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TOO MUCH light will make your problems a whole lot worse, not better! More light will make your tank more unstable, and result in MORE algae, not less. I can't see your pics or link to the relevant website from silly work computer but go to James Cs Algae page (i'm sure someone helpful will...

How about Poseidon's palace for the glass and then getting a local carpenter to build a cabinet? I'm looking at this for a 2x1x1 and have found it to be the cheapest way Matt

And at least you'd get a nice goat curry when you'd done! Now there's an idea.... :D M

I'll test it! I think i can grow algae pretty effeectively in ANY setup! :D :D :D Really interesting thread- particularly as i love the ADA aesthetic (but can't afford it) but have never bought into the ADA "chemistry set". I'd love to give it a go one day, but only when my planting has got to...

Hmm...good post and good plans! If you're going high tech with halide you'll need to add in CO2 and ferts (EI is best and cheapest esp. on larger volumes) As for stocking i'm not sure on the exact numbers - but remember you're turning over high volumes so you can stock relatively heavily...

binning the blue gravel would be my first choice. I'm a big fan of either very light sand or - for showing off greens really well - black substrate. Other than that it looks pretty nice! Your shrimps will like finer substrate too. I'd also consider using a supplemented substrate or (cheaper...

You can buy really cheap packs of filter sponge for Koi filters (approx £12 from MA - sure you could find it cheaper). I'd stuff the sump with a couple of coarse pads so that the water couldn't bypass. This biofilitration should knock the diatoms on the head when it matures. You don't say...

You can buy really cheap packs of filter sponge for Koi filters (approx £12 from MA - sure you could find it cheaper). I'd stuff the sump with a couple of coarse pads so that the water couldn't bypass. This biofilitration should knock the diatoms on the head when it matures. You don't say...

It's a nice idea, but looks a bit "Ikea" - three in a row would look great though! M

GEAMS strikes again - i keep coming back to this thread time and time again. Beautiful, beautiful things... M

Hi egon, For the plants you've mentioned you could even afford to back off a bit with the light until you get your algae sorted! You don't say what fert regime you're using - if you're adding liquid carbon then some fert dosing will help plant health no end. Hope this helps Matt PS- I'd...

Feng Shui - Described in the Guardian as "The Ancient Chinese art of Seperating a Fool and His Money" but myabe that's why i'm skint....!! :D M

Re: Ideas for easy maintenance and nice nano tank,suggestion I'd lose the rummys and possibly the Corys - the fighter and Ottos should thrive in there! If no water changes are being done then go low-tech. Try searching the Low tech thread or "walsted method" for low tech tanks. Off the top...

i'd second that - cut everything right back. If plants suffer a little it'll be much easier than trying to sort out massive algae problems! M

Take tank with you? :D M

And i bet they photoshopped George and Dan in front of the tanks as well... :D :D :D These tanks look lovely but i'm still amazed the big companies havne't clicked onto an open top ADA type plinth setup! M

Re: Stupid is as stupid does That is very, very good news! M

getting into planted tanks! Should have got a cheaper hobby. Like class a drugs or prostitutes ;D

bit of a pity they've built that beautiful stand and then used black cable ties to secure the flex! There must have been a more elegant solution than that! M

really, really don't worry about adding more light. Concentrate your efforts on getting your nutrients and gas distribution spot on first - you'll still see amazing growth, and you'll reduce any algae issues. On a tank with those dimensionrs you'd also be better using spraybars rather than lily...

choices choices ... My two favourites are anubias - esp. Lancelotti - and mosses. But they're quite big groups and probably breaking the rules a little bit! For two more specific choices i've jrt used Marsilea Hirsuta and Myriophyllum Mezianum for the first time and found them both to be...

Flow is king! The aim of the game with planted tanks is to ensure nutrients (ic. co2) are delivered to every leaf of every plant in order tomaximise growth (and rapidly remove the waste products excreted by the plants). This typically gets quoted as the 10x rule (ie stated flow should be at...

Re: Stupid is as stupid does i'm a big fan of the UP atomizer. You do get a fine mist but this is only visible really close up, and a visible mist lets you SEE your co2 distribution which is really handy. You could put the bogwood straight in the tank then use lots of activated carbon in the...

it will never die! Love this thread - i come back to it time and time again. I'm just sorry i don't have the time to find and post up suitable links. It's definitely opened my eyes to some amazing things across a really broad spectrum! Hope uni work is going well, Matt

Is this the kind opf thing you were thinking about? http://ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13526&p=144025&hilit=aqueous+art+movement#p144025 Matt

Wouldn't worry about the airstone at all - doesn't really give any advantages (if your CO2 is on a solenoid). I have tanks with JBL Aquabasis+ and sand and i'm pretty happy with it, and as far as the ferts go dose EI - way cheaper than proprietary brands! Hope this helps, Matt

Prime works out REALLY cheap because you only need something like 0.5ml to treat 15l of water! I've got a 500ml bottle that i've been using for two years and i've hardly used any! Not sure about capping the cat litter - never done anything similar, but i think you might end up with the litter...

hello there, first thing i'd do is start using Seachem Prime rather than Stress Coat - it's a LOT cheaper! If you get your co2 distribution right you might be able to grow glosso! Otherwise dwarf hairgrass is pretty reliable. There's a school of thought that says with the right co2 and ferts you...

anything dead should do it - i've heard of king prawns being used! M

Yup - otherwise the wee beasties will starve! I think i'm right in saying (and i'm sure i'll be corrected if not :-) ) that plants will release ammonia as part of their natural processes anyway, so f tank is planted you shouldn't have any probs M

Could you move across some mature media from your other tank? TADA! Instant mature filter! :-) This is what i've always done with my filters and it makes life SO much easier! Matt

blimey! That's growing in nicely! Journal please! M

i'm with you Gill - i'm sure you look after the welfare of your fish! I accidentally gassed a load of fish the other day when i didn't realise i'd knocked my reg. In a way i see what you do as being more responsible than keeping fish in such a potentially unstable environment. How did you start...

i guess it's a similar thing, but why has no one twigged to importing a container load of the cheap far east gear we all use and have to buy through ebay? I would gladly pay a bit of a premium to be able to order from a uk based shop ... Oh for the venture capital! Matt

Post your project - a bit of Landscape Design might be inspirational! :D Good luck with it mate! MAtt

Have you looked at Poseidon's Palace - their online calculator says an optiwhite 8in/20cm cube (with standard glass base - who looks through the bottom of their tank??!?!?!?!??) comes to £20, which seems very, very cheap to me...

With these lights pressurised CO2 and EI dosing are a MUST!!! If you don't want to take the plunge just yet drop your lighting and you'll have a much mroe comfortable "buffer zone". Pressurised CO2 really isn't a big deal. Ithought it was, but after lots of reading on here about setting it up...

depends how much you used! Liquid carbon is actually pretty nasty stuff so it's best to dilute it if applying it directly to algae. Remember algae are just basic plants, so things that are harmful to algae can also be harmful to plants! Hope this helps, Matt

I'd stick the whole bag in the filter tray. Purigen can be "recharged" in bleach (rinse throughly afterwards!) when it gets dirty so it doens't really matter how much you use Cheers Matt

Just found this thread Garuf - thanks for the inspiration. Really like the 15th March pic - thinking about a 1ft cube and that is a sexy arrangement to fill it! Where did it come from? Cheers Matt

There's loads of stuff out there on EI dosing - i'm sure if you post your tank volume some helpful people will let you know your numbers. TPN+ is great and very simple but does rack up the cost compared to EI I know it also seems like extra cost but investing in a dropchecker will be helpful to...

Hi there, The other thing that might be worth a go is pinching some matured media from somone with an established tank and filter - takes all of the uncertainty out of knowing whether you have a bacteria colony or not. I have only ever cycled one tank - then i have just kept splitting, mixing...

You're actually better not starting from scratch, as you already have mature filter and substrate. Try to avoid stressing your fish by tranferring them to a holding vessel (bucket, plastic storage box etc.) with your filter and heater running whilst you do your playing around. Cheers M

I agree! Don't feel that you must jump straight into hi-tech - many amzing tanks are built without massive lights and the subsequent massive nutrient loads! Look at the range of plants you can use, look for inspiration then bring them together somewhere in the middle! For me great hardscape...

The other thing is to don your gloves and give it a scrub with neat Easycarbo, then a damn good rinse! Algae can be very persistent so i'd try a few different methods. One of the modertors/experts with the knowledge on BBA structure and weaknesses would be the person to tell you! Cheers! M

Larger volumes carry a bigger margin of error, but if you're constantly being posted and re-posted larger volumes are a bit of a sod to move! If you go nano there are some great lights available at a fraction of the cost of ADA kit. The Supafish light are a personal favourite! There are some...

Yeast CO2 is simply too unstable for larger volumes of water, and co2 instability=algae Some users have had success with yeast but mainly on smaller volume tanks. The other thing is, by the time you've bought/made enough yeast set ups to gas up a tank this size you'd be well on your way to...

Don't be pressurised into going high tech to start with! You can start off lower light and still make an amazing tank, things just go a bit slower! I know it's been said several times but it really is all or nothing - if you put loads of light over a larger tank, you NEED pressurised CO2 and...

Total wattage? Your best bet is to look at mosses/crypts/anubias/ferns. All low tech and easy to maintain! Have a scooby at the El Naturel section and i'm sure you'll get loads of ideas. Plenty of people on the forum just maintain one high tech and one or more low-tech tanks, so there are...

It's not an exact science - change about 50% of total tank volume (i do it by eye about halfway down the tank). Remember it's the ESTIMATIVE index - rough working and a bit of guesswork is built into the system! Hope this helps, Matt

If you're worried about ammonia leakage from the new substrate you could seed a cheap filter (maybe an internal) with media from the old filter, and wait for everything to die down. Or you could cap the old mixture with inert substrate then you don't have to worry! Cheers Matt

My personal choice would be to have small filter pipes running to and fromt he tank rather than power cables, but this is a very personal choice (and you could then run an inline heater and CO2 reactor to minimise the amount of stuff in your tank) but this is a very personal choice. In a tank...

Water change sounds fine, as long as you're using the right quantity of dechlorinator! I use Prime on warm water striaght formt he tap and don't have any probs. Cheers! M

I used to remove as many as i could find every day, or squash them and your fish will have a tasty snack! I've heard very good reports for assassin snails and if they breed you can sell them on! Bonus! I'd have thought a combination of the two would be a winner! Happy squashing! Matt

Sounds like the CO2 problem is solved! You should NOT be using tank water in the drop checker. Drop checkers should be filled with 4dkH and bromo blue (Aqua essentials sell this) to get a "standard" response. IF you do this i'm sure you'll see a better and more useful response from the DC...

Hi there, well done for sticking with it! ceg4048 is invariably (and infuriatingly:-)) right! As i understand it powerheads& filter outputs don't create linear flow, as you've indicated in your diagram, more a "cone shaped" output. Therefore your present setup means the flow form each is...

The tank and media are up to it no probs. Not sure about the disease risk - i'd reasearch that on t'internet if i was you. If there is a risk i'd boil the media and clean everything down with a bleach solution before rinsing every thing off with LOADS of water. I'd drink out of it after that...

I disagree completely! Profuse swearing fixes nearly everything. Except maybe police officers :lol: Unsticking CO2 tubing is very much like making love to a beautiful woman.... :lol: M

Plantedbox.com have just got a load of Manzi in - if you PM @saintly on here he'll send you a link to the pics. Seems really cheap for some lovely, lovely pieces. Hope this helps, Matt

George Farmer recommends 1 watt per litre to grow demanding plants in a nano. Two superfish 18w units would do it, and they're presently on offer at plantedbox.com about £30 each. I've got a couple of these and they are very good looking lights Cheers Matt

Cut down moss ball? I'm thinking of trying this in one of Garuf's Acrylic cubes. Probably do a bulk ebay order for 15 or so, then a bit of delicate work with a scalpel, some superglue and some pebbles, maybe even a "Mossagumi"! I might have to apply a leetle bit of cunning and make a lumpy...

I think ghostsword has one of these and loves it. I've seen them in at Nautilus Aquatics (wakefield) and Ferrybridge Aquatics and they do look very nice for a few shrimp in a handy corner! Matt

No such thing as a "too big" filter! Get the biggest, highest turnover your budget will allow, and maybe leave your plus4 running as well to act as a powerhead rather than for it's filtration. In terms of ferts the Seachem range is highly spoken of - but it's really expensive to dose a tank...

Flow for planted tanks is normally discussed in terms of 10x tank volume per hour, either through filters or circulation pumps (personal preference is for big external filters - improve water clarity and quality). The other thing is to make sure the flow is distributed evenly round the tank...

Hey there - welcome to the forum! Nice to see you're doing things in the right order - i planted, then had probs, then asked for advice ...oops! If you have a look at this thread viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1057 then visit the guy's website he has a section (tabbed "Complexity" methinks) where he lists...

Hi there, Clive (ceg4048) is rarely wrong (irritatingly! :-) ) I'm still on the upwards learning curve myself, so know how it feels! The major thing that i've learnt is that growing plants is always a balance, and there aren't really any shortcuts. You don't mention your lighting or filter...

Any news onthe sample tank Garuf? Pics would be ace! £245 for a one foot cube...(thud as Matt faints to the floor) :-) M

Hate to state the obvious but have you posted them in the "For Sale" thread? Sure that would drum up a lot of interest! Also have you contacted the administrators to see if they can give it a high profile plug in any way? And could you put me down for another one please! Been thinking about...

Good stuff - i'm seeing a bank of tanks side by side each with a different type of aquascape. ADA gallery eat your heart out! Could even drill a small overflow in each tank to run into a common sump container, then a single spraybar along the top of them - reduce costs even more by only...

Re: What's the demand for high street planted aquarium shops Maybe discuss it with your local LFSs and arrange a mutually beneficial arrangement (We recommend xxxxxxx for Livestock, They recommend you for plants!) - saves all the bother with livestock!

Re: What's the demand for high street planted aquarium shops +1 Luis Get a unit on an industrial estate - maximum floor/warehouse space for minimum money. Then stock a range of equipment from cheap to high end(look at the number of people on here using cheap ebay gear, and most would be...

At least your livestock isn't completely wiped out (small silver lining round a fairly dark cloud!) - i'm about to finish a 72 hr blackout of my tank to beat BGA and i'm really concerned they'll all be dead! I've learnt from these forums that ammonia can cause massive algae and animal health...

Dammit :-( ! Is there any way that the yeast mixture could have got into the tank? Something fairly massive must've happened to drop pH that much in a couple of hours. I've got to say that i think the best option would be to strip your tank down and start from scratch if that's a possibility...

Has "Specialist German Video" written all over it! Right down to the dodgy techno backing track (not that i've ever seen any OTHER kind of specialist GErman video, you understand...)! Great looking tanks though - of anyone has any joy finding still pics of this event that'd be great - i'd...

I really like a lot of these ideas. My favourite would be for the judging panel to create an "inspiration board" of pictures (with no limit - could be tanks, landscape schemes, colour schemes - whatever they think will push the entrants creativity) and the judging be based around the tank best...