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Thank you. Kribs and Keyholes seem to be getting on just fine. Very occasionally there's a little sparring but most of the time they're happy in each other's company.

It's been trimmed a couple of times. Some initial hair algae has disappeared. As have the diatoms and algae growing on the glass seems non existent these days. Water changed once, I think, not sure now. OK, so it's a bit random but it's growing and I like it. Might add a feature plant on the...

OK, I know this is going to offend the sensitivities of those who Iguana or "Sheila's Thrush" etc so, if you're of this bent please look away now. For those with more whatever, I planted it yesterday. I deliberately did not spend a great deal of time aquascaping. The wood is in a position and at...

I think you're right. The names are Cichlids and that's a pic of one in the tank. However... It don't seem right to me. I've got the Aqua 40 sitting on my desk, full of water and a noisy filter (that will be changed). I'm also trying out a £1.73 PL light that is warm white and makes an empty...

Dang - it's happened again... I tried to walk past the African cichlid display tank at my local fish shop but it drew me in and left me standing there just watching the fish. I tried to stand in front of their planted tank too but it was not quite the same. So now I have a dilemma... I have a...

I'm with you... Started using it about 10 years ago (it was a whole different regime back then) and gave up about a year ago because I found the high-light, high-fert thing all too much. I just had a tank that grew everything too fast for my liking. Just embarking on a low-tech... I can't say I...

I think so... I'm a bit out of touch but when it came to deciding on the best way to start this tank up I followed a link from this forum to a member's blog where he/she described this approach. In fact, I think it may have been a link on a thread started by you. Now, in a fit of childish...

1" - 1.5" each of soil and gravel is in and now standing for 8 weeks (submerged) before being filled and drained a few times to flush out any nasties. Given the numerous questions (mine included) that I've stumbled across when researching soil to use I thought I'd record what I've used for...

Thank you. "Slowly" will almost definitely be the case. The kitchen decor is vying for my attention too... :roll: Funds are a little low at the moment so looking to get a volume of fast growers on the cheap. Has anyone bought the "surplus" plant collections from Plants Alive? Clearly no idea...

Hope everyone is well. Low light / low tech to be precise... I finally got round to finishing the corner cabinet upon which the tank would sit. I don't have the time for high-tech nor do I find the rampant growth as interesting as a slowly, ever-changing tank. Contemplated Cichlids, but...

Pond soil... Soak for X weeks (to see off all the oxygen starved nasties) or not??? (When using in a tank as opposed to a pond).

Good point about ADA given the £££ comparison, altho I don't know a great deal about the ADA stuff - I'll have to check out what's in it. Cheers.

Like the look of Red Sea Flora Base. At least based on the bag pics I can on the web. Anyone used it in their tank?

Thanks for all the info. I originally thought about using seed and cutting compost for that very reason. Quoting Diana Walstad's book again: I'm still tempted to simply dig some soil from my garden. I have areas that I know have not had anything added (e.g. compost, fertilisers, etc).

The monster tank is going... The history of my tank shenanigans for your amusement... Fluval 600 Deep High Tech Bought new and been running for approx 18 months as high tech and almost 6 months stripped of CO2 injection and with reduced lighting while prep to go El Natural. Decided I needed a...

Many thanks for the info, in particular photographing the bag Q - above and beyond (but much appreciated). Diana says to avoid Peat Moss because: "The acidity of peat moss may bring heavy metals into the soil solution"

Is "Peat Moss" the same as "Peat"? I think not but Diana Walstad specifically says to avoid Peat Moss in her book...

Re: I'm back searching for the perfect soil. If I lived in the states it seems Home Depot sell cheap soil that is apparently what most people use. Meanwhile, here in the UK... I looked in to JI No.3 and it seems that it is sterlised :(

I used to have a small hexagonal Eheim with a sponge filter - about the smallest one you could get at the time. It was the best internal filter I have ever owned.

Erm... I was not attributing the disappearance of the scum to more O2. In fact the relevance of the scum is largely immaterial except to explain what prompted me to meddle with the flow when I had previously been pragmatic.

I know it has been said before but I think it sometimes get lost with all the emphasis on preserving CO2, however, in my semi-lowtech* I've noticed the plants were in decline. Had been for some time but, given that I'm planning to do a new tank, I was inclined to leave it to see what happened...

Progress is slow (major decorating works) so I may knock together a journal once it is up and running.

Correct! Also, the spirit of low-tech (Diana Walstead) is negligible filtering - just something to provide some movement and oxygen exchange.

350 litre tank... Planning to be low-tech (Diana Walstead esque)... Use the Rena XP3 that goes with the tank... Or... Use my Eheim 2324 Thermo (backup up with an in tank heater to provide full heating capacity). Designed for up to 150ltr tanks. I favour the latter because it's cheaper to run...

Somewhere in another post I mentioned that I'd come by a Rena monster tank, complete with stand and Xp3 filter... That was a few weeks back and today I set about lifting the floor to build some supporting piers under the joists toward the front edge of the tank. Cut through a couple of boards...

These are the scapes I favour. I find the Amano type scapes are stunning at first glance and full credit to their creators (particularly the few that do something truly original rather than copying) but quickly lose my interest - bit like magicians (clever but ultimately quite boring). I like...

No stand (which is good as I don't like the look of aquarium stands ) :) I'll make one.

Today I "won" a Rio 125 on eBay - £41.03 (beat the other bidder by 2p!). This will be the interim measure, allowing me to set up an El Natural tank before shutting down my old tank. The project is likely to move forward quite slowly as I'm also in the midst of decorating...

E.I. (as in Estimative Index) is the method that I am currently using. It's the "El" in "El Natural" that had me confused - I thought it was initials but I get it now. Cheers.

Latest news... Long term plans: 4ft tank, maybe planted, maybe something else... Built in to an alcove in dining room. I'll do all the cabinet construction with storage below and above with a space inbetween for the tank and access space, finished off in solid Cherry or similar hardwood. May...

Interesting how this is unfolding... I'm treating El Natural as: > No CO2 > No added ferts > Fairly basic filtration* As for lighting... Diana Walstead recommends 2-3wpg which I would regard as mid to low end of the high light category. * For my transition to El Natural in my 60cm, I'm...

Bottle test? How does that work? Long story... Wife struggles to buy me a birthday present... Wife ends up giving me money... Wife then notices that the Juwel Lido is back on sale... Wife suggests changing my current tank to the Lido... Wife (and I, to some extent) lament the amount of time and...

I'm struggling to determine the most appropriate and safe soil substrate... On one hand I could just take a spade to my back garden, getting below the surface layer in a relatively untouched part of the garden. However, my garden used to be a river bed and is therefore quite sandy and stony...

The two topic areas within the forum got me wondering: 1. What is the difference between EI Natural and Low Tech? (Perhaps a sticky in each would be a good idea). 2. What does the "EI" in EI Natural stand for? Cheers

Thanks for the offer. I'm currently in the planning phase - working out how best to stretch my budget (and finding the time to make the change). However, I may get in touch at a later stage to see if the offer still stands, if that's OK.

Many thanks.

Thanks for your response. My reference to "true" and question was not so much exploring what was pure "natural" in the truest sense, rather whether ADA would upset the (organic) balance of an aquarium using a soil base, no CO2, etc (e.g. Diana Walstead's method). Cheers.

The Lido may be off the shopping list now... I've looked around and, to be frank, it's a lot of money to spend for something that's not a helluva difference to my existing Fluval 600 Deep. The fake wood is a bit meh too... So, me thinks I may look out for a tank to use as temp accommodation...

I may be pondering this whole move from high-tech to EI Natural for some time and it may lead nowhere; however, I thought it may be useful to keep an index thread in case other venture down this path... So, here follows the threads that I have started on this journey: 1. Some initial thoughts...

I'm really keen on a dark brown topping over the top of the soil substrate in my proposed EI Natural tank. The only such 'gravel' that I can find is the ADA stuff, however, I suspect that it's nutrient basis may not be compatible with a "true" natural set up. Any views and opinions?

:shock: A Juwel Lido to be precise... Tired of the cost of CO2 and time dedicated to EI, I'm thinking of going down the Diana Walstead route. I want to keep using my Eheim 2324 Thermal cos it's great, albeit the turnover it probably too high (but I can throttle it down). Then I just need to...