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Looks good! :good: I'd put a black backing on it if I were you...

So if you do the hose from the tap method do you just dump the required amount of water conditioner straight into the tank as you're filling it? I do 50% water changes each week so the bucket method takes a while.... I agree it's good exercise though! :good:

If you're still around, Azzman, trust me, you can't trust the advice you're given from a lot of people working in fish shops. I've only had a tank for 4 months, and the amount of crap advice I've received from the lfs is unbelievable, especially when it comes to which fish to stock. I bought a...

I figure that if fish are captive bred, have the appropriate water conditions, amount of space and tank-mates then it's not cruel. I think if a fish has never known anything other than a tank environment it would feel right at home in the right tank. I'm not sure I agree with capturing wild...

I use excel and it hasn't harmed any of my plants. But I only have the following plants in common with you. java fern Ambulia Aquatica Hairgrass Cabomba Aquatica Water Wisteria I also have some crypts and it hasn't harmed them.

I've always done weekly water changed of at least 15%, and my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels have been zero since my tank cycled. However my water had a "tea" colour to it due to ther driftwood in the tank. I replaced the carbon in the filter (Aquaclear 50) with a purigen bag and the water...

I thought the usual WPG rule went out the window for small tanks....? I'm not sure why, but I've noticed some of the nano tanks in journals on this forum have much higher light levels (one of George's nanos had 18w on a 3gal tank), although maybe not as hight as 33wpg. But maybe the normal WPG...

Re the half-life thing, I think I was wrong and Pacman was right. :blush: I just remembered that the half-life of something is the time it takes for half of it to break down. I think I heard that Excel only lasts for 11hrs in your tank, which would mean a half life of 6hrs. Either way I make...

I had a hair algae problem when I started using excel (as a carbon source instead of co2) and it almost completely eradicated the algae within a few days. From what I understand it's not really necessary if you're using CO2 except as an algaecide. My understanding is that using excel as a carbon...

Thanks for the advice people. :good: I might try and see if I can squeeze a slightly bigger tank in. I do have a couple more questions though! Would it be best to get a male and a female? Could I put one or two other small fish in there with them? If so, any suggetsions. An oto maybe? Thanks...

I know nothing about cichlids and need some advice. I'm thinking of setting up a second tank but I'm limited by space. The tank I'm looking at is 32L/8.5gal (40cmX23cmX35cm). Is it possible to set up a tank this size with a few dwarf cichlids? If so, can anyone suggest some suitable species and...

I thought you could bury the roots in the substrate so long as the rhizome isn't burried...? That was the impression I got from plantgeek.net, anyway.

Love your honesty, re_hashed, and I completely know what you mean. I have no tips, being a newbie myself, but you do get better with practice. I seem to end up putting a plant in, standing back and looking at it, then moving it 8 more times before I'm sort of remotely happy with it. At least it...

I'm not sure what Tropica PN is, but I just started using Excel with an EI light regime, which includes macros and traces. I got the info from barreport.com, from an artice about non-CO2 but using Excel, written by stcyrwm. This is what he suggests: Here's the link to the thread if you want...

I'm using an Aqua-glo and a power-glo which are both 18000K, I think, and my plants seem happy. I did some reading on the colour temp thing and got thoroughly confused as to how those tubes can be 18000K... but they do seem to work OK.

Thanks Tom. :good: I'm using Excel, not CO2, and dosing according to the "Intro to non CO2 Excel tanks" article on your site. Seeing as the amount of carbon in my tank is limited compared to using CO2 I guess I should stick to the amounts of ferts suggested. P.S: I asked this on the barrreport...

Righto, thanks James. Think I'll still stick with my 5-2-5 routine for now though. Maybe I'll try a straight 10hr photo period once everything else in my tank is stable and see what happens.

Thanks James... (I seem to be hijacking this thread, oops!) Unfortunately I'm a little more confused now. :blush: So if you're not using any CO2 but using Excel this would allow some nauturally occuring CO2 to build back up? Or is that an insignificant amount? Sorry, are you saying that the...

I hadn't heard the DIY CO2 theory for light siestas before. I thought the siesta was to try to limit algae growth. I started doing it after I read George Farmer's pinned lighting article, as quoted below. Now I'm confused! Seem to spend a lot of time confused in this hobby. :blink:

Cheers for that, Andy. Not sure if I'm kidding myself or not, but the plants seem to be enjoying it already!

I'm in a similar position, 1.4wpg, no CO2, and nothing was growing well at all. I started dosing Excel daily (according to instructions on the bottle) as a carbon source for the plants, and plants started growing better. I also added Flourish root tabs, and Flourish once a week, which seemed to...

Excellent, thanks Dave. I think I got "KH2PO5" from not having been near chemistry in about 15 years and just making it up as I went along. :blink:

I had some Amazon Swords which didn't do well at all under no CO2, low light and before I started fertilising properly. But maybe other swords would, I dunno...? All of my crypts have done well, though. Check out plantgeek.net - very useful.

I don't use CO2 either, and my Water Wisteria grows well,is bushy and light green in colour. It grows to the top of the tank (about 40cm) but you can just chop it off and replant the cutting). I also just have plain gravel as substrate but I use root tabs. :good:

Bit of a techy chemistry question. I just received my 2 tubs of powder in the mail to start my EI light dosing. I ordered KNO3 and KH2PO4, one of the tubs contains "MPK, P2O5 (52%), K20 (34%). Does this mean I have KH2PO5, not KH2PO4? And does that cheeky extra oxygen molecule make any...

I found these 2 threads about non-CO2 tanks using Excel on barrreport.com very useful. I'm about to start his low light/Excel EI regime as soon as my dry ferts turn up. http://www.barrreport.com/articles/433-non...highlight=excel http://www.barrreport.com/articles/1356-lo...ghlight=seachem

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, trying to get a good planted tank going without CO2 and with low light. I just found some great info on Tom Barr's forum. http://www.barrreport.com/articles/433-non...CO2+EXCEL+TANKS http://www.barrreport.com/articles/1356-lo...highlight=excel I'm a newbie...

If it were any more pink it'd be singing cheesy pop songs!

My water was always brownish due to driftwood. Guy at LFS suggested Seachem Purigen (little baggie in the filter). My water went from weak tea to crystal clear overnight. :good:

I'm still a newbie myself so hopefully one of the gurus will reply to you. That said, my pH has been 7.5 ever since I set up my tank, which is a little high for some of my fish but I haven't lost any. Admittedly yours is a fair bit higher. My understanding is that a stable pH is more important...

Aah, chav. We call 'em "homies". Sorry, getting off topic. I hate people who deface nature.

Ta for that. I only really want to put them in if they're going to be happy... and I might be getting a little over-stocked anyway. Maybe I'll save them for my next tank and select the fish more carefully. What's that condition I've heard of...mts? :hyper: Oh, and if I were to go crazy and set...

Nice photos. What's a chav?

Ta for your reply. I did wonder about the gouramis as the male does chase other fish sometimes. I've heard that angels eat tetras before, but mine are very placid and show no interest in the tetras at all. They're more interested in pecking at the plants than in other fish. My neons have been...

Here's the threads I remembered reading: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...airstone+lights http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...airstone+lights

I'm no expert by a very long shot, but I remember reading on this forum that it's OK to run an airstone when your lights are off as the plants only take in CO2 when lights are on (when they're photosynthesising I suppose).

Yeah, ta, I've since changed my mind on the clown loaches. I'd love to do a nice big tank just for them one day, though.

Thinking of adding a few glass catfish to my community tank. I've read that they prefer neutral to acidic water, my pH is consistently 7.5. Is this too basic for them? Tank is 4 months old now, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels always zero. None of my fish are overly aggressive so I thought...

Ok, ta for that, Dave. :good: DIY CO2 does look very messy and fiddly... might just keep everything as simple as possible for now (until I get bored and decide my credit card needs another workout.... pressureised CO2, eh...?)

Sombody? Anybody?