one still...

Thanks, it probably is. The only difference I could see was the single long spiky thing that it looked ad if it was using to dig or bore into stuff.

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.

For a full account of the Eheim Incpiria 400 see the journal The Full Monty. https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/the-full-monty-has-left-the-building-last-photos.33594/post-464069

Just read that shrimp are not supposed to go into a tank with freshly bought plants apparently. The plants contain chemicals that will kill the shrimp. Never heard of that before😕😕

Hi Mell, I save all my old plastic plant pots. I line the pots with a thin layer of filter wool, place some JBL Volcanic in the bottom of the pot, lower the cuttings into the pot and gently pack more JBL Volcanic substrate in around the plant base and tuck it in. Just enough so the pot doesn't...

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...

Apologies for jumping in on this thread. Just wanted to say... Welcome back @ceg4048 long time no see. But that's probably because I have been out of the planted tank hobby for a long time while I have been breeding Wild Iripixi Royal Discus, but now the plant bug has bitten again....🙄🙄😬

Iron supplement also needed, and some root based plant stick to feed the roots.

True, if you can be sure what you find yourself is disease free and does the job, then all is well. Cheers.

https://tanninaquatics.com/collections/aquatic-botanicals Steve

God I wish I hadn't seen that!! Looks like a trip to Niigata is added to my bucket list. Sigh

Cheers Clive, all the best to you too! Ps sorry for hijacking this thread

Hi Clive, long time no see

:thumbup::thumbup: Best regards, Steve

Hi niknaksky, I have sent you a PM which I hope will put things in a slightly clearer perspective. Best regards, Steve

Of course you are right, this is the place to discuss things and ask for advice, opinions, other people's views etc but the statement above goes a bit beyond that in my humble opinion. Surely the first point of call to complain about poor customer service is the owner of the company themselves...

Hi Mark, welcome to the Forum by the way! I had a few pieces of similar size soaking for a week before they sank, and at that time they were still leaching tannins. Even several weeks later and lots of water changes later they still gave off some reddish colour to the water. The massive piece I...

Living in North Wales I consider myself very lucky to just take the half hour journey to travel to The Green Machine. I know Jim and Mark very well now, and Gaz. I have to say that they have always been friendly, helpful, chatty and always offered me a cup of tea or coffee. I used to spend a few...

Looks absolutely stunning. It looks to me like both the water and the plants are very still as if there is no water movement / flow around the tank....which sort of flies in the face of the theory that maximum flow is required to carry both nutrients and CO2 to all the plants, which I have to...

Darren, Thanks for the confirmation and the reassurance that they are harmless. But as Troi states they do give me the creeps, especially seeing all the videos on YouTube, gives me nightmares! :eek: Cheers, Steve

I thought it and you said it. There's always one:rolleyes: Steve

Hey London Dragon, how did you get rid of them? Cheers, Steve

Phew thanks Troi, if you are definitely sure, I am so relieved that it is not a parasite that could bore its way into the skin or gut of the fish. I have never heard of a polychaete worm before. How come the worming medications didn't wipe them out? Thanks, Steve

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 flygia, I would be interested in seeing that blog if you know where it is? My wife is from Germany so I could blag a trip to see her family at the same time;);) Still would like to go to Japan though!! Cheers, Steve

I like full circles!! It certainly would complete the story with a final chapter. Watch this space. Cheers, Steve

A UKAPS Roadtrip it certainly would be, I wonder if any of our forum sponsors would be interested in chipping in towards the costs?:):) Thanks, Steve

Cheers Victor, So here is the plan!! I am hoping to retire this year around July, then I want to start planning a trip to Japan and visit the ADA factory when I am over there and hopefully get to meet Sayuri Amano in person. This would bring a nice end to the story. If there is anyone out...

Hi Rebel, It's a strange old world isn't it. Sayuri Amano is still playing with her dogs all these years later, and here am I still playing with planted aquariums, all thanks to Mr Amano. Thanks for the kind words on the tanks from back in 1997!! No EI or Co2 in those days! Regards, Steve

Hello everyone who like me was very saddened at the loss of one of our sources of inspiration. You will have read the story on here about my experience with the great man and my involvement in helping him to buy a puppy for his daughters birthday. Mr Amano's daughter Sayuri posted a journal...

Sorry, wrong link, the write up on creating the egg shell crate wall is in the link A Shady Glen not Fallen Wilderness. Cheers, Steve

Hi Jagillham, I built 2 x walls, one for each side out of plastic egg shell crating, tied lava rock to each wall and planted each wall with plants all the way up. I modified the front and back lid to take two extra T8 tubes, so I had the two in the middle plus two smaller ones front and back...

Ten foot planted Discus Tank:cool: Did you get any pictures..please say yes! Steve

Just a few to give you some ideas;) Sorry for putting so many photos up, I got a bit carried away. But as you can see there is more to a Trigon Corner Tank than just puting an island in the middle. Best of luck, with Trigon 350 you can make it look the...

Hi Dean, I just checked out one of the links for one of my journals, The Fallen Wilderness and most of the photographs have disappeared I'm afraid. I have just found a load of them on an old hard drive and need to upload the back on to Photobucket and I think they might come back on the...

ps I just checked the link for A Shady Glen and noticed that most of the pictures had disappeared, something to with my Photobucket account. I need to sort that out or repsot teh pictures. Sorry about that, Steve

Hi Dean, I had aTrigon 190 for over ten years that went through at least five different scapes over that time. Check out some of the photos in the threads at the foot of this post. One of them involved building two rock walls using plastic egg shell crating and lava rock.. With a bit of...

Thanks London Dragon, no I had not seen that page, I have now, I am not a fan of Facebook but maybe... Steve

Hi A Bull With Yoghurts (that's some name tag you have got there!) I agree, in the letter I recieved from Takashi Amano he gave me some words of advice which showed a much more compassionate side to him than the impression you might get from watching his videos. Cheers, Steve

Hi Viktorlantos, Thank you. PM Sent today. Steve

Synchronicity comes to those who remember and never forget!;) Steve

Thanks John S, I must admit sometimes we go so far to try and achieve what we do and technology has advanced so much we sometimes forget the basics. I achived that back in 1997 without half the stuff we have got to help us now. Cheers, Steve

Thanks Flygia,:shy: Possibly the oldest,:oldman: not necessarily the most experienced:meh: I first put plants in an aquarium with common newts and tadpoles in it for my son in 1982;) I will look for the online journal. Cheers, Steve

I have just gone and found the books that Mr Amano sent to me with his personalised signature and chop inside them. I also found the back issues of the ADA Journal, every issue from 1994 to 1997. I have included some photographs from inside the front pages of the books he sent to me below. I...

Amir, The following table shows correlation between pH and KH for a given CO2 value. KH is easily measured using drop tests available at aquarium shops. Your local water board probably has some data as well. CO2 (mg/l) in relation to Carbonate Hardness (°d) and pH-Value Measure your...

Hi Amir, I am not sure how you are getting on at the moment with your tank and how the plants/algae are doing. The layout with that piece of wood looks amazing and it deserves to be looking better than it is. It looks like you have been following a lot of advice and doing everything by the book...

I am very sad to hear the news today of the passing of a great and truly inspirational man, for very special reasons... In 1997 I was off work for a whole year following a very serious accident. I had an aquarium at the time and I had just bought the book Nature Aquarium, First Edition by...

Oh by the way, I looked at the ADA CO2 Diffusors, is there any particular one that you have as a preference because there are lots to choose from, and they are all expensive. http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/products/aquatics/co2-system/co2-diffusers Cheers, Steve.

Hi Paulo, I think you have made some very valid points here, particularly about the CO2. I have got 2 x 3kg CO2 bottles on my tank. One feeds a glass in tank diffuser 24/7 which keeps things stabilised, the other comes on during the day on a timer and feeds a UP Aqua Inline Diffuser. Each one...

Sbb, I have got a 650t Eheim Professional on my 400 liter tank, but I also have an older Eheim Professional 2 filter (450 litre) which together do the job. I have had no problems with noise or reliability and really like the fact that with the heater inside is one less bit of kit inside the...

Clive your fish health and plant quality say it all. Quality! Steve

Blimey I have never heard of anyone with water parameters like this before!! I live in Wales so I am very lucky. I have got Discus and 40 Cardinals in my tank and I use tap water through a HMA filter which has the hosepipe connectors so I can run it straight from the kitchen tap into the tank...

Hi Peaches, I agree 100% that buying large or fully grown adult discus takes the fun out of it, it takes all the mystery and challenge out of raising them from about two to three inches into adults, plus you get to see some natural pairing action going on... I have bred Discus in Germany and in...

Hello All...this thread is being continued in the Journal - ' The Full Monty Coming Soon' Thanks, Steve.

Hi Amanda, Welcome to UKAPS! I am not sure why nobody has got back to you on your post and the questions you have asked. It is possible that the answers are already here in one of the other forums, so it might be worth doing a bit of searching around in the forums. From my experience virtually...

Brilliant! Its obvious, he's got a CO2 addiction.

Thanks, panic over, I thought you were going to tell me something horrendous:eek: Journal, 'The full Monty' is under construction!!

Errrrr ordered it yes why? I see your picture on your signature is the same as the picture in this thread....

Journal coming soooon......watch this space

James O, The version I am going for is the Fresh Water version without the weir and the sump. The fresh water version has a dry weir which is described on the Eheim site as an "Integrated maintenance shaft (black glass) for hidden water inlet and electricity cables". It is in the center at the...

Going to look at these threads a bit closer over the weekend. To be honest I've never had any success with Utricularia graminifolia or Hemianthus either. Either not enough light, not enough CO2, not enough NPK, or not enough water circulation. Plus the stuff just would not root quick enough in...

I like it it looks dead posh. Even scouring pads scratch the glass especially if you get a bit of gravel stuck in it:oops: http://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/23291_1?$380$

No - Why, is it because you think it is too expensive? Not worth the money? No significant benefits? I have seen this stuff used in demos at the Green Machine and one or two other places. It is around £30 odd quid a tub for each. I have seen it advertised on eBay for around £11.00, but it is...

Yes I know what you mean, I have experienced this myself in the past. I'll have a think about it again. Anyway lets not talk discus on this thread, it was really meant to be about the hardware, i.e.the Eheim Incpiria 400l tank and cabinet in high gloss white. People are saying you can get...

Yes you're right 400 litres would take 8. I am looking at discus around the 5 to 8 centimetre size.

Lots of people have their own views. I bred discus in bare bottomed tanks in Germany years ago and fed them on beef heart, white worms, bloodworms, flake, pellet as much variety as possible. Low light is good but high light is okay as long as they have some shadier places to go into to. I think...

You are right it is a nice looking set up! Looks gorgeous when you physically see it. It has got an integrated dry weir in black glass at the back in the centre where all the pipes and cables are hidden with a hole drilled through the cabinet and tank. This means that you have got no cables or...

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...

Dwarf Puffers get rid of snails. Full stop. I kept mine with shrimps and discus fish, within two weeks not a snail in sight and one year later still no snails. I kept feeding my dwarf puffers live sterilised bloodworm. They do exactly what it says on the tin.

Can't see this image: [img][/Users/michaelharris/Desktop/IMG_4204.JPG/img] Steve

Cutting to the chase, yes I think they are necessary, unless of course you only intend to keep cold water fish as opposed to tropicals, maybe gold fish or Mountain Minnows which look nice. I think the ideal temperature for plants is around 25/26 degrees so your ambient temperature of 20/21...

Hi thanks for the kind words and for getting back to me and I am very sorry you could not save it. Sick Discus fish are hard enough to look after even when we are home full time, but when we are away it is even harder, nigh on impossible. With the best will in the world we can't expect our wives...

Come on Cheeky Charlie give us the bad news :( Cheers, Steve

Hi Mike you are in between the devil and the deep blue sea here I am afraid. On one hand you have got the impending problems associated with ' New Tank Syndrome' where all manner of things can occur, and on the other hand trying to grow HC which likes a fair amount of light and plenty of CO2...

If you go down the atomiser route be sure to read this thread if you haven't already! Steve viewtopic.php?f=37&t=16584

Here is the link. http://www.aquajardin.co.uk/product/159 ... f3_outflow Expensive mind you!

Hi mate how are you getting on? I'm hoping no news is good news :silent:

Hi Shrimp look fantastic!! Just a guess but that plant in the second picture, is that Uticulara? If it is you seem to have the same problem growing it as I do :( When you bought the shrimp did you notice any other livestock for sale? Cheers, Steve

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 I think I might be wrong after all, I just Googled Blue rams and cam up with this: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/female.jpg ps not trying to derail this thread by the way, looking very much to seeing more pictures if anyone has them :oops:

Hi, Going by the size and shape of the body and the fins, the blue fish look to me like the German bred Blue Rams (Ramirez) could be wrong but I don't think so. Google Blue Rams and see what comes up? Steve

Brilliant photos, jealous as hell that I couldn't go. Can I ask anyone that did, what was the discus display like and did you notice if they were selling any livestock on the Sunday. I know the show rules stated hardware and plants only, just curious if any fish were being sold officially or...

Hi again, The fact that the eyes have gone dark as well as the rest of the body indicates a problem. If there was any courtship going on they would both be displaying darker colours but the eyes would have remained red. If both fish have the same disease you would see identical colouration...

Hi, How are you getting on, not too stressed out I hope. One other thing I did not mention in my last post was something I learned late on in discus keeping. Discus generally do well in larger groups like 10 or 12. Unless they are a mating pair and kept separate for breeding purposes, young...

Hi there I am going to be dead honest with you here, I have never used Kusuri or Fluke solve so I am afraid I could not make a recommendation on the uses of these products. I kept most of my discus while I was in Germany so used mostly products that were available in Germany like Flubenol or...

Hi there, Well I have had a good look at these photographs. Comparing the first photograph to the second one I can see that the fish are in the same position on each photo. Looking at the fish to the left the stress stripes are evident in both photographs but that is not unusual when you first...