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Fluval Sea Liquid Calcium is just calcium chloride, dissolved in water. So you are paying for the packaging and fuel/logistics costs of shipping mainly water. I used to use Kent Marine Liquid Calcium (which is the same) all the time for my snails due to my soft water, until I realised it is...

Ah, I did totally miss this, sorry! My mind registered this as the same link Zozo posted for some reason 😅. Having now read it, I can say with certainty Dennis Wong never implies it's a fallacy that fish food and tap water provide all the nutiritents plants need. He simply explained that in his...

Let's be clear I'm not advocating avoiding fertilisers for any reason, just clarifying that fish food and the water do contain everything needed for plant growth and extra fertiliser simply is not nessesary for a planted tank. Adding fertiliser obviously makes it easier, but I totally would...

It's not a fallacy at all, you are just misconstruing what I've stated ;). Every element essential for plant growth is present betweeen fish food and tap water, you don't need to add more unless you want to avoid any particular element being a limiting factor to growth. But without adding any...

Fish poop can provide everything plants need, as fish food and tap water contain all the elements nessesary to grow plants. Many people keep planted aquariums with no fertiliser added or water changes (such as Walstad style tanks), the plants just grow much more slowly compared to tanks with...

They are different sizes physcially so won't fit unfortunately!

What is the "risk" you are worried about? As explained above, the Eheim Classics have a more simple design with less bypass, making them better at actually filtering. However, your priority seems to be turnover (as it should be for a typical lightly/medium stocked planted tank), and unless you...

I used to use a 2213 and 2215 personally, and still have the 2215 sitting in the shed where it's been for years. I replaced them with Fluval 105s and a 405 over 10 years ago, and the Fluvals are stll going stong! I chose to get Fluvals for ease of manitenence. The Eheim classics get great...

I would personally rule out the otos and the RCS, most likely culprits are the Amano shrimp and SAE. I've had the same damage in the past with just SAE but I never saw them eat the plants, I figured they had accidentally broken the growing tips when trying to eat algae from them, I don't think...

I've always been a lurker at the Barr Report forums but don't think I ever posted there, I remember migrating here from Tropical Fish Forums in 2008, quite a few experienced members came from the TFF aquatic plant section, and UKAPS was an official exception to their rules against linking to...

I'll second both water mint (add to salads/sandwiches) and L.aromatica (add to stir-fry), I haven't eaten any submersed growth though. I've also grown basil with it's roots in the aquarium but it really does better in a pot on the windowsill.

Are you seeing any magnesium or calcium deficiencies? If not, then no need to add anything else. Adding more will give you no improvements. Not sure? Then adding a little extra can't hurt, at worst it will just be a waste of time. The whole point of EI is to keep things easy by dosing more...

Being full of air...would cork bark not rot quite quickly under water? I've used cork bark in vivariums and paludariums, never really thought of using it submerged because it is so buoyant, seems like such an awkward thing to use to me!

As Darrel says, definitely don't. I use the stuff for cooking and sometimes for hatching brine shrimp because I have a bag of it, I also have a lamp made of it because I think it looks nice. It is mainly sodium chloride, I've read some theories that the minerals in it could be from brine shrimp...

Depends how much you add, but it is bad for most plants. Although recommended in every goldfish book I own, it's not even great for goldfish, it only has very specific uses (such as salt baths for parasites, stress temporarily when transporting fish and lessening the effects of toxic nitrite)...

Given that it is a toxic chemical, it's very possibly a contributing factor IMO. In many tanks, shrimp will instantly react very badly to a normal dose, often quickly dying so it must quickly irritate them, I presume it would irritate fish too, at least their gills of fish and other areas not...

Looks nice! Was that just one portion, or multiple? I have a Bucephalandra of some sort that has done well for a few years, grows like an Anubias for me. I've been thinking of getting another, but there are so many different named varieties that look so similar now I don't know where to start.

Exactly :thumbup:. More light = more CO2 (and other nutrients) required by plants.

It will grow fine without, if you have too high lighting and no CO2 however, it will get covered in algae. I have no idea if 48 is too high a PAR value without CO2 though, sorry. I should really get a PAR meter to play with at some point. I grown it with no CO2 a few times, usually under 2 x...

You can prune heavily and leave the roots in, it will recover faster that way, but will make a mess with loads of bits of dead plant debris floating around you'll have to pick out, and the growth that's left wont look good for a wee while. Cleanly ripping the whole carpet out and starting again...

Could be diatoms of some type (maybe a different species from your other tank), or maybe cyanobacteria, or any other bacterial/algal biofilm really . Using the credit card would be a good idea, are you trying to avoid disturbing the substrate as it would cloud the water? I wouldn't use kitchen...

Not specifically from a pond, in the previous months I had only added a potted Tropica plant from Pets@Home, a couple of cuttings from other indoor tropical tanks and a piece of floating plant from a member here. I do usually leave my windows open, so it possibly flew in during summer when I...

Lol, indeed. Your basically going to have to decide between a "clean as possible" aquascape that isn't perfect for baby shrimp, or just let silt accumulate more and feed the shrimp/biofilm like it would in nature. Really though, you shouldn't need to siphon/vacuum hairgrass if it has enough...

I've had damselfly larvae a few times, I presume they come as unseen eggs to plants, I usually leave them be unless they are eating too many fish fry. This guy moulted a few weeks ago and lived in the house for a couple of days before falling in one of my pitcher plants (was too cold to let it...

Fallen and dry ones :thumbup:. Same as before, nobody can tell you. If you added catappa leaves, it could go down to pH 6 (no big deal), or it could just go slightly down to 7.5. Nobody can tell what will happen (other than the pH will drop) until you try. I would guess if you just added a few...

Depends if you want to experiment with leaves, why are you thinking about it? Trying to change your water chemistry, or just like the look of leaves? If you are trying to change your water chemistry, why? If you just like the look of leaves, I would recommend oak leaves instead as they are...

I used stainless steel mesh cut and bent into shape, it minimally impairs the flow and stops big shrimp being sucked in. The same stuff that you can buy for attaching moss: https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/eheim-surface-skimmer-death-trap.31291/#post-330151 Tbh I gave up on the idea as I...

Why do you even need to ask this when I have stated multiple times I would not use this device on my tanks even if I was paid to do so? Have you fully read my posts? Um...no? I have never once stated this. I have stated multiple times that any possible anti-algae effect from the ozone produced...

This has already been stated, however that doesn't make it a good policy. I believe it stifles both individual hobbyists learning and the development of science related to the hobby and lowers trust in their product. You are allowed to have a different opinion, I'm personally more interested in...

In the same unknown way some people think it is beneficial. It's meant to "sterilise" or "kill" algae. The manufacturers do not say exactly how it works, but there is no magic device or chemical that can do this in aquariums without also harming beneficial microorganisms. After years being on...

So... how exactly is it not harmful at all? What makes Twinstar different from copies? Being present for a short time doesn't mean it's not harmful at all, the negative effects are just reduced due to less exposure, same goes for any perceived positive effects. I should note that I think that...

I can see why they could provide some limited benefit, but I can equally see them potentially causing (probably negligible) harm to plants if the substrate was too warm for a particular species. I was almost tempted to get one many times years ago, but further reading on both aquatic and...

Very much doubt the mites are harming the plants, from the description I would also say potassium deficiency is a possibility. Do you live in an area with soft water? Are the mites actually on the plants underwater? I don't know much about aquatic mites, just checked a couple of reference...

Ugh, unlucky! This has happened to me too, I had to remove all the floating plants to get rid of them, pretty much the only way as pesticides or ladybirds aren't an option. At least the fish will be getting extra snacks. Make sure you check any plants you have on your windowsills too! Aphids...

I've used tubes for years before changing, I typically only change them when they stop working. To me it doesn't really matter if they lose any brightness as long as the plants are growing healthily - I've never ever seen lack of light due to old dim tubes being a problem. Most tanks have...

I read that too, only from Seachem marketing folk though ;). I also remember seeing forum posts of people saying it was fine. I see no reason why the chemicals would need stabilisers to work in RO water, it looks and smells the same, never had any problems with 80% water changes and my waters...

I mix the Safe with a bottle with RO water and use a syringe to dose. With my current solution its something like 10g safe into 750ml bottle of RO water, then 5ml treats 7.5L.

I've always used Ceratophyllum (hornwort) in new tanks when available, due to its apparent allelopathic effect on algae. I do remember reading that some studies supported this ability of Ceratophyllum, but it could also just be that it's such a fast growing plant.

I currently have over 25x turnover in my 80l using a Fluval 105, a Koralia 1200 and an Eheim nano skimmer, going by the manufacturers ratings anyway (in practice it will be much less). I've had up to 45x in the past too. I like dense plant growth and the "jungle" look so I find this flow...

If you are really worried about the iron reacting with the phosphate, just dose at separate ends of the tank, but IME this is not needed at all. If you were mixing an all-in one fertiliser in a small bottle, then the reaction would be worth considering and adding ascorbic acid or similar to...

Amazing scape! Also, I possibly spy a harlequin shrimp in there at the bottom left (and a tiger shrimp on the right?), beautiful and interesting tank :). Did they do OK with the injected CO2 Victor, if that is a harlequin?

Knowing how they are meant to work now, I wouldn't put one of these "killing apparatus" in any of my tanks even if I got one for free tbh. A device that destroys the cell membranes of microbes " such as germ"? What about the beneficial microbes that improve the aquarium environment for the...

1. Yes. 2. No. 3. Yes. :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd be worried about evaporating all the water or cooking the fish with a candle! I reckon if you can see those tiny fish, the tanks got enough light :thumbup: . Lol, there cant be more than 30 individual grains of gravel in there and the scaper still managed to put in a tacky painted blue...

Good point, that would seem to be the case! I've noticed this on my nerite snails in the past, the only place the GSA grows is on their shells lol. Not as pretty as that marine macroalgae above though lol. If this is the case, it would suggest to me that the unit isn't doing that much...

Wouldn't we all! Personally I'm sceptical that it actually does much, and worried that even if it does, this same action on algae cells will affect beneficial bacteria cells on all the tanks surfaces, exposed plant roots and any beneficial bacteria living on the fish. Why wouldn't it? The...

I don't want one partly because nobody seems to know for sure how they work, and even if the current theories are correct, I don't think the benefits outweigh the aesthetic costs of having the relatively ugly (IMO) piece of kit in-tank, let alone the monetary costs. The only thing that does make...

Yup, basically. I would consider a few hydra "enrichment" for the fish, something natural to interact with like they would in nature. Possibly even eat. It's only if you have thousands of them lining all the surfaces of the tank that they would bother the fish at all. Then you could use toxic...

Some adult micro-fish like microrasboras are maybe at risk from stinging injury but not capture, but nothing you would keep with puffers anyway! Personally I've yet to see a hydra manage to capture a shrimp, I've seen baby shrimp dart away easily enough after being stung though. I may just have...

Why? Hydra are basically harmless and very interesting critters. Unless your breeding very expensive shrimp (and I somehow doubt that if your putting puffers in there!), any actions to remove hydra would be a total waste of time and resources IMO. In my shrimp tanks I just ignore them as I...

I just leave them in until they are totally eaten by shrimp or otherwise decomposed :).

If it's cherry shrimp or those "ghost shrimp" 28*C will be fine, but as above this isn't that important, it could help improve health if something else is wrong but 26*C wouldn't cause the symptoms you describe.

They are harmless springtails, they feed off algae and waste fish food on the waters edge/tank hood/floating plants and wont move away from this humid environment. If theres not much food for them to eat, then there will be less of them and they wont be very noticeable. So repeat cleanings of...

Depends on what size of leaves you get, but a just couple of medium sized leaves should suffice. Btw, what temperature does your thermometer say?

Nitrate at 5ppm is brilliant for fish, most people on here would be adding nitrate for their plants if their tanks were at 5ppm :thumbup: . If your in the UK, "ghost shrimp" usually refers to the species Macrobrachium lanchesteri - which could easily over-power and eat a betta when fully...

Also cutting a long answer short, no you don't need it. "Aquarium salt" (overpriced sodium chloride) is widely misused nowadays, its really a relict from another age of fishkeeping.

Need to know!

Yeah, you post it back, don't try take it on the plane! ;)

Yo-han, many thanks for the suggestions :). Holgen is the only one I had found so far but didn't know you could do a tour through street-view, that's pretty cool! I can see emersed potted plants being sold and it looks like a great shop, will be sure to visit! Unfortunately I'm only visiting...

Thought I'd bump this old thread as I'm going to Amsterdam next month and really like the idea of visiting a big LFS, maybe bring back a nice fresh Aquafleur plant lol, also would be nice if I got to see a genuine Dutch-style tank! It's a longshot, but anyone know of any good LFS in Amsterdam...