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Hi all, Mainly by visual and inferential methods <"What’s everyone’s thoughts on aquarium testing kits (Newbie)">- <"What is the “Duckweed Index” all about?">. A lot of the parameters, <"that we are interested in">, are difficult to <"measure accurately">, but where <"they aren't">? I try and...

Hi all, Very nice. Alice, I have a suspicion that @megwattscreative may be interested in your work. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is me........ I'm guessing not, I listened to Jeremy Hunt (I had to be really careful with the spelling) tell Amol Rajan that he was an agent of the deep state and intrinsically biased because he works for the BBC <"Jeremy Hunt slams Amol Rajan comments as ‘not worthy of the...

Hi all, I've listened to loads of <"In our Time"> programmes where I thought I had no interest in the subject, but I actually found them fascinating. Recently I listened to "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle", which I thought it might be about deciding which aquarium plant to plant where, but...

Hi all, I still do. cheers Darrel

Hi all, For me it was any canister filter. I had underestimated just how annoying (other members of my family) might find the <"noise of the constant trickling from the over tank trickle filter">. Personally, I like the drip of water but I understand that wasn't a universal finding. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've now retired from cricket (and Dad's taxi), although it has been pins and needles in fingers that has finished me off (Cricket not Dad's taxi, I've managed to evict the children). I was expecting the end of cricket would be something fairly gory and traumatic so in some ways it has...

Hi all, We may have some <"threads for you">, <"How to improve resiliency of in-vitro plants?"> & some <"BBC style balance">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, A little bit of both I suppose, but honestly it is a good read. It is sort of the sequel to "Your Inner Fish: The amazing discovery of our 375-million-year-old ancestor". cheers Darrel

Hi all, Just finished re-reading: <"Neil Shubin's">: <"Some Assembly Required: Decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA">, highly recommended for those who are interested in paleontology, the language of genes and evolution. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is definitely a "Beautiful Plume Moth" <"Beautiful Plume Amblyptilia acanthadactyla | UKmoths">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm not pointing the finger, but I can't help noticing all the cats in this thread are black and white. cheers Darrel

Hi all, We still have the <"same light diffuser">, although these days she just <"sits on the nano tank">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Thanks @John q, you are right, that is exactly what it is "MTS = Mineralized Top Soil". I should have changed that (in my first post) after @Mitchel posted the original Tom Barr reference. It is referenced in some of @plantbrain's UKAPS threads, including the one you linked (and that...

Hi all, That would make sense. Tom Barr (@plantbrain) from a long time ago. We have some similar threads <"Soil substrate, nutrient dosing, and CO2?">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Because of the context, I'm assuming it is <"Malaysian Trumpet Snail">* (Melanoides tuberculata), <"they are hardy"> and they burrow. Where is the quote from? I'd be interested in reading the rest of the text, it looks <"quite interesting">.* * Not "Malaysian Trumpet Snail", but...

Hi all, I think he did well to manage this long, but a great song (and song-writer). cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is, it was only when I came to words I wasn't familiar with that I began to realise just how weird English pronunciation is. Back to <"Proto-Indo-European language - Wikipedia"> and the Brothers Grimm <"Linguistics and the Brothers Grimm">? What do you mean? It is "Barf", (not...

Hi all, You just need some more black coffee (and a <"Frogbit song">) and your wish may come true. Personally I'm holding out for "Marvin the Paranoid Android" (from <"Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy">) as my burger flipper. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is difficult to work out exactly what you would need to do to be "unfit for office". Whatever you think about him personally apparently none of these are any impediment to high office, not being an elected MP, lobbying government ministers to provide financing for the...

Hi all, I might start here <"Spiders in your home">. It might be a Water Mite, you get them very commonly in ponds etc. They are quite small. <"Hydrachnidiae | NatureSpot">. There is an aquatic spider (Argyroneta aquatica) in the UK, but <"I've never seen it">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Spiders are really difficult to ID. Do you have a picture of the abdomen pattern? <"araneae - Gallery"> cheers Darrel

Hi all, I saw the great man himself in the late 1970s when he was living in Nottingham? He'd just had a hit with "Contact" and it has re-vitalised his career. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Very good for you apparently and doesn't require much chewing. <"Wolffia globosa-Based Nutritious Snack Formulation with High Protein and Dietary Fiber Contents"> Personally I'm going to tell you* that I've substituted my daily Pork Pie <"Melton Mowbray pork pie recipe"> and Eccles...

Hi all, As some will know I have a bit of a <"floating plant obsession">, and this has just come my way via my day job (and "Botany One" <"🌻 The Week in Botany October 23, 2023">) <"Future Mars astronauts may chomp on Earth's tiniest flowering plant to survive"> Photo copy write Christian...

Hi all, Did you get the chimpanzee's permission? Personally I'm proud to be <"The Third Chimpanzee - Wikipedia">. Genes will tell you, unequivocally, that all life on Earth has a single common ancestor - <"The Genetic Core of the Universal Ancestor">. I've <"recommended them before">, but if...

Hi all, A few years ago we had a student who looked at the digestate from the <"Wyke Farm"> (the cheese maker) new plant. The digestate was pretty horrible, but the actual set up was quite impressive...

Hi all, Personally I've been repeatedly vaccinated and I'll carry on having as many vaccinations <"as I'm offered">. COVID19 is never going away and it is going to carry on killing people. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Certainly does - <"What has UKAPS done for you?">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I honestly think that is why people were shorter in the past, they'd all severed their feet with a scythe. I've seen some-one good at it and they make it look incredibly easy. He told me "an acre" (0.4 hectare) is how much a man could scythe in a day, and that they must have been...

Hi all, I had a go at scything, I think it would be fair to say that I wasn't a natural (or even semi-competent), but now I'm going to blame the grass ("too dry"), rather than my own incompetence. On the bright side I still have two legs, which might not have been the case with a sharper...

Hi all, Not words I've ever heard, but I'm not surprised that they have ancient roots. The presence of dew would have been quite important when people were cutting cereal crops (or hay) with a scythe (or sickle), it makes it a lot easier <"Scything the Meadow | Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa">...

Hi all, We would, but we should. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You get lots of moths and beetles associated with dead wood (particularly if it has the bark on). You also can get Sawflies etc. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is, it is part of the <"Parasitica"> (Ichneumons etc). You get them very commonly in moth traps (they are nocturnal, which is why they have the big eyes) and attracted to light (which is why it ended up in your house). They are parasitoids of moths. It is an <"Ophionoid">, but they...

Hi all, I've had a play with ChatGPT and a faulty "R" script and it was OK and did correct some syntax etc. <"RPubs - ChatGPT Generated Tutorial">. I'm guessing that over time AI could potentially "learn" all of any particular scripting language, a bit like a Chess playing program. Base R...

Hi all, A few local to me (Wiltshire, but still in the Cotswolds) are much photographed and used in filming. The picture postcard ones are Bradford on Avon, <"Castle Combe"> and Lacock, but <"Biddestone"> is much filmed in, along with Corsham (where I live), where they've just filmed a <"Jilly...

Hi all, A form of therapy for me, and shelter from the storm at times. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Possibly the end for Anderson, he has been one of the greats. I don't think an earlier declaration would have helped, we would have had to batted again etc. and Bairstow was in and scoring rapidly. Personally I would have had Foakes keep wicket, but that would have meant dropping a...

Hi all, That is pretty impressive, similar to the pond in <"Canford Park">. Plenty of light and ammonia would be my guess. Percy, Lord Percy gets a mention (by @ian_m ) in a <"Duckweed thread as well">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is absolutely rife in schools where staff are still COVID testing. My personal view is (I think) that a lot more people would have died without vaccination. Fully agree. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Been a while. How are you? Are you still in S. Africa? cheers Darrel

Hi all, The Rose is David Austen one, <"Harlow Carr">, a horrible thorny thing with floppy stems, but a fantastic flowerer, disease free and very sweetly scented. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Other way around for me, I know where she gets the leaves from, but not where the nest is. The other damage to the rose leaves (the brown areas) is another Hymenoptera, a Rose Sawfly of some description. In the glasshouse the leaf cutter bee's nest in the drier plant pots, usually...

Hi all, These are the leaves after she has visited, often Rose and always these really neat semi-circles. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Have a look at "Shrubbler" ends for drip lines, they tend to be a lot less maintenance than other options. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The original thread. <"Updating an old aquarium, Juwel Rekord 72, and other ramblings">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is an "ornamental pond" in a <"Victorian formal park environment">. I assume it isn't the sort of thing that you would add now. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Re: Deck-chairs Apparently I like Which must summarise most of fish-keeping. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It wasn't originally mine (like all my <"inventions">) it was a colleague when he was trying to explain the pitfalls of correlation to some fairly non-numerate (and disinterested) students. If you want the apogee of selling "snow to the Inuit"? Successfully teaching statistics is it...

Hi all, I like @ElleDee's "Jam" one. That one might not work any more, its absolutely p*ssing down here this morning, but not an umbrella (or person, it has to be said) in sight. The cat is pretty unhappy with the weather, (or possibly has republican sympathies?) so I'm going to try All I...

Hi all, I going to guess we will <"see some more of these"> for new developments via "Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)". I've seen a few of these on new housing developments, they've ranged from woeful to dreadful, but are probably more successful than most of the other BNG schemes I've seen...

Hi all, That is honestly all we can do, however experienced you are no-one knows all the answers and we all hold <"some "faith" positions">. I think the real issue is when people carry on <"trying to defend positions that are indefensible">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I honestly wouldn't worry about it, I'd guess <"quite a few of us"> have fallen victim to <"a difference of opinion"> on various different forums. I'd regard myself as pretty easy-going and non-confrontational, but I've managed to attract some incredibly vitriolic <"hate mail"> over an...

Hi all, Pretty much that. We have a thread <""Aquarium Science" has some new planted tank articles">, my <"personal view"> is that he is pretty good on <"non-planted tanks"> and biofiltration. I also enjoy his comments about Seachem etc. Definitely does, but I <"enjoy it">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Offa's dyke isn't always the most obvious of landmarks, it isn't like Hadrian's wall. I grew up nr Kington and people often used to ask where is it? There are some bits between Kington and Knighton, that are <"slightly more impressive">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, How fantastic is that? I've added it to my <"breakfast playlist">. This morning I played sandwiched it in between <"The Other Side"> and <"Winter in America"> and I have to say that was as <"good as my day got">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Still remember it, on a Sunday on Radio 4, Ian Holm as Frodo with Bill Nighy and Michael Hordern. I was at University, and I only had a radio for entertainment. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think it is a mistake, not in terms of her working for the Labour Party, or having not been impartial in her review, but the fact that it gives the government a chance to rubbish her report and say she always had political bias. She is not great, is she? It would be fair to say that...

Hi all, Thank-you. It is a quality tune. I listened to <"Big Country - in a Big Country"> immediately afterwards. I actually think "In a Big Country" would be better before a Scotland international than "Flower of Scotland"? @GHNelson ? One for when you've got a bit of time: Gil Scott Heron...

Hi all, <"Second mention">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, She gets a mention <"earlier in the thread">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, "Flash by name, flash by nature". Sadly missed. One of my mates girlfriend was always referred to as"Bob", and that particular episode is one of my favourites. I don't know if it is available anywhere, but "The New Statesman" is fantastic. When it first appeared it was a comedy, but...

Hi all, Fortunately our <"government is all over this">. Personally <"I'm a turnip fan">, but I understand that isn't a universal view. I'm in no way <"fat shaming">, but it doesn't seemed to have worked for Ms Thérèse Coffey, (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of...

Hi all, I think BREXIT was ridiculous, but I hated the CAP / CFP (Common Agricultural / Fisheries Policy) and I think we are well out of them. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, No. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, I don't know. Is it treatable? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm not claiming that <"I'm Nostradamus">, but in light of the energy crisis (<"Our hobby faces an existential threat">) and <"Brexit bonus">, I just wanted to say that <"I am still doing"> the <"tarot card readings">. From 2013 (and a thread that @foxfish added greatly to) cheers...

Hi all, What a tune and he really was "the third brother of five". It plays at the start of "Jackie Brown", as well as in "Across 110th Street". I listen to <"Bobby Womack most days"> and I believe @roadmaster & (@hwscot) are fans as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, There are, and this is one. I don't think we are attempting to stifle debate, in fact this is an opportunity for you to interpret the graphs above. and Bjorn Lomborg is a Climate Scientist? and <"a credible source">? Well you should, it isn't hype, it isn't fear mongering millions...

Hi all, I'm sorry, but if you don't believe in climate change, and the rise in CO2 emissions that have caused it, you are deluded. This isn't a case of opinion, these are cold, hard facts. <"Climate Change: Global Temperature">. <"Global Monitoring Laboratory - Carbon Cycle Greenhouse...

Hi all, Sad day, so soon after <"Lamont Dozier (and Thom Bell)">. He co-wrote some great songs with Norman Whitfield for the <"Temptations"> - "Ball of Confusion", "Papa was a Rolling Stone" (another one of my <"sing it in the shower songs">), "I can't get next to you" etc, but I give you...

Hi all, Not exactly, saliva is naturally alkaline and hard, alkaline water contains (Ca) calcium and (bi)carbonate (2HCO3-) and traces of many minerals, frequently <"including fluoride (Fl-)">. These have a protective role for the teeth enamel. Personally I just love our hard tap water to...

Hi all, If its chlorine (Cl2) or chlorine dioxide (ClO2) the taste should go away, if you leave it stand for a bit? The other options would be either <"manganese (Mn)"> or <"sulphates (SO4--)">, both of these are more likely to occur in harder water. That makes manganese (Mn) much less likely...

Hi all, 10% tap would give you enough remineralising salts. As I said I really like the <"taste of our hard water"> (and <"proper beer">) and dislike the soapy stuff (both water and beer) you get in the North of the UK. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Could you just <"mix a small amount of tap"> back into RO water before you drink it? I'll be honest I only really like <"hard water to drink">. RO feels like it will dissolve your tongue if you drink too much. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Unfortunately things have gone downhill since then, and now £1.89 doesn't get much past mid-morning. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Prophetic, 40 years later. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I was very sorry to hear of <"the death of Thom Bell today">. A name that might not mean much to younger readers, but a man <"who wrote">, arranged and produced some of the greatest "Philly Soul" music of the 1970s. It has been a bad year for soul fans, because we also lost another great...

Hi all, Yes, it is the <"gift that keeps giving">. May your Duckweed <"always be green">, and traditional seasonal greetings to you (and all other UKAPS members) too:). cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm sorry to hear that, it is horrible when your fish die. Can we have a FTS? I'd guess it is a water quality issue as well, mainly because medication hasn't helped and your Ancistrus is up near the water level. What does your filter media look like, and what is it? cheers Darrel

Hi all, When they are working properly <"they are fantastic">, but performance tends to drop off over time without some maintenance (mainly because Phragmites grows like mad). <"A review of constructed wetland on type, treatment and technology of wastewater"> "Vertical flow constructed...

Hi all, Here is one that has come my way, via my "day job". We aren't actually doing any wastewater work at the moment but I belong to some list server etc. so I still get bits and bobs and I thought this might be of more general interest. <"How Floating Wetlands Are Helping to Clean Up...

Hi all, New word for me as well. I've always called these <"tree tunnels">, but from now on its interarboration all the way for me. cheers Darrel

Hi all, We do the same as @Courtneybst, an oil heater in the room we are in and try to maximise solar gain. So far we haven't turned the central heating on, but the house is S. facing and fairly well insulated (and we have <"PV solar panels">), that were <"a fantastic investment">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, There are differences in efficiency, but because all energy eventually ends up as heat (<"second law of thermodynamics">) I'd guess that price per therm is the only number that really matters. Obviously insulation etc is relevant in terms of retaining heat, but in identical rooms I...

Hi all, It is a dinky car. cheers Darrel

Hi all, So do I, and eat your heart out @Wookii, you may have a <"space age, bespoke stainless steel tank stand">, but I'm betting that you don't have a bespoke planted lasagne dish. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Jumping Spiders"> are just the cutest animals. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Five / six at the moment, all 60cm or smaller, three in the lab. at work, two at home and one my son is going to keep shrimps in but couldn't fit in the car when he went back to University. Only the two at home have fish in them, all low-tech and they all suffer from benign neglect...

Hi all, Some of you might remember that I start my day with the <"Italian Breakfast>" and 20 minutes of <"contemplating the latest "good" news"> and also that I'm a massive <"Gil Scott Heron fan">. But this morning I listened to the great man's "I think I'll call it morning" and I actually...

Hi all Leca will always remain aerated, which is why they are suggesting it for succulents. If you were watering the plants normally, then pumice is a really good medium. The simple answer is all terrestrial plants require drainage holes in their pots. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think the filters all tend to be fairly low wattage, impeller driven pumps just don't eat much power. As an example I think <"Eheim Ecco Pro filters are 8W"> (even though that wouldn't be <"enough inducement"> for me to buy another one). The issue is more with the lighting and...

Hi all, Oh dear, I'm amazed (but not in a good way). I wouldn't have even thought about the likelihood of them being eaten, although I know that Cardinals <"are great fry hunters">. My best effort was when I temporarily stored some spare Apistogramma cacatuoides in my <"Cherry Shrimp...

Hi all, Daphnia usually don't last long with a powered filter. The Daphnia are actually one of the things I like about rain-water, as long as they are present water quality should be OK. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Daphnia are crustaceans, like your shrimp, so any chemical treatment that kills them will also kill your shrimps. If the worms are rapid wrigglers? They are also harmless. Cheers Darrel

Hi all, Eryngium is nice, do you know which one it is? I think it is a <"Bumble-bee (Bombus sp.)"> and it is definitely a worker, because it is small and collecting pollen, it also looks really worn, so it has lost most of its hair. A few species have "all black" morphs, I'll try and find out...

Hi all, Various members of my extended family are trying to escape London (and the Home Counties) and flee to the cheaper, cooler North. I think we've been down <"this route before">? <"Corsham"> is very nice, and when you sell your flat you will be able to buy <"Corsham Court"> and some...

Hi all, When Spain were leading 1 : 0, and were totally outplaying England, I couldn't see a way back into the game for us, but sport is a strange thing. I still remember the 1982 World cup, where Italy were awful and <"Brazil fantastic">, but Italy beat Brazil and went onto win the trophy, so...

Hi all, Today was pretty good as well, mainly listened, but watched the highlights. These three test matches just show why <"test cricket is the real game">. I'll watch one day (or even 20 : 20) at a pinch, but test cricket can be a real roller-coaster. Last time was the "Freddie Flintoff"...